A Crowborough woman who has been at the forefront of improving health services across England has been awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours List.
Louise Ansari is currently the non-executive director of NHS England and was previously the chief executive of Healthwatch England – the health watchdog that champions the rights and views of patients in health and social care.
She has received the MBE for services to health equity.
She said: “It’s wonderful to be awarded an MBE in the King’s New Year’s Honours. I’m proud of my achievements but they have always been as part of a team. Thank you to everyone I’ve worked and volunteered with in public and charitable service over the last 35 years.”
Louise has held various senior roles but as the chief executive of Healthwatch England led the way in achieving improvements for patients in NHS care for patients across country.
When she left that role earlier this year she said: “Working with the Healthwatch team to champion the voices of patients and communities has been a real privilege. Together, we’ve helped put key issues like improving GP access and cutting waiting times at the heart of health reform.
“We’ve also shone a light on challenges such as poor communication, long waits for ADHD assessments, and the lack of NHS dentistry—while recognising where care has been excellent.”