Speaker: Maria McIlgorm 

CNO PANEL: Chief nursing officers on CP workforce challenges and resolutions


Maria McIlgorm has been the CNO for Northern Ireland for more than two years, and has worked in the NHS for around 30. Belfast-born Maria started out as a nurse in the Irish republic (training, then working, at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Co. Louth) before moving to London to become a midwife. She spent the bulk of her NHS career in Scotland, culminating in her appointment as a professional adviser to the Scottish Government. Maria has extensive leadership, management and strategic experience working across the life span of care within acute and community settings across health and social care. 

MARIA SAYS:

‘The need for early intervention to address inequalities is fundamental to ensure every child has the best start in life. I’ve always been really proud to be a nurse and a midwife helping to make a difference to people’s lives. [And] the pandemic has shown us that we are perhaps one of the most innovative, adaptable and resilient professions in the world.’