NHS England has appointed Dr Navina Evans as its new chief workforce officer following the departure of her predecessor Prerana Issar earlier this year.

Dr Evans has been chief executive of Health Education England (HEE) since March 2022 and previously worked at East London NHS Foundation Trust for 25 years, first as a psychiatrist and then moving up to clinical director.

In October 2021, the Department of Health and Social Care announced reforms to the management of the NHS workforce, resulting in a merge between HEE and NHS England. Therefore, recruitment, training and retention of NHS staff will all come under the same umbrella, overseen by Dr Evans.

Chief executive of NHS Employers and deputy chief executive of the NHS Confederation Danny Mortimer said:

“With the NHS carrying over 105,000 vacancies and many staff experiencing exhaustion and burnout, and the recent results from the NHS staff survey, this role will be absolutely critical to the NHS for health leaders, clinicians and patients over the coming months.

“It is positive to have clarity and certainty about this vital role and to have a colleague with Navina’s track record in Health Education England and the outstanding rated East London Foundation Trust in place.

“Her work to date on workforce planning over the medium and longer term has shown her willingness to engage with NHS leaders meaningfully.”

NHS Employers is part of NHS Confederation and aims to support workforce leaders across Trusts in England and Wales and manage relationships with trade unions.

A new set of plans were recently announced by the Department of Health and Social care after an independent review by General Sir Gordon Messenger and Dame Linda Pollard identified “institutional inadequacy” in how NHS leaders are trained. The plans are designed to “attract great leaders” into the most challenged areas of the NHS.