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Highland GP welcomes appointment of Dr Gregor Smith as new chief medical officer


By Scott Maclennan

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First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (centre) speaking at a coronavirus briefing at St Andrews House in Edinburgh with Scotland's former chief medical officer Dr Catherine Calderwood (left) and health secretary Jeane Freeman (right).
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (centre) speaking at a coronavirus briefing at St Andrews House in Edinburgh with Scotland's former chief medical officer Dr Catherine Calderwood (left) and health secretary Jeane Freeman (right).

Scotland’s new chief medical officer (CMO) has been announced by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

Dr Gregor Smith replaces Dr Catherine Calderwood after she resigned yesterday.

Dr Smith had been the deputy CMO and was seconded for about a month to be the interim chief executive at NHS Highland during the height of the bullying crisis before a permanent appointment was made.

He was drafted in after Dr Calderwood was cautioned by police for twice visiting her second home in Fife, sparking fury among politicians and the public for flouting government guidelines she helped draft calling on people to remain at home rather than risk spreading infection.

Despite issuing an apology for her “mistakes” and receiving the backing of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon she resigned on Sunday evening.

Dr Smith made his first public appearance at the daily briefing alongside the First Minister and health minister Jeane Freeman where he emphasised the need for people to look after their health as a whole, not just during the pandemic.

He said: “I want to begin today by just paying tribute to the incredible work and commitment which has been displayed right across the staff from across Scotland just now and I wanted to record my personal thanks to each of you.

“I wanted to highlight again to the people of Scotland that the NHS is there for you just now, it is open and if you need – it is important that you try to access it.

“Much of what has been said around how we should respond if we have symptoms which might be Covid-19, but we must not forget that actually people get ill for other reasons as well.

“So my strong encouragement to you today is that if you're experiencing symptoms that are worrying you, particularly worrying symptoms like chest pain or a new symptom such as a new type of bleeding – once they are discovered please do not hesitate to contact the NHS in the way you normally would.

“I also wanted to outline to you how the new hubs and assessment centres are working. One of the GPs I spoke to over the weekend described his experience of working in a hub in Inverness.

"What he described to me was a very controlled environment where people were able to manage the volume of calls very, very well and provide advice to people at the time that they need it.

“But please be very, very clear – if you have symptoms you may be worried about I do not want you to sit at home worrying about them, seek help.”

Dr Iain Kennedy (second from left) at an assessment centre in Inverness.
Dr Iain Kennedy (second from left) at an assessment centre in Inverness.

The GP from Inverness that Dr Smith was in contact with may well have been Dr Iain Kennedy, who warmly welcomed the appointment, saying: “He cares deeply about patients and our NHS.

“Speaking as a member of the British Medical Association, I would say it is the right time to have a GP as the chief medical officer because the fight against Covid-19 will be won in the communities.

“In the Highlands we have already seen the work of Dr Smith because he was involved centrally in the development of the Covid-19 hubs and assessment centres.

“I have advised Dr Smith that we are well prepared at NHS Highland for the pandemic through the Highland Hub – the NHS24 advice centre – and the assessment centre from my first hand experience of working in an Inverness assessment centre.”

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