Health and Social Care Moray appoints Interim Chief Officer as drive to plug £10.2m budget shortfall continues
HEALTH and Social Care Moray’s new Interim Chief Officer says she is “confident” that the challenges facing the region’s health and care system can be overcome.
Judith Proctor has been welcomed into the role after Simon Bokor-Ingram, who had been in charge for the past four years, announced that he would step down due to health reasons.
The appointment comes after members of the Moray Integration Joint Board (IJB) approved 33 cost saving measures to save £8.3 million earlier last month.
The recovery plan will redesign and transform services in an effort to improve the quality, safety and efficiency of them.
It is hoped that the plan will preserve as many frontline services in Moray as possible while also finding savings in a bid to plug a £10.2 million funding gap.
Ms Proctor said: “I’m excited to be joining HSCM as Interim Chief Officer and look forward to meeting more of my new colleagues and their teams in the weeks ahead.
“Despite the challenges we face, I’m confident that with our dedicated staff and the support of partners and communities, we can build on the good work already underway to improve service delivery through innovation and redesign.
“We remain focused on providing effective, efficient and responsive health and social care which makes a positive difference to the people of Moray.”
Ms proctor has worked in health and social care for over 30 years having started her career as a nurse in Edinburgh.
Posts in the Highlands, Shetland and in Dumfries and Galloway followed before she became the first chief officer of the Aberdeen City Health and Social Care Partnership in 2016.
She then went on to lead the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership for five years.
Welcoming Judith to the role, Councillor Tracy Colyer, Chair of the Moray Integration Joint Board, said: “I am looking forward to working closely with Judith.
“She brings with her an in-depth knowledge of health and social care services and extensive leadership experience which will be invaluable given our challenging situation we are in.
“HSCM, like all public services, is operating under severe financial strain and we must save £10.2m from our budget this year.
“Given the scale of the funding gap, this will undoubtedly affect services, the people who receive care and support, their carers and our staff and we are working to reduce the impact where possible.
“We remain committed to protecting essential frontline services and prioritising support for our most vulnerable citizens.”
Recruitment to the chief officer substantive post is currently underway.
