Prof. Cillian Twomey
Consultant Physician in Geriatric Medicine, Cork University Hospital
Prof. Cillian Twomey is consultant physician in geriatric medicine at Cork University and St. Finbarr’s Hospitals, Cork since 1979. In his earlier career, he practiced and trained in Cork, London and Liverpool.
He is the current President of the Irish Gerontological Society. In October 2006 he was invited to give the annual Trevor Howell Guest Lecture at the annual scientific meeting of the British Geriatrics Society in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.
He was Chairman of the Ninth and final Comhairle na nOspidéal Board from February 2001 to December 2005. He was a member of the Steering Group of the National Task Force for Medical Staffing (Hanly) that reviewed the organisation and staffing of Ireland’s acute hospital sector. He was President of the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS) from 1999 to 2002, the first Irish person to hold this position, and is a former President of the Irish Medical Organisation and former Chairman of its Consultant Committee.
Eugene Murray
CEO, Irish Hospice Foundation
Eugene Murray has been Chief Executive Officer of the Irish Hospice Foundation since 2004.
He was formerly a member of the Executive Board of RTE, where he held a number of senior management posts, including Director of Business Planning, Director of Digital Media and Head of Current Affairs-Television. Previously in RTE, he had worked as a radio and TV producer, and was editor of the flagship current affairs programme, Today Tonight.
A former Chair of the Governing Body of Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology, and of Arthouse and The Broadband Factory, Eugene Murray has also served as a member of the Information Society Commission, on which he chaired the sub-group on telecommunications infrastructure.
Denis Doherty
Denis Doherty & Associates, Healthcare Consultants.
Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Irish Hospice Foundation, Denis Doherty is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
Between 1971 and 2005 he worked in the health services, initially as head of the human resources function in the North Western and Midland Health Boards. Between 1975 and 1980 he was Programme Manager (Assistant CEO) in the North Western Health Board. From 1980 to 2002 he was CEO of the Midland Health Board. Between 1988 and 1997 he was also CEO of the Mid Western Health Board.
In 1997, Denis Doherty was asked by the Minister for Health and Children to set up and direct the Office for Health Management (OHM) and in 2002 he was asked by the health boards to set up and direct the Health Boards Executive (HeBE). Since 2005 he has been working full time as a management consultant in healthcare.
Denis Doherty was a member of Comhairle na nOspideal between 1983 and 2005. During that time he was also head of the Irish delegation to the Standing Committee of the Hospitals of the European Union (HOPE), and served a three-year term as President of HOPE. He has published widely on many aspects of healthcare management and continues to do so in his capacity as Vice President of the Health Management Institute of Ireland (HMI).
Dr. Doiminic Ó Brannagáin
Consultant Physician in Palliative Medicine
Dr. Doiminic Ó Brannagáin is a graduate of the NUI at University College Dublin. He completed Vocational Training in General Practice in 1995, followed by Higher Specialist Training in Palliative Medicine in 2001 through the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland. He was appointed Consultant in Palliative Medicine, NEHB in 2002.
Between 1991 and 1996 as a member and latterly chair of the NCHD committee of the Irish Medical Organisation he was involved in contract and medical indemnity negotiations nationally. He was a member of the Permanent Working Group (PWG) of Junior Hospital Doctors in Europe and worked on taskforces for Medical Manpower Planning and the Working Time Directive in Europe. He was the PWG delegate to the UEMO (European Union of General Practitioners) and sat on the CPME (the Standing Committee of European Doctors).
His interests in clinical practice are the transition to palliative care, symptom clustering in advanced illness, care of the actively dying patient and palliative care in non-malignant illnesses. He has been invited to speak/teach at national and international symposia on palliative care and care of the dying in both the English and French language.
He is interested in organisational policy, psychology, culture and systems. He is committed to expanding the remit of palliative care through traditional boundaries by service modelling, teaching, and effecting attitudinal change.
