Michael Dickson became chief executive of NHS Shetland board in January 2020 and was thrown into the depths of the pandemic just months later.
The islands were some of the first places to have high numbers of Covid-19 and quickly became the place with the highest cases per 100,000 in Europe.
During that time, Mr Dickson was asked to add NHS Orkney to his portfolio – carrying both islands through the turbulent years that followed.
Now he has been made an OBE his services to healthcare during the pandemic – an honour he has dedicated to the staff and community.
“Overwhelming is the first word that springs to mind, I wasn’t expecting this,” said Mr Dickson.
“I strongly believe this is about how the whole of NHS Shetland and Orkney responded, it’s about staff who work incredibly hard in really difficult circumstances as well as how the community pulls together.”
Trying something different
Mr Dickson is a nurse with a background in cancer care, chemotherapy and hematology. He worked on national programmes in England, Wales and Northern Ireland before making his move north.
The new Shetlander believes his award is a nod to the work of both island health boards and the communities they serve.
He said: “All the public bodies – us, the council, fire, police, coastguards – we came together and say ‘what do we need to do for Shetland.’
“That approach really drove all our activities right through, like making sure everyone, not just care homes, had PPE, making sure we had a stock of oxygen because it was in high demand, making sure staff – who were amazing – were willing to step up to roles they hadn’t done before.”
Throughout the pandemic, Mr Dickson and his team were always thinking of new and innovative ways to serve communities, aware they were dealing with a unique environment.
This included remaining in constant communication with Shetlanders and later Orcadians.
“Something I think we did really well is we communicated openly and honestly with the public,” said Mr Dickson.
“We did weekly Facebook lives talking about what we knew and what we didn’t know and telling people what they could do to protect themselves.”
Moving north
While still officially calling Brighton his home, Mr Dickson swaps fortnightly between living in Shetland and Orkney.
The move was difficult, but the appeal of both places has made it easier.
“Both Shetland and Orkney have these amazingly vibrant cultural scenes – we have one of the best cinemas in the UK in the Mareel in Shetland, we have the jazz festival in Orkney, Up Helly Aa is coming up in January for the first time since 2020,” he said.
Living on the islands makes Mr Dickson feel closer to the communities he serves, gaining a better understanding of their needs.
He said: “I count myself lucky that I have been able to experience places like Shetland and Orkney. As a person on the ground living it, you’re going through the same things as everyone else.
“One of the privileges of being a board chief executive in island communities is you connect with communities in a different way, you’re visible, people can stop you in the street. You can see the difference that makes.”
Conversation