The Health Service Executive Northern Area has appointed Mary Flanagan as Director of Nursing for Leas Cross, to start immediately.
Ms Flanagan is currently Director of Nursing for Claremont Services, a 150-bed public nursing home complex in Glasnevin in Dublin.
She will continue in this role along with her work in Leas Cross. She will also appoint a number of nursing staff for Leas Cross.
The move was agreed by the HSE and the management of the nursing home yesterday.
It comes two days after RTÉ's Prime Time Investigates programme showed sub-standard care and patient neglect at the home.
Yesterday morning, just hours after the programme was broadcast, representatives of the HSE were in Leas Cross, where they visited all the patients.
The executive also held a long meeting with management at the home to discuss concerns about the standards of care. During that meeting, the management of the home agreed to a number of immediate measures being taken.
The HSE will also take over the clinical governance of the nursing home.
A board of management will be set up, comprising HSE officials as well as representatives of the families and an independent expert.
Freephone numbers
A new service is being set up by a British group called Action on Elder Abuse. Any older person who is being badly treated or who suspects that someone else is can ring the helpline on 1800 940 010.
The HSE has also launched a national freephone information line for any members of the public who may have concerns about older people in nursing homes or elsewhere.
Staff operating the service will take details of callers' names and their concerns and arrange for the relevant HSE person in the callers' local area to contact them to follow up their queries.
The freephone line is 1800 77 77 37 and it will operate from 9am-5.30pm, Monday to Friday.
