The Whittington Hospital's new chief nurse says she is "passionate about integration and inclusion".

Sarah Wilding, currently director of nursing for integrated and specialist medicine at Guy’s and St Thomas’, has been appointed chief nurse and director of allied health professionals by Whittington Health NHS Trust.

Sarah takes over from Michelle Johnson MBE, who has held the position since 2018.

In her current role Sarah provides nursing leadership to a clinical group with around 8,000 staff and which includes a large number of services, including all areas of acute and general medicine and integrated local services.

Sarah said: “As someone who is passionate about integration and inclusion, I am delighted to be taking on this role, working in an organisation that does so much in these areas.

“I am looking forward to joining the trust and getting on with the job of ensuring we provide outstanding patient care and maintain a relentless focus on staff wellbeing.”

Sarah, who qualified as a nurse in 1994, has worked at Guy’s and St Thomas’ for 20 years in roles that covered surgery, abdominal medicine, emergency care, older persons and community nursing.

She has had responsibility for adult safeguarding, professional nursing leadership and working with the medical director. She was the nursing lead for St Thomas’ Hospital and adult community services during the pandemic and has done significant work on transforming mental health through better alignment with physical health.

The chair of Whittington Health NHS Trust, baroness Julia Neuberger, said: “Sarah’s experience leading such a large part of the nursing workforce at Guy’s and St Thomas’ made her a fantastic candidate for this role.

"Her experience of integrated care and commitment to professional leadership for nurses will carry on Michelle’s hard work and we are delighted we will be welcoming her to Whittington Health this summer.”

With current chief executive Siobhan Harrington leaving the Whittington to take up a new post in Dorset, it has been announced that Carol Gillen, currently the chief operating officer, will take on the role of acting chief executive temporarily until Helen Brown arrives on June 20.