NHS England has appointed three new non-executive directors to its board.
Baroness Mary Watkins, Professor Sir Simon Wessely and Professor Sir Mark Walport – who come have experience in nursing, mental health, and life sciences respectively – will take their place on the board from 27 January.
Baroness Watkins qualified as a nurse in 1976 and as a mental health nurse in 1979, working across community, in-patient mental health and acute settings.
She is visit professor in the Florene Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Palliative Care, King’s College London. She is also president of the Florence Nightingale Foundation; and a former deputy vice-chancellor at Plymouth University.
Professor Sir Simon Wessely has worked for 35 years as a clinical psychiatrist, specialising in general hospital psychiatry, and is currently regius professor of psychiatry at King’s College London. He was previously president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
And Professor Sir Mark Walpor is chair of Imperial College Health Partners and an honorary distinguished professor of medicine at Imperial College London, and chair of Imperial College Academic Health Sciences Centre Partnership Board.
NHS England Chair Richard Meddings said: ‘Our new colleagues will play a pivotal role alongside my other non-executive colleagues as we make progress in delivering the key ambitions outlined in the NHS Long Term Plan and continue to transform the NHS for the future.’
Amanda Pritchard, NHS chief executive, said: ‘As we deal with record demand for our services, continue to make progress on recovery following the pandemic, and strive to transform care for the future, I know their extensive clinical knowledge, skills and experience will help us improve services for patients across the country, and I look forward to working with them over the coming months.’
