Appointment of five Health and Social Care Trust Non-Executive Chairs

The Department of Health has announced the appointment of five Health and Social Care Trust Non-Executive Chairs.

The Chairs will play key leadership roles at a time of considerable challenge and opportunity for the health service in Northern Ireland.

Mr Ciaran Mulgrew has been appointed as Chair of Belfast Health and Social Care Trust (BHSCT). Mrs Michele Larmour has been appointed as Chair of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service Trust (NIAST).  Both appointments commenced on 6 April 2023 and will end on a date not later than 5 April 2027.

Mr Jonathan Patton has been appointed as Chair of South-Eastern Health and Social Care Trust (SEHSCT). His appointment commenced on 15 April 2023 and will end on a date not later than 14 April 2027. Since March 2020, Mr Patton has been carrying out the role of Acting Chair of the Trust.

Ms Anne O’Reilly will be appointed as Chair of Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NHSCT) with effect from 20 April 2023 to a date not later than 19 April 2027 and Dr Thomas Frawley will be appointed as Chair of Western Health and Social Care Trust (WHSCT) with effect from 1 May 2023 to a date not later than 30 April 2027.

Permanent Secretary Peter May said: “Health and Social Care Trusts deliver a wide range of essential public services to people across Northern Ireland and the Chair has a particular leadership role to champion and oversee the work of the Board.

“The Department is committed to developing constructive and effective partnerships with all our Arm’s Length Bodies. There are many challenges ahead, not least as we move to rebuild services and manage public expectations and confidence following the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, but also in developing a new Integrated Care System for Northern Ireland. I can assure Chairs they will be supported by the Department as together we seek to respond to the many challenges, not least as we move to rebuild services and manage public expectations and confidence following the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, but also in developing a new Integrated Care System for Northern Ireland. This is all in the context of an extremely constrained budgets. Trust Chairs are a critical part of the HSC system leadership which will respond to, navigate and address these challenges.

“I would like to congratulate the newly appointed Chairs and to thank them for taking on these very important roles. Their skills, experience and dedication to public service will prove invaluable in the years ahead. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the outgoing Chairs for their valuable contribution.  Their tenure has coincided with the most challenging of times for Health and Social Care and the Department is grateful for their commitment to the Trusts and to the community they served during those unprecedented times.”

The time commitment and remuneration for each position is:

• BHSCT: 3 days per week; current remuneration - £38,397 per annum.
• NHSCT: 3 days per week; current remuneration - £32,579 per annum.
• NIAST: 2½ - 3 days per week; current remuneration - £25,210 per annum.
• SEHSCT: 3 days per week; current remuneration - £32,579 per annum.
• WHSCT: 3 days per week; current remuneration - £32,579 per annum

These appointments are made in accordance with the Code of Practice issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland.

There are six HSC Trusts, each established to provide goods and services for the purposes of health and social care, and with the exception of the Ambulance Trust, they are also responsible for exercising on behalf of the Department certain statutory functions which are delegated to them by virtue of authorisations made under the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1994.  Each HSC Trust also has a statutory obligation to put and keep in place arrangements for monitoring and improving the quality of health and social care which it provides to individuals and the environment in which it provides them (Health and Personal Social Services (Quality, Improvement and Regulation) (NI) Order 2003).

The Board is the governing body of each Trust, and for BHSCT, SEHSCT, NHSCT WHSCT comprises a Non-Executive Chair and seven Non-Executive Directors along with five Executive Directors including the Chief Executive. The NIAST Board comprises a Non-Executive Chair, five Non-Executive Directors and five Executive Directors.

Notes to editors: 

