Dr Nicola Steedman named interim deputy chief medical officer

Dr Nicola Steedman has been appointed interim deputy chief medical officer after Dr Gregor Smith was named interim chief medical officer for Scotland (CMO).

Smith was appointed CMO on a temporary basis after Dr Catherine Calderwood resigned following reports she had breached official guidance and visited her second home in Fife during lockdown.

With Smith acting as CMO, Steedman was named deputy CMO on an inward secondment from NHS National Services of Scotland. 

Steedman has previously worked in the Health and Social Care Directorate within the Scottish Government, including a previous period as acting deputy chief medical officer.

Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport Jeane Freeman said: “Dr Steedman joins the Scottish Government on secondment from NHS National Services of Scotland, and brings with her a wealth of experience. 

“I am pleased to be working with her and I’m confident that, as interim Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Steedman will make a significant contribution in our ongoing response to the coronavirus pandemic.”