Highland Council NHS Highland Senior Appointments

6th March 2012

Senior appointments Planning for Integration - The Highland Council and NHS Highland.

The Highland Council and NHS Highland are very pleased to announce some key senior appointments to support the move to integration of health and social services in April.

In addition to The Highland Council appointments of Bill Alexander to Director of Health and Social Care and Hugh Fraser, as Director of Education, Culture and Sport made earlier this month, interviews were held on Friday 2nd March, and the following appointments are confirmed:

NHS Highland:

Director of Operations North and West Highland (Remote and Rural). Operating Unit - Gill McVicar.
Director of Operations South and Mid Highland (Inner Moray Firth) Operating Unit - Nigel Small.
Head of Adult Social Care - Brian Robertson.

Elaine Mead, Chief Executive for NHS Highland said: "I am delighted that we have been able to appoint such experienced senior managers into these key posts. They will bring with them many years of local expertise and knowledge about the way services are delivered across Highland. Over and above this all of them have demonstrated significant commitment, leadership and enthusiasm to the integration of health and social care which will benefit people of the Highlands. I look forward to working with them all in their new and challenging roles."

The Highland Council:

Head of Health - Sheena MacLeod.
Head of Social Care - Fiona Palin.
Alistair Dodds, Chief Executive, The Highland Council said: "Highland is leading the way in Scotland to integrate care systems. I am confident that these senior appointments are key to leading and supporting the further changes required in completing the integration of care in the Highlands. Through integration, we seek to remove bureaucracy to ensure we are better able to get the right services to the right people at the right time. These managers will lead these service developments."

The new arrangements will see NHS Highland taking on the responsibility of adult social care while The Highland Council will assume responsibility for issues relating to children. These moves will see around 1,400 Council employees coming across to be employed by NHS Highland; and 208 going from NHS Highland to the Highland Council.

 

Related Businesses

 

Related Articles

Today : Local Authority

 
Candidates for Highland Council Ward 3 Wick and East Caithness By-Election confirmed

Following today’s deadline for nominations, The Highland Council can confirm the details of the 5 candidates that are standing in the Ward 3 Wick and East Caithness by-election.  There are 5 candidaes.  

31/8/2026 : Local Authority

Head Teacher at Thurso High School, outlined measures that have helped improve educational outcomes

Highland Council’s strategy to raise attainment in the region is making good progress, with encouraging early data emerging from this year's examination results.   Last week councillors on the education committee noted the work undertaken in Highland Council's Education and Learning Improvement Plan (ELIP) and the associated Raising Attainment and Achievement Strategy (RAAS).  

28/8/2026 : Local Authority

Council Funded Advice services assist 25,000 customers and exceed £30.3 million in financial gains

Almost 25,000 customers were assisted by the Council’s Welfare Support Team and Citizens Advice during 2025/26 for support with welfare, debt and housing issues.   As a result, financial gains for clients exceeded £30.3 million, representing a £18.84 return for every £1 allocated to these services by the Council.  

28/8/2026 : Local Authority

 
Do We Need a New Kind of Cemetery? Could Highland's Greenspaces Help Make Funerals More Affordable?

There may be no more appropriate time to ask Highland Council whether we need to rethink the way we remember those who have died.   The Council has just launched a six-week consultation on its draft Greenspace Biodiversity Management Strategy 2026-2030.  

26/8/2026 : Local Authority

The Triple Squeeze: Energy, Mortgages and Council Tax — How Much More Can Households Take?

There is a point at which individual increases in household costs stop being individual problems and become something much bigger.   A £100 increase in the annual energy bill may be manageable.  

24/8/2026 : Local Authority

Thurso Schools: Public Meeting and Statutory Consultation – Key Dates

Highland Council has now formally launched its statutory consultation on proposals to replace Thurso High School and reorganise primary school provision in the town.   The consultation concerns the proposed relocation of Thurso High School, Pennyland Primary School and Miller Academy Primary School to a new education campus based around the existing Thurso High School site and the proposed Community Point of Delivery.  

21/8/2026 : Local Authority

Public consultation to help shape future policy protecting Highland's dark skies

Councillors have approved the launch of a public consultation on draft guidance aimed at reducing light pollution across the Highlands, supporting environmental protection, public wellbeing and the area's internationally recognised dark skies.   Members of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee yesterday (Thursday 20 August) agreed to publish the draft Reducing Light Pollution: Good Practice Guidance for consultation, once minor clarifications are included, giving residents, communities, businesses and developers the opportunity to help shape future policy.  

21/8/2026 : Local Authority

Highland bus service improvement plans

The Highland Council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee has endorsed plans to launch a 12-week public consultation on a proposed Highland Bus Service Improvement Partnership (BSIP), giving communities, passengers and stakeholders the opportunity to help shape the future of bus services across the region.   The consultation will seek views on draft proposals developed by The Highland Council in partnership with HITRANS and bus operators to improve the operational performance, accessibility, attractiveness and consistency of bus services across Highland.  

19/8/2026 : Local Authority

Demand for social housing remains high across Highland Butit is part of a biggr Scottish Problem

Demand for social housing across the Highlands remains high, with almost 8,826 households on the Highland Housing Register (HHR).   Housing and Property Committee Chair, Cllr Glynis Campbell Sinclair, said: “The demand for social housing across Highland remains significant and continues to outstrip the number of homes available in many areas.  

19/8/2026 : Local Authority

Highland Council to consider Draft Visitor Levy Scheme at Special Meeting

A special meeting of The Highland Council will take place Tuesday 25 August 2026 to consider a draft Visitor Levy proposal.   No decision is being sought at this stage on whether a Visitor Levy should be introduced in the Highlands.