Erskine is delighted to announce the appointment of Derek Barron as the new Director of Care.
Born in Dumbarton and now living locally in Erskine, Derek has over 32 years experience in nursing.
Derek joins Erskine from North Ayrshire Health & Social Care Partnership where he was the Lead Nurse and Associate Director of Mental Health Services in NHS Ayrshire & Arran. He worked in Ayrshire for eight years apart from a nine month spell working in NHS Orkney as interim Executive Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professions.
Previously Derek worked in Greater Glasgow and Clyde for over twenty years in a variety of roles, latterly as the Nurse Director in the Mental Health Partnership. Derek is also a Visiting Senior Lecturer at the University of Abertay where he teaches on the MSc in Mental Health Nursing. He is currently on the Nursing & Midwifery Council Professional Strategic Advisory Group plus the Editorial Board of the British Journal of Mental Health Nursing.
Erskine residents and staff waved a fond farewell at the end of June to the previous Director of Care, Sue Robinson, when she retired from the charity after five years.
Two months into his new post, Derek said: “I genuinely feel it is a privilege to be appointed Director of Care at Erskine and the more I walk around and talk to people the more this is emphasised. We have fantastic staff who care about our residents and want Erskine to be the very best it can be – care staff, our support teams, our fundraisers and our volunteers. I have enjoyed meeting the residents and staff and am excited about being part of delivering on our development plans for the next few years.
“I’d also like to share a message with nurses out there – come and find out about what a care home, such as Erskine, can do for your career and experience. I guarantee you will be impressed with the range of nursing skills and knowledge you need to use on a daily basis.”
Derek is passionate about nursing because nurses make a difference to people’s lives every day and making a difference to people was something Derek always aspired to do. He believes a career in nursing offers a huge range of opportunities beyond the traditional view of what a nurse does.
Erskine Chief Executive Steve Conway said: “Derek has already made a significant impact demonstrating that Erskine will benefit from his extensive experience in the NHS mental health service provision, especially with his recent focus on dementia care.
“He has a proven track record of leadership in change environments and I look forward to working with him to develop Erskine’s services to meet the changing needs of our veterans.”