Public appointment: Member appointed to Scottish Ambulance Service Board

The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Neil Gray MSP, today announced the appointment of Thane Lawrie as the new Non-Executive Member of the Scottish Ambulance Service Board.

Thane Lawrie joins the SAS board and brings with him a wealth of experience in establishing excellent workplace cultures and knowledge of delivering rural healthcare.  For seven years Thane was the CEO of a charity called Scarf. Leading the organisation to develop an excellent workplace culture which saw the company listed in the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies to work for in the UK.  He also brings extensive experience of delivering rural health care from his experience of delivering drug and alcohol services in Angus. 

His record of putting staff wellbeing and experience first, could be particularly effective in an organisation which is in the process of changing and where staff retention and recruitment are important considerations.

Appointment

This appointment will be for 4 years and will run from 16/01/2024 to 12/01/2029.

This appointment is regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner.

Remuneration

The appointment is remunerated at the rate of £225 per day (non-pensionable) for the time commitment of one day per week.

Other ministerial appointments

Mr Lawrie 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.   

Mr Lawrie has had no political activity within the last five years.

Background

As a national frontline service of the NHS in Scotland, we provide an emergency ambulance service to a population of over 5 million people serving all of the nation’s mainland and island communities. 

We are responsible for a range of services for the people of Scotland: accident and emergency response; helping to deliver primary care; providing patient transport; dispatching rapid air ambulance support for critical patients; and being a Category 1 responder for national emergencies.

There are specific opportunities and challenges associated with remote and rural service delivery and the Scottish Government has set out its vision for Scotland to be a world leader in Remote and Rural Health and Social Care provision.  The Service continues to embrace the opportunity to accelerate collaboration in service redesign and delivery in remote and rural areas with its collective ambition to reform and drive further improvements in its services as an integrated part of the health and care system.