Members Appointed to NHS Grampian

Members appointed to NHS Grampian

The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing today announced the appointment of a two new Members to Grampian NHS Board.

NHS Grampian is responsible for meeting the health needs of the half-million population spread over 3,000 square miles of city, town, village and rural communities. NHS Grampian consists of acute services, three Community Health Partnerships and corporate services. It works closely with the three local authorities to deliver social care and two universities.

Mrs Rhona Atkinson – retired in 2011, from a senior management position with Aberdeen City Council, having gained 30 years’ experience in the private and public sectors. During her career she worked for several organisations, both in her home city of Glasgow and, since 1990, in the Grampian area. Starting from a finance background she has developed interests and skills in change management, specifically in the public sector; in the development of budgeting and investment for the current era of public service; the use of technology to enable the development of services; and in the use of corporate communications, both internally and externally. Since retiring she has been a lay member on a Law Society of Scotland committee and is a Children’s Panel member.

Mr Eric Sinclair - is a writer and education consultant living in Aberdeenshire who has worked in schools and colleges in west Africa, Turkey and Germany, as well as the UK. For ten years he was Head Teacher of Kirkwall Grammar School in Orkney, and subsequently was Head of Aboyne Academy, Aberdeenshire. Since suffering a major stroke in 2004, he has undertaken voluntary work for the Stroke Association, and is vice-chair of their Scotland Committee. In December 2011, he published a book – Man, Dog, Stroke – describing his experience of recovering from stroke in Norway and Scotland. He is currently a public partner with Healthcare Improvement Scotland and brings to the Board extensive experience of managing change in a variety of settings, as well as the lived experience of dealing with a chronic health condition.

This appointments will be for four years and will run from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2018.

These appointments are part time and attract a remuneration of £8,088 for a time commitment of eight hours per week.

Rhona Atkinson and Eric Sinclair do not hold any other ministerial appointments.

This appointment is regulated by the Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland.

All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity within the last five years (if there is any to be declared) to be made public. Rhona Atkinson and Eric Sinclair have had no political activity in the last five years.