NHS England has today announced that Duncan Burton has been appointed as Chief Nursing Officer for England.

A nurse of more than 25 years, Duncan was most recently Deputy Chief Nursing Officer where he led national work on the maternity and neonatal programme, workforce policies and the children and young people’s transformation programme.

He began his career in respiratory medicine and neurology at the Royal United Hospital in Bath following completion of his nurse training at the University of Wales.

As Chief Nursing Officer for England, which starts with immediate effect, Duncan will lead the nursing profession as the government’s most senior advisor on nursing matters.

He held a variety of roles at University College London Hospitals including Head of Nursing for Medicine, Divisional Senior Nurse for Emergency Services, Modern Matron for Infection and Pathology, and Charge Nurse within the Acute Admissions Unit – before becoming their Deputy Chief Nurse.

He then moved to Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust as their Executive Director of Nursing and Patient Experience and Director of Infection Prevention and Control. During his time there, Duncan led the successful development and implementation of the trust’s award-winning dementia strategy.

Prior to joining NHS England in 2019 as Chief Nurse for the South-east region, Duncan was Executive Director of Nursing and Quality at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, where he had responsibility for the professional leadership of 4,000 nurses, midwives and allied health professionals.

Duncan said: “It’s an honour to be appointed to the role of Chief Nursing Officer for England and I look forward to working with nursing and midwifery colleagues to improve patient care and experience, improve the nation’s health, grow and develop the workforce and inspire the next generation of nursing and midwifery professionals and leaders.”

Chief Executive of NHS England Amanda Pritchard said: “I would like to congratulate Duncan – this is a hugely important appointment for our patients and workforce. His extensive experience in local, regional and national roles, along with his track record of delivery and leadership will be invaluable as he takes on this role at such a crucial time.

“Duncan has consistently achieved exceptional results – from the International Recruitment Nurse Programme, which ensured we met the 50k nurse commitment 6 months early, to the Health Care Support Worker recruitment programme, which resulted in the highest number of healthcare support staff employed in the NHS on record.

“I’d like to thank Dame Ruth May for her dedication and commitment to the NHS throughout her 40 years’ service – she has worked tirelessly to nurture the next generations of NHS nursing and midwifery leaders, and supported nurses, nursing associates, midwives and healthcare support staff to do their very best for patients and their families, and I wish her all the very best for her retirement.”

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “I would like to offer my congratulations to Duncan Burton on his appointment as Chief Nursing Officer for England.

“As a key adviser for NHS England and ministers, his range of experience will be invaluable. I want nurses to play a big role in helping write the 10-Year Plan to make the NHS fit for the future, and the Chief Nursing Officer will be key to that.

“I would also like to express my thanks to Dame Ruth May for an incredible 40 years of dedication and service to the health service.”