In addition to the Chief Executive Maureen Edwards, the following people are part of the Trust’s Executive Team:
Deputy Chief Executive
Bernie Owens
Bernie is Deputy Chief Executive for Belfast Trust. She is Director lead for the Covid vaccination programme, and for the Neurology recall of patients. Bernie is also overseeing the transition of residents from Muckamore Abbey Hospital (MAH) to enable them to live with support and care in the community to have ordinary lives as valued members of their communities.
Bernie was appointed as a Director in the Trust from November 2013 and has held a number of portfolios including Anaesthetics, Critical Care, Theatres & Sterile Services, Emergency Departments, Medical and Cardiology services, Neurosciences and Imaging, Medical Physics, Allied Health Professionals and GP Out of Hours service.
Bernie is a Registered General Nurse (RGN) having trained in Royal Victoria Hospital specialising in operating department nursing.
Interim Medical Director
Dr John Maxwell
John is an experienced emergency physician, medical leader and company director with over 24 years of healthcare experience in both the public and private sectors in the UK and Australia. Prior to returning to the Belfast Trust in 2024 he was the Executive Medical Director across 4 Ramsay Healthcare hospitals in Western Australia. Previously he worked at the Department of Health, and as a Clinical Director and Divisional Chair in the Belfast Trust.
John is a Fellow of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine and the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, he is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors with an MSc in Medical Leadership and an Executive MBA with distinction from Warwick Business School.
Interim Executive Director of Social Work
Tracy Reid
Tracy took up post as Interim Executive Director of Social Work in August 2022. Tracy qualified as a Social Worker, from Queens University Belfast in 2001, through the Masters of Social Work Programme. She also holds the PQSW award for Strategy and Leadership in Social Work.
Tracy has worked in the Belfast Trust since 2005. Throughout her career Tracy has worked across a number of fields of Social Work, including Children’s Services, Hospital Social Work, Palliative Care, Disability Services, Older People’s Services and Adult Safeguarding.
Interim Director of Children’s Community Services
Kerrylee Weatherall
Kerrylee took up post as the Interim Director of Children’s Community Services in August 2022, with responsibility for Child Health, Early Intervention & Safeguarding and Corporate Parenting & RESWS. Kerrylee previously held the post of Co Director for Corporate Parenting and Regional Emergency Social Work Service (RESWS).
She has worked in the NHS since 1997 and has held a number of Senior Management positions across Children’s Community Services.
Interim Director Mental Health, Intellectual Disability & Psychological Services
Peter Sloan
Peter took up post as Interim Director for Mental Health, Intellectual Disability and Psychological Services in December 2022.
Prior to this, he held a variety of medical management roles within the Directorate, including Clinical Director for Community & Partnership Services, Clinical Director for Acute Mental Health Services, Chair of Division for Mental Health and Chair of Division for Intellectual Disability Services.
Peter is a Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist and continues to practice clinically in the Perinatal Mental Health Team, based at Knockbracken Healthcare Park.
Interim Director of Adult Community, Older People’s Services and Allied Health Professionals
Colin McMullan
Colin took up the post as Interim Director for Adult Community, Older People’s Services and Allied Health Professionals in September 2023. Prior to this he was Co-Director for Maternity, Dental, Gynae and Sexual Health Services from June 2020. Colin has previously held Senior Manager posts in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety, Corporate Governance and Medical Education within the Belfast Trust.
Colin has also held management roles in the Public Health Agency and in the former Eastern Health and Social Services Board, having joined the NHS in 2004 following several roles in the private sector. Colin is passionate about improving care for service users.
Interim Director of Cancer & Specialist Services
Moira Kearney
Previously, Moira was Interim Director of Mental Health, Intellectual Disability & Psychological Services, Co-Director for Child Health and Northern Ireland Specialist Transport and Retrieval (NiSTAR) Services from 2017 and Interim Co-Director and Associate Director of Nursing for Trauma, Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation one year prior to this. Moira has worked in the NHS for over 30 years.
Interim Director of Nursing, Midwifery, User Experience and Allied Health Professionals
Olga O’Neill
Olga was appointed to the Interim post of Executive Director of Nursing and User Experience in July 2024. Olga is responsible for Nursing and User Experience within the Trust, she is the lead director for Infection Prevention and Control and Professional lead for Allied Health Professionals.
In 2017, Olga joined the collective leadership team of Unscheduled Care as Divisional Nurse and then Co Director for Urgent and Emergency Care services prior to taking up this interim position as Executive Director.
Olga trained as an adult general nurse at the Mater Hospital Belfast from 1990 and for 17 years, she worked in a specialist role of Acute Pain Management, it was within this role that she acquired a Masters in Advanced Practice and Non-medical Prescribing. In 2014, Olga joined the Unscheduled Care Directorate and it was within this time, she completed the Scottish Quality and Safety Fellowship.
