Anthony MayRegulator

Biography

Anthony May has been Chief Executive of Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) since 1 September 2022, having joined from Nottinghamshire County Council where he served as Chief Executive from April 2015. Prior to that role, he held posts at the Council as Corporate Director for Children, Families and Cultural Services and Deputy Chief Executive, joining in 2004. NUH is one of England's largest acute teaching trusts, operating the Queen's Medical Centre and City Hospital campuses and serving around 2.5 million people in Nottingham and the surrounding region. Since joining NUH, May has been the principal public voice on the trust's response to the Donna Ockenden Independent Maternity Review, issuing repeated public apologies and committing to implement all essential actions from the final report. He published a 'People First' report after his first 100 days, based on over 3,000 conversations with staff, patients and partners, setting out his improvement priorities for the trust.

References

1. 1.An open letter to the communities that we are proud to serve | NUH — Confirms Anthony May started as NUH Chief Executive on 1 September 2022, his background at Nottinghamshire County Council, and his initial public commitments on maternity services improvement.
2. 2.New Chief Executive Announced for Nottingham University Hospitals | NUH — Confirms appointment, prior role as CEO of Nottinghamshire County Council, and prior governance roles including Chair of the Midlands Engine Operating Board and Chair of the Association of County Chief Executives.
3. 3.Meet the Board | NUH — Official NUH board page confirming May's role, background, and organisational press email address.
4. 4.Hospital chief executive sets out improvement plan | NUH — Establishes the 'People First' report as a sourced achievement, based on 3,000+ conversations in his first 100 days.
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Expertise

Cited on

• Hospital discharge / bed-blocking

Stated areas of expertise

• NHS trust leadership
• Maternity safety improvement
• Patient safety and accountability
• Public sector governance
• Organisational culture change
• Provider sustainability

Notable achievements

• Published the 'People First' report after conducting more than 3,000 conversations with staff, patients, volunteers and partners during his first 100 days as NUH Chief Executive, setting out a vision for improvement. Source ↗
• Served as Chair of the Midlands Engine Operating Board for five years and Chair of the Association of County Council Chief Executives for over two years prior to joining NUH. Source ↗
• Was one of nine regional chief executive leads working with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the Covid-19 response and strategic direction of local government, representing the East Midlands. Source ↗
• Following the publication of the Ockenden Independent Maternity Review in June 2026, May pledged publicly to remain in post for two years to oversee the required changes and committed to implementing all essential actions in the report. Source ↗

What they’ve said

• “improvement remained a "work in progress", he said last week. He has apologised to families who were harmed by the trust's shortcomings.”

  chief executive of Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · Report on Nottingham NHS maternity scandal to reveal ‘horrendous’ failings ↗

• “"I will take responsibility and accountability for that, because you're absolutely right, that happened on my watch. I'm very sorry. I'm really disappointed … dignity and respect of people in death matters just as much as it does during their lives."”

  chief executive of Nottingham University Hospitals trust · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · Bodies in Nottingham NHS trust mortuary in state of ‘advanced deterioration’, inspectors say ↗

Source references

1. Report on Nottingham NHS maternity scandal to reveal ‘horrendous’ failingstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
2. Bodies in Nottingham NHS trust mortuary in state of ‘advanced deterioration’, inspectors saytheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026

Contact & links

• Staff pagehttps://www.nuh.nhs.uk/meet-the-board/
• Press office emailnuhnt.chiefexecutive@nhs.netpublished here ↗

Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.