The appointment was announced by Health Minister Mike Nesbitt MLA and commenced on 1 December 2025, with a term running until no later than 30 November 2029.

The Patient and Client Council was established under the Health and Social Care (Reform) Act of 2009 to ensure the voices of patients, clients, carers and communities are heard and acted upon in the development and delivery of health and social care services across Northern Ireland.

Charlene joins the Council as a Lay Member alongside representatives from local government. The Council provides a vital link between the public and the health system, helping shape policy, services and patient experience.

Belfast Healthy Cities works to embed health and wellbeing into urban policy and practice, promoting health equity, sustainable development and healthier environments across the city. The organisation delivers Belfast’s role as a World Health Organization-designated Healthy City and supports cross-sector collaboration between government, health services, communities and academia.

Speaking about her appointment, Charlene said: “I am honoured to have been appointed to the Patient and Client Council and to contribute to ensuring the voices of patients, carers and communities are meaningfully heard within our health system.

“Much of Belfast Healthy Cities’ work focuses on the wider determinants of health – the environments people live in, access to services, and the inequalities that affect outcomes long before someone enters a clinical setting. The PCC plays a crucial role in connecting lived experience to policy and service design, and I am looking forward to bringing a whole-city perspective, informed by partnership working across community, statutory and voluntary sectors.”