Professor Donncha O’Brien has been appointed as National Clinical Advisor in Neurosurgery for the RCSI National Clinical Programme in Surgery.

Professor O’Brien is a Consultant Neurosurgeon and is currently Clinical Director of the Neurocent Directorate in Beaumont Hospital. He is also an RCSI Associate Professor and National Clinical Lead for Epilepsy Surgery (adults and paediatrics).

As of the beginning of 2025, there were over 11,000 patients waiting for a neurosurgical service outpatient appointment, with over 2,000 waiting more than 18 months. There are almost 1,000 patients waiting for inpatient neurosurgery procedures. The National Clinical Advisor for Neurosurgery is a new role which will support the RCSI National Clinical Programme for Surgery in identifying and coordinating solutions to improve the management of waiting lists and to enhance service delivery.

Under Professor O’Brien’s leadership, the RCSI National Clinical Programme will adopt a programmatic approach to support clinical pathway planning, service development, governance and strategy development.

He will also lead on the development and standardisation of new patient pathways, protocols, and guidelines to support the integration of neurosurgical services within the national trauma network.

A plan for neurosurgery services

The key focus of the role will be to:

• Develop neurosurgical pathways, protocols and guidelines for the shared services with the Major Trauma Centre at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital.
• Develop a model of care for neurosurgery in Ireland which incorporates the requirements of the trauma report for Ireland.
• Develop a workforce plan to support the implementation of a model of care.
• Develop a resource plan and associated business cases to support the implementation of model of care.
• Develop relevant guidelines and protocols to support the implementation of a model of care.
• Develop recommendations on the governance of neurosurgery services and their integration with other relevant specialties.
• Develop recommended performance indicators for a neurosurgery service.

Collaboration with HSE

The RCSI National Clinical Programmes are a very important part of how RCSI collaborates with and supports the HSE.

“I am delighted to welcome the appointment of Professor O’Brien as National Clinical Advisor in Neurosurgery. The benefits of having a national clinical lead for neurosurgery to focus on adopting a programmatic approach to support clinical pathway planning and service development are immense. I very much welcome this new role and wish Professor O’Brien every success in the role,” said Professor Deborah McNamara, President of RCSI.

Professor O’Brien said: “It is a privilege to take on this role, and I look forward to working collaboratively across the health system to improve access, equity, and outcomes for patients requiring neurosurgical care.”

Find out more about the work of the National Clinical Programme in Surgery here.