Board Members

Ralph Roberts

Chief Executive

Ralph Roberts took up the role of Chief Executive of NHS Borders on 22 April 2019 and understands very well the key challenges associated with being the Chief Executive of a rural Board.

During the past 9 years he has been the Chief Executive of NHS Shetland which was a challenging remote and rural environment where he had to take an innovative approach to service delivery and transformation, deploying many different strategies and approaches to delivering the best possible services for patients whilst developing and creating sustainable services moving forward.

He is a professional NHS Manager who has worked for the NHS in Scotland for nearly 30 years. Prior to taking up the role of Chief Executive of NHS Shetland he worked for 15 years in the Scottish Borders in a wide range of roles including Chief Operating Officer where he was responsible for the delivery of all operational services including Acute Adult, Children's, Mental Health, Learning Disability and Primary Care Services. His previously held roles included Director of Planning, Corporate Affairs and General Management. Prior to this he worked as Business Manager and Project Manager at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh having joined the NHS in 1989 as a management trainee for the, then Lothian Health Board.

Karen Hamilton

Chair

Karen Hamilton has 25 years of experience in Adult Care and Social Work, starting in Care Services in Aberdeen where she gained a Diploma in Social Work from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen. Since then she has had a varied career progressing to Senior Management positions with both Moray and Highland councils culminating in Head of Service for Care at Home Development with Highland. Karen has also achieved Post Graduate Certificates in Leadership and Social Work Practice Teaching. Karen has been a Non Executive Director since 2013 and spent four months in the role of Interim Chair prior to her appointment as Chair.

Lynne Huckerby

Interim Director of Acute Services

Lynne’s NHS career spans 30 years. She has worked across NHS Scotland in a number of managerial roles in NHS Lothian working across Out-Patients, Theatres and Anaesthetics, General Surgery, Urology and GI, before moving to NHS Borders in 2004 where she supported the new primary care modernisation agenda. Lynne set up and established Borders Emergency Care Service (BECS) which she managed as well as the Emergency Department.    

In 2009 she undertook a national role at NHS 24 firstly as the General Manager for the Scottish Flu Response Centre and then Head of Health Information Services leading on the development and delivery of NHS inform and Scotland’s Support Services Directory. As Director of Service Development from 2018, Lynne established the Transformation Portfolio for NHS 24 and delivered a number of key strategic organisational initiatives.    

In 2020, she transitioned to the private sector as Director for CGI’s Health & Care Advisory Practice. Lynne returned to NHS Borders as Interim Director Acute Services. 

Lynne’s passion is in driving change and transformation based on user/patient and staff need in order to achieve sustainable service models and ways of working. 

Lynne holds a Business Studies Degree and an MBA. 

Andrew Bone

Director of Finance

Andrew’s appointment to NHS Borders is his first Executive director role.  He joined the board on 14 April 2020.  Andrew is qualified member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and a graduate of the University of Glasgow.   He has over 25 years of NHS Finance experience, having started his career with NHS Dumfries & Galloway in 1995 before moving to NHS Lothian in 2001. 

In his time with NHS Lothian Andrew held a number of senior finance roles across Primary Care & Community, Mental Health Services, and latterly with Lothian’s Acute services division, as Assistant Head of Finance and then as lead Business Partner with responsibility for financial planning, forecasting and reporting.

Andrew is responsible for the board’s financial strategy, including the delivery of financial sustainability and best value.

Andy Carter

Director of Workforce

Andrew started his NHS Scotland career as a national general management trainee in 1993.  In around 30 years, Andrew has worked in various roles in 6 health boards; both large & small, urban & rural. He was seconded to Scottish Government on two occasions to help implement the NHS Staff Survey and to lead the secretariat for an independent review of employment practices in Scotland. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development and holds degrees from the Universities of Dundee and Edinburgh. This is a return to the Scottish Borders for Andrew. He first lived and worked here in the late 1990s and one of his children was born in the BGH.

Sarah Horan

Director of Nursing, Midwifery and AHPs

Sarah trained as a General Nurse at the South Lothian College of Nursing and Midwifery in 1991 and continued her studies to also qualify as a midwife. She worked in hospitals across Edinburgh whilst studying to obtain a degree in Health Studies.

