Chief Operating Officer at NHS England, Amanda Pritchard, is due to be confirmed as the NHS chief executive by Prime Minister Boris Johnson today, taking over from Sir Simon Stevens. This will make her the first female chief executive of the NHS in England.
She is also presently the chief executive and chief operating officer for NHS Improvement.
Some of Ms Prichard’s previous roles include chief executive at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS FT, and an advisor in Labour’s government under Tony Blair. She was also deputy chief executive at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS FT.
Her career began on the NHS Management Training Scheme in 1997, working for the NHS for 25 years. She has played a big part in the vaccine rollout, leading the NHS operationally throughout Covid-19. Ms Prichard is currently leading service transformation, digitisation, and improvements for patient care.
Professor Ravi Mahajan, President of the Royal College of Anaesthetists said: “On behalf of all our Fellows and Members, the Royal College of Anaesthetists would like to congratulate Amanda Pritchard on being appointed the Chief Executive of NHS England. Amanda’s wealth of experience in the healthcare sector, including her work as Chief Operating Officer of NHS England and her many years leading hospital trusts, ensures she is rightly placed to take up the mantle from Sir Simon Stevens, to whom we are grateful for his outstanding leadership over the past seven years.
“Amanda has been appointed at a critical time for the healthcare service as we begin our recovery from the pandemic. Ensuring the NHS in England is equipped to deal with the challenges, including the significant planned surgery backlog, will be no small task and we are keen to work with her not only to restore our NHS but to make sure lessons are learned.
“The NHS has adapted incredibly well over the pandemic, and it would be a missed opportunity for us simply to return to business as usual. Amanda has a unique chance to drive forward the healthcare agenda and build on the solid foundations laid by her predecessor.
“We look forward to working with Amanda to build back a stronger, better equipped and more sustainable NHS.”
It follows on from weeks of ministers and the NHS England board looking at potential candidates, with Ms Pritchard being the frontrunner. Mark Britnell was also amongst the shortlist of candidates.
