Catherine Calderwood gets top NHS job after lockdown breach resignation

Scotland’s former Chief Medical Officer who resigned after flouting lockdown rules has secured a senior role with NHS Scotland.

Dr Catherine Calderwood, Scotland's former Chief Medical Officer, who resigned last Spring after breaking lockdown rules. PIC: Getty.

Dr Catherine Calderwood has been appointed as a national clinical director at the Golden Jubilee hospital in Clydebank, according to a report in The Times newspaper.

Her new job, which is with the hospital’s new centre for sustainable delivery, comes with an salary between £85,811 and £89,732 a year.

Dr Calderwood resigned in April after it emerged she had travelled from her home in Edinburgh to her second home in Earlsferry, Fife, at the height of lockdown restrictions.

She said she was “truly sorry” for not sticking to guidelines and had “no excuses for not following the advice” that she had been giving to others.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon initially backed the top health official but Dr Calderwood later resigned saying she could not allow her actions to detract from the wider public health message.

NHS Golden Jubilee told The Times that the 52-year-old secured the job after a “stringent, values-based recruitment process”.

Jann Gardner, chief executive of NHS Golden Jubilee, told the paper that Dr Calderwood brought a wealth of experience to her new role saying: “Part of NHS Golden Jubilee’s values is about recruiting the best people with the knowledge and skills for the role they apply for.

“However, it is also important that the successful candidate wants to improve, innovate and learn as an individual to benefit our patients across Scotland.”

Dr Calderwood was replaced by Dr Gregor Smith as Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer.

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