Sarah moved to the Borders in the late 1990s and has worked in a range of clinical and leadership roles for the past 22 years, including undertaking post graduate studies in Medical Imaging at Lancaster University and working as a Sonographer. She latterly became the Associate Director of Nursing for Acute Services and Head of Midwifery.

Sarah has a passion for person centred care and enabling staff to reach their potential.

Dr Lynn McCallum

Medical Director

Lynn completed her MBChB undergraduate degree from the University of Dundee in 2001. She went on to complete post graduate training in Acute Medicine in various hospitals across South East Scotland and started in her first Consultant role in 2009, in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. Whilst working in Edinburgh, Lynn held a number of leadership roles including an active involvement in the development of Milestone House, which supports people suffering from Alcohol Related Brain Damage. Although an unusual choice for an Acute Physician, her involvement in this project remains one of the proudest achievements of her career. 

Lynn moved to NHS Borders in September 2015 to lead a redesign of the Acute Medicine service in the Borders General Hospital. She went on to become Clinical Director of Unscheduled Care, continuing her interest in redesign and transformation of clinical services. She became Medical Director in September 2020.

Lynn is a strong supporter of Compassionate Leadership recognising that well supported, happy clinicians produce high quality, effective patient care. She is passionate about keeping patients at the centre of their care and ensuring that they are proactively involved in every decision made.

June Smyth

Director of Performance & Planning

After graduating from the University of Edinburgh with a Business Studies degree, June joined the NHS Scotland Management Training Scheme with placements in Ayrshire.  During this time she completed her masters in Healthcare Management through Stirling University.  Following this she worked in Argyll and Clyde Health Board, first in the Organisational Performance Department and then in the Strategic Planning Team.  She left Argyll and Clyde to work in the voluntary sector for a number of years before returning to the NHS in 2004 when she joined NHS Borders.

June's first role in NHS Borders was as Assistant Director of Planning & Performance, which she held for a number of years.  In June 2011, June became the Interim Director of Workforce & Planning, and was subsequently appointed permanently to the post in 2012.  June’s portfolio included responsibilities for the Human Resources department, Training & Professional Development, Work & Well Being Services, Planning & Performance (which incorporates Fundraising and Communications) and, from October 2015, IM&T.  In May 2017 June became the Director of Strategic Change and Performance, with responsibility for the organisation's transformational change programme.

June moved to the Borders when she took up her first role with the Health Board and has since had two daughters, both of whom were born at the Borders General Hospital.

Dr Sohail Bhatti

Director of Public Health

Dr Bhatti took up the role of Director of Public Health (DPH) at NHS Borders on 26 September, 2022.  

He has worked in senior roles in public health for more than 30 years being a DPH for half of that time being one of the most experienced specialists in the UK. Having worked in such diverse areas as the City of Bristol, City of London, City of York, as well as East Lancashire, Wirral, North Yorkshire, and latterly in Berkshire and Kent, he knows the challenges and difficulties in rural as well as urban communities.

Having been the DPH for Gibraltar until 2021, Dr Bhatti also understands the particular problems of meeting the needs of small and isolated communities. His work in Gibraltar was recognised by their Parliament with a lifetime achievement award for services to public health in the pandemic with their highest civilian order, the Medallion of Honour. His passions include health inequalities and improving health and care quality. 

Chris Myers

Chief Officer Health & Social Care

Chris Myers started his career when he established a small start-up marketing business, before moving into a policy role in the Scottish Executive Education Department. Chris then joined NHS National Services Scotland in 2007, working in national strategic healthcare commissioning and planning roles, prior to joining NHS Lothian in 2014. While in NHS Lothian, Chris worked in a number of senior operational healthcare management roles across Secondary and Tertiary Care. Chris joined the Scottish Borders Health and Social Partnership as General Manager for Primary and Community Services in 2020.

As Chief Officer, Chris is jointly accountable to the Scottish Borders Health and Social Care Partnership Integrated Joint Board (IJB) and to the Chief Executives of NHS Borders and the Scottish Borders Council. The Chief Officer is responsible for leading the development and implementation of the IJB’s strategic plan in the Scottish Borders, and to integrate and transform health and social care services for the communities in the Borders.

