The chief nursing officer (CNO) for England has announced that she will retire.
Dame Ruth May, who has held the CNO post since 2019, said today that she will step down from the national role later this year.
“My role as CNO has, undoubtedly, been the highlight of my career in the NHS and has been a privilege”
Ruth May
Previously, Dame Ruth was director of nursing at NHS Improvement, a post she had held since 2016. She stepped into the CNO role following the departure of Jane Cummings.
NHS England has now confirmed that Dame Ruth will retire as CNO, after five years in post.
During her tenure, Dame Ruth has overseen some of the most poignant moments in nursing’s history and has been recognised for her accomplishments.
In June 2022, she was awarded a Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (DBE) for her services to nursing, midwifery and the NHS.
Upon receiving this award, Dame Ruth recognised the expertise of nursing and midwifery colleagues in caring for people at every stage of their lives and the vital role that the professions and care staff played during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Most notably, Dame Ruth led the nursing, midwifery and care professions’ response to the Covid-19 pandemic, after being CNO for just under a year.
During this time, she supported hundreds of thousands of nurses who were giving care on the frontlines in unprecedented circumstances.
Meanwhile, Dame Ruth has also overseen several other important developments in the nursing world in recent years.
For example, last year the government finally reached its target of 50,000 additional registered nurses in England.
The commitment for more nurses came from the government’s 2019 election manifesto, in which it pledged to increase the FTE number of registered nurses working in the NHS by 50,000 by March 2024.
Meanwhile, Dame Ruth also unveiled a brand new vision for nurses, midwives and nursing associates in England last year, which she said would “inspire a new direction for nursing and midwifery in England”.
This means, for the first time, nurses, midwives and nursing associates across all settings would have a shared vision for the way in which they practice.
The final version of the more detailed strategy is expected in the coming months.
On the social media site X, Dame Ruth said: “My role as CNO has, undoubtedly, been the highlight of my career in the NHS and has been a privilege.
“Throughout this time, I have had the honour of caring for patients and worked alongside fantastic colleagues.
“Although recent years have been the most challenging for the NHS, nurses, midwives, nursing associates and health and care support staff have together achieved so much.”