Prior to this she held a variety of regional and national roles as a senior clinical leader focussed on Children and Young People. She is a Paediatrician with over 30yrs service in the NHS.

In her last position as Regional Medical Director in the East of England she was the Chief Clinical Information Officer.

She has board level and system experience including organisational merger, within a regulatory environment and across complex systems.

Mel has significant experience in digital transformation, quality improvement, and transformational change and leadership, and working with a wide range of people and organisations developing networks, improvement programmes, whole system working and peer review.

She has a relentless focus on improving outcomes for patients and their families, supporting the health and care workforce, compassionate leadership and developing a culture of learning and continuous improvement.