In addition to the Chief Executive Cathy Jack, the following people are part of the Trusts 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.
Medical Director
Chris Hagan
Chris took up post as Medical Director in 2020. Chris has occupied a number of senior leadership roles in the Trust including Chair of Division and Deputy Medical Director.
Chris is from Belfast and graduated from Manchester University in 1990. He completed post-graduate training in Glasgow, Belfast and Dublin and was appointed as Consultant Uro-oncology and Renal Transplant Surgeon in 2004 in Belfast. He has always been focused on patient safety and improving outcomes for patients in Northern Ireland.
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
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.
Director of Nursing, User Experience and Allied Health Professionals
Brenda Creaney
Brenda has been Director of Nursing and User Experience since January 2010. She 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.
Brenda trained as an adult nurse at the Royal Victoria Hospital from 1984 before moving to London in 1989 where trained as a children’s nurse at the Westminster Children’s Hospital. After qualifying she undertook a range of roles in Neonatal and Children’s Services at Westminster Children’s Hospital, the Royal London Hospital and the Chelsea & Westminster Hospital.
Brenda returned to Northern Ireland in 2000 to the Royal Group of Hospitals working as a Directorate Manager in both Royal Victoria Hospital and Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children and was appointed Co Director for Child Health in the newly formed Belfast Trust in 2007 prior to commencement of her current post.
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 Acute & Regional Medicine Specialties.
Brian graduated from the University of Ulster, and has also undertook executive leadership post graduate programs at Boston College and the University of Ulster Business School. He has always been focused on improving patient flow, service redesign, compassionate collective leadership and experience for NHS patients in Northern Ireland.
Director of Finance, Estates & Capital Development
Maureen Edwards
Maureen has been the Director of Finance, Estates and Capital Development in Belfast Trust since February 2017. Alongside dealing with the significant financial challenges facing a £1.9bn Trust, she is the SRO for the Trust’s major capital schemes including a new regional children’s hospital for Northern Ireland.
Maureen began her career as a graduate finance trainee in Wales. Having worked in various organisations in the NHS, she returned home in 1999 and has held a number of posts in health and social care including Director of Finance in the Royal Hospitals prior to the amalgamation of the six Belfast acute and community Trusts into the Belfast Trust in 2007 and co-director of finance in the Belfast Trust between 2007 and 2017.
Director Anaesthetics, Critical Care, Theatres, Sterile Services and Surgery
Janet Johnson
Janet took up post as Interim Director in 2020, responsible for Anaesthetics, Critical Care, Theatres and Sterile Services (ACCTSS) and Surgery.
Interim Director of Child Health & NISTAR services / Out Patients, Imaging & Medical Physics
Paula Cahalan
Paula took up post as the Interim Director of Child Health & NISTAR services on 16 August 2021 and also took over responsibility for Out Patients, Imaging and Medical Physics on 01 May 2022. 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.
Interim Director for Trauma, Orthopaedics, Rehab Services and Maternity, Dental, Gynae and Sexual Health
Heather Jackson
Heather took up post as Interim Director for Trauma, Orthopaedics, Rehab Services and Maternity, Dental, Gynae and Sexual Health on 16 August 2021.
Previously Heather was the Divisional Nurse for Unscheduled Care before taking up post as Co-Director for Neurosciences, Imaging, Medical Physics and Medical Illustration in December 2019. Heather has over 30 years’ experience working for the NHS and has worked during that time across a number of unscheduled speciality areas.