On 1 February 2015, Anne-Marie Vangsted, Acting Head of Division, took up the position as Director with responsibility for supervision at the Danish Health and Medicines Authority. The new position as director was created as part of our action plan aimed at modernising the supervisory function, in which Anne-Marie Vangsted has played a key role since we presented the plan on 15 September 2014.
Else Smith, Director General, welcomes Anne-Marie Vangsted to the Board of Directors, which now consists of Else Smith, Jakob Cold, Director, and Anne-Marie Vangsted, Director.
”With the appointment of Anne-Marie Vangsted, we now have a director with strong competencies within management and regulatory supervision. She has had a major impact on the realisation of the action plan and will be playing a key role in the future work of bringing our supervisory function to an international level,” says Else Smith.
Anne-Marie Vangsted holds a MSc in Pharmacy and has worked as a researcher, a research associate and a government official, e.g. as Head of Division since 1998.
She has experience in managing change processes. For example, the dynamic change process towards new and increasingly European-driven regulation procedures, the handling of difficult cases attracting great media attention and contributions to the merger between the National Board of Health and the Danish Medicines Agency in 2012.
Anne-Marie Vangsted has been Acting Head of Division of the DHMA Public Health Medical Officers East & Supervision since we presented the action plan on 15 September 2014. The plan aims to modernise the supervision of healthcare professionals and the general supervision of the health sector.
Anne-Marie Vangsted will be heading the implementation of a new strategy to change the present supervisory function into a risk-based and proactive supervisory function. In future, we will be assessing the areas where patient safety is most at risk based on the available relevant data and reports. On that basis, we will identify the themes for the supervision in the coming year. As always, the objective is to ensure a high level of patient safety.
The action plan comprises 25 focus areas and will be implemented in the course of 2015. Focus is on ensuring improved quality, efficiency and clear communication in this area.