HFH Team

Mary Bowen

Operations Manager

Prior to joining the Irish Hospice Foundation, Mary was National Programme Manager for the Marie Curie Delivering Choice Programme in the UK, a programme to redesign NHS, voluntary and social services to enable more people to be cared for and die in their place of choice at no extra cost. She has also worked in the Healthcare Commission in England, supporting the development and roll out of the Annual Health Check - a system to regulate and assess healthcare organisations' performance. Earlier in her career Mary gained experienced in the European Commission's Health and Consumer Protection Cabinet, notably working on the limiting of tobacco advertising across the EU.

Mary has a background in nursing with acute surgical and medical experience in Ireland and Australia and she has also worked in drug rehabilitation and diabetes research.

Lorna Peelo-Kilroe

National Practice Development Coordinator (HSE & HFH Programme)

Lorna qualified as a registered nurse in St Laurence’s Hospital in Dublin. In 1987 she moved to the UK where she worked as a community nurse. During that time completed a diploma in community nursing studies and commenced work as a District Nurse developing skills and knowledge in planning and delivering a variety of nursing care in patients’ homes. During this time she worked closely with the local hospice team and McMillan Nurses and gained knowledge and experience in caring for persons and their families who have a terminal illness. She completed a degree in advances in nursing practice and became a nurse prescriber in the community before returning home to settle in Ireland. Since returning Lorna has worked on various projects such as the Health Care Assistant Pilot Programme, the Hanley Report as well as a variety of national and regional strategies. She and is currently work in the Nursing and Midwifery Planning and Development Unit in the Mid West as the regional practice development facilitator for older persons services. Lorna completed a master’s degree in Nursing Studies in Trinity College and furthered her studies in practice development, facilitation and leadership. She is working on a national practice development programme to introduce person-centred care practices into residential care settings as part of a programme facilitation team.

Helen Donovan

Standards Development Coordinator

Helen Donovan qualified as a Registered General Nurse in St. Laurence’s Hospital, Dublin. She then undertook post-graduate courses in Intensive Care, and Anaesthetics and Recovery. Helen also co-ordinated post-graduate higher diploma courses in both Intensive Care and Theatre.

Following extensive experience in Ireland, the UK and Australia, she completed the Higher Diploma in Quality in Healthcare at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.

She co-ordinated the accreditation process for the Tallaght Hospital Anaesthetic Department. Helen has also worked with the Patient Advocacy department.

Prior to joining HfH, Helen worked as Clinical Audit Manager at the Colorectal Service in Tallaght.

Bryan Nolan

Communications Coordinator

Bryan joined Beaumont Hospital in 1993 from the Rotunda hospital where he had been chaplain from 1987 to 1993. Bryan Nolan became Head Chaplain at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin in 1994.

As Head Chaplain in Beaumont, he coordinated pastoral care in the hospital, managing an inter-denominational team of chaplains and 180 lay volunteers. He was a member of the multidisciplinary team, the critical incident stress management team, and of the staff care team. He was an accredited team member for Palliative Care and I.C.U.

He was involved in the formation of policy with regard to death, dying and breaking bad news, and the education of student and post-graduate nurses on care of the dying and their relatives. His role also involved the planning of post- bereavement courses and parent support days and services.

He has a Masters in Health Care Chaplaincy from D.C.U. and has trained as an addiction therapist with the N.C.E.A., Holy Cross College, Clonliffe, Dublin.

Aoife O'Neill

Dublin Community Hospitals Network Coordinator

Aoife O’Neill graduated from U.C.D in 1986 with B. Soc. Sc. degree. She worked in research until 1988 until starting work at the National Multiple Sclerosis Care Centre. In 1993 Aoife returned to college and completed a Masters degree in Social Science. Since 1995 she has worked as a social worker in the areas of child protection learning disability and adult mental health in both hospital and community settings.

Joanne Carr

Development Coordinator, South-East Hospitals

Joanne Carr qualified as a physiotherapist from Sheffield Hallam University in 1997. During the early part of her career she specialised in the care of patients with neurological problems. In 2001 Joanne began working in the specialist field of neuro-oncology at the Christie Hospital cancer treatment centre in Manchester. Throughout this time Joanne developed her keen interest in the care and management of terminally ill patients and contributed to the development and implementation of local and regional multidisciplinary policies, practices and procedures to ensure the highest level of care for patients. At a national level Joanne represented the ‘allied health professions’ as a member of the guidance development group for the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence’s ‘Improving outcomes for patients with central nervous system tumours’. This document sets out key recommendations and service standards for this particular patient population.

