New Ayrshire & Arran health board chief executive sets out his stall
The new temporary boss of NHS Ayrshire & Arran has set his sights on helping make improvements as he appeared at a board meeting for the first time.
Ayrshire-born Professor Gordon James, who joined NHS Golden Jubilee in December 2022, took up his position at NHS Ayrshire & Arran on August 1.
He takes the place of incumbent Claire Burden, who is on extended leave.
Professor James told Monday's meeting of the NHS Board: 'Thanks to everyone I have met over the last week and a day. You have been nothing but welcoming to me. I would like to say thank you to them.
"I was born in Ayrshire Central Hospital and went to school in Kilmarnock so I know Ayrshire welI and am delighted to be here and to work in a team.
"I was at healthcare governance last week and also in the Kyle Ward chemotherapy unit which has a fantastic service and saw the new garden which was opened in July.
'My short term ambition was to meet the team and go out and about and be visible. I have a number of visits set up including urology and orthopaedics. I will go to Crosshouse Hospital next week.
'I am working with the board on a financial plan and the Scottish Government want to get us to a position of £25m so again I will be working with colleagues on that basis. We want to be as close to £25m as we can.
'The operational recruitment plan published by the Scottish Government is also a priority. Ayrshire delivers excellent patient quality and that is at the centre of everything we do."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
10 minutes ago
- BBC News
Half of stroke patients in Scotland do not get the right care
Only around half of the 11,000 Scots who had a stroke last year got access to the appropriate treatment they needed, new data shows. Measures such as giving patients aspirin and transferring quickly to specialist wards are part of a bundle of care seen as vital to ensure the best chance of survival and recovery. But only 52.9% of patients got the appropriate stroke care bundle last year - below the Scottish government's target of 80%. The Scottish government said it is investing £52m in stroke care and is working with health boards to drive up standards of local treatment. Data from Public Health Scotland (PHS) shows 11,341 people had a final diagnosis of a stroke in 2024, compared to 11,137 in the previous year. The data also shows the Scottish government did not meet its own targets for stroke care bundle delivery for the seventh successive 2023 and 2024 there was a small improvement in performance across Scotland (50.4% versus 52.9%) but is still below the 80% target. There is also a big variance in standards across the country, with NHS Borders at 33.3% and NHS Fife at 66.9% last year. The PHS report states that getting people admitted to specialist stroke units "remains very challenging". The wider pressures on accident and emergency units is partially to blame for this but the report suggests it is "also a marker that stroke is, perhaps, not given the same priority as other specialties within our hospitals". Stroke survivors are 'being failed' Allan Cowie, chief operating officer at the Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS) charity, said: "This government has failed stroke survivors and is failing our NHS colleagues who are doing the absolute best they can with the inadequate resources they're currently being given."While we recognise the financial constraints facing the government, the continued underinvestment in stroke care is resulting in significantly higher long-term costs - both through prolonged hospital stays and the extensive support required for individuals living with stroke-related disabilities." Despite the challenges with stroke treatment in the NHS, mortality rates for the brain injury decreased by 12.7% over the last 10 years, from 48.3 per 100,000 population in 2014 to 42.1 per 100,000 population in percentage of people surviving 30 days or more following their first emergency admission to hospital with a stroke has also been consistently between 84% to 86% over the past 10 rates among people living in the most deprived areas of Scotland are growing at a faster rate than those in wealthier areas. Public Health Minister Jenni Minto pointed to improvements in the PHS data such as the 212 patients who received a thrombectomy, a procedure to remove a blood clot from a blood vessel, last year - up from 153 in said: "We're focused on ensuring people who have had a stroke receive the best possible care as quickly as possible to enable them to live longer, healthier and more independent lives."We will continue to work with health boards to drive up standards of local care. We know there is more to do but it is pleasing to see a rise in the number of patients receiving thrombectomy treatment. "We will continue work towards increasing access to these procedures. We have invested more than £51m and are grateful to teams across Scotland for helping to expand the thrombectomy service."
