Minister welcomes new appointments to Department of Health
Date published:
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has appointed a new interim Chief Psychological Professions Officer and a Chief Environmental Health Officer.
Professor Nichola Rooney has taken up the role of interim Chief Psychological Professions Officer (CPPO) for Northern Ireland. Kathryn Baker joined the Department at the end of 2024 as Chief Environmental Health Officer (CEHO).
The Minister said: “I am delighted to welcome both Professor Rooney and Kathryn Baker to the Department. They both bring a wealth of knowledge and experience with them to their areas of expertise, and I look forward to working with them.”
Speaking about the CPPO role within the Department of Health, the Minister said: “I am committed to prioritising mental health and wellbeing, and this new role will serve as a crucial step towards delivering on that promise.
“I am pleased to welcome Professor Nichola Rooney to the role of interim Chief Psychological Professions Officer. She will play an important part in providing highly expert psychological professional leadership and advice to ensure that the Department is able to develop and deliver high quality health and social care. I have made clear that mental health is one of my key areas of focus and I am looking forward to working with Nichola as she takes up this key role.”
As Chief Psychological Professions Officer, Professor Rooney will work closely with health professionals, community organisations, and policymakers to foster a collaborative and inclusive approach to mental health.
Professor Rooney said: “I am deeply honoured to take on this important responsibility at such a critical time for mental health services in Northern Ireland. A key priority for me is also to ensure that psychological safety is at the heart of services, creating environments where individuals feel safe, heard, and supported.
“I look forward to meeting and working in partnership with individuals, communities, and professionals across the region to create a system of psychological care that is both preventative and supportive of everyone’s mental health.”
Kathryn Baker will be a policy adviser to the Health Minister and the Chief Medical Officer on a broad range of issues relating to how the environment impacts on health.
Speaking about the CEHO role, Minister Nesbitt said: “I welcome Kathryn Baker to this role and look forward to her input, not least in tackling health inequalities. Factors influencing healthy life expectancy go well beyond clinical interventions, to include socio-economic and environmental issues. I know that as Chief Environmental Health Officer Kathryn will bring her experience and understanding to ensure the Department considers how the environment can impact the health of the population. Environment and health policy interests span the remits of most Departments and Kathryn will work across Government to provide advice on environmental health matters.”
Chief Environmental Health Officer Kathryn Baker said: “I am delighted to join the Department in this important role. Our environment can impact our health, whether it’s from the food we eat or the air we breathe, so improving the conditions in which we live and work can make a huge difference to our health and wellbeing.
“I look forward to working in partnership across Government with professionals and the voluntary sector to help improve and protect the health of people in Northern Ireland.”
Notes to editors:
- Professor Nichola Rooney is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society and Former Chair of the British Psychological Society NI and Division of Clinical Psychology NI, and former Non-Executive Director of the Public Health Agency.
- A Consultant Clinical Psychologist, with over 30 years clinical practice in the NHS, Nichola was Head of Psychological Services at the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, before moving to independent practice. Through the HSC Leadership Centre she delivers mediation and facilitation services in addition to providing psychological support to individual professionals and teams. Nichola is currently Honorary Professor at the School of Psychology, QUB; Senior Professional Advisor to the RQIA; Associate Consultant with the HSC Leadership Centre, and Chair of the Children’s Heartbeat Trust NI.
- Professor Nichola Rooney joined the Department in March 2025 as the Chief Psychological Professions Officer. She will provide expert psychological leadership and advice to the CMO and Department of Health, on the commissioning, organisation and governance, and delivery of high-quality psychological services within physical and mental health services in the community, primary and secondary care, across Northern Ireland.
- Nichola is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society and has worked as a clinical psychologist in HSCNI for over 30 years, including as Head of Psychological Services in the BHSCT, and Non-Executive Director of the Public Health Agency.
- She is Honorary Professor at the School of Psychology, QUB; Senior Professional Advisor to the RQIA; Associate Consultant with the HSC Leadership Centre, and Chair of the Children’s Heartbeat Trust NI.
- A key priority for Nichola will be to ensure that psychological safety is at the heart of services, creating environments where individuals feel safe, heard, and supported.
- The newly created role of Chief Psychological Professions Officer represents a significant commitment by the Minister, to improving the psychological wellbeing of our population and ensuring the delivery of high-quality psychological services across the region.
- Kathryn Baker joined the Department at the end of 2024 as the Chief Environmental Health Officer.
- Kathryn began her career as an Environmental Health Officer in local government in both England and Northern Ireland before joining the Food Standards Agency where she latterly held the position of Head of Food Safety Policy and Delivery. In this post she was instrumental in designing and delivering the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme providing food hygiene information to consumers and helping them make informed choices about where to eat and buy food.
- She is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health and an advocate for Environmental Health and Public Health Professions.
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