Bield Housing and Care has appointed senior NHS figure Dr Lynne Douglas as its new chief executive.
Dr Douglas will take over from Brian Logan who has stepped down after nine years to become chief executive of Capability Scotland.
She has been director of allied health at NHS Lothian since 2007 with responsibility for a £74 million strategic budget focused on the coordination of social care, education and third sector organisations.
Dr Douglas drove forward two successful pioneering NHS strategies – Food, Fluid and Nutritional Care and Falls Prevention and Bone Health Strategy. In 1996, Dr Douglas became one of the first dieticians to travel with the GB Sports Science team when she worked at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
One of her principal roles at the providers of housing and support services will be to implement Bield’s five-year business strategy to become the leading provider of affordable, quality homes and services for older people.
Dr Douglas, who takes up her post in November, said: “I am delighted to be joining Bield at this exciting point in its history. The mission statement and values of Bield resonate with me strongly.
“I am looking forward to engaging with tenants and working closely with staff to implement the business strategy and to further develop our services.”
Bield was founded nearly 50 years ago in Bo’ness and is now a major provider of a wide range of housing and services for around 20,000 older people across 23 local authorities. It plans to grow over the next five years by harnessing technology to tailor care to people’s bespoke needs.
Susan Napier, chair of Bield’s board of management, said: “Lynne stood out from a very strong field of applicants and we are convinced that she will further develop our organisation, providing strategic leadership at a time of transformational change for us.
“The board and the senior management team are very much looking forward to welcoming Lynne to Bield, and working in partnership to meet our ambitions for the future as we continue to improve the quality of life for older people in Scotland.”
