NHS England has announced today that Duncan Burton has been appointed to the role of Chief Nursing Officer for England and Executive Director at NHS England.

The chief nursing officer for England (CNO) is supported by the chief midwifery officer, four deputy chief nursing officers, and seven regional chief nurses. He is responsible for providing clinical and professional leadership for all nurses, midwives and nursing associates across health and social care in England, including the 373,000 nurses and midwives who work for the NHS and who make up the largest group of the total NHS workforce, as well as the nurses working in public health and those in the independent sector.

He also provides clinical and workforce advice to the NHS and the board of NHS England, and to ministers and officials in the Department of Health and Social Care on relevant issues.

A workforce that is fit for the future – ensuring the right teams are in place is crucial to the delivery of the Long Term Plan. To achieve this, we need to:

• Recruit and retain enough people with the skills required.
• Build places of work that are rewarding, positive and filled with opportunity.
• Develop the quality of our management and leadership at every level.
• Tackle inequality and break down the barriers that are preventing too many from reaching their potential.
• Create an infrastructure that enables more volunteers to support our front-line staff.

Responding to the announcement, Alison Morton, iHV CEO said:

“The Institute of Health Visiting joins with others across the family of nursing in congratulating Duncan on his appointment as the new CNO for England, and we offer him our ongoing support as he picks up the mantle to lead the nursing profession in England into the future. There is no denying that Duncan is taking on this most senior role in nursing at a time of great challenge in almost every part of the health and care system – however, it is also a time of great opportunity for our profession that requires courageous leadership.

“At the iHV, we have worked closely with Duncan for many years – he has shown himself to be a man of integrity, collegiate by nature, and with the ambition and drive for excellence across all areas of nursing that is very much needed at this time. He is also a staunch advocate for babies, children and families and recognises the important role that health visitors play in improving the nation’s health. Duncan has shown that he understands the scale of the task that lies ahead and is ready to rise to the challenge. Congratulations Duncan!

“We also want to thank Dame Ruth May for her incredible leadership during her five-year tenure as CNO. Ruth has been tireless in her efforts in putting people first and skilfully navigating our profession during some turbulent years. We wish her every success for the future! Thank you, Ruth!”