The Health and Social Care Directorates are a group of
directorates of the
Scottish Government. They are responsible for
NHS Scotland, as well as policies on the development and implementation of
health and
social care.
The Chief Executive of NHS Scotland and Director-General of the Scottish Government's Health and Social Care Directorates is Caroline Lamb.
There is a direct relationship between
Ministers and the Directorates, but this relationship is not consistent across the Government as there is often no direct read across to Ministerial portfolios from DGs. The activities of these Directorates are under the purview of the
Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care. He is assisted in this work by the
Minister for Mental Health, Wellbeing and Social Care and the
Minister for Public Health, Women's Health and Sport.
Structure
The current Directorates are:
*Chief Medical Officer - Chief Medical Officer: Sir
Gregor Smith
Sir Gregor Ian Smith is a Scottish general practitioner (GP), who has served as the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland since December 2020. He previously served in the position of Deputy Chief Medical Officer and from April 2020, until his appo ...
*Chief Nursing Officer - Chief Nursing Officer: Professor Amanda Croft
*COVID Public Health Directorate - Director: Richard Foggo
*Digital Health and Care Directorate - Interim Director: Jonathan Cameron
*Health Finance, Corporate Governance and Value Directorate - Director: Richard McCallum
*Health Performance and Delivery Directorate - Chief Performance Officer, NHS Scotland and Director of Delivery and Resilience: John Connaghan
*Health Workforce Directorate - Co-Directors: Gillian Russell and Sean Neill
*Healthcare Quality and Improvement Directorate - Interim Director: Linda Pollock and National Clinical Director: Professor Jason Leitch
*Mental Health and Social Care Directorate - Director: Donna Bell
*Population Health Directorate - Interim Director: Michael Kellet
*Primary Care Directorate - Director: Aidan Grisewood
*Test and Protect - Director: Christine McLaughlin
*Vaccine Strategy and Policy - Director: Stephen Gallagher
As well as responsibility for the regional health boards of
NHS Scotland, the Directorates also have responsibility for:
*
Public Health Scotland
*
Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland
The Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland is a non-departmental public body, responsible for safeguarding the rights and welfare of people in Scotland with a learning disability, mental illness or other mental disorder. The Commission was origi ...
*
Scottish Ambulance Service
*
State Hospital
The State Hospital (also known as Carstairs Hospital, or simply Carstairs) is a psychiatric hospital near the village of Carstairs Junction, in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It provides care and treatment in conditions of high security for arou ...
*
NHS24
*
Healthcare Improvement Scotland
*
NHS National Services Scotland
There are six chief professional officers:
* Chief Dental Officer – Tom Ferris
* Chief Health Professions Officer – Carolyn McDonald
*
Chief Medical Officer
Chief medical officer (CMO) is the title used in many countries for the senior government official designated head of medical services, sometimes at the national level. The post is held by a physician who serves to advise and lead a team of medical ...
– Dr
Gregor Smith
Sir Gregor Ian Smith is a Scottish general practitioner (GP), who has served as the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland since December 2020. He previously served in the position of Deputy Chief Medical Officer and from April 2020, until his appo ...
* Chief Nursing Officer – Professor Amanda Croft
* Chief Pharmaceutical Officer - Professor
Alison Strath
*
Chief Scientist (Health) – Professor
David Crossman
History
The Scottish Executive Health Department (SEHD) was created in 1999 from the former Scottish Office Health Department (SOHD) (previously part of the Scottish Office Home and Health Department). The separate departments in the Scottish Government were abolished in 2007 and replaced with Directorates.
In December 2010, the functions of the Health Directorates were taken on by the Health and Social Care Directorates.
See also
*
Social care in Scotland
Social care in Scotland encompasses social work; care home services in the community for adults, children and young people; and services for young children, including nurseries and after-school care clubs.
National Care Service
The National Ca ...
References
External links
Health and Social Carepage on Scottish Government website
Directoratespage on Scottish Government website
{{Scottish Government Directorates
Health
NHS Scotland
Scotland
Social care in Scotland