Director of Performance, Planning & Informatics
Alastair Campbell
With more than 20 years’ experience in the public sector, Alastair has worked in a variety of areas of social policy, including social housing, alcohol licensing, social security, and EU funding.
Having spent a number of years working in the Office of the Northern Ireland Executive in Brussels, he moved to the Department of Health in 2014 where he carried out a variety of senior roles, leading work on acute service policy, hospital reconfiguration, and Covid-19 response.
Alastair joined the Trust in 2021, initially working as Co-Director in Urgent and Emergency Care, before taking up post as Director for Planning, Performance and Informatics in 2022.
Director Unscheduled Care Services
Dr Brian Armstrong
Brian has been Director of Unscheduled Care since October 2019. He is responsible for the RVH & Mater Adult Emergency Departments, and a range of Acute & Regional Medicine Specialties.
Brian graduated from the University of Ulster with a doctorate in Biomedical Sciences, and is also a master’s post graduate from Boston College and the University of Ulster Business School. Brian has a 30+ year career in healthcare focusing on system redesign, culture change and patient flow.
Interim Director of Finance, Estates & Capital Development
Claire Corry
Claire is a qualified chartered accountant with over 20 years’ experience in Health & Social Care. She has held a number of Senior Management positions across Finance both the Royal Hospitals prior to the amalgamation of the six Belfast acute and community Trusts into the Belfast Trust in 2007, including Co-Director Financial Management, a role she held since 2017. Claire took up post as the Interim Director of Finance, Estates and Capital Development in September 2024.
Director Anaesthetics, Critical Care, Theatres, Sterile Services and Surgery
Janet Johnson
Janet took up post as a Director in April 2021. She has responsibility for Anaesthetics, Critical Care, Theatres, Sterile Services (ACCTSS) and Surgery which includes a range of Regional Specialties and the Major Trauma Unit. She has held a number of senior roles within BHSCT including Co-director and Divisional Nurse for ACCTSS. Janet is a Registered General Nurse (RGN) having trained at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London and specialised in perioperative practice. She graduated from University of Ulster with a Masters of Business Administration.
Janet is actively involved in and leading on Elective Care Reform both within the Trust and Regionally and is passionate about improving services for patients.
Janet has over 30 years’ experience in Heath and Social Care working both locally and overseas.
Director of Child Health & NISTAR services, Maternity, Dental, Gynae and Sexual Health
Paula Cahalan
Paula took up post as the Interim Director of Child Health & NISTAR services in August 2021, also taking over responsibility for Imaging, Medical Physics and Outpatients in May 2022. She was appointed to a permanent Director post in 2024, and is now responsible for Child Health & NISTAR, Maternity, Dental, Gynaecology and Sexual Health Services. Paula was previously the Co-Director and Professional Lead for Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) in the Trust and is a qualified Dietitian / AHP. Paula has over 30 years’ experience in Health and Social Care, working with teams across all age ranges and specialties in both acute and community services.
Director for Trauma, Orthopaedics, Rehab Services and Outpatients, Imaging and Medical Physics
Marion Mulholland
Marion was appointed Director of Trauma, Orthopaedics, Rehabilitation, Imaging, Medical Physics and Outpatients in July 2024.
She has over 35 years’ experience in Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and is a registered nurse. She has held senior roles, including Interim Co-Director in Maternity, Gynaecology, Sexual and Reproductive Health, and Divisional Nurse in Trauma, Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation.
Her previous roles where within unscheduled care and include positions within patient flow and medical specialties.
Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development
Gillian Somerville
Gillian was appointed as Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development in September 2023. She has over 30 years’ experience working in Human Resources & Organisational Development. She is an experienced FCIPD HR professional with a proven track record of operating at a senior and board level in a number of fast moving and dynamic environments. Gillian is passionate about improving staff health and wellbeing and driving forward staff and leadership development, and has a history of improving staff engagement.
Interim Director of Operations for encompass
Patricia Ferguson
Patricia was appointed to Director of Operations for encompass on 2nd January 2024 leading the Belfast Trust implementation of the encompass project.
She has over 30 years experience in Health and Social Care including holding previous roles Divisional Nurse within Imaging, Medical Physics and OPD and Covid Oversight group, providing senior nurse leadership for the Vaccination and Testing Services.
Patricia has for over 30 years nursing experience with the majority of her career spent working in unscheduled care or project/service implementation.
Head of Communications
Bronagh Dalzell
Bronagh Dalzell has worked in Health and Social Care since 2003. Prior to moving to Belfast Trust in 2007, she was formerly a Communications Manager at the Royal Group of Hospitals Trust. Bronagh has been Head of Communications in Belfast Trust since 2012.