Marie Crofts has been appointed by NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board as its new chief nursing officer.
Ms Crofts will be joining the commissioning body from Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust where she has been chief nurse for the past five years.
According to a statement from the ICB, details are still being finalised, but Ms Crofts is set to join NHS Gloucestershire later this year.
““She brings a wealth of experience from across the NHS, and I look forward to working with her to transform the quality of support and care we provide to local people”
Mary Hutton
NHS Gloucestershire ICB – also known as just NHS Gloucestershire – is responsible for planning and buying services to meet the health needs of local people in the county.
It is one of the 42 ICBs across England that were created by the Health and Care Act 2022 and formally established in Jully 2022, with a mandate to commission more integrated services.
Each ICB is a statutory NHS organisation responsible for developing a plan in collaboration with local trusts for meeting the health needs of its population by arranging the provision of services.
ICBs form part of the latest reorganisation of NHS commissioning structures. They replaced clinical commissioning groups, which themselves replaced primary care trusts in April 2013.
Ms Crofts has been chief nurse at Oxford Health since 2019 and a nurse for 39 years, with senior management experience in both mental health and community health services, and commissioning.
Before joining Oxford Health, she spent around three years as director of nursing and quality at the former 2gether NHS Foundation Trust.
That organisation delivered mental health and learning disability services to people in Gloucestershire and Herefordshire.
It has since merged with Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust to become Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust.
“I’m really excited to be returning to the NHS in Gloucestershire. I’m passionate about improving the care and experience of patients”
Marie Crofts
She has also worked at a regional level, implementing evidence-based practice and working with carers to influence change.
Mary Hutton, chief executive of NHS Gloucestershire, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Marie as our new chief nursing officer.
“She brings a wealth of experience from across the NHS, and I look forward to working with her to transform the quality of support and care we provide to local people and improve the health and wellbeing of our population.”
She added: “She will be focused on working with partners to develop and support the wonderful nursing workforce we have in Gloucestershire, and ensuring we build a bright future for the profession.”
Ms Crofts said: “I’m really excited to be returning to the NHS in Gloucestershire.
“I’m passionate about improving the care and experience of patients, and I look forward to working with colleagues across the One Gloucestershire integrated care system, particularly amongst nursing, midwifery and allied health professions, to build on the excellent work already taking place here.”
Ms Crofts’ appointment comes as Marion Andrews-Evans steps down from the chief nurse role at the ICB in the autumn.
Ms Hutton added: “I would like to thank Marion for her commitment over 46 years of nursing and particularly for her dedicated service to the NHS in Gloucestershire and across the South West.”