Rachel Downey, former editor of Nursing Times and a communications strategist at the Department of Health, has died of renal failure aged 60. She was a health and social affairs journalist who later worked at the heart of health policy, translating complex issues into public communications.
Career highlights
Most recently, Rachel was head of public relations at the Office of the Patient Safety Commissioner. There, she led communications for Martha's Rule, which gives patients and families the right to request an urgent review if they believe their condition is deteriorating. She also publicised the Hughes Report on financial redress for those harmed by sodium valproate and pelvic mesh implants, and the Safety Gap Report on disparities in patient safety outcomes.
Early life and journalism
Born in Dublin to political journalist James Downey and his wife Moira, Rachel studied English at University College Dublin and completed a journalism course at Dublin City University. She moved to London in 1987, starting at the London Irish News, covering campaigns for the Birmingham Six and Guildford Four. She later worked at Social Work Today, Community Care, and became editor of Nursing Times from 2002 to 2008.
Rachel left journalism in 2009 to work at the Department of Health until September 2025, when she became seriously ill. She had type 1 diabetes all her adult life. She posthumously published her father's book, The Legacy of Gombeen Ireland (2020). She is survived by her husband, sons James and Colm, and sister Vanessa.
