Dame Amanda Pritchard, the former chief executive of NHS England, has said she does not expect much disruption from the impending change of prime minister, as the health service has “got a bit used to change.”
Dame Amanda's Experience with Political Change
Speaking after being made a Dame Commander of the British Empire by the King at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, Pritchard noted that during her tenure as NHS England chief executive from August 2021 to March 2025, she worked under “four prime ministers and six secretaries of state.”
“One of the great things about the NHS is that it’s an institution of state – it serves the government of the day,” she said. “It has the ability to just continue on, despite some of that upheaval.”
No Major Disruption Expected
“So day-to-day, I wouldn’t imagine there will be a huge amount of disruption, but the hope is always that whoever comes in as prime minister will be as supportive of the NHS as all of the recent predecessors,” she added.
Pritchard, who is now chief executive at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust, described the coming months as “incredibly busy, because it always is in the NHS,” but expressed hope for “continued opportunities to just keep showing that it does do amazing things every day.”
Honours at Windsor Castle
The investiture ceremony took place as temperatures were forecast to hit record highs. Pritchard advised people to “stay hydrated, don’t go out unnecessarily” and follow NHS guidance on hot weather.
Other recipients at Windsor Castle included actress Anne Reid, who was made a CBE for services to drama. Reid, 91, has had a career spanning nearly 70 years, including long stints on Coronation Street (1961-1971) and Last Tango In Halifax (2012-2020). She told the Press Association: “It’s very nice, a bit nerve-wracking actually, I thought I was going to fall over or something. But I’m thrilled, absolutely thrilled.”
Reid said she told the King she was born when his great-grandfather was on the throne in 1935. She continues to work actively, having recently wrapped filming for an HBO show Youth and with a cameo in a Ben Stiller film upcoming, as well as writing her autobiography.
Other honours included Katherine Sciver-Brunt, who received an OBE, and Georgia Stanway, who was made an MBE.
