Crumlin to seek pay rise for hospital chief executive Lorcan Birthistle

The board of Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin last night stated its intention to “pursue directly” the matter of a pay rise for the hospital’s chief executive with the HSE.

The hospital’s chief executive is Lorcan Birthistle who, according to files at the Department of Health, receives total remuneration of €140,808. This includes a top-up of €30,000 from a “privately funded allowance”.

Mr Birthistle’s salary is among the lowest paid to the country’s hospital chief executives, and last week councillor Ruairi McGinley – who is a board member – said he was certain “€110,000 is not an appropriate salary for a chief executive of a national children’s hospital”.

He said no one in the public service should earn more than the Taoiseach’s salary of €185,000 and added that the salary of the chief executive at Crumlin hospital was “at the lowest end of any of the numbers that have appeared”.

'Appropriate renumeration'
A statement released following a meeting of the hospital board last night said it has previously attempted to secure the approval of the health authorities for "an appropriate remuneration level" for the chief executive.

“The board believes this can now be achieved in accordance with the recommendations of the HSE Internal Audit Report and this will be pursued directly with the HSE,” the statement said.

The issue of top-ups for executives was the chief matter on the agenda at the meeting of the hospital’s board which also acknowledged for the first time that Mr Birthistle’s salary includes “an allowance funded from on-site commercial activities”.

“The contracted remuneration of the chief executive has full board approval since his appointment and is fully compliant with PAYE and other statutory deductions.”