Executive directors
Alan Bentall, Chief Information Officer
Alan was appointed Chief Information Officer (CIO) in January 2010. Alan was seconded to the Trust as interim CIO in 2008 from the professional services firm Deloitte, where he was an Associate Partner in the Technology Integration Practice.
He has held leading roles on assignments in many of the major central government departments and a selection of private businesses, including Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC), Ministry of Defence (MoD), Connecting for Health and Royal Mail Group.
His career has also included roles as Operations Director at Praxis, a software and systems development company specialising in the development of business critical applications, and as head of ICT in a medical electronics company.
Dr Brian Gaffney, Director of Public Health 
Brian has worked in public health and General Practice in the NHS since 1988.
Following training posts in public health medicine and time spent as a lecturer in the academic department of epidemiology in Queen’s University, Belfast, he was appointed as a Consultant in Public Health Medicine in 1993.
In 1996 he joined the Health Promotion Agency in Northern Ireland as Chief Executive with responsibility for all public health and managerial aspects of the Agency’s work. Brian was Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre at the Agency and led its contribution to a number of European projects and programmes.
Brian joined NHS Direct as National Public Health Advisor in October 2009 and became Director of Public Health shortly after. He works part-time for NHS Direct so that he can continue to work in General Practice in Northern Ireland.
Tricia Hamilton, Clinical Director / Chief Nurse
Tricia joined NHS Direct in September 1999 as a Nurse Advisor and has since held senior positions at national and local level.
She joined the NHS Direct Board in December 2010 as Clinical Director/Chief Nurse and is responsible for clinical safety, quality, and effectiveness of the care that is delivered by NHS Direct.
Tricia has 27 years' of nursing experience and started her career in acute settings, such as Salford NHS Foundation Trust. Her nursing experience is varied and includes; neuro intensive care, general surgery and remote care delivery.
Keith Gait, Chief Operating Officer
Keith Gait joined NHS Direct in August 2011 as Deputy Chief Operating Officer, taking up the role of Chief Operating Officer shortly after in December. Keith has 18 years experience in the customer service and contact centre field.
He began his career as an advisor and is passionate about operations that recognise their people as well as their customers.
Keith was customer service director at Sainsbury’s mobile and had a successful career with organisations such as Sitel and Barclaycard. He has completed performance improvement, strategic direction, outsourcing, and transformation programmes for a wide range of clients.
Keith is the author of 101 Ways to Improve Customer Service, The Attrition Waterfall, and The Causes of Churn in the Broadband Industry; Keith is also a judge for the CCF European Call Centre Awards and the Customer Service Training Awards. He recently presented his latest research on ‘The Unfaithful Customer’ at the Call Centre Expo in September 2010. Keith has recently completed his MBA from Henley Business School.
Ruth Rankine, Director of Strategy & Planning
Ruth joined NHS Direct on 14 October 2007, on secondment from the Department of Health.
She is responsible for developing the Trust’s medium-term strategy and business plan in addition to service development, marketing and communications.
Ruth has held senior positions at national and local level. Her previous post in the Department of Health was Principal Private Secretary to the NHS Chief Executive and the Permanent Secretary. Previous to that she was Director of Emergency Care for Leeds Acute NHS Trust & Leeds PCTs and Programme Director for the GP contract negotiations working for the NHS Confederation.
Roger Rawlinson, HR Director
Roger joined the Executive Management Team on 1 September 2007 having worked for 15 years in a variety of human resource positions in clothing manufacturing and retailing.
He was appointed Group Human Resources Director of William Baird in 2000.
In 2003, he joined Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Strategic Health Authority as HR Director and Chief Executive of the Workforce Development Confederation.
He then worked for the East of England Strategic Health Authority, following the commissioning of a patient-led NHS reconfiguration.
Trevor Smith, Finance Director
Trevor joined NHS Direct as Finance Director in January 2009 from Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust where he led the Financial Recovery Plan.
His previous Finance Director roles include Basildon and Thurrock University Hospital Foundation Trust, where he led the Financial Application and Assessment process and Billericay, Brentwood and Wickford PCT.
He was also the Acting Director of Finance at the Barking, Havering and Brentwood Community and Mental Health Trust where he supported the successful dissolution and disaggregation of the Trust.
Trevor joined the NHS in 1996 from local government.
