Presbyterian moderator the Rev Dr Sam Mawhinney’s visit to Ulster Hospital in East Belfast evokes memories

​​Before becoming a Presbyterian minister, Dr Mawhinney studied to be a GP, which included five years training in a number of Northern Ireland’s leading hospitals.

As part of his presbytery tour of East Belfast church congregations this week, Dr Mawhinney also visited the Ulster Hospital’s new acute services building, which includes its state-of-the-art Emergency Department (ED), opened last month.

The ED was the final stage of a £280million redevelopment project at the site.

The moderator met with senior management, and staff and members of the hospital's 10-strong chaplaincy team, led by the Rev Don Gamble.

The chaplaincy team includes Presbyterian, Church of Ireland, Methodist and Roman Catholic clerics.

On his presbytery tour, Dr Mawhinney also visited PSNI headquarters at Garnerville.