Prior to taking up post as Chief Nursing Officer in November 2005, Martin was Director of the Royal College of Nursing, Northern Ireland. His background is in general and psychiatric nursing, nurse education, and administration in the Health and Social Services.

He is a mentor for the King’s Fund Nurse Leadership programme, a member of the steering committee of the Florence Nightingale Foundation and the Florence Nightingale Museum at St Thomas’ Hospital, London. He is a past member of the UK Central Council for Nurses and Midwives, a former member of the BBC Broadcasting Council, and Director of the Northern Ireland Association for Mental Health.

Within the Department, he chairs the Serious Adverse Incident Group. In conjunction with the Chief Medical Officer he co-chairs the “Confidence in Care” project group and leads the working groups on Professional Regulation and Stakeholder involvement. He also is the current chair of the All Ireland Cancer Nurses group.

He has a particular interest in community development, public health, targeting health and social need, primary care and practice development. He is a visiting Professor of Nursing at the University of Ulster and in 2000 was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing for his services to Nurse Education and Higher Education.

In November 2007 he was invited by the Commonwealth Secretariat to address the Commonwealth Minister’s Conference in Uganda on “Health-Realising the Potential.”