Public appointment: Chair appointment extended on the Scottish Ambulance Service Board

The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Neil Gray MSP, today announced the extension to the appointment of Tom Steele as Chair of the Scottish Ambulance Service Board. 

Chair 

Tom Steele has been Chair of the Scottish Ambulance Service Board since 1 June 2018. From 2014 until this appointment, he served as a Non-Executive Board member and Chair of the Audit Committee at NHS Lanarkshire and as a member of the South Lanarkshire Integration Joint Board. Currently Tom also co-chairs, with The Chief Scientist Health, the NHS Scotland Innovation Design Authority. His first career was in the IT industry, including management consultancy, and for over 20 years as a senior executive. Tom has wide leadership and corporate governance experience in large, complex organisations. 

Extension 

This extension will be for 7 months and will run from 1 June 2026 to 31 December 2026. 

This extension is regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner. 

Remuneration 

This extension is part-time and attracts a remuneration of £56,472 per year for a time commitment of 3 days per week on a pro rata basis for the duration of this extension. 

Other ministerial appointments 

Tom Steele does not hold any other public appointments. 

Political activity 

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.   

Tom Steele has had no political activity within the last five years.  

Background 

As a national frontline service of the NHS in Scotland, we provide an emergency ambulance service to a population of over 5 million people serving all of the nation’s mainland and island communities.  

We are responsible for a range of services for the people of Scotland: accident and emergency response; helping to deliver primary care; providing patient transport; dispatching rapid air ambulance support for critical patients; and being a Category 1 responder for national emergencies. 

There are specific opportunities and challenges associated with remote and rural service delivery and the Scottish Government has set out its vision for Scotland to be a world leader in Remote and Rural Health and Social Care provision.  The Service continues to embrace the opportunity to accelerate collaboration in service redesign and delivery in remote and rural areas with its collective ambition to reform and drive further improvements in its services as an integrated part of the health and care system.