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NMC appoints interim chief executive

Former head of St John Ambulance Sue Killen takes over from Jackie Smith

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has appointed an interim chief executive, following the departure of Jackie Smith.


Ms Killen was previously chief executive at St John Ambulance. Picture: St John Ambulance

Sue Killen will replace Ms Smith as chief executive and registrar for the profession’s regulator on 30 July.

‘The right time for a new person’

Ms Smith, who held the post for six years, announced her resignation in May, ahead of a report by the Professional Standards Authority into the regulator’s handling of the Morecambe Bay scandal.

At the time, she said she had only intended to stay five years and felt the report marked the right time for a new person to take over.

Former civil servant Ms Killen was chief executive of St John Ambulance for ten years until September 2017.

She led the service through a period of transition and drew scrutiny from national newspapers in 2014 for salary increases for top earners at the charity.

Housing association and charity positions

Ms Killen is currently the vice-chair of housing association Clarion Housing and chair of Clarion Futures, a charitable foundation that provides job opportunities to social housing residents.

Her previous roles have included director-general at the Department of Transport, and in 2006-07 she led an independent review of children and young people’s palliative care.

NMC chair Philip Graf told the Commons Health and Social Care Committee last week that a permanent chief executive would probably not be appointed until the new year. Ms Killen will hold the post until that time.

Applications for the post are open until midday on 22 August.


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