Appointment of Authority Members to the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority - June 2025
Date published:
Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt has announced the appointment of two Authority Members to the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA)
Rodney Morton has been appointed as an Authority Member, from a nursing background and Derek Clydesdale has been appointed as an Authority Member, with a background in digital transformation. Mr Clydesdale’s appointment commenced on 2 June 2025 and will end on a date not later than 1 June 2029. Mr Morton’s appointment will commence on 12 June 2025 and will end on a date not later than 11 June 2029.
The Authority Member position attracts an annual remuneration of £6,975 with a time commitment of 2-3 full working days per month.
These appointments are made in accordance with the Code of Practice issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland.
The RQIA is Northern Ireland’s statutory, independent, health and social care regulator. It is responsible for monitoring and inspecting the availability and quality of health and social care services in Northern Ireland; keeping the Department informed as to the quality and availability of those services; encouraging improvements in the quality of those services; protecting the interests of those with mental health conditions and learning disabilities; and registering, inspecting, and enforcing adherence to regulations and standards for service providers that fall within the scope of RQIA’s statutory powers.
The Authority consists of a Chair and not more than 12 Members appointed by the Department.
Notes to editors:
- Mr Derek Clydesdale is a Digital Transformation Consultant with over 30 years’ experience in IT. Beginning his career in telecommunications sector, he later specialised in the delivery of technology-enabled public services. He served as Director for services delivered to NI Direct —initially as a co-founder and senior leader at Asidua, and later with Civica. In this role, he led teams delivering a wide range of digital solutions for departments including Justice, Infrastructure, and Finance, helping to modernise access to services such as driver licensing, civil registration, criminal records checks, and legal aid. He subsequently held various roles with local technology startup Ampliphae, supporting global organisations in managing the risks of adopting cloud-based applications. Mr Clydesdale holds an M.Eng in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Queen’s University Belfast and was leader of Civica’s Innovation Team of the Year in 2017.
- Mr Rodney Morton has almost four decades of nursing experience working in NHS. His experience extends across clinical practice, service design, commissioning, policy development, and leadership within health and social care. Mr Morton has just recently retired from his role as Head of Nursing for Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Sustainability in NHS England, where he spearheaded the development of a national nursing model focused on innovation and person-centred sustainability in healthcare. Prior to this he held the post of Executive Director of Nursing, Midwifery, and Allied Health Professions within Public Health Agency, in Northern Ireland where he oversaw public health nursing, safety/quality, while also planning and commissioning key services. Mr Morton also held the position of Deputy Chief Nursing Officer where he co-lead a strategic roadmap for Nursing and Midwifery, providing expert guidance on mental health, and developing regional policy for co-production.
- Appointments to the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority are made with the approval of the Health Minister.
- All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland requires the political activity of appointees to be published. Both appointees have declared that they have not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.
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