Hazel Borland Executive Nursing Director

About me

Hazel is a GenerationQ Fellow and Executive Nursing Director at NHS Ayrshire and Arran.

Hazel started in the NHS in 1984 as a nursing auxiliary and achieved registration as an registered general nurse in 1988 in Bolton, Lancashire. She held a series of staff nurse posts in Bolton and NHS Tayside in Scotland and then became a Senior Charge Nurse in 1996 at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, Tayside.  

In 1999, Hazel became Clinical Governance Co-ordinator for the Acute Trust in NHS Tayside and in 2004 she took up post as Head of Clinical Governance and Patient Safety at NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (the predecessor organisation to Healthcare Improvement Scotland). 

After a four years working at national level, Hazel was appointed as Nurse Director in NHS Dumfries and Galloway in 2008 and was delighted to take up post as Nurse Director in Ayrshire and Arran in 2016. Both of these posts carry a portfolio of: professional leadership for nurses, midwives and AHPs; health care associated infection/infection prevention and control; public protection (incorporating child protection, adult support and protection, MAPPA and GBV); quality improvement, patient safety and health care governance; workforce solutions; and equality and diversity.

In June 2012 she became a Health Foundation Fellow, successfully completing a Masters in Leadership (Quality Improvement) in 2014 as a GenerationQ Fellow; and in June 2013 was delighted to be appointed as Honorary Professor, School of Health and Nursing at the University of the West of Scotland.

Hazel represents the Scottish Executive Nurse Directors round a number of national forums including topics such as workforce, healthcare associated infection, quality of care and patient safety.  

For Hazel, the greatest impact of GenerationQ has been on her ability to bring people together and engage others in quality improvement. 'The programme enabled me to become a lot more thoughtful about my actions as a leader and how I can tailor my approach to different situations. I’m now much more aware of the different skills that people can bring to the table and how to get the best out of each person. I’ve noticed that I’m proposing answers to problems far less often than I used to; instead I encourage and support people to find their own solutions.'

She says that the coaching element of the fellowship has been particularly helpful in supporting her to understand her personal leadership qualities and how to make the most of these attributes.