Speakers

Shane Elliott is the Head of Housing and Health, a joint appointment between the Department of Health and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. In this role, he leads efforts to strengthen collaboration between health and housing services, ensuring that people with disabilities across Northern Ireland receive the most appropriate housing solutions to meet their needs. He provides specialist advice, guidance, training, and expertise to a wide range of professionals working across housing and health sectors, and supports the Chief Allied Health Professions Officer in responding to Northern Ireland Executive business, ministerial briefings, and Assembly questions. Prior to his current position, Shane served as Head of Occupational Therapy and Community Equipment Services within the Northern Health and Social Care Trust. In that role he was professionally accountable for occupational therapy practice across a diverse range of services, including acute care, rehabilitation, adult physical disability, dementia, paediatrics, mental health, and learning disability services. He also held operational responsibility for the delivery of Community Equipment and Wheelchair Services. Shane has played a significant leadership role in shaping housing and healthcare policy and practice across Northern Ireland. He led the development of the Interdepartmental Housing Adaptations Design Toolkit for Northern Ireland, a key resource supporting accessible housing design. More recently, he co-authored, alongside specialist architects, Designing Homes for All: An Inclusive Design Guide to Support People Living with Cognitive and Sensory Impairment, promoting inclusive housing design principles that enable people to live independently and safely. In addition, Shane led the Regional Review of Assistive Technology and Equipment Provision, the findings of which are helping to shape the strategic and policy direction of future services as part of Northern Ireland's RESET transformation programme. Through his leadership, expertise, and commitment to integrated working, he continues to influence the development of services that improve health, wellbeing, independence, and quality of life for people across Northern Ireland.