New appointments in Maternal and Child Health at UL Hospitals Group

UL Hospitals Group has announced the appointments of Dr Gerry Burke as Clinical Director and Mary O’Brien as Directorate General Manager for the Maternal and Child Health Directorate.

The appointments come at a time of change for the maternity services, both locally and nationally, following the publication last week of the National Maternity Strategy and confirmation that the University Maternity Hospital Limerick is to be relocated from the Ennis Road to the University Hospital Limerick in Dooradoyle.

Maternal and Child Health is one of four directorates delivering services to patients across the UL Hospitals Group. And while the directorate is responsible for patients across the network of hospitals, most of its work with mothers, babies and children is carried out at the University Maternity Hospital Limerick and at the Children’s Ark paediatric unit at UHL.

Commenting on her appointment, Ms O’Brien said: “I am delighted to take up the role of Directorate General Manager and look forward to developing paediatric and maternity services over the next year. Following the launch of the National Maternity Strategy last week, this is an exciting time for maternity services”.

Dr Burke is a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at UMHL who has been a tireless advocate for improving maternity services in the Mid-West and nationally.

“I am delighted to take up my new role as Clinical Director,” he said.

“Our focus, as always, will be on patient safety and on improving the quality of our services to the mothers and children of the region.

“University Maternity Hospital Limerick is among the most important publicly-funded facilities in the Mid-West region and I am particularly pleased to be involved just as the UL Hospital Group embarks on planning for a brand new maternity hospital on the UHL site. This project was announced in the Government’s recent capital plan. This huge infrastructural project, together with the UL Hospital Group’s increasing emphasis on teaching and research and the improvements envisaged in the Maternity Strategy, will be transformative.

“We will do our very best to respond to the community’s need for maternity and paediatric care by providing excellent access to clinical expertise, in modern and comfortable facilities, and in an empathic and academic environment,” Dr Burke said.

Welcoming on the appointments this week, Noreen Spillane, Chief Operations Officer, UL Hospitals Group, said: “We are delighted to be able to confirm Gerry and Mary in the roles and having such a strong and experienced leadership team in place will be an enormous advantage in helping the directorate plan for the changes ahead.”

Ms Spillane also paid tribute to their predecessors, Dr Roy Philip (Clinical Director) and Eamonn Leahy (Acting Directorate General Manager), for their huge contribution in developing maternity and paediatric services in the Mid-West.