Niall Forbes Ross Dickson

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(born 5 November 1953) was chair of East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust between April 2021 and December 2023. He was chief executive of the

NHS Confederation The NHS Confederation, formerly the National Association of Health Authorities and Trusts, is a membership body for organisations that commission and provide National Health Service services founded in 1990. The predecessor organisation was calle ...

, between February 2017 and October 2020. Between 2010 and 2016 he served as chief executive and registrar of the

General Medical Council The General Medical Council (GMC) is a public body that maintains the official register of physician, medical practitioners within the United Kingdom. Its chief responsibility is to "protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the pu ...

(GMC), and led the International Association of Medical Regulatory Authorities (IAMRA) until 2016. Previously, Dickson worked as chief executive of the King’s Fund, from 2004 to 2009, after a career in journalism.

Early life

He was born in Scotland and educated at

Glasgow Academy The Glasgow Academy is a coeducational private day school for pupils aged 3–18 in Glasgow, Scotland. In 2016, it had the third-best Higher level exam results in Scotland. Founded in 1845, it is the oldest continuously fully private school in ...

Edinburgh Academy The Edinburgh Academy is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in Stockbridge, Edinburgh, Stockbridge, is now part of the Senior Scho ...

and then studied at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

. He is the brother of Alastair Dickson, founder of the Scottish law firm

Dickson Minto Dickson Minto is a Scottish law firm. According to '' The Lawyer'', Dickson Minto is the 76th-largest firm in the United Kingdom. Dickson Minto established a formal alliance with New York–based international law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagh ...

Career

Journalism

He was the editor of the ''

Nursing Times ''Nursing Times'' is a website and monthly magazine for nurses, which is published in the United Kingdom. It covers original nursing research and best practice for nurses at all stages in their career, as well as daily news, opinion and other inf ...

'' from 1983 to 1988. He worked at the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

for 15 years, joining as health correspondent in 1988 and progressing to the position of social affairs editor for

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

from 1995 to 2003. As social affairs editor he was responsible for around 80 journalists and his producer was

Laura Kuenssberg Laura Juliet Kuenssberg (born 8 August 1976) is a British journalist who presents the BBC's Sunday morning politics show. She was succeeded as Political Editor of BBC News by Chris Mason. She succeeded Nick Robinson as Political Editor of ...

Management

He was Chief Executive of the

King's Fund The King's Fund is an independent think tank, which is involved with work relating to the health system in England. It organises conferences and other events. Since 1997, they have jointly funded a yearly award system with GlaxoSmithKline. Th ...

from 2004 to 2009. In January 2010, he was appointed as Chief Executive and registrar of the

. He took up the post of chair of the IAMRA in 2014, for a three-year term of office. Dickson was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in the

2017 Birthday Honours The 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours were awarded a ...

for services to patient safety.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dickson, Niall British chief executives Living people Medical journalists BBC newsreaders and journalists People educated at the Glasgow Academy People educated at Edinburgh Academy Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Commanders of the Order of the British Empire 1953 births