National Clinical Director to leave

Professor Jason Leitch will leave his role as National Clinical Director at the end of April.

Arrangements for the post will be set out in due course.

Professor Leitch said:

“It has been an enormous privilege to carry out this role and work closely with colleagues across the health and care sector in service of the patients, their families and carers. The NHS and social care system does remarkable work every day, and I am immensely proud of the teams I have had the privilege of being part of.

“The ongoing success of the Scottish Patient Safety Programme is globally recognised and has significantly improved the safety and reliability of care in many ways. The Covid pandemic was an unprecedented challenge for all countries and I am proud of my colleagues inside and outside Government for their incredible work. It was a privilege to be able to communicate with the public so directly and be part of that co-ordinated response, and I will forever be grateful for the public’s attention and willingness to follow the guidance - it saved lives. I have decided to look for new challenges across health and care after a break, and to spend more time with the charities I work with. I wish colleagues well for the future.”

First Minister Humza Yousaf said:

“Jason Leitch has made a fantastic contribution to the health of the nation, leading work to reduce hospital acquired infections and improve the quality of care in the NHS. The enduring success of the Scottish Patient Safety Programme is testament to his work. He played a huge role in helping me and fellow Ministers navigate the Covid pandemic by providing advice to help reach the best decisions, and by communicating so well with the public. I of course wish him every success in the future.”

Background

Professor Leitch will also leave his post at NHS Tayside at the end of April. He is employed on standard NHS Consultant terms and conditions by NHS Tayside and works full time for the Scottish Government under a Service Level Agreement. This is a typical arrangement through which the Scottish Government draws in specialist knowledge from the NHS. Professor Leitch does not receive another salary or pension on top of his NHS Tayside contract, nor will he receive any additional remuneration upon leaving.

Jason Leitch has worked for the Scottish Government since 2007 and was appointed as National Clinical Director in the Health and Social Care Directorate in January 2015. Prior to his Government role he was an oral surgery Consultant in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. He is an Honorary Professor at the University of Dundee and a Visiting Professor at the University of Strathclyde. He was awarded a CBE in the 2019 Birthday Honours. He is also a Board member of two large international charities, the Nazareth Trust which runs a hospital and nursing school in Northern Israel and the Indian Rural Evangelical Fellowship which runs an orphanage, college and nursing school in rural south-east India.