Quality Improvement Zone

David Maxwell Head of Programme: Quality Improvement 

David is responsible for overseeing the delivery of national training and development activity for quality improvement, realistic medicine and person-centred care. As Head of Programme he is focussed on keeping learners at the heart of the work that the QI team does, supporting individuals to be able to develop the right skills and knowledge to improve the delivery of quality health and care across Scotland.  David trained as an Improvement Advisor with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), is an accredited Executive Coach and has a post-graduate qualification in health professions education.

Alison Keast - Senior Educator

Ali leads defined strands of the Realistic Medicine and Value‑Based Health & Care agenda, contributes to the delivery of the Scottish Improvement Leaders programme and has a particular interest in climate‑sustainable practice. Prior to this Ali was an HR consultant before moving into Organisational Development, delivering national leadership programmes, learning networks, and Scotland’s 360 feedback, coaching, and mentoring services. A coach since 2007, Ali supports individuals and teams to connect with their values, strengths, and ambitions, with this coaching ethos underpinning all her QI, OD, and leadership work.
 

Emily Waite - Senior Educator

Emily is the lead for the QI Essentials pathway and a core faculty member across the Quality Improvement pathways and programmes offered by the PSD Scotland QI team. With a professional background as an Occupational Therapist and AHP Practice Education Facilitator, Emily has always been driven by a passion for supporting colleagues to build the skills and confidence needed to improve experiences and outcomes for both patients and staff. Her passion for developing QI capability across the workforce led her to join PSD Scotland in 2018. 
 

Jean McQueen - Principal Lead

Jean leads national education on the Duty of Candour and the APICCTHS model, strengthening meaningful patient and family involvement in safety. Passionate about openness, learning, and compassionate practice, she developed and delivers Compassionate Communication Skills training and co‑leads programmes such as the Care Experience Improvement Model (CEIM), supporting teams to embed person‑centred, feedback‑driven improvement. An occupational therapist by background, Jean has worked as a consultant in forensic mental health and as a research fellow and lecturer, publishing widely on alcohol brief interventions, return‑to‑work support, and what matters to patients and families when care goes wrong.
 

Julia Mackel - Principal Lead

Julia leads and is key faculty for the Scottish Quality and Safety Fellowship since 2021. She has over 20 years clinical experience as a Dietitian and 10 years of leading and training improvement science within healthcare. She is a ScIL graduate (cohort 5) an accredited Lean Green Belt and is an Associate Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation. She is on the organisational coach bank for PSD Scotland and NHS Lothian. Julia has previously led development within PSD Scotland of training and education for Realistic Medicine and Value Based Health & Care.
 

Kim Britton - Senior Educator

Kim is the lead for the Scottish Improvement Leader Programme, responsible for recruitment, the design and delivery of taught and online learning content and evaluation. She acts as the QI link for Excellence in Care and the Scottish Approach to Change. Kim has a professional background in adult nursing, experience as an Improvement Advisor, a Master’s in patient safety and quality improvement and a diploma in educational design. Kim brings strong expertise in coaching, strategic improvement, and learner‑centred educational design to the team. She is committed to driving meaningful, evidence‑based improvement across health and social care.
 

Lee Kelso - Senior Educator

Lee is the pathway lead for Practical QI and delivers across the range of QI programmes and pathways.  She has over 15 years’ experience in local authority and public service settings, latterly as an Improvement Adviser with the Care Inspectorate as part of the Care about Physical Activity (CAPA) programme, and leading the development of an improvement framework for Appropriate Adults. Lee has a PgCert in Professional and Higher Education with an interest in facilitation, feedback and assessment of learning.
 

Sarah Bennie - Specialist Educator

Sarah leads Kickstart QI and is co‑lead of the Internal QI Network. She contributes to a range of national improvement programmes, including the Scottish Improvement Leader programme and the Practical QI Learner Pathway. Sarah brings several years of primary care QI experience from NHS Lothian, where she worked as an Associate Quality Improvement Advisor. She coordinated the QI & Safety Enhanced Service and supported GP practices to undertake meaningful quality improvement within the Scottish Enhanced Service Programme (SESP).

 

Shobhan Thakore 
Associate Medical Director for Quality Management, NHS Tayside
Consultant in Emergency Medicine, NHS Tayside 
Clinical Lead, Scottish Quality and Safety Fellowship Programme, Quality Improvement Team, PSD Scotland
Shobhan is an Emergency Medicine Consultant and  Associate Medical Director for Quality Management in NHS Tayside where he helps to shape future service configuration by ensuring improvement science expertise supports operational teams. 

As Clinical Lead for the Scottish Quality & Safety Fellowship programme his aim is to enhance the expertise of Fellows so that their skills are recognised as essential in meeting the challenge to deliver excellent care at an affordable cost. This includes training in technical improvement skills but also leadership training that helps participants understand the importance of team engagement and the psychology of change.
 

Daniel Gunn - Business Partner

Daniel is an Associate Improvement Advisor supporting colleagues, teams and the internal QI network to improve ways of working across the organisation. He focusses on using data, digital tools and automation to support effective change and improve processes.

Daniel enjoys working with teams to identify practical improvements and is keen to continue developing his QI & digital skills.  He previously worked as a Senior Officer in the Quality Improvement team and earlier as an Administrative Officer within the Pharmacy team in PSD Scotland.

Janice Walker - Business Manager

Janice plays a central role in supporting the corporate infrastructure that underpins the team’s work. Her responsibilities span key operational areas including financial management, budget oversight and communications. In addition to her corporate portfolio, Janice leads the Business Support Team, providing direction, oversight, and professional development support. Through her leadership, she ensures high-quality administrative and operational support that enables the wider QI Team to deliver its improvement ambitions effectively and efficiently.
 

Penny Fairbairn - Senior Project Officer

Penny is works within the Programme Management Office supporting different projects. Penny also works in the wider Quality Improvement Team where she supports the Continuous Improvement Portfolio and Business Support activity. Prior to joining PSD Scotland Penny worked in NHS Dumfries and Galloway in the Strategic Planning and Transformation Directorate. 
 

Robin Black - Senior Administrative Officer

Robin supports the delivery of QI programmes including the Scottish Quality and Safety Fellowship. Robin previously worked in NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde in a variety of admin roles, from front desk to senior management support.
 

Ross Hope - Senior Administrative Officer

Ross coordinates the day-to-day running of the of the Scottish Improvement Leaders programme, supporting faculty, mentors and learners from recruitment through to completion. He oversees course set-up on Turas, manages communications and queries, tracks assignments and attendance, and ensures learner feedback is captured and shared in meaningful ways.

 

Ruth Mackie - Senior Administrative Officer

Ruth supports the coordination and smooth delivery of the Scottish Quality and Safety Fellowship programme alongside other taught Quality Improvement initiatives. She has been part of the Quality Improvement Team since 2019, bringing her extensive experience and understanding of PSD Scotland based on her previous roles within the organisation. Ruth is passionate about Quality Improvement and enjoys seeing how it contributes to better outcomes for the people of Scotland.

Teresa Genovese - Administrative Officer

Teresa supports delivery of the Quality Improvement and Person Centred Care programmes, taking on administration and managing communications and queries. Teresa has worked with the team since 2019 and has built up strong relationships understanding  the values and vision the organisation brings to deliver good quality care for the people of Scotland.
 

Content last updated April 2026