News Release Page Title

16 March 2007

APPOINTMENT OF NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS TO THE NEW WESTERN HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES TRUST

The appointment of 7 non-executive directors to the new Western Health and Social Services Trust has been announced.

The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety today announced that the Minister responsible, Paul Goggins, has appointed the following non-executive directors to the new Western Health and Social Services (HSS) Trust:

Mr Niall Birthistle

Mrs Stella Cummings

Mrs Joan Doherty

Dr Brendan McCarthy

Mr Ciaran Mulgrew

Mrs Sally O’Kane

Mrs Barbara Stuart

The appointments are for the period from 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2011.

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 HSS Trusts to replace eighteen of the existing 19 HSS Trusts (the Ambulance Service Trust will remain separate).

  2. All five new Trusts will be responsible for the full range of services, removing the distinction between acute, community and mixed Trusts. They will be fully operational from 1 April 2007, when the existing Trusts will be dissolved.

  3. HSS Trusts are responsible for providing health and social services to their resident populations. The new Western HSS Trust will amalgamate the current Sperrin Lakeland, Foyle and Altnagelvin Hospitals HSS Trusts. This will include the current local government districts of Derry, Fermanagh, Limavady, Omagh and Strabane.

  4. Each HSS Trust is run by a board of directors, which comprises a non-executive Chair, seven non-executive directors and five executive directors. Executive directors are employees of the Trust.

  5. Non-executive directors of the new HSS Trusts will receive annual remuneration of £7,500.

  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

Mr Niall Birthistle lives in Derry. Until 2003, he was Executive Director of Adria Ltd, a large clothing manufacturing company based in Strabane. Mr Birthistle is currently Co-Chair of the North West Stakeholders Alliance, a Lay Member of the Council of the University of Ulster and North West Chair of the Prince’s Trust. He was President of Londonderry Chamber of Commerce from 2002-2004. Mr Birthistle is currently a non-executive director of Altnagelvin Hospitals HSS Trust, for which he receives £5,508 per annum. He has not engaged in any political activity in the past five years.

Mrs Stella Cummings CQSW lives in Limavady. From 1978-2003, Mrs Cummings worked for Foyle HSS Trust and was Programme Manager for Older People, with responsibility for the provision of Social Care Services to the over 65 population. She is a committee member of the NI Volunteer Council of the British Red Cross and a former Chair of Roe Valley Disability Action Group. Mrs Cummings is currently a non-executive director of Causeway HSS Trust, for which she receives £5,508 per annum. She has not engaged in any political activity in the past five years.

Mrs Joan Doherty lives in Londonderry. A former Headteacher of Templemore Secondary School, Londonderry, she is presently a part-time tutor at Stranmillis College. Mrs Doherty is a Director of the Churches Trust and Secretary of the Londonderry branch of Save the Children. She is a governor on the board of the North West Institute of Further & Higher Education, for which she receives expenses only and is currently a non-executive director of Altnagelvin Hospitals HSS Trust, for which she receives £5,508 per annum. She has not engaged in any political activity in the past five years.

Dr Brendan McCarthy BD MTh MSSc PhD LLM lives in Omagh. He is the senior leader of Omagh Community Church and is Chief Executive of the Shekinah Centre, a cross-community resource centre, also based in Omagh. Until 2006, Dr McCarthy was Chair of Strule Erne Health & Social Care Group. He is a lay member of the NI Practice & Education Council for Nursing and Midwifery, for which he receives expenses only. He has not engaged in any political activity in the past five years.

Mr Ciaran Mulgrew MSSc BA lives in Derry. He is the Managing Director of the Niche Drinks Co. Ltd having recently led a successful management buy out of the St Brendan’s Irish Cream Liquer Co Ltd from its parent company Kerry Group. Mr Mulgrew is currently a non-executive director of Altnagelvin Hospitals HSS Trust, for which he recieves £5,508 per annum. He has not engaged in any political activity in the past five years.

Mrs Sally O’Kane lives in Londonderry. From 1992-2003, she was Clinical Director of Pharmacy Services at the Altnagelvin Hospitals HSS Trust. She is also Vice Chair of the Derry Diocesan Committee of the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools for which she receives expenses only. Mrs O’Kane is currently a non-executive director of Foyle HSS Trust, for which she receives £5,508 per annum. She has not engaged in any political activity in the past five years.

Mrs Barbara Ann Stuart BA lives in Enniskillen. Mrs Stuart is currently employed by the Western Education & Library Board as a Business Education Links Officer. She is also Vice Chair of the Fermanagh branch of the Alzheimers Society. Mrs Stuart is a former Manager of Lakeland Community Care Ltd, a private healthcare company based in Belcoo. She has been a lay member of the Health Professions Council since 2001. She has not engaged in any political activity in the past five years.

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