Reappointment of two Non-Executive Members of the Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency

Health Minster Robin Swann, has announced the reappointment of two Non-Executive Members of the Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency (NIMDTA).

Dr Janet Little’s reappointment as Non-Executive (Medical) Member and Mr Garry McKenna’s reappointment as Non-Executive (Lay) Member will commence on 1 April 2021 to a date not later than 31 March 2025.   

The Non-Executive Member position attracts an annual remuneration of £3,101 with a time commitment of 20 days per annum.

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

NIMDTA is an Arm’s Length Body sponsored by the Department of Health to train postgraduate medical and dental professionals for Northern Ireland (NI). NIMDTA commissions, promotes and oversees postgraduate medical and dental education and training throughout NI. It organises and delivers the recruitment, selection and allocation of doctors and dentists to foundation, core and specialty training programmes with the aims of providing trainees with a wide range of excellent opportunities to gain experience and maximising their potential to successfully progress, complete training and be appointed to permanent posts in NI.

The NIMDTA Board comprises a Non-Executive Chair and 5 Non-Executive Members. 

Notes to editors: 

1. Garry McKenna is a career Civil Servant with almost 42 years’ service, primarily in the Departments of Agriculture, Environment, Regional Development and Infrastructure. He is presently the Head of Transport Legislation for the Department for Infrastructure and leads the Rail Safety Authority for Northern Ireland. Additionally, he serves as a Lay Magistrate, as a Lay Member of the Rates and Valuation Tribunal and previously was a Member of the Council of the Pharmaceutical Society for NI, from 2012-2016, serving as Vice President and President for a period. He is also a past Chair of the Ulster College of Music.

2. Dr Little has over 25 years’ experience working at consultant in public health and senior management experience as Assistant Director in the Public Health Agency for 7 years. She is a medical graduate of Queens University Belfast and completed speciality training in public health, obtaining a Master’s degree from Edinburgh University. She has a population perspective, experience in critical appraisal, data analysis and interpretation of information and knowledge of systems. Dr Little has worked in service areas; including the centralisation of inpatient fracture services, the roll out of local delivery of renal dialysis, promoting organ donation and the introduction of complex specialist drug regimes. Her contribution to the health service in Northern Ireland was recognised by the awarding of the OBE in 2013.At the PHA she was responsible for the delivery and quality assurance of screening programmes, the introduction of bowel cancer screening, abdominal aortic aneurysm screening, additional bloodspot tests and digital mammography. She has also been involved with the training of junior doctors throughout her career. Most recently she became re-registered by the GMC to support work around organisational learning from the COVID 19 response in the early phase.

3. Appointments to NIMDTA are made with the approval of the Health Minister.

4. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Northern Ireland requires the political activity of appointees to be published.  Both members have declared that they have not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.

5. Both appointees have advised that they do not currently hold any other public appointments.   

6. For media enquiries please contact DoH Press Office by email: pressoffice@health-ni.gov.uk

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8. The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service for media enquiries only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The Duty Press Officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.

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