Public appointment: Members appointed to NHS 24 Board

The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Care Angela Constance MSP today announced the appointment of Dr. Lesley Holdsworth OBE and Professor Jason Leitch CBE as Members of the NHS 24 Board.

Members

Dr. Lesley Holdsworth is an experienced National Clinical Lead, Chief Clinical Information Officer, Director and Non-Executive Board Member specialising in digital practice, information and data governance, and the effective use of technology to support improvement and transformation across health and social care services. An Allied Health Professional by background, she brings an innovative, values-driven and collaborative leadership style, with an international profile and extensive experience in sharing both theoretical and practical expertise. Lesley has a proven track record of nurturing ad leading high-performing teams to achieve success and critical acclaim, and is passionate about workforce development, the strategic use of information, and creating positive momentum within complex workstreams. She also brings significant Non-Executive and Board Chair experience, most recently as Chair of Bield Housing & Care, underpinned by a strong understanding of governance frameworks and board-level assurance.

 

Professor Jason Leitch is a Director of Leitch Health Limited and The Quality Bureau. He brings a wealth of experience to the Board from NHS Scotland, the Scottish Government and globally. From January 2015 to May 2024 Jason was the National Clinical Director for the Scottish Government. He worked for Government from 2007 as the National Clinical Lead for safety and subsequently, for Quality. He has a clinical background as a Consultant Oral Surgeon. He was appointed CBE in the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours. He was elected to the US National Academy of Medicine in 2022 and is an Honorary Professor at the University of Dundee and a Visiting Professor at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. He is an internationally recognised speaker and adviser on healthcare quality.

Appointment

These appointments will be for 4 years and will run from 20 July 2026 to 19 July 2030.

These appointments are regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner.

Remuneration

These appointments are part-time and attract a remuneration of £312 per day for a time commitment of 52 days per year.

Other ministerial appointments

Lesley Holdsworth and Jason Leitch 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.

Lesley Holdsworth and Jason Leitch have had no political activity within the last five years.

Background

NHS 24 delivers a high quality online and out of hours telephone service providing access to health advice and information at any time across Scotland. Its core unscheduled care service handles successfully about 1.7 million calls out of hours each year, providing clinical advice and care when GP surgeries are closed, and people are too ill to wait until they re-open. Working with Health Boards and other partners NHS 24 also provides a range of other health information services to inform and support people in maintaining their health and managing ill health, including NHS Inform which provides the public with a wide range of online services including a health encyclopaedia and local services database.