Rachel Power

Who Rachel Power is

Rachel Power has been Chief Executive of the Patients Association since June 2017, bringing over 20 years of experience working in health and social care in the not-for-profit sector. The Patients Association is an independent UK charity that campaigns for patient partnership across all areas of health and social care, running a national helpline and engaging patients directly through focus groups, surveys and membership. Before joining the Patients Association, Power worked in hospice care, most recently at Richard House children's hospice in east London. She was appointed to the NHS Assembly in 2019 and chairs the Patient Coalition for AI, Data and Digital Tech in Health. She is known for arguing that patient partnership should be the default operating model of the NHS and for raising concerns about equity and accessibility in the NHS shift towards digital services.

References for this biography

1. 1.NHS England – Rachel Power author page — Confirms role as Chief Executive of the Patients Association since 2017 and membership of the NHS Assembly
2. 2.Rachel Power – HSJ Summit speaker profile — Details NHS Assembly appointment (2019), membership of NHS Elective Recovery Taskforce, National Outpatient Transformation Programme advisory group, National Patient Safety Response Advisory Panel, and chairing of Patient Coalition for AI, Data and Digital Tech in Health
3. 3.Rachel Power – NHS ConfedExpo 2025 speaker profile — Confirms Martha's Rule working group membership (2023), National Data Advisory Group and Personalised Care Institute Steering Group memberships, and The Times description as 'the UK's foremost patient campaigner'
4. 4.Patients Association appoints new chief executive – RCNi / Nursing Standard — Confirms appointment as Chief Executive in 2017, background of over two decades in health and social care voluntary sector
5. 5.Patient Safety Spotlight Interview with Rachel Power – Patient Safety Learning Hub — Confirms hospice care background (Richard House, east London), role description, and patient partnership focus
6. 6.NHS Assembly announced to help deliver the Long Term Plan – NHS England — Primary source confirming Rachel Power's appointment to the NHS Assembly in 2019
7. 7.THE PATIENTS ASSOCIATION – Charity Commission register — Confirms registered charity address (Harrow, HA1 3YJ) and general office phone number (020 8423 9111)
8. 8.Millions of people to benefit from healthcare on their doorstep – GOV.UK (September 2025) — Recent press quote from Rachel Power as Patients Association Chief Executive on neighbourhood health services and health inequalities
9. 9.Rachel Power: It's not enough to tell patients that 'digital is good' – Digital Health News (November 2025) — Evidences Power's public advocacy on digital equity and accessibility in NHS digital transformation

Notable achievements

• Appointed to the NHS Assembly in 2019 as representative of patient interests Source ↗
• Chairs the Patient Coalition for AI, Data and Digital Tech in Health, bringing together patient groups, charities, Royal Colleges and industry Source ↗
• Invited by the English Patient Safety Commissioner in 2023 to join her advisory group and be a member of the Martha's Rule working group Source ↗
• Oversaw growth of Patients Association membership from 300 to more than 2,000 Source ↗

What Rachel Power has said

• “This report is yet further damning evidence on the state of NHS dentistry and this double penalty for people on low incomes demonstrates a systemic failure with real human consequences.”

  Chief Executive of the Patients Association · Dentistry access · 10 Sept 2026 · Almost a third of people in England use private dentists amid NHS dental crisis ↗

• “The fact that every acute hospital in England now offered Martha's rule was "a landmark moment for patient safety".”

  chief executive of the Patients Association · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · Martha’s rule now in operation at every acute hospital in England ↗

• “While there is a welcome rise in GP numbers on paper, this report that one in three GPs are not working in the NHS is deeply distressing for the patients who already experience frustration and anxiety when trying to access a GP appointment. Long waits, fragmented care and delayed diagnoses are putting people's health at risk.”

  Chief Executive of the Patients Association · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · One in three GPs in England do not work in NHS, says BMJ study ↗

• “Patients should feel confident that when they book or request an appointment, whether online, on the phone, or in person, their needs will be assessed swiftly and safely by someone with the right training and skills to judge urgency.”

