The NHS Commissioning Board Authority has announced the appointment of Jane Cummings as Chief Nursing Officer.

Jane is currently Chief Nurse for NHS North of England and was previously Chief Nurse and Deputy Chief Executive for NHS North West.

Chief Executive of the NHS Commissioning Board Authority, Sir David Nicholson said:

“Jane is well known and respected throughout the NHS and has a wealth of knowledge and expertise, coupled with extensive clinical and managerial experience. As a clinically-led organisation, this is a vital role and I’m delighted that Jane is joining the Board to provide outstanding clinical and professional leadership to the nursing and midwifery professions and drive forward quality improvements and better outcomes for patients.”

Jane Cummings said:

“I am absolutely delighted to be appointed as the Chief Nursing Officer for the NHS Commissioning Board Authority. It is an enormous privilege to become the professional lead for nurses and midwives in England and I am looking forward to working with them to further improve the quality of care and patient experience for the patients we serve.

To be a nurse or midwife is an amazing role; supporting patients and their families when they are at their most vulnerable and when clinical expertise, care and compassion matter most. I am proud to be a part of the future of nursing in England and look forward to supporting and developing the profession in the future.”

A core role of the Chief Nursing Officer will be to drive quality improvements in patient safety and patient experience.

Subject to passage of the Health and Social Care Bill, Board appointments are expected to transfer to the NHS Commissioning Board once it is established as an Executive Non Departmental Public Body later in 2012.

Jane is the eighth of the following nine National Directors to be appointed to the Board:

• Chief Nursing Officer – Jane Cummings
• Chief Operating Officer – Ian Dalton
• Chief of Staff – Jo-Anne Wass
• Director of Commissioning Development – Dame Barbara Hakin
• Director of Finance – Paul Baumann
• Director of Improvement and Transformation – Jim Easton
• Director of Policy, Corporate Development and Partnership – Bill McCarthy
• Medical Director – Sir Bruce Keogh

The post of National Director: Patient Insight is currently out to open recruitment and interviews are scheduled for May 2012.

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