Public appointment: member appointed to the Care Inspectorate Board

The Minister for Mental Wellbeing and Social Care, Kevin Stewart MSP today announced the appointments of Miss Charlotte Armitage, Mrs Audrey Cowie, Ms Maria McGill and Miss Rosie Moore as Members of the Care Inspectorate Board.

Members

Miss Charlotte Armitage is a Care Experienced young woman from East Lothian.  As an avid history enthusiast, she is currently completing her undergraduate degree in history and sociology at the University of Glasgow. Charlotte brings with her extensive knowledge of the care system in Scotland gained from her own lived experience and 5 years of professional experience within the third sector; ranging from a deep understanding of local delivery through her work with East Lothian Champions’ Board, through to high level project development skills that have seen internationally recognised campaigns emerge, as well as legislative and policy changes, such as the guaranteed offer to university for Care Experienced applicants and the extension of free childcare for Care Experienced parents, implemented during her time at Who Cares? Scotland. Her skills and experience are further complimented by her in depth political research experience, her passion for social justice forged from her career in public affairs and her COSCA Counselling Skills diploma.

Mrs Audrey Cowie has been a first level registered nurse for over 40 years.  During this time she has held clinical, managerial, educational, regulatory, quality assurance and government advisory roles.  Audrey had extensive experience in the professional regulation of nurses and other professions, and in the scrutiny and improvement agenda in both Scotland and Europe.  Audrey has previously held non-executive Director positions with the Scottish Social Services Council, the General Teaching Council for Scotland and St Columba’s Hospice Care.

Ms Maria McGill has 40 years’ experience as a nurse, senior leader and CEO working in the NHS and the voluntary sector.  The last 30 years of her career was spent working in palliative and end of life care during which Maria had the enormous privilege to journey with people who were dying and their families and friends.  In the last 10 years, Maria was Chief Executive of Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS), Scotland’s national children’s hospice organisation.  CHAS is an integral part of the national health and social care systems, involved locally and nationally, working in a rights-based way supporting children and families across Scotland at home, in hospital and hospices.
Maria has been involved in several Scottish Government working groups in palliative and end of life care, leading to innovative and effective policy and ultimately improvements in care for babies, children, and people at the end of their lives

Miss Rosie Moore is a qualified Social Worker with First Class Honours from the University of Strathclyde. Having grown up in care herself, she has a particular passion for working with looked after children and young people and their families.  In 2017, Rosie was nominated by the Coalition of Care Providers Scotland to become a Discovery Group member for the Independent Care Review. She was asked to stay on for the duration of the Review, becoming a co-chair of the working group for LOVE and latterly as the participation lead for those with seldom heard voices and young people in secure care.  Rosie has worked at the Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection (CELCIS) for the past several years, with a focus on social policy and participation of those with lived experience.  She also holds positions on the Management Group of the Each and Every Child Initiative and as a Board Member for Scottish Throughcare and Aftercare (STAF).

Appointment

The appointments will be for four years and will run from 25 April 2022 to 24 April 2026.

The appointments are regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner.

Remuneration

The appointments are part-time and attract a remuneration of £183.33 per day for a time commitment of two days per month.

Other ministerial appointments

Miss Charlotte Armitage, Mrs Audrey Cowie, Ms Maria McGill and Miss Rosie Moore do 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. 

Miss Charlotte Armitage has campaigned in all elections (aside from the recent council elections); has featured in political social media content and represented the party in the press on many occasions.  She previously held the roles of Equalities Officer and Vice Convener of the Young Scots for Independence (the SNP’s youth wing) from 2018 to 2021. She was a counting agent for East Lothian SNP and Glasgow SNP during the 2021 Scottish Parliament Election, 2019 General Election and 2019 European Election.

Mrs Audrey Cowie, Ms Maria McGill and Miss Rosie Moore have had no political activity within the last five years.

Background

The Care Inspectorate is a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) and it came into being on 1st April 2011 under the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010. The Care Inspectorate regulates and inspects care services in Scotland to make sure they meet the right standards. They also jointly inspect with other regulators to check how well different organisations in local areas work to support adults and children. Set up by Scottish Government, and accountable to Scottish Ministers, it is the Care Inspectorate’s job to assure and protect everyone that uses these services. They work to make sure everyone gets safe, high quality care that meets their needs and respects their rights. The Care Inspectorate has around 600 staff working across Scotland.