Public appointment: members reappointed to Ayrshire and Arran NHS Board

The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Humza Yousaf MSP today announced the reappointments of Margaret Anderson and Linda Semple as members of Ayrshire and Arran NHS Board.

Members

Margaret Anderson spent most of her working life as a nursing auxiliary, having worked with mainly geriatric patients, both within NHS settings and in the private sector. In 2003, she became involved as a volunteer with NHS Ayrshire and Arran and latterly with NHS 24 through the public participation forum. Margaret has been serving as a member on Ayrshire and Arran NHS Board since August 2016, and feels that one of her main attributes is to speak for the ordinary people, whilst bringing her own life experiences to the table to help shape policies and procedures to enable healthcare to be accessible and understandable to all. 

Linda Semple retired from over 20 years working in the NHS in Scotland, starting as a committee clerk then training in public health, health intelligence and health economics. Her last role was being seconded to the Scottish Government where she was Head of Sustainability and Efficiency for the NHS. Previously, she had a long career in publishing, journalism, and the book trade and extensive voluntary experience in LGB organisations. Linda studied classics at the University of London and has a MBA, a MAN in literature and a postgraduate qualification in health economics.

Reappointments

Margaret Anderson’s reappointment will be for two years and will run from 1 August 2022 to 31 July 2024.

Linda Semple’s reappointment will be for four years and will run from 1 September 2022 to 31 August 2026.

The reappointments are regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner.

Remuneration

The reappointments are part-time and attract a remuneration of £8,930 per annum for a time commitment of one day per week.

Other ministerial appointments

Linda Semple is a member of the NHS Golden Jubilee Board for which she receives remuneration of £8,930 per annum, for a time commitment of one day per week.

Margaret Anderson 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.

Margaret Anderson and Linda Semple have had no political activity within the last five years.

Background

NHS Ayrshire and Arran is responsible for meeting the health needs of around 400,000 people living in the area, and provides a comprehensive range of primary, community-based and acute hospital services for the population.