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Ruth May (nurse)

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Dame
Ruth May
DBE
Chief Nursing Officer (England)
In office
7 January 2019 – 25 July 2024
DeputyMark Radford CBE
Duncan Burton
Charlotte McCardle
Acosia Nyanin
Preceded byJane Cummings CBE
Succeeded byDuncan Burton
Personal details
Born (1967-06-01) 1 June 1967 (age 57)
Wales
Children1
ProfessionNurse
WebsiteOfficial website

Dame Ruth Rosemarie Beverley,[1] DBE (born 1 June 1967[citation needed]), known professionally as Ruth May, is a British nurse. From 2019 until 2024, she served as the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) for England and an executive/national director at NHS England and NHS Improvement where she was also the national director responsible for infection prevention and control.[2][3]

Career

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May began her career with a variety of nursing roles before becoming a theatre sister at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey.[3] She was subsequently acting Director of Nursing at Barnet Hospital in London before being appointed the substantive Director of Nursing and Deputy Chief Executive at Havering Primary Care Trust in North East London.[3]

In October 2005, May became Chief Executive of Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, a post she held for two years. She has also been Chief Executive of Mid-Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust.[3] She also worked as Director of Nursing at Monitor from 2015 to 2016.[3][4] From April 2016 to 2019 she served as executive director of nursing at NHS Improvement.[3][4]

She was appointed Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) for England on 7 January 2019,[2] succeeding Jane Cummings.[5] Her role came to public attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. On one occasion during its early stages, she was driven to call for an end to the abuse of nurses by patients.[6]

She led the NHS's "Stop the Pressure" campaign, to reduce the incidence of pressure ulcers in hospital in-patients.[3][7]

In July 2024, May stood down as Chief Nursing Officer, being replaced by her deputy Duncan Burton. [8]

Honours and awards

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May has received honorary doctorates from the Anglia Ruskin University in 2009,[9] the University of Suffolk in 2016[10] and from Coventry University "for her contribution as a national leader of nursing" in 2019.[11] She became a Fellow of the Queen's Nursing Institute in 2020.[12]

She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2022 Birthday Honours for services to nursing, midwifery and the NHS.[13]

Personal life

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She was born in Wales but has lived in Colchester, Essex for most of the 21st century[10] She has a daughter who was eight at the time of May's appointment as CNO.[14]

May is dyslexic, having only been diagnosed as an adult in 2018.[15]

References

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  1. ^ "Birthday Honours 2022" (PDF). gov.uk. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Chief Nursing Officer for England". NHS England. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Ruth May". NHS England.
  4. ^ a b "Ruth May". United Kingdom Government. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  5. ^ Swan, David (11 December 2018). "Ruth May announced as new CNO for England". Nursing in Practice. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  6. ^ Adedokun, Naomi (20 March 2020). "Coronavirus horror: NHS chief exposes brutal abuse as patients SPIT at vital care staff". Express. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  7. ^ "Stop the Pressure". NHS Improvement. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  8. ^ https://www.england.nhs.uk/nursingmidwifery/chief-nursing-officer-for-england/
  9. ^ "Ruth May". Anglia Ruskin University. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  10. ^ a b Mooney, Bernadette (20 October 2016). "Honorary Doctorate awarded to Executive Director of Nursing". University of Suffolk. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  11. ^ "Coventry University's honorary doctorates include a princess and Coventry sporting legend". Coventry University. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  12. ^ "QNI Fellow | Dr Ruth May". Queen's Nursing Institute.
  13. ^ "No. 63714". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 June 2022. p. B8.
  14. ^ Mitchell, Gemma (15 February 2019). "Exclusive: England's new CNO pledges to boost pride in nursing". Nursing Times. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  15. ^ May, Ruth; Swan, Anthony (6 October 2023). "Dyslexia Awareness Week 2023". www.england.nhs.uk. NHS England. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
[edit]
Preceded by Chief Nursing Officer for England
2019-2024 		Succeeded by
Duncan Burton
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