Former NHS Ayrshire & Arran Chief Executive Awarded OBE in New Year Honours

A former chief executive of NHS Ayrshire & Arran has been recognised in the King’s New Year Honours with the award of an OBE for services to healthcare.

Image: NHS Scotland John George Burns

John George Burns led NHS Ayrshire & Arran for nine years before taking up a national role in 2021 as Chief Operating Officer for NHS Scotland. He continues to live in Ayrshire and has spent 38 years working within the NHS.

In his current post, Mr Burns oversees the directorate for health performance and delivery. The role carries responsibility for unscheduled and elective care, NHS resilience and emergency planning, pandemic flu preparedness, and winter planning across Scotland’s health service.

His work involves close collaboration with NHS board chairs and chief executives to monitor performance against national targets. He also provides strategic support through sponsorship arrangements with territorial health boards and the Golden Jubilee Foundation, contributing to the coordination and delivery of services at a national level.

Prior to his time in Ayrshire, Mr Burns held senior roles within NHS Tayside, Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and Dumfries and Galloway. The past two decades of his career have been spent in chief executive positions, reflecting sustained involvement in senior health service leadership.

The honour recognises long-term service and leadership within Scotland’s health system, highlighting a career focused on operational delivery, organisational resilience and workforce leadership within the NHS.