Dr Claire James has become the Chair of our Area Clinical Forum (ACF) and a non-executive member of the Board of NHS Lanarkshire.
She replaces Maureen Lees on the Board and the ACF, a health board committee that provides a platform for clinical professionals to offer advice and guidance on healthcare matters.
Claire, Head of Profession for Podiatry, is an experienced healthcare leader with over two decades of clinical, academic and strategic expertise within NHS Lanarkshire.
She said: “As ACF Chair and a Board non-executive, I’ll bring a deep commitment to collaborative leadership, evidence-based practice and continuous improvement in healthcare delivery.
“As a long-standing resident of North Lanarkshire, I’m deeply invested in the wellbeing of our local communities – not only professionally, but personally. My daughter attends a local primary school and, like many parents, I want to see her grow up in a community where health and wellbeing are prioritised, and where services are designed with families like mine in mind.
“Having served as deputy and now head of profession for podiatry, I’ve consistently championed innovation, research and workforce development.”
Claire said her goals are:
- To amplify the voice of all clinical groups in strategic decision-making
- To ensure that clinical governance and quality improvement remain central to Board-level discussions
- To foster a culture of learning, collaboration and co-production with the communities NHS Lanarkshire serves
- To help address health inequalities and promote early intervention and prevention, ensuring that services are accessible and effective for all segments of the population
Claire has a Professional Doctorate in Health and Social Care and is an Honorary Senior Lecturer at Glasgow Caledonian University and an External Examiner for the MSc (Pre-registration) Podiatry programme at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh.
