Appointment of a Non-Executive Chair to the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
Date published:
Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt, has announced the appointment of a Non-Executive Chair to the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust (BHSCT).
Professor Stuart Elborn has been appointed as the Non-Executive Chair. His appointment will commence on 1 March 2026 and will end on a date not later than 28 February 2030.
The Non-Executive Chair position attracts remuneration of £40,808 per annum with a time commitment of 3 day per week.
This appointment is made in accordance with the Code of Practice issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland.
The BHSCT is one of five regional HSC Trusts established in 2006. The five are legal entities in their own right, responsible for the delivery of responsive and effective health and care services. The Board is the governing body of the BHSCT and comprises of a Non-Executive Chair, seven Non-Executive Directors and five Executive Directors including the Chief Executive.
Notes to editors:
- Professor Stuart Elborn is a leading clinical academic with more than four decades of experience spanning healthcare delivery, higher education, research and senior leadership. His career includes senior clinical and academic roles at Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Imperial College London and the Royal Brompton Hospital. He led major clinical services in Respiratory Medicine and clinical trials in the development of transformative therapies now benefiting people living with cystic fibrosis and other chronic respiratory diseases. His work has shaped evidence-based clinical guidelines for the management of cystic fibrosis and bronchiectasis. Stuart has driven strategic transformation initiatives to strengthen clinical and research and innovation infrastructure and has consistently championed interdisciplinary collaboration between clinicians, scientists and industry. He also brings significant governance and regulatory experience through his work with the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA), advocating for safe, high-quality, evidence-informed care, a position which he held until taking up this role. Having retired from his substantive university roles in 2024, Stuart now holds a number of positions, including Chair of Respiratory Disease in LifeArc, a Board Member with QUBIS (Queen’s University Belfast’s technology transfer company) and a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. Stuart was awarded a CBE in 2013 for services to healthcare in Northern Ireland and received the British Thoracic Society Medal in 2024 in recognition of his outstanding contribution to respiratory medicine.
- Appointments to the BHSCT are made by the Minister of Health.
- 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. Professor Elborn has declared that he has not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.
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