Meet the Team Behind Leadcare Recruitment
Our Team
Leadcare Recruitment was founded in 2020 by two Registered Nurses, Stephen Ferguson and Paul Strachan, with a mission to build a healthcare staffing agency that understood recruitment from the clinical side first.
Today, Leadcare is Northern Ireland’s HSCNI Tier 1 Approved, RQIA-regulated healthcare recruitment agency — supplying locum doctors, agency nurses, and healthcare assistants to HSC Trusts, NHS facilities, and private care providers across Northern Ireland.
Our team combines clinical expertise, specialist recruitment knowledge, and dedicated operational support. From compliance and clinical governance through to bookings and payroll, every part of the Leadcare service is handled by people who know healthcare staffing from the inside.
Leadership & Management
Stephen Ferguson
Director & Co-Founder
Recruitment & Client Services
Stephen is Director and Co-Founder of Leadcare Recruitment, established alongside Paul Strachan in 2020.
With a professional background in nursing, Stephen brings first-hand healthcare experience to his role overseeing recruitment and client services. He works closely with the team to develop strong relationships with healthcare professionals and clients across Northern Ireland and supports the continued development of Leadcare’s services across the public and private healthcare sectors.
Paul Strachan
Director & Co-Founder
Bookings, Operations & Finance
Paul is Director and Co-Founder of Leadcare Recruitment and has been part of the business since it was established in 2020.
With a professional background in nursing, Paul brings first-hand healthcare experience to his role overseeing bookings and finance. He supports the day-to-day delivery of staffing services and the operational and financial management of the business.
Liz Buchanan
Registered Nurse Manager
Clinical Governance & Quality
Liz is the Registered Nurse Manager at Leadcare Recruitment, bringing over 25 years of nursing experience to the role.
She oversees clinical governance and the quality of care delivered by our healthcare workforce, providing clinical leadership across the service and supporting RQIA compliance, clinical standards, policies, audits and the safe delivery of care to clients across Northern Ireland.
Nicole Hutchinson
Office Manager
Office Operations
Nicole is the Office Manager at Leadcare Recruitment and oversees the day-to-day running of our head office and internal teams.
She works across the business to coordinate staff, administration and internal processes, helping ensure our recruitment, compliance and operational teams work effectively together to support both clients and healthcare professionals.
Recruitment Team
Our recruitment team works with healthcare professionals across Northern Ireland, supporting candidates from initial enquiry and registration through to suitable opportunities.
Eimhear Doherty
Recruitment Consultant
Eimhear has a particular focus on recruiting Registered Nurses across Northern Ireland. From initial enquiry through to registration, she guides nurses through the Leadcare recruitment process and helps them access opportunities suited to their experience, availability and preferred areas of work.
For agency nurse opportunities, visit our Nurses page.
Rebecca O'Doherty
Recruitment Consultant
Rebecca specialises in locum doctor and medical recruitment, supporting doctors seeking opportunities within HSCNI. She helps medical professionals navigate the registration process, understand current requirements and progress towards locum opportunities appropriate to their grade, specialty and experience.
For healthcare assistant opportunities, visit our Doctor page.
Shona Campbell
Recruitment Consultant
Shona’s main focus is the recruitment of Healthcare Assistants and Support Workers. She helps new applicants understand Leadcare’s registration and compliance requirements and supports them as they prepare to join our healthcare workforce and access suitable opportunities.
For healthcare assistant opportunities, visit our HCA page.
Megan Gallagher
Recruitment Consultant
Megan recruits across both locum medical and Healthcare Assistant staffing. She works with doctors across different grades and specialties as well as Healthcare Assistants, helping candidates move through recruitment and compliance and towards suitable opportunities across Northern Ireland.
For healthcare assistant opportunities, visit our HCA page.
For healthcare assistant opportunities, visit our Doctor page.
Rachel Garland
Recruitment Consultant
Rachel works particularly with Registered Nurses and Healthcare Assistants joining Leadcare. She gets to know each candidate’s experience, preferred locations and availability, helping guide them through recruitment and towards opportunities that suit how and where they want to work.
For agency nurse opportunities, visit our Nurses page.
Booking Team
Our Booking Team coordinates staffing requirements and shift cover across HSCNI services and private healthcare organisations throughout Northern Ireland.
Evie-Jane Kerr
Booking Co-Ordinator
Evie-Jane coordinates staffing across all five HSCNI Trusts, managing healthcare professional availability and matching available staff with Trust shift requirements. She plays a key role in confirming bookings and responding to ongoing staffing needs across HSCNI services.
Fiona Martin
Booking Co-Ordinator
Fiona works across Leadcare’s HSCNI Trust bookings, helping manage the day-to-day flow of available shifts and healthcare professional availability across all five Trusts. She liaises with staff throughout the booking process to keep shifts organised and requirements covered.
Tony Cregan
Booking Co-Ordinator
Tony looks after staffing requirements for private healthcare clients across Northern Ireland. He liaises directly with clients on their requirements and coordinates with our healthcare workforce to arrange appropriate cover for planned and short-notice shifts.
Andrew Clarke
Booking Co-Ordinator
Andrew has a particular focus on day-to-day and short-notice staffing for Leadcare’s private healthcare clients. He matches available healthcare professionals with open shifts, responding quickly as client requirements and staffing needs change.
Aoife McCloskey
Booking Co-Ordinator
Aoife helps manage ongoing staffing cover for Leadcare’s private healthcare clients. She coordinates upcoming bookings, keeps in contact with clients and healthcare professionals, and helps ensure changes in staffing requirements are dealt with efficiently.
Compliance & Training
Jessica Brolly
Compliance Officer
Compliance, Mandatory & Practical Training
Jessica is Leadcare Recruitment’s Compliance Officer, with a particular focus on mandatory training and practical training requirements for our healthcare workforce.
She supports staff in keeping their training up to date, coordinates practical training bookings and courses, and works closely with our recruitment and compliance teams to help ensure healthcare professionals are ready for work.
Payroll
Julie Duffy
Payroll Officer
Weekly Payroll
Julie is Leadcare Recruitment’s Payroll Officer and is responsible for supporting the weekly payroll for our healthcare workforce.
She manages timesheets, payroll processing and payment queries, working closely with the wider team to help ensure our healthcare professionals are paid accurately and on time each week.
Get in Touch With the Leadcare Team
Call our Northern Ireland-based team, email the relevant department, or register online. We are available 24/7 for healthcare professionals and clients.