Northern Ireland health minister Michael McGimpsey has appointed Elizabeth Kerr as chair of the Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC).

Mrs Kerr, head of bargaining and representation at Unison Northern Ireland, has taken on the 17,000 a year part-time role for the next four years. She has worked at Unison since 1983 and was formerly a regional officer with responsibility for organisation within a number of branches and across a number public and private sector employers. It was her role to build a strong union organisation at local level to represent members involved in industrial tribunals and professional hearings and to negotiate with employers.