Posted on: 28 July 2022

“We have appointed James Smith as the new Director of Nursing for CNWL’s Diggory Division. Congratulations James!”, says Maria O’Brien, CNWL’s Chief Nurse.

“The competition was intense – which is a good thing for patient care – and James was our final choice and the best candidate overall.”

The appointing panel included senior CNWL leaders as well as a Carer and a Chief Nurse from another Trust. 

James Smith_small.jpg“The Diggory portfolio of services is a very challenging one, because it covers every type and aspect of nursing, and that makes leadership of developing this complex workforce very demanding; I know that James will rise to the occasion and staff will join me in congratulating him”, said Maria.

Diggory Division – named after the NHS’s first patient in 1948 – covers all our services in Milton Keynes, our Health and Justice services, Addictions and Sexual Health services in London and Surrey.

In addition to his core work with Jane Hannon, Diggory’s Managing Director, and Dr Simon Edwards, Medical Director in the Division, James will lead corporately on Education, working closely with Dr Jane Canavan, our Assistant Director of Clinical Education.

James, who has been working as an Assistant Director of Nursing in Diggory since 2021, replaces Helen Willetts, who is stepping down from the role at the end of August.

Originally from Newark, James, graduated as a nurse from Nottingham University in 2008 after developing an interest in mental health from his first degree in clinical psychology. After starting his nursing career in Lincolnshire, he joined CNWL in 2011 as a Band 5 nurse specialising in working in Addictions across various settings.

He lives in North London with his husband.

James said, “I’m proud to continue my nursing journey in CNWL. We are facing huge pressures as a profession, and I’m determined to support our nursing workforce to continue delivering the excellent care that CNWL nursing and Diggory division is known for. I’m looking forward to working closely with Jane and Simon and am passionate about growing our nursing family, celebrating our diversity, to truly reflect the communities we work with.”

Jane Hannon, Managing Director of Diggory, said, “I am really looking forward to working with James who has demonstrated real passion and enthusiasm for our Diggory services and will bring a strong set of skills to the role. We will miss Helen massively and thank her for seeing us through this transition period.”

Maria concluded, “We will pay our tributes to Helen Willetts, who is stepping down from her role, later, but I cannot let this moment pass without thanking Helen, so much, for so much dedication and achievement. Helen is an outstanding nurse, who led much of our specialist expertise on Covid for the last two and a half years and provided model leadership to nurses everywhere. Helen you leave with all our respect, our gratitude and huge thanks.”