Late health secretary was ‘wise counsellor’ during pandemic – Swinney

Former Scottish health secretary Jeane Freeman was like a “wise counsellor” during the “terrifying” period of the coronavirus pandemic, First Minister John Swinney has said, as he paid tribute to her.

Ms Freeman died on Saturday aged 72 after being diagnosed with cancer in January.

A former nurse, she served as health secretary from 2018 to 2021 and was MSP for the Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley constituency from 2016 to 2021.

Mr Swinney said she brought “deep values of dignity, fairness and respect” to whatever she did and that she “served Scotland incredibly well in so many different areas”.

He also paid tribute to her leadership during her time as health secretary in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Swinney told BBC Radio Scotland’s Breakfast programme: “That period was terrifying for everybody in society, and it was terrifying for government ministers.

“So we did not know all that would transpire. We didn’t know the enormity of what we were dealing with. We didn’t know all the twists and turns that we would face.

“But what Jeane contributed to all of those discussions was a considered, evidenced, thoughtful contribution as to what was the best way to navigate our way through a really unpredictable period.

“So you were dealing around the Cabinet table with a woman of substantial intellect who brought her wisdom, her life experience, her thoughtfulness, her consideration of evidence to everything that she did, and then that was again underpinned by those values of dignity, fairness and respect that I would attribute to Jean.

“So I felt as if I was dealing with a wise counsellor throughout that period as we tried to establish what was the best and the most appropriate step to take.”

Mr Swinney said a motion of motion of condolence to Ms Freeman has been lodged at the Scottish Parliament

He said: “I think what’s crystal clear from the sentiments that have been expressed by members of all political persuasions, there was a deep, deep appreciation of the substantial contribution that Jeane made to our politics, to governance in Scotland, and especially at an incredibly difficult period through the pandemic

“I’ve been struck by just the warmth and the depth of appreciation from across the political spectrum and also across the community.”

With the establishment of the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Executive in 1999, Ms Freeman was appointed as a senior civil servant before taking on a special adviser role to then-first minister Jack McConnell.

After taking a leading role in the campaign group Women for Independence during the 2014 referendum, she joined the SNP and was elected as an MSP in 2016.

Mr Swinney said Ms Freeman served Scotland “incredibly well” in so many different areas, contributing to the work of the first Scottish Executive as a civil servant, and then as a special adviser who took forward some “really significant reforms”.

He said that after joining the SNP she made a “formidable contribution in so many different areas, and particularly in the design of our social security system in Scotland, and also in the handling of the pandemic, and she gave extra levels of personal commitment to all that she did.”