A former senior leader in the NHS in England will take up the
role of interim Permanent Secretary of the Department of Health
in April.
Mike Farrar will replace current Permanent Secretary , who is retiring from the
Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS).
Mr Farrar's previous roles in the NHS in England include Chief
Executive of the NHS Confederation and Head of Primary Care at
the Department of Health in London. He has also been Chief
Executive of Health Authorities in North West England, Yorkshire
and Tees.
In more recent years, he has worked as a management consultant
specialising in healthcare. He has worked with Northern Ireland
Health Service leaders and has also worked internationally on
healthcare in the Middle East, Japan, Russia, US, Spain and
Australia.
Thanking the outgoing Permanent Secretary, Head of the NICS Jayne
Brady said: “Peter May has made an outstanding contribution to
the NICS over many years. Having dedicated his career to public
service, he has undoubtedly made a positive difference, not only
to the organisation, but to our society.
“Peter has brought a wealth of experience, insight and enthusiasm
to his roles across different departments and latterly, as
Permanent Secretary in the Department of Health, has shown real
leadership in steering Health and Social Care through a very
challenging period.”
Commenting on the appointment of Mr Farrar, Jayne Brady said:
“Mike Farrar has extensive experience in Health and Social Care
leadership roles and I am confident he will be a real asset to
the Department of Health as Interim Permanent Secretary.
“We are all aware that the Health and Social Care system is under
significant pressure and Mr Farrar will have a key role to play
in the reform and transformation of services so that people can
access the care they need in a timely way.
“I look forward to working with Mike as he undertakes this
important role.”
Notes to editors:
1. In addition to his roles in Health and Social Care, Mr Farrar
has worked in the charitable sector and in sport, where he has
held a variety of roles including Chair of Swim England and Vice
and Interim Chair of Sport England.
2. He was awarded the CBE in 2005 for services to the NHS and is
an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of GPs and the Royal
College of Physicians.
3. During the pandemic, Mr Farrar worked pro bono as the Deputy
CEO at King's College Hospital.
4. The specialist appointment is for a fixed term of 12 months,
with the potential for extension, and was made in line with Civil
Service HR policies and Civil Service Commissioners for Northern
Ireland Recruitment Code.
5. The post will be filled permanently through an open
recruitment exercise.
6. The remuneration for this interim fixed term role is £188k,
comprised of basic salary costs and a fixed, non-pensionable £34k
recruitment and retention allowance. The overall remuneration
package will be significantly lower than salaries paid to health
service leaders in England, Scotland and Wales.