Professor David Clark
Director, University of Glasgow
David Clark was educated at the Universities of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England and Aberdeen, Scotland. Following early postgraduate studies in the sociology of religion, his subsequent research interests centred upon sociological aspects of family life, with a particular interest in aspects of marriage, divorce and re-marriage. Whilst working at the MRC Medical Sociology Unit in Aberdeen in the early 1980s, he began to develop an interest in the sociological aspects of health and illness, which has now become his major research focus.
He was appointed Professor of Sociology at Sheffield Hallam University in 1993 and in 1995 became Professor of Medical Sociology at the University of Sheffield, and Associate Director of Trent Palliative Care Centre. In September 2003 he joined Lancaster University as Professor of Medical Sociology and Director of the International Observatory on End of Life Care; he was Director of the Institute for Health Research at Lancaster from January 2005 – July 2006.
He is currently engaged in a number of studies concerned with service evaluation relating to the provision of palliative care and with issues of policy development, the international growth of palliative care and related ethical issues. He has a particular interest in the historical development of modern end of life care movements and is currently writing a book about the history of the Project on Death in America. He is the author of numerous volumes and papers as well as an elected member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, a trustee of the UK charity Help the Hospices and a member of the board of the European Association of Palliative Care.
In 2005, with support from the Irish Hospice Foundation, he took up the position of Visiting Professor in Hospice Studies at Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin.
Sheila Dickson
1st Vice-President of Irish Nurses Organisation
Professional Qualifications: Trained at the North Middlesex Hospital London 1977-1980.
Qualified as a moving and handling Instructor in May 2001.
Professional Experience: Worked throughout the UK for over ten years, both in the public and private sector. I am presently working in St. Columbanus Home, Killarney which is a long stay facility in Care of the Older Person. I was appointed a Peace Commissioner in May 2000. I was elected to Killarney Town Council from 1998 to 2004 - serving as Deputy Mayor in 2004. Currently serving on the twinning and arts committees.I am a board member of the National Coaching and Training Centre (NCTC) based at University of Limerick.
INO Activities: I am Chairperson of the Killarney Branch, which covers all of South Kerry. Also held the position of Branch Secretary for a number of years. Active nurse representative and a member of the organising committee on each occasion the ADC was held in Killarney. Elected to Executive Council in 2004 and currently a member of its Social Policy Committee.
Orla Keegan
Head of Education, Research & Bereavement Services
Orla Keegan works at the Irish Hospice Foundation. Her brief includes promotion and funding of research, the co-ordination of an MSc programme in Bereavement Studies and support of education and development projects. Her background is in psychology and health services research. She has worked in Scotland and Ireland as a health services researcher and has conducted research on quality of care for dying patients and patients’ views of health services. She has worked with the Irish Hospice Foundation since 1999.
Brenda Power
Brenda Power is from Kilkenny and has vast experience as both boadcaster and journalist. She has worked for various newspapers and magazines including The Press Group, The Sunday Tribune, Magill Publishers, Image, and currently writes columns for both The Sunday Times and The Daily Mail. Brenda has worked for RTE Radio and presents a daily programme, Your Call, on Newstalk. Brenda has also presented CrimeCall on RTE television for two years. She is a qualified barrister, and has five young children.
Margaret Murphy
Margaret has worked as an administrator in Government Agencies, Third-Level Education, the Private Sector, and immediately prior to her retirement was Personal Assistant to the Leader of the Presentation Brothers Religious Congregation.
Margaret sees patients and patient families as a seriously under-used resource. Following the death of her son, she became actively involved, sharing her family’s experience and engaging positively with healthcare systems and professionals. She achieves this through membership of various groups and through presenting to Conferences in her home country, Ireland, as well as abroad.
The focus of her work relates to seeing adverse events as opportunities for learning, dissemination of such learning and as catalysts for change and improvement. She is also viewed as a resource for including the patient perspective in various initiatives and, for example, has participated as a panel member when adjudicating on proposals to conduct research in relation to safety in health care as well as offering comment on a variety of health and quality programme funding proposals.
