New CEO of Cork's Mercy Hospital pledges to build on 'strong foundation of compassionate care'

The new chief executive of Cork’s Mercy University Hospital has pledged to build on what she described as its “strong foundation of compassionate, patient-centred care, while embracing innovation and collaboration” to best serve the community.

The hospital’s former director of nursing, Margaret McKiernan, has been announced as its new chief executive, following a competitive recruitment process.

The Mercy’s new CEO has 25 years of experience in the acute hospital sector and, while she was the director of nursing at the MUH, played a “key role in the executive management of the hospital, overseeing capital developments and the patient experience pathway”, according to a statement issued on behalf of the hospital’s board of directors.

Ms McKiernan said she was “honoured to take up this position and to lead Mercy University Hospital in to its next chapter”.

“Working with partners across health, social-care and the voluntary sector, I will guide the hospital’s ambition to provide the right services to meet the health and care needs of our communities both now and in years to come,” she said.

The MUH board chairperson, Ann Doherty, said that the new chief executive’s qualifications, clinical expertise, and decades of experience spoke for themselves. “We are confident that her leadership will guide MUH towards continued success in providing exceptional patient care,” said Ms Doherty.

A registered general nurse, with a distinguished career spanning clinical and leadership roles in Ireland and the UK, Ms McKiernan’s professional and academic qualifications include an MSc in nursing and a postgraduate qualification in intensive care and coronary care nursing.

Most recently, she completed the Florence Nightingale Foundation Scholarship Programme 2022 to 2023. Her clinical background lies in critical-care nursing, with specialist interests in healthcare communication, end-of-life care, and inclusion health.

Ms McKiernan represents acute hospitals nationally on the HSE/Irish Hospice Foundation Oversight Group and is the acute hospital representative in Cork on the LGBT Interagency Group. Ms McKiernan established the Sanctuary Hospital Group within Mercy University Hospital, which has hospital and interagency membership to support the delivery of HSE Inclusion Health priorities.