Kerri Todd has been appointed the new head of health improvement following Elspeth Russell’s move to public health.
Most recently the health improvement lead for Health and Social Care North Lanarkshire (HSCNL), Kerri joined NHS Lanarkshire in 1999 as a health promotion support worker.
Talking about her appointment, Kerri said: “We have a great team in health improvement and I’m proud to be building on Elspeth’s great work.
“Over the next 12 months we’ll continue to focus on addressing inequalities and supporting colleagues make a real difference in their areas of specialism. The development of Our Health Together gives us the ideal opportunity to further improve on our excellent inequalities and person-centred approaches as we recover services and move forward.
“Although I’ve had responsibility for a range of pan-Lanarkshire programmes for a number of years, most recently I’ve been lead for health improvement in North Lanarkshire, so I’m looking forward to working more closely with colleagues in South Lanarkshire and across the community planning partnership.”
Kerri was also full of praise for health improvement staff for their amazing efforts throughout the pandemic, especially as many of them have been redeployed several times.
She continued: “During the last two years our staff have demonstrated what a fantastic group of teams they are.
“They have volunteered for many different redeployments across NHS Lanarkshire, both local authorities and the voluntary sector. This flexibility and dedication has been hugely appreciated by me, our senior management team and colleagues across all of these organisations.
“Everyone adapted to working from home so quickly and we continue to work creatively with partners to deliver quality health improvement programmes. Our staff have shown remarkable energy and resilience which means we are in a good place to achieve our common goals.
“Ultimately, I know my new role will be a challenging one, however, it’s made all the easier knowing I have such a great team working with me.”
Ross McGuffie, chief officer, HSCNL, added: “Kerri’s appointment is testament to the great results she achieved as our health improvement lead.
“She has a clear vision of how she wants to work with the people across Lanarkshire to not only improve their health, but also how they can be empowered to lead healthy, independent lives.
“This is a great appointment for Kerri, the people of Lanarkshire and health improvement staff who know Kerri and the strengths and vision she brings to the role.”
