New chair appointed for NHS England’s Maternity and Neonatal Board

Sam Allen, the Chief Executive of North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board has been appointed as the new chair of NHS England’s Maternity and Neonatal Board, taking over from Sarah-Jane Marsh who stepped down earlier this year after seven years in the role.

Sam has significant experience in leadership positions within the NHS. In addition to her NHS career, which spans nearly 30 years, Sam is also the Chair of the Health and Care Women Leaders Network for NHS Confederation, a member of The Kings Fund General Advisory Council, a Leadership Fellow at St. George’s House and a Trustee of the Chartered Management Institute.

The Maternity and Neonatal Board oversees the delivery of NHS England’s Three Year Delivery Plan for Maternity and Neonatal Services, which sets out how the NHS will make maternity and neonatal care safer, more personalised, and more equitable for women, babies, and families.

Dame Ruth May, Chief Nursing Officer for England, said:

“It is vital that we all work together across the NHS to ensure that care for women, babies and families becomes safer, more personalised and more equitable.

“Sam’s wealth of experience in leadership roles and her dedication to the NHS will be a real asset to the Maternity and Neonatal Board, and we are delighted to welcome her to this crucial role.”

Sam Allen, chair of NHS England’s Maternity and Neonatal Board said:

“It is a real privilege to be appointed as Chair of the Maternity and Neonatal Programme Board and I am looking forward to working with colleagues to ensure the effective delivery of the agreed plan.

“Underpinning this is the importance of our collective and organisational culture, our ability to listen, our openness and transparency, our relationships and our ongoing commitment to safety, learning, improvement and action.  All of which is imperative to ensure we achieve the plan set, in doing so, making services safer, more personalised and more equitable.”