Dr Gregor Smith confirmed as Scotland's chief medical officer
- Published
Dr Gregor Smith has been confirmed as Scotland's chief medical officer (CMO) on a permanent basis.
The former GP stepped in as interim CMO in April when Catherine Calderwood quit after breaking lockdown rules.
Dr Smith has played a prominent role during the pandemic and is a regular fixture in daily televised briefings.
Meanwhile, Caroline Lamb - who is currently managing the contact tracing and vaccine programmes - has been named chief executive of NHS Scotland.
And former NHS Grampian chief Prof Amanda Croft has been appointed the Chief Nursing Officer, to take over from Prof Fiona McQueen who retires in March.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman congratulated the trio on their appointments to the "crucial roles".
She said: "All three bring a wealth of experience and I know they will work collaboratively with health and social care staff across the country as we continue to respond to the Covid pandemic, remobilise NHS Scotland and ensure people access the right care, in the right place."
Dr Smith was formerly a GP and medical director of primary care at NHS Lanarkshire, before joining the Scottish government in 2012.
He later led the development of a new quality framework for general practice in Scotland and was appointed deputy chief medical officer in 2015.
He stepped into the leadership role after Dr Calderwood's resignation over her trips to her second home in Fife in the early weeks of the coronavirus lockdown.
The Scottish government said a "rigorous selection process" had been undertaken to fill the post in line with civil service rules.
Meanwhile, Ms Lamb has been appointed to the posts of NHS Scotland chief executive and the government's director general for health and social care.
A former head of NHS Education for Scotland, Ms Lamb joined the government in 2019 and during the pandemic has been overseeing the Test and Protect contact tracing system and the vaccination programme.
She is expected to take up the post in January 2021. The previous incumbent, Malcolm Wright, resigned on health grounds in May after less than a year in the job.
