Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has announced four changes to the board of the Public Health Agency (PHA), including the appointment of three new Non-Executive Directors and a six-month extension for the existing trade union representative. The appointments, which took effect on 1 April 2026, bring a former fire service chief, an international healthcare consultant and a leading children’s rights lawyer into oversight roles at the body responsible for protecting public health across Northern Ireland.
The new appointments come as the PHA continues to oversee major strategic programmes, including the Reshape and Refresh Programme and mental health strategic planning, amid ongoing pressures on health and social care services.
New Lay Directors Appointed
Tom Wright, Michael Gibbs and Patricia Kelly have been appointed as Non-Executive (Lay) Directors for four-year terms running from 1 April 2026 until 31 March 2030. All three bring substantial governance experience spanning the public, voluntary and private sectors.
- Tom Wright retired from the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service as Acting Deputy Chief Fire Officer after 33 years. He previously served as a Non-Executive Director of both the Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland and the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, where he chaired Audit and Risk Assurance Committees. He holds an MBA from Ulster University and currently holds no other public appointments.
- Michael Gibbs is a senior consultant and former healthcare executive who has held senior roles in the NHS and international health systems. As Managing Director of MG Consultants, he specialises in leadership, governance and organisational transformation. He has also served as a trustee for charities including Diabetes UK and works as an international mediator.
- Patricia Kelly is a qualified barrister with an LLM in Human Rights Law who retired as Director of the Children’s Law Centre in August 2025 after establishing the organisation in 1997. She currently serves as Legally Qualified Commissioner on the Board of the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland and has extensive experience on voluntary sector and government-funded body boards.
Trade Union Representative Extended
John Patrick Clayton’s term as Non-Executive (Trade Union Representative) Director has been extended from 10 April 2026 until 9 October 2026. Mr Clayton, who is Head of Bargaining and Representation for UNISON Northern Ireland, originally joined the board in 2018 and was reappointed in 2022. A qualified barrister and law graduate from Queen’s University Belfast, he previously worked in policy roles for the Committee on the Administration of Justice and the Children’s Law Centre.
The six-month extension for Mr Clayton contrasts with the four-year terms granted to the new lay directors, raising questions about the board’s succession planning for trade union representation.
Remuneration and Time Commitment
The Non-Executive Director positions attract an annual remuneration of £10,556, with an expected time commitment of five days per month. These appointments are made in accordance with the Code of Practice issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland, which requires appointments to be made on merit with political activity playing no part in the selection process. All appointees have declared that they have not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.
Board Composition and Governance
The PHA board comprises four Executive Members (including the Chief Executive), a Non-Executive Chair and seven Non-Executive Directors. The seven Non-Executive positions are structured to include three lay members, two local government representatives, one trade union representative and one member with a finance background.
The new appointments follow the reappointment in October 2025 of Anne Henderson as Non-Executive (Finance) Director and Councillor Robert Irvine as a Local Government Representative, both serving until October 2029. With the departure of other lay members whose terms expired in April 2026, the board maintains its statutory composition while bringing in fresh expertise.
Critical Questions
While the appointments bring significant experience to the PHA, several questions remain about the board’s future direction and governance:
- Why has the Trade Union Representative’s term been extended for only six months rather than the standard four years, and what plans are in place to ensure continuity of employee representation?
- How will the board measure the impact of these new appointments on the PHA’s ability to reduce health inequalities and protect public health during a period of significant system transformation?
- With three new lay directors joining simultaneously, what induction and support mechanisms are in place to ensure effective corporate memory and continuity?
- Given the diverse backgrounds of the new appointees—spanning emergency services, international healthcare and children’s rights—how will the board balance these perspectives with the specific public health challenges facing Northern Ireland?
- What steps is the Department of Health taking to ensure the board reflects the diversity of Northern Ireland’s population in terms of gender, age and community background?
Looking Ahead
The PHA plays a critical role in coordinating public health protection, health improvement and health service planning across Northern Ireland. As the agency progresses its Business Plan for 2025-26 and navigates the ongoing Reshape and Refresh Programme, the new board members will be expected to provide robust oversight and strategic guidance.
Board papers and minutes are published regularly on the PHA website, allowing the public to track how these new appointments contribute to discussions on finance, governance and public health priorities. The next board meeting is scheduled for May 2026, where the new directors will begin their formal oversight duties.