1st Director of Nursing for Public Health announced
The top nursing post for public health, which will provide leadership to the workforce and help the public to live healthy lives, was announced by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley.
Professor Viv Bennett has been appointed as Director of Nursing in the Department of Health and the Government’s Principal Advisor on Public Health Nursing. Viv was previously the Deputy Chief Nursing Officer.
This new post will complement the role of Chief Nursing Officer in the NHS Commissioning Board, which will be recruited in 2012.
Together, these posts will enhance the role of nursing leadership and replace the current role of Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) in the Department of Health.
The Director of Nursing will be accountable to the Director-General of Public Health within the Department, and work closely with ministers and the Permanent Secretary to ensure public health nursing is central to government policy. Viv will work closely with a range of other national nursing leaders, in particular, the CNO on the NHS Commissioning Board, to ensure a strengthened nursing leadership framework.
Key responsibilities include:
- providing high-quality and independent nursing advice to the Department and across government on policy issues and public health nursing
- leading and coordinating nursing policy development to maximise the contribution of nursing focusing on public health
- acting as champion for health improvement on a stage in the life course
- providing nursing advice to the development of social care
- providing professional nurse leadership for public health nurses and midwives and for health visitors and developing and extending the public health role of all nurses.
