Jacqueline Totterdell has been announced as NHS Wales’ new chief executive, and will succeed Judith Padget, the current chief executive, who is taking up a new role as director general for strategy in the Welsh government.

Jacqueline is currently the group chief executive officer at St George’s, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group, and is set to start her new role before the end of September.

Health secretary, Jeremy Miles, said: “I would like to thank Judith for her four years as chief executive of NHS Wales and for the leadership she has provided to NHS Wales and the Welsh government’s Health, Social Care and Early Years department through the pandemic and its aftermath. Judith has been at the helm during an extraordinary period for the NHS, and I wish her all the best for her new role.

“I am very pleased that Jacqueline Totterdell will be joining us, bringing with her a wealth of experience in the healthcare sector and an impressive track record at St George’s.

“I look forward to working with Jacqueline as we focus on delivery and improvement and help the NHS adapt for the future. This includes building on the progress we’re making in Wales on waiting times, and to go further, to deliver the faster access to treatment that people in Wales want.

Jacqueline said: “After a long career in the. NHS, having the opportunity to lead health and social care services in Wales is very special. Joined-up services that achieve better outcomes for the citizens and communities we serve is a vision that most of us who work in the public sector aspire to.

“Being able to improve services on a whole-country level is what attracted me to this role and I’m really looking forward to working with everyone to make a real difference for people in Wales.”