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Integration Joint Board

The Integration Joint Board (IJB) is the Governance Board of the Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership.

It has responsibility for the planning, resourcing and overseeing of the operational delivery of integrated services.

See Integration Joint Board meetings and documents.

IJB membership

  • Integration Joint Board Chair: Councillor Dougie McFadzean
  • Chief Officer: Evan Beswick   
  • Clinical Director: Dr Rebecca Helliwell
  • Associate Nurse Director: Liz Higgins

IJB membership comprises:

  • elected councillors
  • NHS Highland Board members
  • individuals from a range of sectors and stakeholder groups including the Third Sector, Independent Sector, patients/service users, Trade Unions, staff and carers.

Chair and Vice Chair

Dougie McFadzean

Dougie McFadzean

Chair, Argyll and Bute Integration Joint Board Read more

Councillor Dougie McFadzean is one of the elected representatives for the Kintyre and the Islands ward on Argyll and Bute Council. He is the Council's Policy Lead for Care Services and was elected as Chair of the IJB in 2024.

Graham Bell

Graham Bell

Vice Chair, Argyll and Bute Integration Joint Board and Non-executive Director, NHS Highland Read more

Graham Bell was appointed to the NHS Highland Board in January 2021.  He has lived in Argyll for the past 35 years. Originally from Glasgow, his early career included working as a hospital porter, a youth and community worker and a night care officer with older people. Qualifying as a social worker he spent most of his career in working with young people at risk, initially in the local authority and latterly as Chief Executive of Kibble, a third sector organisation.

Now semi-retired he continues to work in cross-sectoral leadership development. He is also a board member of Community Justice Scotland and Cove Burgh Hall. He has extensive international experience in social and economic development and in 2019 was awarded an OBE for services to residential care, education, and social enterprise.

Elected members - Argyll and Bute Council

Kieron Green

Kieron Green

Councillor and Elected Member, Argyll and Bute Integration Joint Board Read more

Councillor Kieron Green is one of the elected members for the Oban North and Lorn ward and Depute Policy Lead for Care Services.

Ross Moreland

Ross Moreland

Councillor and Elected Member, Argyll and Bute Integration Joint Board Read more

Councillor Ross Moreland is one of the elected representatives for the Dunoon ward on Argyll and Bute Council. He is Joint Depute Leader of the Council and is the Policy Lead for Finance and Commercial Services.

Gary Mulvaney

Gary Mulvaney

Councillor and Elected Member, Argyll and Bute Integration Joint Board Read more

Councillor Gary Mulvaney is one of the elected members for the Helensburgh Central ward. He is Leader of the Opposition and the Shadow Policy Lead for Finance and Commercial Services.

Health and Social Care Partnership officers

Evan Beswick

Evan Beswick

Chief Officer, Argyll and Bute Integration Joint Board Read more

Evan Beswick is Chief Officer of Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership. Before this role, he was the Head of Service for Primary Care in Argyll and Bute. He has 13 years of experience in operational and strategic management in the North of Highland and Argyll and Bute. He has been with NHS Highland since 2011, starting his journey as a National Management Trainee. He is passionate about providing health and social care services in remote and rural areas.

Linda Currie

Linda Currie

Associate Allied Health Professional Director, Argyll and Bute Integration Joint Board Read more

Linda Currie was born on the Wirral and moved to Argyll in her 30s. She qualified as an Occupational Therapist (OT) in 1993 and has worked in a variety of ward and community settings. In Oban she worked as the OT Team Lead for 12 years and is now the Associate Allied Health Professional Director for the HSCP.

Fiona Duff Interim Primary Care Manage Argyll And Bute HSCP

Fiona Duff

Interim Head of Primary Care, Argyll and Bute Integration Joint Board Read more

Fiona took up the interim post in May 2024 and brought to the role a wealth of knowledge and experience having worked in General Practice since 1990 and from 2001 as Primary Care Manager with NHS Highland. In 2016 she was seconded to the Scottish Government Primary Care Directorate as Senior Professional Management Advisor.

David Gibson

David Gibson

Chief Social Work Officer, Argyll and Bute Integration Joint Board Read more

David Gibson has a background in social work and is Head of Children, Families and Justice and the Chief Social Work Officer for the HSCP.

James Gow

James Gow

Head of Finance and Transformation, Argyll and Bute Integration Joint Board Read more

James Gow is Head of Finance and Transformation for Argyll and Bute HSCP. He previously worked in a senior finance post with the Government of Jersey and prior to that has had a wealth of experience throughout the public sector in Scotland.

Rebecca Helliwell

Dr Rebecca Helliwell

Depute Medical Director, Argyll and Bute Integration Joint Board Read more

Dr Rebecca Helliwell is a GP, Rural Practitioner and Depute Medical Director.

Liz Higgins

Elizabeth Higgins

Associate Nurse Director, Argyll and Bute Integration Joint Board Read more

Elizabeth Higgins is the Associate Nurse Director. She has over 30 years experience working as a nurse in a variety of different roles and has a particular interest in the care of older people.

Alison Mcgrory

Alison McGrory

Associate Director for Public Health, Argyll and Bute Integration Joint Board Read more

Alison McGrory has a background in Public Health and is the Associate Director for Public Health for the HSCP.