Joanne holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Palliative Care and lectures at the RCSI school of physiotherapy in the areas of oncology and palliative care.

Joanne is the co-author of a chapter regarding the care of patients with malignant spinal cord compression in a complementary therapy textbook published in 2006 and is the lead author for the ‘neuro-oncology’ chapter of a cancer rehabilitation textbook due for publication later this year.

Joanne relocated to Ireland at the start of 2006 where to take up the post of Senior Oncology Physiotherapist at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin.

Mary Friel

Development Coordinator, North-West Hospitals

Mary qualified as a registered general nurse in Liverpool, UK in 1990, she then completed a degree in Organisation and Management at Lancaster University while working in Intensive Care in the UK. In 1994 she returned to Ireland where she completed a course in Intensive Care Nursing while working in the Mater Hospital Dublin. While working as unit manager in the ICU in Letterkenny General Hospital Mary co-ordinated post graduate courses in Intensive Care Nursing and undertook further studies in leadership, communication and practice development. She has worked on a variety of projects with the NMPDU, North West Hospitals and Colleges.

In 2006 Mary completed a Masters in Health Care Management at Trinity College Dublin. She joined the HFH Programme in May 2009.

Fran McGovern

Development Coordinator, Beaumont & Blanchardstown

Fran trained as a general and midwifery nurse in Dublin’s Richmond and Rotunda hospitals from 1970-75. Until 1981 she was a staff nurse in the Intensive Therapy Unit and Day Ward at Richmond Hospital. After seven years caring for her young family, Fran returned to Beaumont Hospital in 1988 as staff nurse in the Emergency Department. She also completed a Family Planning Course and an introduction to Palliative Care at Our Lady's Hospice, in Harold’s Cross, Dublin. Fran had previously worked there as a cadet nurse in the summer of 1968. For several years she was involved with the Critical Incident Stress Management group at Beaumont Hospital. In 1996 she completed the Accident and Emergency Certificate course. Fran set up the Nurse Liaison post in the ED in 1998. This aimed to improve communications between the ED, GPs and the community services. Fran was also involved in the orientation of new staff to the ED and in the bereavement training programme for staff. In 2004, she completed the Higher Diploma in Health Care Risk Management.

Ruth Agar

Development Coordinator, Tallaght & Naas

Ruth trained in John Moores University Liverpool in 1998 in General Adult Nursing. Her clinical role involved nursing within the areas of medicine and surgery. She was based in Specialist Services for Older People, The Acute Medical Assessment Unit and Regional Hepato-bilary unit in the Royal Liverpool & Broadgreen University Hospitals Trust. In 2006 Ruth became National Associate Facilitator for the Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) within the Marie Curie Palliative Care Institute. This post had a local and national remit in implementing and disseminating the Liverpool Care Pathway for the dying patient. Ruth Joined the HFH Programme in April 2008.

Nuala Harney

Development Support

Nuala Harmey was a senior social worker at the Childrens University Hospital Temple St for many years with a special interest in bereavement. She is now bereavement coordinator at that hospital with a focus on staff training and support in the area of bereavement.

She was a member of Dr Deirdre Maddens working group which produced a report on post mortems in 2006 and was a member of Michaela Willis’ audit team the findings of which were published by the HSE in 2009. She is currently a member of the HSE group working on a National Code of Practice for Post Mortem Services.

Nuala teaches on the Irish Hospice Foundation certificate course on Children and loss and on the H.Dip in Bereavement.

Since 2009 she has been a special advisor to the HFH Programme providing development support.

Grace O'Sullivan

Programme Administrator & Development Support

Grace is a graduate of the National University of Ireland, Maynooth & Queens University, Belfast. Grace is based at the Hospice Friendly Hospitals Programme office in Dublin.

Prior to joining the HFH team Grace worked in the Policy Development Department at the Northern Ireland Community Relations Council where she was involved in a number of conflict transformation projects. Grace also worked for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission where she was involved in promoting the proposals for a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland and was also involved in an investigation into the rights of older people living in nursing homes in Northern Ireland.

Previously, Grace has worked with the Centre for Gifted and Talented Youth in Dublin and the UK and also as an English teacher in San Sebastian, Spain.

In 2007 Grace graduated from the Washington Ireland Programme for Service and Leadership. As part of this programme Grace interned with the ACCU, a national higher education association based in Washington DC.

Grace joined the HFH Programme in March 2010