They bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the Commission, in using and managing mental health and learning disability services.

The Board sets the strategic direction for the Commission and ensures efficient, effective, and accountable governance.

Register of interests 2023-24 (Board Members)

Introduction text
The Chair and members of the Board are appointed by Scottish Ministers in line with the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland's Code of Practice.
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Our Chair

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Sandy Riddell trained in social work and has held director level posts in social work, housing, education, and health and social care, including his final role before retirement as Fife’s director of health and social care. Sandy has substantial experience at a national level in shaping policy and legislation in adult health and social care, children’s services, substance misuse, and justice services. He was president of the former Association of Directors of Social Work and founded Social Work Scotland, and has been a member of the Mental Welfare Commission since 2017 before his appointment as chair in April 2019. He is a member of Grampian NHS Board. Sandy is passionate about the need to develop a rights-based approach for services and to fully involve the public in service design and delivery.

Our Board members

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Nichola Brown (co-chair of the Advisory Committee) joined the Board in April 2019, as carer representative and is also a designated joint Stakeholder Engagement Champion. She cares for her son who has severe learning disability and complex needs, and brings experience of the challenges for families of navigating services. She has a background in community development having worked in Public Health within Glasgow for  twenty five years leading a portfolio of work programmes to improve population health, with particular focus on reducing health inequalities.

Nichola left Glasgow in December 2022 to take up the role of CEO of the North Lanarkshire community organisation, PlayPeace. The service offers play sessions and outings to support families of children with additional needs during school holiday periods. It continues to grow and develop its services, driven by families and the children and young people engaged. 

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David Hall spent over 25 years as a consultant Psychiatrist and Medical Manager in Dumfries and Galloway, and during that time led the redesign of the local Mental Health service, culminating in the development of a new Mental Health facility at Midpark Hospital.

He has held a number of national roles including National Clinical Lead for the Mental Health Collaborative, and for almost 10 years till, 2019, as National Clinical Lead for the Scottish Patient Safety Programme. He has gained an international reputation in Quality Improvement in Mental Health, and has worked with the Danish and New Zealand governments. 

He has also held a number of roles with the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and is currently the RCPsych in Scotland Suicide Prevention Lead, and sits on the National Suicide Prevention Leadership Group.

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Kathy Henwood joined the Board in 2023. She has 35 years’ experience in social work, working across local authorities and the third sector, in Scotland and England. Kathy has predominantly worked with children and families, though started her career working in mental health services and in residential care with older people. She has worked across child protection committees, been a guardian ad litem and an associate assessor in inspections as part of the Child Protection Reform programme. She has also been an associate lecturer for the Open University for over 15 years, teaching courses around leadership and management across health and social care. Kathy is Service Director, Children’s Services and Justice Services with Edinburgh City.

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Gordon Johnston (vice chair of the Board) has a background in community development, urban regeneration, project development and management, and managing major funding streams. He is currently an independent consultant in mental health, specialising in peer research, user/ patient involvement, policy development and organisational development. Gordon is involved in many third sector organisations and is currently chair of Bipolar Scotland and a director of Voices of experience (VOX). He has also been a member of the delivery group of the Scottish Patient Safety Programme: Mental Health since its inception. Gordon was also appointed as a non-executive Board member and Whistleblowing Champion of NHS Forth Valley by the Cabinet Secretary for Health in February 2020. He is a Steering Group member of the UKRI funded Closing The Gap Network and a member of the Scottish Government’s Mental Health Strategic Delivery Board and Mental Health Research Advisory Group.

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Cindy Mackie (wellbeing champion) is an independent consultant with occupational experience in the public, private, and voluntary sectors and currently performs a number of Associate roles within the area of regulation. She is a tribunal member with the Medical Practitioner Tribunal Service, where she is engaged in a decision making role in Fitness to Practise proceedings, she has also served in this capacity with the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Health and Social Care Council. She is a lay examiner in membership examinations for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and is engaged in a chairing role in quality assurance/ educational standards inspections across the UK with the General Dental Council. She holds a position of Independent Assessor in Public Appointments and is also involved in school governance in a voluntary capacity. Cindy brings knowledge of health regulation, public protection, safeguarding, and human rights. She is educated to graduate level with additional qualifications in human resource management and learning and development.

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Mary Twaddle (co-chair of the Advisory Committee) has lived experience of mental ill health and recovery and has been treated and supported by general adult mental health services for over 15 years. She is also a designated joint Stakeholder Engagement Champion. Originally studying for degrees in Physics at university, and after time out to focus on her health, she joined NHS Lothian at the end of 2015 as a peer support worker at the medium secure forensic unit, The Orchard Clinic; where she helped build the first peer support service within a medium secure forensic unit in the UK. In her role she uses her own lived experience to help others in their recovery from life changing periods of mental ill health. As part of the multi-disciplinary team she helps maintain the recovery focused ethos of the clinic within the complexities of working in a forensic setting.

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Alison White joined the Board in October 2019. She qualified as a Social Worker from Robert Gordon University 20 years ago. Alison was Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer for Midlothian Health and Social Care Partnership before taking up the role of Chief Officer of the West Lothian Integration Joint Board in July 2021. Alison is passionate about developing person centred, human rights based services.