Appointment Of Chairpersons To The Five New Health And Social Services Trusts

20 June 2006
APPOINTMENT OF CHAIRPERSONS TO THE FIVE NEW HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES TRUSTS
The appointment of Chairpersons to the five new Health and Social Services (HSS) Trusts has been announced.
The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety today announced that the Minister responsible, Paul Goggins, has appointed the following, as Chairpersons of the five new HSS Trusts:
Mrs Anne Balmer - Chair of the Southern Area HSS Trust;
Mrs Denise Fitzsimons - Chair of the South Eastern Area HSS Trust;
Mr Gerard Guckian - Chair of the Western Area HSS Trust;
Mr Patrick McCartan - Chair of the Belfast Area HSS Trust;
Mr James Stewart - Chair of the Northern Area HSS Trust.
The appointments are for the period from 1 August 2006 to 31 July 2010.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
1. On 22 November 2005, Shaun Woodward announced a major programme of HPSS structural reform within the context of the wide ranging Review of Public Administration (RPA). One of these reforms was the establishment of five new Health and Social Services (HSS) Trusts to replace eighteen of the existing 19 HSS Trusts (the Ambulance Service Trust will remain separate). The new HSS Trusts will operate in line with existing Trust legislation and the main differences will be the much larger scale of Trust operations and additional responsibility that will arise as a result. All five new Trusts will be responsible for the full range of services, removing the distinction between acute, community and mixed Trusts.
2. Health and Social Services (HSS) Trusts are responsible for providing health and social services to their resident populations. The areas covered by the new Trusts will comprise of the following:-
The Southern Area HSS Trust amalgamating the current Craigavon Area Hospital Group, Craigavon and Banbridge Community, Newry and Mourne and Armagh and Dungannon HSS Trusts. This would include the current local government districts of Armagh, Banbridge, Craigavon, Dungannon and Newry and Mourne;
The South Eastern Area HSS Trust amalgamating the current Ulster Community and Hospitals, and Down Lisburn HSS Trusts. This will include the current local government districts of Ards, North Down, Down and Lisburn;
The Western Area Trust amalgamating the current Sperrin Lakeland, Foyle and Altnagelvin HSS Trusts. This would include the current local government districts of Derry, Fermanagh, Limavady, Omagh and Strabane;
The Belfast Area Trust amalgamating the current Belfast City Hospital, Royal Group of Hospitals, Mater Infirmorum, Greenpark, North and West Belfast (including Muckamore Hospital) and South and East Belfast HSS Trusts. This would include the current local government districts of Belfast and Castlereagh. (In developing the new management and governance structures for the new Belfast Area Trust, consideration will be given to the special status of the Mater Hospital, as stipulated in its 1972 Deed of Arrangement); and:
The Northern Area Trust amalgamating the current Homefirst Community, Causeway and United Hospitals HSS Trusts. This would include the current local government districts of Antrim, Ballymoney, Ballymena, Carrickfergus, Coleraine, Cookstown, Larne, Magherafelt, Moyle and Newtownabbey.
3. Each HSS Trust is run by a board of directors, which comprises a non-executive Chair, five non-executive directors and five executive directors. Executive directors are employees of the Trust. The non-executive directors will be appointed to each of the new Trusts in due course.
4. The rate of remuneration payable to the Chair of the Belfast HSS Trust is Ł33,000 per annum and for each of the Chairs of the other four Trusts, Ł28,000 per annum.
5. The newly appointed Chairs are all currently serving as Chairs in the existing Trusts. Anne Balmer is Chair of the Royal Group of Hospitals and Dental Hospital HSS Trust; Denise Fitzsimons is Chair of Down Lisburn HSS Trust; Gerard Guckian is Chair of Altnagelvin HSS Trust; Patrick McCartan is Chair of North and West Belfast HSS Trust and James Stewart is Chair of Green Park HSS Trust. They will be required to step down from these positions on 31 July 2006 to take up their posts on appointment to the new Trusts.
6. Appointments to HSS Trusts are made with the approval of the Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety. 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.
7. The appointments were made in accordance with the Code of Practice of the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland. A selection panel, which included an independent assessor, as required under the Commissioner's Code, considered the suitability of all candidates. The final decision on appointment rested with the Minister.
8. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for the political activity of appointees (if any declared) to be published. The appointees declared that they had not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.
APPOINTMENTS
Mrs Anne Elizabeth Balmer LLB BL, lives in Newtownards, Co Down and Portadown, Co Armagh. She is currently Chair of the Royal Group of Hospitals and Dental Hospital HSS Trust, for which she receives Ł20,321 per annum. This remuneration will cease on her appointment to the new Southern Area HSS Trust. Mrs Balmer was formerly a non-executive director of the Royal Group of Hospitals and Dental Hospital HSS Trust from 1997 and was first appointed as Chair in July 2004. She was a Barrister at Law until 2001, and was Director of Legal Services at the Fair Employment Commission from 1995-2001. She was also a member of the Lord Chancellor's Advisory Committee for the Appointment of Youth and Family Courts Lay Panel Members from 1999-2003. She has not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.
Mrs Denise Mary Fitzsimons BSSc RGN, lives in Belfast. She is currently Chair of Down Lisburn HSS Trust, for which she receives Ł20,321 per annum. This remuneration will cease on her appointment to the new South Eastern Area HSS Trust. Mrs Fitzsimons was formerly a non-executive director of Down Lisburn HSS Trust from September 1993 and was first appointed as Chair in September 2001. She is presently Vice Chair of the Northern Ireland Chairs of Public Bodies Forum. She was formerly employed as a lecturer at the School of Health & Social Care, Lisburn Institute of Higher and Further Education from 1997-2001. She has not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.
Mr Gerard Guckian BA (Hons), lives in Londonderry. He is currently Chair of Altnagelvin Hospitals HSS Trust, for which he receives Ł20,321 per annum. This remuneration will cease on his appointment to the new Western Area HSS Trust. He was formerly a non-executive director of Altnagelvin Hospitals HSS Trust from January 2002 and was first appointed as Chair in May 2004. He has been a practising solicitor for over 15 years and is presently a partner in a solicitors practice in Londonderry. He was formerly a member of the Board of Governors of Thornhill College, Derry, from 1997-2004. He has not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.
Mr Patrick Anthony McCartan MSc FCIPD, lives in Bangor, Co Down. He is currently Chair of North and West Belfast HSS Trust having first been appointed in September 2001, for which he receives Ł20,321 per annum. This remuneration will cease on his appointment to the new Belfast Area HSS Trust. Mr McCartan is also Chairman of the Labour Relations Agency, for which he receives Ł22,128 per annum. He is Northern Ireland Trustee of the NHS Confederation and also Chair of the Northern Ireland Confederation (NICON), and Board Member of Co-operation Ireland. He has been Chairman (12 years) and Vice-chairman, Board of Governors of St Columbanus' College in Bangor. He has not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.
Mr James Robert (Jim) Stewart MA BSc, lives in Bleary, Co Armagh. He is currently Chair of Green Park HSS Trust having first been appointed in January 2004, for which he receives Ł20,321 per annum. This remuneration will cease on his appointment to the new Northern Area HSS Trust. Mr Stewart is also Chair of the Warrenpoint Harbour Authority for which he receives Ł18,510 per annum and a non-executive director of NI Agri-Food and Bio-Science Institute (AFBI), for which he receives Ł3,600 per annum. He has also been employed as Managing Director of Training Solutions (NI) Ltd since November 2004. He served as a non-executive member of the Eastern HSS Board from 1997-2003 and was also a non-executive director of LEDU from 2000-2002. He has not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.

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