Chief Executive, NHS Tayside

Tony Wells is the Chief Executive of NHS Tayside.

He joined the health service in 1969, where he trained as a registered mental nurse and registered general nurse in the Highland College of Nursing, before completing a diploma in Community Psychiatric Nursing at Manchester Polytechnic in 1977. He was awarded a Council of Europe Medical Fellowship in 1982, and studied community psychiatric services in Denmark and Norway. He is a Member of the Institute of Health Service Management. He gained a certificate in Health Economics from Aberdeen University in 1986, and has held a number of posts at senior manager and chief executive level in the NHS in Tayside since 1987. Prior to that he was Director of Nursing for Mental Health Services in Lanarkshire.

He has contributed to a wide range of health initiatives across Scotland, including Tayside Council on Alcohol, Alcohol Focus Scotland, and as a member of the Management Committee for The Corner, a health and information project for young people in Dundee. Tony was until recently a Trustee of the Dementia Services Centre at the University of Stirling and a Non Executive Director of the Wishart Centre, Dundee. He was also a member of the Health Service Advisory Committee to the Health and Safety Executive, and was Lead Executive for the NHS input into the G8 Summit at Gleneagles in 2005.

He was appointed Visiting Professor of Health Service Management University of Abertay Dundee in 2002. Tony is also an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Dundee.

Currently Tony is Chair of the National Services Advisory Group, Scottish Government; the National Delivery Group for Drugs Services HEAT Target and the National Implementation Group - Delivering for Mental Health. He is a Board Member of the Translational Medicine Research Institute (TMRI Ltd). He is also a Member of the Chief Scientist Committee, Scottish Government; the Scottish Ministerial Advisory Group on Alcohol Misuse; the eHealth Programme Board, Scottish Government; the eHealth Strategy Board, Scottish Government; the Scottish Medicines Consortium (until 1 August 2010); the Oversight Board, NHS Research Infrastructure Initiative and a Health Representative of the Tayside and Central Scotland Transport Partnership (TACTRAN).

Prof Wells’ appointment commenced on 1 December 2002 and is ongoing.

Last updated:11/05/10