Jenny Keane named as next Ambulance Service chief executive

Jenny Keane has been appointed as the next chief executive of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and is expected to begin work in the autumn. She will succeed interim chief executive Maxine Paterson, who has held the post since April 2025.

Keane joins from NHS England, where her work has included leadership across ambulance services, urgent care access and emergency preparedness. Her role in Northern Ireland will include responsibility for the organisation's operational direction, workforce and contribution to wider health service planning.

NIAS provides emergency ambulance response, non-emergency patient transport and specialist clinical services across Northern Ireland. The trust also works with hospital and community services on the movement of patients and the management of demand across urgent care.

Paterson will remain in the interim position until Keane arrives. That handover is intended to provide continuity while the service moves between permanent leadership arrangements.

The appointment comes during a broader programme of change across health and social care. Further details of Keane's starting date and initial priorities are expected to be set out by NIAS before she formally takes up the role.