1. Mr Ciaran Mulgrew has for the past 25 years been the Managing Director and owner operator of Niche Drinks Co. Ltd, a successful alcoholic drinks manufacturer and marketeer based on Derry’s Waterside. He led a management buyout of St. Brendan’s Irish Cream Liqueur Co. Ltd from Kerry Group plc in 2006 to create Niche Drinks and in 2021 completed the sale of the business to MGP Luxco, a US-based plc.  Mr Mulgrew was educated at Queen’s University Belfast and has a Master’s degree from Napier University Edinburgh. Whilst based in the North-West, he previously served as a non-executive director of Londonderry Port and Harbour Commission, Altnagelvin Hospital Trust and the Western Health and Social Care Trust.  Mr Mulgrew holds one other public appointment with the Department for Economy as a Non-Executive Director to the Board of Invest Northern Ireland.  This position requires a time commitment of 3 days per month and attracts remuneration of £12,768 per annum.
2. Mrs Michele Larmour is a leadership consultant and international strategic police advisor, successfully contributing to reform in Mongolia, the Balkans, Ireland and North Africa, to clients facing critical leadership challenges whilst undergoing transformational change. She is an Associate Assessor with the College of Policing, UK, an Associate Leadership Coach with Queens University, Belfast, has held non-executive roles with Birmingham Metropolitan College for 5 years and is currently the Chair of the Police Rehabilitation and Retraining Trust. Mrs Larmour is an experienced executive leader, with over 31 years’ service in UK policing, leaving in 2017 as Assistant Chief Constable, in England’s second largest force, West Midlands Police, having significantly contributed to the one of the largest UK policing transformations. Previously she served over 28 years policing Northern Ireland. She has a BSc (Hons) Degree, graduated top performer on the UK Strategic Command Course and has completed the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Leadership Programme. Mrs Larmour olds one other public appointment with the Department of Justice as the Chair of the Police Rehabilitation and Retraining Trust. This position attracts an annual remuneration of £10,000 with a time commitment of 2 days per month.
3. Ms Anne O’Reilly - immediately prior to taking up the position as NHSCT Chair, Ms O’Reilly was a Non-Executive Director on the Board of BHSCT.  She was Chair of the Social Care Committee, with a governance role in respect of Trust Corporate parent responsibilities and wider statutory duties, and took a lead role on Personal and Public Involvement (PPI) and Carers.  Ms O’Reilly is also a foster carer.  She has a long track record of work in the voluntary sector, primarily at CEO level, and now in a voluntary capacity with women’s sector organisations.  In 2015 she was awarded an OBE for services to older people and the voluntary sector.  Until the end of March 2023 Ms O’Reilly was Chair of a regional unscheduled service user and carer group involved in urgent and emergency care working with key leaders in DOH/Strategic Planning and Performance Group, local Trusts and Primary Care. Ms O’Reilly holds one other current public appointment with Department of Health as a Non-Executive Member of the Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC), a position that requires a time commitment of 2 days per month and attracts remuneration of £6,979 per annum.  
4. Dr Tom Frawley graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 1971 joining NHS as a Graduate Trainee in the same year. In 1973 he was appointed Units Administrator of the Ulster Hospital, a number of other posts followed in the EHSSB. In 1980 he was appointed District Administrator for Londonderry, Limavady and Strabane District. In 1982 he was appointed Chief Administrator of the Western Board. In 1985 with the introduction of General Management he was appointed Chief Executive of the Western Board continuing in that post until September 2000 when he was appointed Northern Ireland Ombudsman and Commissioner for Complaints retiring from that post in April 2016. During the period that he was Ombudsman he was elected Vice President of the World Board of the International Ombudsman Institute. Over his career Mr Frawley has chaired a number of major reviews including chairing the panel of experts who advised on the review of Public Administration (2002), the review of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (1998-2000) and reviews of both the Northern Ireland Training Council and the Central Services Agency. Between 2012-2020 he chaired the Audit & Risk Committee of the Scottish Ombudsman's Office and was a member of the Welsh & Irish Ombudsman's Audit Committees. He holds a CBE 2003, Honorary PhD Ulster University, Fellowships from Eisenhower (USA) & Kings Fund (London).  Mr Frawley is a Member of the Professional Standards Authority and was appointed to this position by the Department of Health in January 2017.
5. Mr Jonathan Patton - immediately prior to taking up the position as Chair of the SEHSCT, and since March 2020, Mr Jonathan Patton had been carrying out the role of Acting Chair of the Trust, and prior to that, had been a Non-Executive Director from 2017.  Mr Patton’s career has given him a breadth of experience across the private, public and charity/voluntary sectors. Commencing his career with Kraft Foods, Mr Patton has worked across several industry sectors in Belfast, Edinburgh and London at senior leadership levels. He has extensive knowledge of the regulatory sector having served on Fitness to Practice Committees with the NISCC, the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland and the Bar Council for Northern Ireland (PSNI). Following three decades of voluntary service in many capacities across the charity sector, Mr Patton currently serves as Chairperson of Community Rescue Service and sits on the Advisory Board of Sense NI.   Mr Patton holds one other public appointment with Department of Health as Lay Member and Vice President of the Council at the PSNI and is remunerated by an attendance fee. Attendance at meetings up to 4 hours duration attracts a fee of £118 and meetings over 4 hours £235. Training and induction days attract a fee of £118. The Non-Executive Member role carries a time commitment equivalent to 12-16 days per annum.
6. Appointments to the HSC Trusts are made by the Department of Health
7. 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. All the appointees have declared that they have not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.
8. For media enquiries please contact DoH Press Office by e-mail pressoffice@health-ni.gov.uk  
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