Margaret is:
- a Member of the Steering Committee of the Patients for Patient Safety strand of the WHO World Alliance for Patient Safety
- a Member of the inaugural steering committee of the World Alliance for Patient Safety Collaborative Centre for Patient Safety Solutions.
- one of two patient representatives appointed by the Irish Minister for Health and Children to The Commission for Safety and Quality Assurance in Healthcare
- a Council Member of the Irish Society for Quality and Safety in Healthcare
- a Board Member of the Irish Health Services Accreditation Board and also acts as consumer surveyor in hospital accreditation.
- a member of the Patient Forum, Cork University Hospital, Ireland
- a Member of the Advisory Committee, proposed Postgraduate Medical School, University of Limerick, Ireland.
- a Member of the Irish Medical Council’s steering committee Professional Practice Review Programme for General Practitioners.
- associated with the Irish Patients Association and the advocacy group Patient Focus
Professor Brendan McCormack
DPN Co-ordinator
Director of Nursing Research and Practice Development, Royal Group of Hospitals, Belfast and University of Ulster at Jordanstown
Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
D.Phil (Oxon.), BSc (Hons.), PGCEA, RNT, RMN, RGN
Brendan began his nursing career as a psychiatric nurse in the Republic of Ireland where he developed particular interests in older people with mental health needs. He then trained as a general nurse in Reading, Berkshire, England and soon after completed a Post Graduate Certificate in the Education of Adults. Having worked as a job-share charge nurse in general surgery, Brendan was appointed as the Clothworkers Foundation Clinical Lecturer in Nursing - a three way appointment between Oxford Brookes University, Oxfordshire Community Health NHS Trust and the National Institute for Nursing.
In this role he had responsibility for the clinical leadership of Oxford City Community Hospital, the supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate nursing students, undertaking practice development and research. Brendan completed a Doctorate in Philosophy at the University of Oxford's Department of Educational Studies focusing on the autonomy of older people in hospitals. He became Head of Practice Development in Oxfordshire Community Health NHS Trust and coordinated the establishment of a multidisciplinary practice development programme across 11 community hospitals, using action learning, clinical supervision and reflective practice as key strategies for change. This work took him to the Royal College of Nursing Institute as Co-Director of the Gerontological Nursing Programme (a UK wide integrated programme of policy, education, research and practice development) and (for a short time!) Head of Practice Development.
In his current post, Brendan is Director of Research, Practice Development and Clinical Education in the Royal Hospitals, Belfast and manages these activities across all specialities, whilst maintaining his specialist practice focus on gerontological nursing. He leads a number of practice development and research projects in Ireland and the UK that utilise action learning and action research. In addition he is the leader of the School of Nursing's 'Working with Older People' Recognised Research Group, coordinating research and development activity in this area. He is the National Coordinator of the Developing Practice Network (a UK wide network of practice developers). Brendan has written extensively on gerontological nursing and practice development and serves on a number of editorial boards, policy committees, and development groups in these areas.
Ann Ryan
Inspector Manager, Social Services Inspectorate
Ann Ryan worked as an inspector with the Social Services Inspectorate, which became part of the Health Information and Quality Authority in May 2007. In preparation for the inspection and registration of Residential Care Settings for Older People, Ann joined the interim HIQA in 2006 as Project Manager for Services for Older People. She managed the standards development process for the National Quality Standards for Residential Care Settings for Older People, which were published in March 2008.
Prior to joining the Social Services Inspectorate, Ann worked with the HSE and has a range of experience in the social services sector, in both community based and residential care settings
Geraldine Fitzpatrick
Principal Officer, Services for the Elderly & Palliative Care, Department of Health & Care
Ms. Ann Coyle
Planning Specialist, Office of the Assistant National Director, Older Persons' Services, Health Service Executive
Ms. Barbara Fitzgerald
Director of Nursing, Naas General Hospital
Dr Emer Loughrey
GP Representative
James Conway
Assistant National Director, Palliative Care & Chronic Illness, HSE