Dr Claire Copeland announced as new BGS Vice President Workforce

The British Geriatrics Society (BGS) is pleased to announce that Dr Claire Copeland has been appointed as its next Vice President Workforce. She will officially take up the role on 15 November 2024.

Dr Copeland is a highly experienced senior geriatrician and medical leader who for over 20 years has combined delivering excellent innovative care with service review, redesign and transformation. She has worked in acute and community care roles and brings an understanding of the multidisciplinary workforce which is so vital to sustainable care for older people.

She is Deputy Medical Director Primary Care and Community Services for NHS Highlands. This exposes her to the workforce challenges of remote and rural settings, as well as deepening her understanding of urban models.

Her previous experience in Acute Services has helped shape and evolve her thinking around workforce, especially across the many interfaces that healthcare professionals caring for older people work across. She strongly believes that understanding the needs of local people by involving them in workforce planning can be incredibly powerful.

President of the BGS, Professor Adam Gordon MBE, commented:

Claire is a wise and trusted colleague who has extensive experience developing and leading services and the teams that work in them. It is self-evident to the BGS membership that a well-trained workforce with expertise in care of older people is essential if we’re to meet the needs of a rapidly ageing population.  We have much to do to influence those with the power to make this a reality. Claire lives and breathes care of older people, and I know that she is the right person for the job!”

Dr Claire Copeland commented:

I’m thrilled to be taking up this important role on behalf of the BGS. Workforce planning for our ageing population has never been more critical. Only through shared understanding and collaborative multi-professional working will we be able to provide impactful and sustainable solutions to meet this need.”