Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) for England, Dame Ruth May, has announced her upcoming retirement.
‘I have had the honour of caring for patients and worked alongside fantastic colleagues,’ she said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). ‘Although recent years have been the most challenging for the NHS, nurse, midwives, nursing associates and health and care support staff have together achieved so much.’
Ruth has been CNO since 2019. She branded her time in the role as the ‘highlight’ of her almost 40-year long career for the NHS. She stated that she will be retiring later this year. Ruth finished her post: ‘I am and will always be proud to be a nurse.’
NMC chief executive and registrar Andrea Sutcliffe commented: ‘Ruth has provided phenomenal leadership for the nursing and midwifery professions in England, not least through the unprecedented and sustained hardship of the Covid-19 pandemic…’
Andrea described Ruth as ‘a very visible CNO, actively speaking up in support of the professions and celebrating their achievements’.
She added: ‘Ruth has also been a staunch advocate for internationally educated colleagues and Black, Ethnic Minority professionals, with a commitment to promoting anti-racism.’
Thanking Ruth ‘on behalf of everyone at the NMC’, Andrea called it a ‘privilege’ to have worked with her.
Image | Ruth May X (video still)