STV News
2 hours ago
- STV News
NHS Grampian overspends by £17m in first three months of financial year
NHS Grampian has overspent by £17m in the first three months of the financial year to June 2025 The health board has had the highest overspends of any NHS body in Scotland It owes £92.2m to the Scottish Government NHS Grampian must make £23m in cuts to bring it within the acceptable level of deficit It has outlined measures including ditching free nappies and cutting appointments as ways of saving money NHS Grampian has overspent by £17m in the first three months of the financial year despite being forced into a cost-cutting recovery plan by a huge funding black hole. The health board, which racked up the largest overspend of any board in Scotland, has already announced plans to ditch free nappies for newborns and cut the number of public holiday appointments in a bid to save cash. NHS Grampian owes the Scottish Government £92.2m and needs to make £23m in savings to come within its overspend limit. The health board was told to produce a plan to find the savings required by June 7. In papers published ahead of a board meeting on Thursday, August 14, NHS Grampian reveals it has already overspent by £17.17m since April. An assessment of the board's finances reveals £10m in savings have yet to be made in accordance with its recovery plan. Officials say if these cuts are not delivered there is 'a risk' NHS Grampian won't be unable to fulfill the Scottish Government's demands. 'The scale of the financial challenge faced by the Board is significant', the papers state. 'It is recognised that we now need to review our approach to financial monitoring to support the Board's financial recovery.' Previously, NHS Grampian warned it would struggle if costs increase, with 'no flexibility' to manage them. The Scottish Government has increased oversight of NHS Grampian, raising it to stage four out of five of NHS Scotland's National Performance Framework. The Government has already loaned the health board around £90m to help it break even in recent years. NHS Grampian's overspend last year was around £65m, the largest in value terms of any health board in the country, and fifth in percentage terms. Government officials previously said they were 'concerned' about its financial position. The proposed savings include cutting some appointments and services on public holidays, changing the type of vascular stent used for some patients and the ending of providing disposable nappies to 'well babies' born at maternity units. NHS Grampian said it couldn't rule out that some patients would be impacted by the savings. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Daily Record
9 hours ago
- Daily Record
Scottish Government must get more cops on Scots streets after alarming figures
"The Scottish Government must work hard to recruit more officers, get cops back into the frontline and keep the streets safe." One out of every six police officers in Scotland are unable to carry out frontline tasks as they are off sick or operating on restricted duties. We reveal today that more than 2000 are on reduced office based roles – up eight per cent in a year. And more than 500 are off on long-term sick. This comes after Police Scotland numbers dropped to a record low last year. Some officers are on restricted duties because of illness or injury – which has sometimes been suffered in the line of their duty. And many are off sick through stress due to a lack of downtime. The increase in cops unable to be on the frontline puts our communities at greater risk. It means that we don't have enough officers stopping crime or responding to emergencies. And it puts even more pressure on those still working on the frontline. This makes it harder to retain staff in a profession which is already struggling to find recruits. David Kennedy from the Scottish Police Federation says morale is low among police officers and they are under an 'unbelievable' amount of strain. It is unacceptable for some of our crucial public workers to be facing such conditions. We need to look after the people who put their lives on the line every day in order to keep us safe. The Scottish Government must work hard to recruit more officers, get cops back into the frontline and keep the streets safe. We cannot allow pubs to dry up After the misery of Covid lockdown, Scotland's pubs and restaurants have struggled to recover. Eating out now and again and going to your local with pals for a few drinks was a way of life for many. But after lockdown these habits seem to have become a rarity – especially in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis. That means our night-time economy has taken a real battering in recent years. Now an industry report is reporting a 'brutal' downturn in trade. And it warns that one in six hospitality venues could close unless urgent action is taken to support them. In England, pubs and restaurants have been given a discount in their rates to help them get through this crisis. But here in Scotland there has been little in the way of help for this vital but struggling sector. That needs to change or we could be facing a nationwide collapse of these vibrant community hubs. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
