5 April 2019

Maria O’Brien has been appointed Chief Nurse of CNWL.

CNWL’s Chief Executive, Claire Murdoch, herself a nurse, said: “Congratulations Maria! This is an important role and Andy Mattin, our current Chief Nurse, is due to retire in the autumn.

“Andy has been an exemplary Chief Nurse and is a hard act to follow but I know that Maria will rise to the challenge and the privilege, beautifully.

“Her commitment to patient care, the value of clinical skill and her desire to work with our therapy, nursing and medical colleagues, to make CNWL an outstanding place to work and to receive care, shone through.

“Nurses are our largest group of staff by far and in a great variety of settings; mental health and physical care on our wards, but also community and district nurses, school nurses, sexual health, addictions, prison healthcare and Outreach nurses – and our students.”

Maria will also be the Executive Director responsible for the Allied Health Professionals (psychologists, OTs, Physios, psychotherapists, arts psychotherapists and Speech and Language therapists.)

Maria, 53, trained as a Registered Nurse at Guys Hospital in the 1980s with a specialist focus in Cardiac Nursing and Intensive Care.

She has held many operational and senior management posts, becoming the Director of North West London Cardiac and Stroke Network in 2004.

In 2008 she joined the Board of Hillingdon Primary Care Trust as Managing Director and Executive Director of Nursing.

Maria joined CNWL in 2011, taking responsibility for community services in Camden in 2012.

Since February 2014, Maria has been Divisional Director of Operations and in 2017 joined the Board of Directors as the executive lead for Trust community services. 

Maria is married and lives in London. She has a daughter studying Geography at university.

Maria said: “I’m really pleased to be taking up this role. We have amazing nurses and therapists here and they make me proud every day, they really do.

“The focus of the NHS Long Term Plan is based on integrating services particularly mental health and community health, our nursing and therapy staff can lead the way on delivering care and excellence. I am delighted to be here.”

The appointing panel was the Trust Chair, the Chief Executive, our lead Governor, a patient representative, the Director of People, and Professor Oliver Shanley, Chief Nurse for London.