Letter to the Editor

FOUNDING FATHERS Tom Fallon (right), one of the co-founders of Western Care pictured with fellow founders Johnny Mee and Michael Joe Egan in 1987.

Letter to the Editor

Dear sir,

I am writing to you regarding your article on Western Care in last week’s Mayo News. Firstly, can I congratulate you on a really well-balanced review of the present troubles being faced by the charity – it was presented a totally fair summary of the present situation and this is really helpful. You have clearly undertaken a great deal of research and, while being totally objective with regard to the issues, you show that you have a truly caring concern for an organisation grown from the soil of Mayo and entirely owned by its people and in which they can rightly take great pride.
It seems to me that there are two main headings with regard to how the present troubles should be tackled, namely to ascertain how things have gone so wrong and, at the same time, to put things right again. Of these two the most important is to put things right again.
On the other issue of what went wrong, I agree with Deputy Conway Walsh that there must be an independent enquiry. However, I think that it is a complete overkill to suggest that the Government should undertake this. It may well be that the Board of the charity has been “asleep on the job”, but nonetheless the establishment of a full enquiry is really its responsibility.
I suggest that it would be best carried out independently by a senior barrister appointed by, and reporting to, the Board – even though the Board may not itself come out of all of this very well! To carry out a thorough enquiry will take considerable time but the process of putting things right again cannot wait another day.
It is patently clear that there has been a growing management failure at Western Care for quite some time. The governing board has either failed to pick this up or lacked the capability and/or courage to deal with it. The solution to the problem lies in first recruiting a CEO with the business background, qualifications and commitment to lead what is now, in reality, a non-profitmaking business enterprise which, crucially, is supported by the most wonderful voluntary community involvement and charitable fundraising. Fiddling about with interim appointments whilst unending inquiries go on will only allow the situation to worsen.
Western Care’s past success has been rooted in always having the right people in place. No position is more important as that of CEO and the Board has just got to get this right without delay. Past appointments may have hinged on the charity, local authority or social/medical backgrounds of candidates. Those days are gone. What is needed today is an inspirational and compassionate CEO with wide business leadership qualifications/experience who is willing to commit him/herself to not alone getting Western Care services back on the right track again but also to developing them further. This must surely also be the best way to regain the confidence not just of clients, staff and volunteers but also, most importantly, of the commissioners of Western Care services (the HSE).
I would not dare to suggest how such a new CEO would go about his/her job - get a committed person with the qualities I have set out above and he/she will quickly know what needs to be done. Mind you he/she will only be able to work effectively with the critical support of the Chairman and governing Board. The Board must understand that, of itself, it does not have a place in day-to-day management - its job is supervisory and management must be clearly shown to lie in the hands of the CEO and senior professional management team. The Board cannot delegate all powers to the CEO but this would be a good time for it, in conjunction with the CEO, to review what key powers it does want to retain.
What needs to be done now should not be a major task for the Board. The problem is serious and sad but the solution is clear and really very simple – but does the Board have the courage?

Sincerely,
Tom Fallon,
co-founder of Western Care,
now living in Brixham, Devon