A former Labour MSP and past chair of the Scottish parliament health committee is to join the board of NHS Lanarkshire as a non-executive director.

Neil Findlay stood down at the May 2021 elections after representing the Lothian region for ten years from 2011.

At Holyrood Mr Findlay was a high-profile campaigner for improvements to treatment for women suffering from mesh complications, as well as a critic of the private sector’s role in the health service and social care.

The former councillor, a one-time contender to be leader of Scottish Labour, once accused large private care providers of “ripping as much profit out of the system of possible”.

Since leaving the Scottish Parliament Mr Findlay has started a not-for-profit consultancy working with trade unions, charities and community groups.

Also appointed to the board are Donald Reid, a fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors with experience of handling major capital projects, and James Muir, who has more than 25 years’ experience in business leadership positions.

The new appointees, who will receive £9,000 a year, will be responsible for scrutinising the construction of the replacement for University Hospital Monklands, which will come with a price tag of £350m.

A notice for the project states the old hospital has “greatly exceeded” its design life and says the replacement could be an all-electric model to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

Neena Mahal, Chair of NHS Lanarkshire, said: “With their wealth of expertise and experience, these appointments will strengthen our board as we strive to transform how we deliver health and care services and address health inequalities exacerbated by the pandemic. They will also help deliver our plans to build the new University Hospital Monklands, Scotland’s first digital hospital.”

The appointments will be for four years and will run from 1 October 2021 to 30 September 2025.

Earlier this year one of the Scottish government’s most senior civil servants retired and immediately became chair of NHS Lothian.

John Connaghan, who was the NHS’s chief operating officer, had previously stepped up to be interim CEO of NHS Scotland during 2020.

Read more: Government appoints three new senior clinicians; NHS Lanarkshire appoints new CEO; Former NHS Scotland CEO moves to health board

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