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Appointments to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland - 20 January 2025
From Department of Health
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From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly. has appointed/reappointed the following as members to the Board of Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland.
Director of Nursing & Integrated Care Tallaght University Hospital.
Áine has over 35 years’ experience in healthcare across Ireland, the UK and the Middle East. She is a key member of the Executive Management Team in Tallaght University Hospital, as Director of Nursing & Integrated Care since 2017, having worked in a variety of clinical, quality and safety leadership roles since the Hospital opened in 1998.
She worked at regional level in 2016-2017 as Interim Director of the Nursing and Midwifery Planning and Development Unit, Dublin South Kildare & Wicklow, Office of the Nursing & Midwifery Services Director, HSE. In 2022 she undertook the role of interim Chief Director of Nursing and Midwifery, Dublin Midlands Hospital Group for one year.
Further education includes an MSc in Education and Training Management (Dublin City University), a Diploma in Leadership Development (Smurfit Graduate Business School) and a Certificate in Principles of Integrated Care (Munster Technological University). In 2023, she was awarded Fellow by Examination, Nursing and Midwifery, Royal College Surgeons in Ireland. The Minister of Health appointed her a Board member of the Nursing & Midwifery Board of Ireland in 2021 and in 2023 she was elected as Vice President. Áine is an Adjunct Professor, School of Nursing & Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin.
Ms Lynch is nominated by the Health Service Executive (HSE) and is reappointed with effect from 15th January 2025 until 14th January 2029
Louise Collins qualified as a speech & language therapist (SLT) in London in 1992 and has over 30 years’ experience of working in community and acute services in the NHS and in Ireland. She has a breadth of experience in mental health, integrated care community services and acute hospital services in her work as a SLT. Since returning to Ireland in 2000, she has worked in acute hospital services in both Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown and the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital (MMUH) in a variety of roles in SLT, Health and Social Care Professions (HSCP) and Hospital management.
Currently, she works as Head of HSCPs, leading the HSCP Directorate in MMUH and is a member of the Executive Management Team. Throughout her career, she has maintained a strong focus on delivering high quality patient centred services, clinical and professional governance and staff education and development. Through her previous work with the Irish Association of Speech & Language Therapists (IASLT), she has extensive experience in validation of overseas qualifications and accreditation of SLT training programmes. She maintains her registration as a SLT with CORU.
In recent years, she has completed the Diploma in Leadership and Quality (RCPI) which led to an Advanced Diploma in Leadership and Executive Coaching and the completion of Leading Care 1 with the Health Service Leadership Academy in 2018. Since joining the Board of the NMBI in 2021, she has completed the Certificate in Professional Governance with the IPA.
Ms Collins is nominated by the HSE and is reappointed with effect from 15th January 2025 until 14th January 2029
Ms Sonia Shortt, Assistant National Director HSE, is a highly experienced Human Resource and Change Management professional with nearly 28 years of dedicated service in the Irish public health service. She has a proven track record of developing and implementing best practice human resource policies and procedures for the health sector, including those on discipline and grievance, dignity at work, equal opportunities, and workforce strategy. Sonia has represented employers at third-party fora such as the Workplace Relations Commission and Labour Court. She has actively participated in strategic reviews of workforce structures and service delivery models, resulting in enhanced career pathways and the identification of skill mix and learning requirements, etc., to meet evolving service demands.
As HR Manager for the National Cancer Control Programme, Sonia was instrumental in implementing the National Cancer Strategy, where she was responsible for the HR aspects of this change management programme. This involved consolidating cancer surgical services in 8 designated cancer centres, a transformation which has contributed to improved cancer survival rates in Ireland. With the establishment of Hospital Groups in 2015, Sonia was appointed HR Director of the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group. She now serves as Strategy Lead for the Dublin and Midlands Health Region.
Sonia holds a BA in Public Administration and MA (Research) from the University of Limerick, additionally she is a graduate of the Nye Bevan Executive Leadership Programme from the NHS Leadership Academy.
Ms Shortt is nominated by the HSE and her appointment is with effect from 15th January 2025 until 14th January 2029
Somy Thomas, is a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Infection Prevention and Control at Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin. With over two decades of experience in general nursing, she has cultivated a deep passion for improving healthcare standards and supporting my colleagues in delivering exceptional care. Somy’s academic journey includes a Postgraduate Diploma in Infection Prevention and Control, a Professional Diploma in Clinical Leadership, and MSc in Respiratory Nursing, all from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI). Somy also holds qualifications in critical care nursing from UCD, BSc in Nursing from RCSI, and Diploma in General Nursing and Midwifery from Medical Trust Hospital, India. Professionally, she has had the privilege of working in various managerial and clinical capacities at Bon Secours Hospital Dublin, St. Vincent’s Private Hospital, Beaumont Hospital, and Medical Trust Hospital in Kerala, India. These diverse roles has shaped her expertise and reinforced her dedication to advancing nursing practice.
