Christine McLaughlin

Christine McLaughlin is Interim Director General for Health and Social Care and Chief Executive of NHS Scotland since the retirement of Caroline Lamb in August 2026.She previously served as Chief Operating Officer & Deputy Chief Executive, NHS Scotland and has held a number of Director roles in the Scottish Government spanning Population Health, the Covid-19 response, Finance and Digital.

She is responsible for the strategy, planning and delivery of health and social care services across Scotland and is part of the senior leadership team of the Scottish Government.

Christine will be leading the health and social care system through a bold and ambitious period of renewal, working with system leaders to drive improvement and deliver better outcomes for the people of Scotland.

Christine began her career as a management trainee in the NHS and is a chartered public finance accountant. She held a number of senior finance roles in territorial and national Boards, followed by a period working across the UK in management consulting, delivering major public service transformation.

Christine is passionate about taking meaningful action to improve the health of the people of Scotland and driving digital and innovative solutions to improve the quality and effectiveness of care cross the system.