Jeane Freeman
Jeane Tennent Freeman OBE (born 28 September 1953)[1][2] is a Scottish retired businesswoman and politician who served as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport from 2018 to 2021.Born into a Labour-supporting, working-class family in South Ayrshire, Freeman attended the Glasgow College of Technology, studying sociology and politics.[11] The following year Freeman was selected as the SNP's candidate for the Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley constituency in the 2016 Scottish Parliament election.[15] She led press briefings to the public, was criticised for handling of care homes and announced Scotland's preparation plan for delivering COVID-19 vaccines.[21] In 1987, Freeman established Apex Scotland, a criminal justice employment organisation for which she served as Chief Executive for twelve years.[10] In November 2014, when the SNP voted in favour of allowing non-members to stand as their candidates in the general elections, Nicola Sturgeon named Freeman as an example of the sort of person that might be chosen by a constituency branch.[11] In August 2015, Freeman was selected to be the SNP candidate for the Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley constituency in the 2016 Scottish elections.In 2019, Freeman faced calls for her resignation following ten cases of infections linked to water contamination at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.[16] In April 2020, she said in a statement in the Scottish Parliament a network of COVID-19 local assessment centres was to be set up across Scotland with 50 planned in the first wave.[44] Gary Smith, Scotland secretary of the GMB, said the policy turned “care homes into morgues”[45] and in March 2021 Freeman admitted to the BBC: "We [the Scottish Government] didn’t take the right precautions to make sure that older people leaving hospital going into care homes were as safe as they could be and that was a mistake."[44][43] After leaving office Freeman said that the characterisation of the policy as a "death sentence" for the elderly had hurt her personally and that the criticism from opposition parties was "not fair".
Jean FreemanJean FrémonCabinet Secretary for Health and SportNicola SturgeonShona RobisonHumza YousafMinister for Social SecurityChristina McKelvieMember of the Scottish ParliamentCarrick, Cumnock and Doon ValleyAdam IngramElena WhithamSouth AyrshireScottish National PartyCommunist Party of Great BritainLabour PartyAlma materGlasgow College of TechnologyScottishLabourworking-classCommunist PartyFirst MinisterJack McConnell2014 Scottish independence referendumWomen for IndependenceScottish independenceYes Scotland2016 Scottish Parliament election5th Scottish ParliamentCabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and EqualitiesSocial Security Scotlandcabinet reshuffleSecond Sturgeon governmentScottish CabinetCOVID-19 pandemicCOVID-19 vaccinestrade unionAyr AcademyNational Union of Students ScotlandParole Board for ScotlandJudicial Appointments Board for ScotlandScottish Labour Partypolitical adviserJohn ElvidgeScottish ExecutivecronyismLabour for Independence2016 Scottish electionsBrian WilsonFreedom of informationThe ScotsmanInformation CommissionerAngela Constancenew social security powersWestminsterScottish GovernmentQueen Elizabeth University HospitalNHS Greater Glasgow and ClydePolice ScotlandHolyrood MagazineCOVID-19 pandemic in Scotland2021 Scottish Parliament election1996 Birthday HonoursYouTubeSunday HeraldThe IndependentBBC NewsScottish Information CommissionerScotland on SundayJohnston PressThe HeraldNewsquestThe GuardianDaily RecordTrinity MirrorScottish ParliamentBrian AdamColin CampbellBruce CrawfordRoseanna CunninghamDorothy-Grace ElderMargaret EwingWinnie EwingLinda FabianiDuncan HamiltonKenny MacAskillMargo MacDonaldTricia MarwickIrene McGuganFiona McLeodAlasdair MorganAlex NeilGil PatersonLloyd QuinanGeorge ReidMichael RussellAlex SalmondKay UllrichAndrew WelshSandra WhiteAndrew WilsonStewart StevensonRob GibsonCampbell MartinJim MatherStewart MaxwellBruce McFeeMaureen WattBashir AhmadAileen CampbellNigel DonChristopher HarvieIan McKeeAnne McLaughlinDave ThompsonStefan TymkewyczBill WilsonJohn WilsonMarco BiagiChic BrodieMargaret BurgessRoderick CampbellJim EadieJohn FinnieColin Keir