Extensions of Non-Executive Chair and Five Non-Executive Directors along with the Reappointment of a Finance Non-Executive Director of the Health and Social Care Board

The Department of Health has announced extensions to the terms of appointments of Dr Ian Clements as Non-Executive Chair of the Regional Health and Social Care Board (HSCB) for a period of 12 months beginning on 1 April 2019 and ending on a date not later than 31 March 2020; and extensions to the terms of appointment of Mr Robert Gilmore, Mr Stephen Leach, Mr Brendan McKeever, Dr Melissa McCullough and Mr John Mone as Non-Executive Directors of the HSCB.

These Non-Executive Members’ extensions will also begin on 1 April 2019 and run to a date not later than 31 March 2020. The Department has also announced the reappointment of Mrs Stephanie Lowry as a Finance Non-Executive Director; her reappointment will end on a date not later than 14 April 2020.

The Non-Executive Chair’s extension carries a time commitment of 3 days per week and attracts an annual remuneration of £34,683.

The Non-Executive Member extensions carry a time commitment of 5 days per month and attract an annual remuneration of £9,278.

The Regional Health and Social Care Board was established by Section 7 (1) of the Health and Social Care (Reform) Act (Northern Ireland) 2009 and replaced the four Health and Social Services Councils. The role of the HSCB is to arrange or ‘commission’ a comprehensive range of modern and effective health and social services for the 1.8 million people who live in Northern Ireland, to work with the Health and Social Care Trusts that directly provide services to people to ensure that these meet their needs and to deploy and manage its annual funding from the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure that all services are safe and sustainable.

The Board of the HSCB is made up of three Executive Directors, including the Chief Executive, a Non-Executive Chair and seven Non-Executive Directors. 

The extensions have been made in accordance with the Code of Practice issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland.

Notes to editors: 

1. Dr Ian Clements lives in Newtownards, where he had practiced as a GP for 27 years. Throughout his GP career, Dr Clements has continually sought to improve health and care services for patients through his involvement in the commissioning process. He also contributed his expertise as a doctor over many years, to a wide array of leading health and care organisations. Dr Clements received an OBE for Services to Healthcare and the Community in Newtownards in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2018.
    
2. Mr Robert Gilmore lives in Co Down and is a Public Sector Advisor and former Local Authority Chief Executive. He is a Non-Executive Director of the Health and Social Care Board since April 2009 and was previously a lay member of the Southern Local Commissioning Group (Health and Social Services). He was formerly a Director in a Local Local Enterprise Agency, a Governor in a Further and Higher Education Institute, a Commissioner in the Local Government Staff Commission and an Independent Board Member in the Department for Infrastructure. 
    
3. Mr Stephen Leach CB lives in North Down. He is a retired senior civil servant and was Chair of the Northern Ireland Criminal Justice Board from 2000 to 2009. He formerly chaired the Governance and Audit Committees of the Health and Social Care Board and was a Parole Commissioner for Northern Ireland. He is currently a Commissioner with the Criminal Cases Review Commission.
    
4. Mr Brendan McKeever lives in Derry and is currently a User Consultant at Queen’s University and the University of Ulster and has undertaken work to support projects to improve the care of people with disabilities. He has written widely on these matters and continues to assist organisations that provide and develop services for users and carers.

5. Mr John Mone lives in Co Armagh. He is a non-executive director of the HSCB since 2009. He spent his career in the health service and is a former director of nursing. He is a primary school governor and member of the N.I. Research Ethics Committee.

6. Mrs Stephanie Lowry lives in Belfast and has 35 years’ experience working in both the private and public sector throughout her career. She worked for Marks and Spencer for 20 years. She has held several public appointments in a variety of areas, including Independent Board Member with the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure; Deputy Chair of the Health and Safety Executive and was a member of the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister Audit Committee and an Independent Assessor for Public Appointments.

7. Dr Melissa McCullough lives in Belfast and is a Visiting Lecturer at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Melissa was appointed to the National Institute for Clinical and Care Excellence (NICE, London) Guideline Committee for Lyme Disease in 2016, and has recently been appointed as a Panel Assessor and Chair for Undergraduate Medical Education with the Medical Council Ireland. Melissa has worked as a senior academic in medical education specialising in ethics and law, professionalism and leadership in medical schools in the UK and Ireland since 2005, and her teaching and research interests are primarily in clinical ethics, public health ethics, human rights & healthcare, diversity and inclusion, equality and justice in health and social care and health policy. She also has an interest in public engagement including performing arts & ethics and works with local voluntary bodies in Belfast and the USA.

8. There are no specific qualifications for appointment. Each person is appointed to act in a personal capacity and not to represent any particular interest or group.

9. 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 appointees have declared they have not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.
10. For media enquiries please contact the DoH Press Office team on 028 9052 0575 or email pressoffice@health-ni.gov.uk. Out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Officer on 028 9037 8110. Follow us on Twitter @healthdpt.

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