Fiona Thomson

Fiona Thomson

Lead Pharmacist, Argyll and Bute Integration Joint Board Read more

Fiona Thomson has been the Lead Pharmacist in Argyll and Bute since 2007. She graduated with a 1st Class Honours degree in pharmacy and subsequently gained an MSc prescribing sciences and supplementary prescriber qualification. After 10 years of working in community pharmacy she began working as a practice pharmacist in Oban.

default team member

(position currently vacant)

Secondary care medical practitioner, Argyll and Bute Integration Joint Board

NHS Highland representatives

Emily Austin

Emily Austin

Non-executive Director, NHS Highland Read more

Emily Austin was appointed to the Board in December 2023, having served in a voluntary capacity as a Public Representative on NHS Highland's Clinical Governance Committee since 2021.

Emily is an entrepreneur running her own tourism business, having previously spent 10 years working in governance, strategy and operations roles with international banks and financial services organisations.

Emily lives in Connel, Argyll, and holds several voluntary roles in the local area. As a patient managing a long-term health condition, Emily also brings experience as a user of NHS Highland's services.

Graham Bell

Graham Bell

Vice Chair, Argyll and Bute Integration Joint Board and Non-executive Director, NHS Highland Read more

Graham Bell was appointed to the NHS Highland Board in January 2021.  He has lived in Argyll for the past 35 years. Originally from Glasgow, his early career included working as a hospital porter, a youth and community worker and a night care officer with older people. Qualifying as a social worker he spent most of his career in working with young people at risk, initially in the local authority and latterly as Chief Executive of Kibble, a third sector organisation.

Now semi-retired he continues to work in cross-sectoral leadership development. He is also a board member of Community Justice Scotland and Cove Burgh Hall. He has extensive international experience in social and economic development and in 2019 was awarded an OBE for services to residential care, education, and social enterprise.

Karen Leach

Karen Leach

Non-executive Director, NHS Highland Read more

Karen Leach was born in Ayrshire and lived and worked in Guernsey for over 30 years before making her home in Kintyre in 2022.

Karen is a semi-retired registered nurse with a varied 40-year career across hospital and community health and social care. Karen’s most recent post was Associate Director for the States of Guernsey’s Integrated Adult Community Services, responsible for strategy, operational leadership and management and transformation as part of the senior leadership team.

Karen holds a Masters in Leadership and Management in Health Care and brings expertise in evidence-based approaches to decision making. Karen was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 2018 to research how systems respond to individual meaning and purpose.

Susan Ringwood

Susan Ringwood

Non-executive Director, NHS Highland Read more

Susan Ringwood has spent her career working in the voluntary sector - always involving work with people and had 13 years as a Chief Executive running the UK wide charity for people affected by eating disorders: Beat.  Susan has served as a Non-Executive of a Clinical Commissioning Group where she had responsibility for the oversight of public and patient engagement and was Vice Chair of the audit committee. She has served on NICE Guidelines committees, NHS task forces for young people’s mental health services and most recently as a lay member of the national Medicines’ Optimisation Committee.  She lives on Mull, having moved there in September 2020.

Stakeholder members

Fiona Broderick

Fiona Broderick

Staff-side representative, Argyll and Bute Integration Joint Board Read more

Fiona Broderick has worked within mental health services for over 30 years, becoming a Unite Representative a few years ago. In 2018 she was elected into the role of Staffside Lead for Health for Argyll and Bute. This role ensures that staff are treated in a fair and consistent manner and that any changes to services are looked at in an open and transparent manner.

Julie Hodges

Julie Hodges

Independent sector representative, Argyll and Bute Integration Joint Board Read more

Julie Hodges is the Scottish Care Independent Sector representative on the IJB. Scottish Care is the voice of the independent social care sector in Scotland. They represent the largest group of independent sector social care providers, delivering residential care, nursing care, day care, care at home and housing support services.

Angus MacTaggart

Dr Angus MacTaggart

GP representative, Argyll and Bute Integration Joint Board Read more

Dr Angus MacTaggart is one of the Principal GPs on the Isle of Islay and Clinical Lead for Islay and Jura. Angus was raised on Islay prior to completing his undergraduate medical degree at the University of Glasgow, graduating in 2005. Angus's role on the IJB is as a Professional Adviser to the board with a remit to provide a Primary Care perspective.

Kenny Matheson

Kenny Matheson

Service user representative, Argyll and Bute Integration Joint Board Read more

Kenny Matheson is one of the service user representatives on the IJB. He was also Convenor of Dunoon Community Council and lead for health for 8 years.

Kevin McIntosh

Kevin McIntosh

Staff-side representative, Argyll and Bute Integration Joint Board Read more

Kevin McIntosh is a steward for UNISON and is one of the trade union representatives on the IJB.

Kirstie Reid

Kirstie Reid

Carer representative, Argyll and Bute Integration Joint Board Read more

Kirstie Reid is one of the carer representatives on the IJB. She has happily served the local community for a number of years and hopes to do so for many more.

Takki Sulaiman

Takki Sulaiman

Third Sector representative, Argyll and Bute Integration Joint Board Read more

Takki Sulaiman is Chief Executive Officer at Argyll and Bute Third Sector Interface.

Last updated: 14 November 2024

Next review date: 29 November 2024