Director of Health and Social Care, Alison will continue to steer new initiatives which are essential to help us provide integrated, quality patient care.
Alison Macdonald, who has been Interim Director of Health and Social Care in East Lothian for the past nine months, has been announced as the new permanent Director.
East Lothian Council Chief Executive Angela Leitch says:
‘I’m delighted that Alison has been appointed as Director of Health and Social Care for East Lothian.
‘Candidates for the role participated in a thorough selection process which tested their leadership experience. I’m pleased that Alison, who already has made a significant contribution to the integration agenda, was a clear match to this important position.
‘Together with the Council’s Management Team, I will look forward to continuing to work with Alison on our transformation and improvement journey with an ongoing focus on people and communities’.
Tim Davison, Chief Executive, NHS Lothian, says:
‘We are delighted to welcome Alison on board and we are confident she will continue to be an integral part of our team.
‘Alison took up the interim position some time ago in the Health and Social Care Partnership and we look forward to building on the work she has already developed to help drive integration in East Lothian.
‘We know Alison will continue to steer those new initiatives which are essential to help us provide integrated, quality patient care.’
Alison took on the role of Interim Director of Health and Social Care for East Lothian in June 2018, replacing David Small, who left in to take up the new role of Director of Primary Care Transformation with NHS Lothian. Alison has worked with East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership since 2013 and had been Head of Service for Older People and Access since 2015. Her background is in nursing and she has held a variety of senior roles with NHS Lothian before coming to East Lothian.
Alison says: ‘This is a really exciting time for the East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership. We are beginning to see the positive impact of a range of integration initiatives'.
‘There’s lots on the go with the delivery of the new East Lothian Community Hospital, our ongoing work around reproviding some of our older hospitals and care homes, and our focus on driving forward multi-disciplinary working and improvements in access to primary care.
‘I would like to take this opportunity to say how much I appreciate the support, insight and commitment of our staff and partners. I am particularly grateful the carers and local representatives in Patient Participation Groups and Health and Wellbeing Sub-Groups. They play a key role in helping us develop integrated services that meet local needs. Together, we can make a real difference to health, social care and wellbeing in East Lothian.’