James Ayling

Non-Executive Director

James Ayling is a non-practising member of the Law Society of Scotland and is on the Roll of Solicitors in Scotland. He read law at Edinburgh University and, following qualification as a solicitor, worked as a partner in private practice. He has since worked in a variety of organisations within the private and public sectors, dealing with legal, financial, governance, company secretarial and commercial contract matters and was a Director of a Scottish fund management company investing globally.

He has in the past been a volunteer with Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland and the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh.

He brings with him wide experience of analysis of complex matters and resolving difficult issues.

Harriet Campbell

Non-Executive Director

Harriet Campbell has lived in the Borders with her young family since 2010. She is a highly-regarded English-qualified solicitor and Scottish-qualified paralegal with a specialised practice in private client law. She has a keen interest in medical law and governance and has now gained her Masters degree (LLM) with merit, in Medical Law and Ethics from Edinburgh University. She has wide experience in the voluntary sector and has served as a board member and chair of other Borders-based organisations.

John McLaren

Non-Executive Director

John McLaren is Employee Director of the Area Partnership forum, the strategic body where staff-side representatives and managers work together.
 
John is registered Health Visitor, and has worked for NHS Borders since 1997 and served as a trade union representative since 1998. John has been employed in the Health Service since 1986. He represents all staff in NHS Borders.

Lucy O'Leary

Non-Executive Director

Lucy worked in NHS commissioning and performance management roles in Northumberland and Teesside before becoming an independent consultant, specialising in system modelling and strategic development for health and social care clients across the UK. Lucy has lived in the Borders since 2002.

She is a volunteer with Borders Samaritans, and a member of Edinburgh Festival Chorus.

David Parker

Non-Executive Director

Parker, David, BSc.  Convener of Scottish Borders Council, 2017; Non-Executive Director of NHS Borders, 2017; Chairman Scottish Borders Council Pension Fund, 2017. b. 28.1.74, Manchester; m., Ruth; 1 s. (Angus, b. 2009). Educ. Heriot-Watt University.  Freelance IT Consultant, 1995-98; elected Local Government Councillor, since 1995; Special Needs Technology Adviser, Heriot-Watt University, 1998-2002; Depute Leader, Scottish Borders Council, 2002-03; Leader of Scottish Borders Council, 2003-2017; Leader of Independent Members within Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, 2007-2014.  Recreations: walking; cycling; cooking; wine appreciation.  Address: (b.) Council Headquarters, Newtown St. Boswells, Melrose TD6 0SA; T.-01835 826571; e-mail: dparker@scotborders.gov.uk

Fiona Sandford

Non-Executive Director

Fiona is originally from Glasgow and read Economics at Stirling University.  Her career has been in Universities; she was Director of Careers at LSE and London Business School and served as Associate Dean at both London Business School and Imperial College Business School.  She was a lay member of the UK Government Gene Therapy Advisory Committee for 11 years, and was a founder trustee of the Jeans for Genes campaign. 

As well as her non-executive role for NHS Borders, Fiona is Chair of Court at Stirling University and also teaches Leadership Skills at Imperial College Business School.

Dr Kevin Buchan

Non Executive Director

Kevin is a GP Partner at O’Connell Street Medical Practice in Hawick. He has recently taken up the role of Chair of the Area Clinical Forum. He previously has been Chair of Borders Local Medical Committee and has been involved with the Primary Care improvement plan. He graduated from Aberdeen University and has spent many years working in NHS Borders, both in General Medicine and also as a GP.

Lynne Livesey

Non Executive Director

Iris Bishop

Board Secretary

Iris has had a varied career working in both the public and private sectors. She began her career working for the Electrical Electronic Telecommunications & Plumbing Union as a Junior Secretary. Three years later she was appointed as Diary Secretary within the Office of the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State/Minister for Aviation and Shipping, Transport Spokesman in the House of Lords, and Second Treasury Spokesman in the House of Lords where she honed her organisational and communications skills. She then gained valuable insight into the world of corporate business when she began working for the General Counsel and Company Secretary of PowerGen plc.

In 2001 she moved to the Scottish Borders where she has been responsible for the day to day management of the Chief Executive, Chairman and Board of NHS Borders since its inception.