Somy is deeply committed to advocating for the nursing community, with a particular focus on empowering and supporting the integration of migrant nurses. As an active member of the Dublin North Branch of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), she was proud to contribute to organising the INMO Annual Delegate Conference 2024. Through her work with Migrant Nurses Ireland (MNI), Somy strives to protect the interests of overseas nurses, foster their professional development, and ensure their voices are heard within the healthcare system.Somy’s focus is on fostering a collaborative environment where every nurse is empowered to deliver the best care. Her aim to advocate for policies that improve healthcare and support nurses' professional growth.
Outside of work, she enjoys networking, volunteering, and travelling, which enriches her perspective and bring balance to my life. Somy remains deeply committed to the mission of empowering nurses and advancing healthcare excellence.
Ms Thomas is nominated through election by the registrants of the designated profession and her appointment is with effect from 15th January 2025 until 14th January 2029
Marie qualified as a registered general nurse from St Vincent’s University Hospital in 2001 (Diploma) and completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in UCD in 2002. She then completed her Higher Diploma in Sick Children’s Nursing in UCD in 2004 and has practiced in children’s nursing since then. She undertook a quality improvement certificate in RCPI in 2014 and most recently a Graduate Diploma in Children’s Cardiology nursing at UCD in 2024.
Marie has worked in various roles within the department of paediatric cardiology @ CHI Crumlin since 2004 including that of staff nurse and clinical nurse education facilitator. In her current role as clinical nurse specialist in cardiology she provides care to patients and families living with congenital and acquired heart disease, throughout all stages of the patient trajectory. As part of her role she also teaches and supports students and staff and placements within the cardiology team.
Marie is also a qualified APLS instructor and lectures on multiple level nine university level courses in conjunction with CHI @ Crumlin and UCD. She also has been involved with research projects along with fellow allied health professionals and has some published work. She sat on various hospital committees such as Neonatal Advisory Committee and Nurse Practice Committee.
She is passionate about the delivery of safe and equitable care to children and families living with congenital heart disease across the island of Ireland. She currently sits on the family engagement group, which is affiliated to the all island congenital heart disease network. She has a keen interest in the delivery of nurse-led child and family centric-care. She currently has a special interest in pet therapy and its benefits to children in hospital.
On a personal level Marie is married with 3 children. In her free time she enjoys baking, Pilates and walking.
Ms Lavelle is nominated through election by the registrants of the designated profession and her appointment is with effect from 15th January 2025 until 14th January 2029
Dr. Gráinne Gaffney has extensive nursing and midwifery experience spanning a number of divisions and operations; clinical services, operational leadership, education, policy and strategy. Currently, she is the Director of Nursing and Midwifery Planning and Development in RHA Dublin and North East. Her role is to provide leadership, support excellence and build capacity in Nursing and Midwifery healthcare delivery in order to enhance patient care and service delivery. She provides a pivotal link on professional matters between nurses and midwives who work in clinical services, local management and corporate teams in the HSE, as well as working with external partners in the Department of Health, Nursing & Midwifery Board of Ireland and academic educational bodies involved in the training of nurses and midwives, both at undergraduate and postgraduate level.
Currently, she is the national chair for the HSE Professional Development Planning Implementation support and also chair for the National Graduate Intention to Stay Survey. Both of these projects reflect on the education of our nurses and midwives; as students and as lifelong learners. She is registered on five divisions of the NMBI register and has graduated with a Doctorate in Governance from UCD/IPA. She was formally a member of NMBI Education, Training and Standards committee and was also nominated to be a member of the NMBI Professional Competency Standards steering forum, whose function is to enact the requirements of Part 11 of the Nurses and Midwives Act 2011. Prior to her current role, she was a Director of Public Health Nursing, where she demonstrated clinical and professional leadership by providing strategic direction for community and public health nursing services focussing upon addressing the principles of Sláintecare reform. She is passionate about the evolvement of the professions, which are service and policy driven, grounded in the standards set by NMBI and visualized through innovation approaches to education with our academic partners. This is required more than ever, to support the next generation of nurses and midwives to remain engaged, passionate and innovative in our care and service delivery.
Dr. Gaffney is nominated through election by the registrants of the designated profession and her appointment is with effect from 15th January 2025 until 14th January 2029