The Regional Director of the NHS in the South East, Anne Eden, has been named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours list.

Anne has been the Regional Director for the South East since 2017, having previously held similar roles covering the south of England for other arm’s length bodies from 2015. Prior to that, she served as Director of Delivery and Development (South) for the NHS Trust Development Authority from April 2015, before moving to NHS Improvement when it was established on 1 April 2016, bringing together Monitor, the NHS Trust Development Authority, Patient Safety and several other national bodies.

Speaking about being honoured, Anne recognised all the people she has worked with across the NHS and its partners.

She said: “I am delighted and humbled to receive this incredible honour, which I accept in recognition of all the inspirational colleagues I have had the privilege to work with over the years.

“The NHS is full of the most talented, passionate and committed people – both those delivering frontline services for our patients and those leading the organisations that they are a part of. So many go above and beyond every single day to improve the lives of our patients, and I hope that they are also able to see their efforts recognised by this award.”

Anne started her NHS career as a management trainee and has accumulated more than 40 years’ experience in management, leadership and Chief Executive roles across a number of acute and community NHS Trusts.

In December 2006, Anne joined Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust as Chief Executive, where she led the landmark integration of the county’s acute and community services in 2010. In 2013 she chaired the Better Training, Better Care group on behalf of Health Education England, examining how time spent across different care settings could help doctors shape their specialist careers and more recently led the review into how the NHS approaches and creates the right conditions for continuous improvement and high performance. This work led to the launch of NHS Impact (Improving Patient Care Together) in 2023.

Sir Jim Mackey, NHS Chief Executive said: “I have known and worked alongside Anne for a number of years. I am really pleased to see her commitment to patients, the Service and improvement alongside her collaborative approach recognised in His Majesty the King’s Birthday Honours. I can say with confidence that this legacy will live long within the region.”

Anne holds an MBA and is a qualified performance coach, as well as a graduate member of both the Institute of Health Services Management and the Chartered Institute of Marketing. In 2012 she became a visiting professor at Buckinghamshire New University, advising the faculty of society and health and supporting the Institute of Applied Leadership’s MA in Leadership and Management programme.

Anne is joined in this year’s Honours list by a number of other outstanding individuals from across the South East who have been recognised for their contributions to health, care and public service:

• Dr Crystal Elizabeth Oldman CBE (Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire) — Lately Chief Executive, The Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing. For services to Nursing.
• Ms Gisela Maame Ama Abakoma Abbam OBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) — Chair, General Pharmaceutical Council. For services to the Pharmacy Professions and Health.
• Mrs Rachael Ross MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) — Founding Officer, National Down Syndrome Policy Group. For services to Education, to Policy and to People with Down Syndrome.
• Dr Carl Samuel Waldmann MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) — Lately Director of Intensive Care Unit, Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust. For services to Critically Ill Patients in the NHS.
• Mrs Mhari Faye Coxon MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) — President and Trustee, Oral Health Foundation. For services to Oral Health.
• Mrs Maureen Lilian Treadwell MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) — Co-Founder and Treasurer, Birth Trauma Association. For services to Birth Trauma Awareness.
• Ms Helen Robyn Atkinson MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) — Director of Public Health, Portsmouth City Council. For services to Public Health.
• Miss Lucy Jane Warner MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) — Chief Executive, NHS Practitioner Health Service. For services to the NHS.
• Mr Warren John Dunkley MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) — Founder, Off the Ropes and Occupational Therapist, Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust. For services to Mental Health Support.
• Mrs Alice Louise Wintergold MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) — Consultant Clinical Scientist, Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust. For services to People with Disabilities.
• Mrs Lynn Cedar MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) — Co-Founder and lately Co-Chief Executive, Roundabout Dramatherapy. For services to Dramatherapy.
• Mr Matthew Dominic Wilson MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) — Chair, Blood Cancer UK. For services to Blood Cancer Awareness and Research