NHS Ayrshire & Arran has today announced the appointment of Claire Burden as the new chief executive for the organisation.
Ms Burden is currently deputy chief executive officer at Whipps Cross Hospital, London, and will join NHS Ayrshire & Arran in January.
She will take the reigns from Professor Hazel Borland, who has acted as interim chief executive since the departure of John Burns in June.
Ms Burden has more than 17 years’ management experience in NHS England and her appointment has been welcomed by the health board.
Lesley Bowie, chair of Ayrshire and Arran NHS Board, said: “I am delighted Claire has been successful in securing this post.
“Claire brings a wealth of skills and quality improvement experience, as well as a focus on transformation, which will drive NHS Ayrshire & Arran’s strategic ambition to reform heath and care, ensuring we improve health outcomes and achieve the healthiest life possible for our citizens.”
Ms Burden began her career as a practicing paramedic with the East Anglian Ambulance Service.
She took up her first operational management post as associate director for Unscheduled Care with Cambridgeshire Primary Care Trust, having gained experience in procuring the digital network for NHS Direct for London and Anglia.
She quickly developed a desire and motivation to reform unscheduled care and has developed skills and experience in managing all aspects of unscheduled and scheduled care, including the integration of care across acute and community.
Claire established an interest in service redesign and performance improvement and has held director roles in productivity and reform at Kingston NHS Hospital (2012), and latterly the post of deputy chief operating officer at Birmingham Children’s Hospital (2012-2015), where she led the programme for the redesign of emergency medicine, inclusive of radiology and diagnostic services, as well as being an operational sponsor for new hospital builds to extend services at the Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
Claire Joined NHS London in 2015 and has worked across London hospitals as hospital director at the Royal London Hospital.
Claire was also director for emergency care improvement at Barts NHS Trust, where she led a quality improvement programme to achieve emergency department, referral to treatment and cancer targets, improving access and Trust performance.
In Claire’s current role, she is the executive lead for emergency planning, site operations and operational governance within Whipps Cross in north-west London.
Ms Bowie added: “Our board look forward to welcoming Claire to Ayrshire and in taking forward our vision for Caring for Ayrshire.
“I would like to give my sincere thanks to Professor Hazel Borland for leading NHS Ayrshire & Arran, following the departure of our former chief executive John Burns in June 2021.”
Claire said: “I feel privileged to have been given the opportunity to join NHS Ayrshire & Arran as chief executive.
“I will join the organisation in January 2022, which will come all too swiftly when I reflect that at some stage in these next 10 weeks I will have relocated from London to Ayrshire.
“While I will be new to NHS Scotland, I will learn quickly and will deliver on my ambition and commitment to be an asset to NHS Ayrshire & Arran, and I thank you for the opportunity to be the new chief executive.”
Health secretary Humza Yousaf said: “I am pleased to welcome Claire Burden as the new chief executive of Ayrshire and Arran NHS Board and I am confident she will bring a wealth of experience to this important role.”
He added: “With considerable expertise working in the reform of health and social care provision in NHS England for 17 years I know Claire will be well placed to lead the board as they move forward.”
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