This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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New Chief Executive for NHSScotland
08/12/2004
The new Chief Executive of NHSScotland and Head of the
Scottish Executive Health Department is to be Dr
Kevin Woods, 51, currently Chief Executive of North Central
London Strategic Health Authority.
Dr Woods will take up the post on January 17.
As Chief Executive he will have specific responsibility
for the leadership and management of NHSScotland and, as
Head of The Scottish Executive Health Department, will
support the Minister for Health and Community Care and the
Deputy Minister, overseeing the development of new
policy.
Dr Woods said:
"I'm delighted to be have been appointed as Chief
Executive and Head of Health Department. The NHS is a
vitally important service on which we all rely and I look
forward to helping Ministers and NHS staff achieve
improvements in Scotland's health and the quality of
services."
Health Minister Andy Kerr, said:
"I regard this as the most important job in the Scottish
public sector. I look forward to working closely with
Kevin Woods to take forward an ambitious programme of
change and improvement for the benefit of the people of
Scotland."
The Executive's Permanent Secretary John Elvidge
said:
"Kevin Woods brings top level experience of the NHS in
both Scotland and England. His breadth of experience will
be valuable both to the leadership of the NHS in Scotland
and to the Executive's Management Group team.
"He is well equipped to contribute to our wider support
for Scottish Ministers across the range of Executive policy
and our work developing the civil service in line with the
needs of devolved government in Scotland."
Dr Woods has a BSc (Hons) degree and a PhD from the
University of London. He is a Member of the Institute of
Health Care Management (MIHM) and an Honorary Member of the
Faculty of Public Health (Hon MFPH).
Prior to being appointed Chief Executive of North
Central London (NCL) Strategic Health Authority in October
2004, Mr Woods was Director of Health Policy and Strategy
at Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Strategic Health
Authority from January-September 2004.
From 2000-2003 he was the William R Lindsay Professor of
Health Policy and Economic Evaluation at the University of
Glasgow.
He has previous experience with the Scottish Executive
and Scottish Office, as Director of Strategy and
Performance Management in the Health Department for five
years from 1995-2000.
In his early career Dr Woods held general management
positions in several Health Authorities in England as well
as academic positions at the Universities of London and
Manchester, and the Flinders University of South
Australia.
The open competition for the post, which was advertised
in national newspapers in September 2004, attracted a wide
field of applicants.
The appointment board's recommendation has been agreed
by the First Minister and approved by the Prime
Minister.
Dr Woods salary will be in the current Senior Civil
Service pay band 3 which has a minimum of £90,867 and a
maximum of £192,424.
Dr Woods will report to the Executive's Permanent
Secretary who is the most senior civil servant in
Scotland.
As Chief Executive of NHSScotland he will lead the
central management of the NHS and be accountable to
Scottish Ministers for the efficiency and performance of
the service. He will oversee the work of 15 area health
boards and 8 Special Health Boards. The Health Department
has around 650 staff. Dr Woods will have responsibility
for a budget of £7 billion.
The NHS in Scotland has around 143,000 staff, including
more than 63,000 nurses, midwives and health visitors and
over 3,300 consultants. There are also more than 13,000
doctors, family practitioners and allied health
professionals, including dentists, opticians and community
pharmacists, who are independent contractors providing a
range of services within the NHS.