Chief Medical Officer
Dr Harry Burns
The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Harry Burns is the Scottish Government's principal medical adviser, and as such has direct access to Ministers. The CMO is also Head of the Scottish Medical Civil Service. The post has direct involvement in the development of health policy in Scotland, including prevention, health promotion, health protection and harm reduction. CMO also has lead responsibility for issues such as clinical effectiveness, quality assurance, accreditation and research, and covers the spectrum of health related issues ranging from public health policy to NHS operations.
Harry Burns graduated in medicine from the University of Glasgow in 1974. Over the next 15 years he worked as a general surgeon and for the last six years of his surgical career was a consultant surgeon at the Royal Infirmary in Glasgow.
He entered health care management and was, for a time, Medical Director of the Royal Infirmary in Glasgow. Since 1993 he was Director of Public Health for Greater Glasgow Health Board which is responsible for organising health care and maintaining the health of one million people in the West of Scotland. In 1999 he was awarded a Visiting Professorship in Public Health Medicine, University of Glasgow and is a Senior Research Fellow in the School of Business and Management in the University. He took up post as Chief Medical Officer for Scotland in September 2005.
Chief Medical Officer's Office is structured into four divisions including:
- Deputy Chief Medical Officer
- Director of the Chief Scientist Office
- Deputy Chief Medical Officer
- Chief Scientist
Topics
Topics contain more information on the policies and initiatives undertaken by the Scottish Government. They act as a background to the work of directorates.