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Ruth May

Areas of Interest

Health Care, Business

Honorary Award

Honorary Doctor of Science, 2009

Biography

Ruth May is a charismatic leader within the healthcare sector. Her latest appointment has seen her take up the post of Chief Nursing Officer for the NHS East of England.

Ruth has a theatre nursing background and more than 20 years experience working in the NHS. She was the Chief Executive of Mid Essex Hospitals NHS Trust between 2007 and 2009. Prior to this appointment she was Chief Executive of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn NHS Trust.

Always at the helm, she has been described as an exceptional NHS leader with a wealth of valuable experience. Ruth is proud to have returned to her nursing roots to her new role which is one she has aspired to. On her appointment, she confirmed that she would lead, influence and maximise the contribution of nurses, midwives and allied health professionals to the delivery of healthcare. She is much-admired by members of the new Postgraduate Medical Institute and the wider Faculty of Health and Social Care at Anglia Ruskin University.

She is honoured for contributing to the wider health agenda with the ambition of helping the NHS in the East of England to deliver exemplary healthcare services.



Citation

"Vice Chancellor, it is my pleasure to read the citation for Ruth May for the award of Honorary Doctor of Science.

Ruth May is a charismatic leader within the healthcare sector.

Her latest appointment has seen her take up the post of Chief Nursing Officer for the NHS East of England.

Ruth has a theatre nursing background and more than 20 years experience working in the NHS. She was the Chief Executive of Mid Essex Hospitals NHS Trust between 2007 and 2009. Prior to this appointment she was Chief Executive of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn NHS Trust.

Always at the helm, she has been described as an exceptional NHS leader with a wealth of valuable experience. Her leadership helped Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust to achieve an 'excellent' rating for quality of services from the Healthcare Commission and cleared their £16m debt. Also, during her time leading the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, she played a pivotal role in turning around the Trust's financial and clinical performance.

Ruth is proud to have returned to her nursing roots to her new role which is one she has aspired to. On her appointment, she confirmed that she would lead, influence and maximise the contribution of nurses, midwives and allied health professionals to the delivery of healthcare. As part of her new role, she is leading on a variety of specialisms including Maternity & Newborn, Long Term Conditions and End of Life Care across the East of England and she is thriving on the challenge of providing excellence of care to patients and their families.

She is much-admired by members of the new Postgraduate Medical Institute and the wider Faculty of Health and Social Care at Anglia Ruskin University who are also teaching and mentoring the healthcare professionals of the future.

Ruth is already doing what she does best in her new role, contributing to the wider health agenda with the ambition of helping the NHS in the east of England deliver exemplary healthcare in the country.

In recognition of your inspirational leadership skills, we would like to honour you today. Vice Chancellor, it is my pleasure to present Ruth May for the award of Doctor of Science, honoris causa."