John Connaghan CBE

John Connaghan joined the Civil Service in 2006, as National Director of NHS Delivery, and then as Chief Operating Officer, NHS Scotland. With the creation of Trusts, John held positions as Chief Executive of the Victoria, the Western General and Fife Acute Trusts.

John joined the Civil Service in 2006, as National Director of NHS Delivery, and then as Chief Operating Officer, NHS Scotland. John also filled the post of Director-General of Health and Social Care and Chief Executive of NHS Scotland, on an interim basis. John was responsible for delivering improved system performance with Scotland, achieving a best in UK and Europe National Performance for waiting times across Planned Care, Diagnostics, Cancer and Unscheduled Care. This was a Programme delivered over a ten year period, with a strategy to create a number of diagnostic and elective centres across Scotland.

In 2017, John joined the Health Service Executive for Ireland, serving latterly as Director General of the Irish Health Service, based in Dublin.

In 2020, John again took up the post of CEO for NHS Scotland, as part of the national response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. John’s responsibilities encompassed the preparation and coordination of the NHS response in Scotland, and in planning the recovery, redesign and remobilisation post-pandemic.

As part of the Birthday Honours in June 2014 John was awarded a CBE for services to Health. John fulfils a role as visiting Professor for Strathclyde University Business School.