  Chief Executive of the Patients Association · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · GPs in England threaten action over online appointment booking plan ↗

• “The PAC's findings lay bare what patients have felt for over a decade: despite billions being spent, the NHS is still not delivering the timely care people desperately need.”

  chief executive of the Patients Association charity · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · NHS failing to cut waiting times as promised in recovery plan, report warns ↗

• “When seven out of 10 people only find out their referral failed because they chased it up themselves, something is badly wrong. These are people already anxious about their health, already stressed waiting for treatment – and then they discover they weren't even in the queue.”

  Chief Executive of the Patients Association · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · Thousands of patients in England at risk as GP referrals vanish into NHS ‘black hole’ ↗

• “It's clear the current approach isn't working. Independent mediation is the only credible path to a lasting solution that protects patients.”

  Chief Executive of the Patients Association · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · Officials fear NHS will be hit hard after resident doctors reject latest offer ↗

• “We welcome the news that Acas is in contact with both the BMA and the government to help resolve this dispute”

  chief executive of the Patients Association · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · Acas offers to help break deadlock in resident doctors’ strike ↗

• “When pharmacies close their doors or cut opening hours, patients pay the price. In some instances, local pharmacy is the only port of call for patients in need. For shift workers, for people in deprived areas, for anyone without a car or good public transport, the local pharmacy is a lifeline that can prevent unnecessary trips to see a GP or to the hospital.”

  Chief Executive of the Patients Association · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · Patients face long journeys for medicines as pharmacies cut weekend hours ↗

• “patients wanted "transparency, clear boundaries around access to their data, and to be consulted when changes to those agreements are proposed"”

  Chief Executive of the Patients Association · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · Palantir’s access to identifiable NHS England patient data is ‘dangerous’, MPs say ↗

• “Patients treated by individuals who never should have been on the register should not be left to wonder if they were impacted but deserve honest and direct communication.”

  Chief Executive, Patients Association · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · UK nurses and midwives who should have been banned have worked for last 12 years ↗

• “A diagnostic test is not the end of a patient's journey – it is the beginning. Without it, treatment cannot start, conditions deteriorate, and what might have been caught early becomes something far harder to treat.”

  Chief Executive of the Patients Association · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · Record number of people waiting for NHS diagnostic tests in England ↗

• “As digital triage rolls out more widely, it must work for all patients, not just the digitally confident. Older patients, those with disabilities, and people with limited digital access must never be disadvantaged because they couldn't use a kiosk or a tablet.”

  Chief executive of the Patients Association · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · A&E patients with non-urgent ailments may be told to come back later under NHS plans ↗

Where Rachel Power has been quoted

1. GP practices accused of ‘excluding’ older patients by introducing online access changespulsetoday.co.uk · 30 Sept 2026
2. Almost a third of people in England use private dentists amid NHS dental crisistheguardian.com · 10 Sept 2026
3. Martha’s rule now in operation at every acute hospital in Englandtheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
4. One in three GPs in England do not work in NHS, says BMJ studytheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
5. GPs in England threaten action over online appointment booking plantheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
6. NHS failing to cut waiting times as promised in recovery plan, report warnstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
7. Thousands of patients in England at risk as GP referrals vanish into NHS ‘black hole’theguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
8. Officials fear NHS will be hit hard after resident doctors reject latest offertheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
9. Acas offers to help break deadlock in resident doctors’ striketheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
10. Patients face long journeys for medicines as pharmacies cut weekend hourstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
11. Palantir’s access to identifiable NHS England patient data is ‘dangerous’, MPs saytheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
12. UK nurses and midwives who should have been banned have worked for last 12 yearstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
13. Record number of people waiting for NHS diagnostic tests in Englandtheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
14. A&E patients with non-urgent ailments may be told to come back later under NHS planstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026

Related media coverage

Recent UK press coverage of their topics — not necessarily citing them directly.

• Leaders in Care Awards 2026 | Lifetime Achievement: Care Homes winner revealedHome Care Insight
• GP architect of neighbourhood health reforms to leave NHS EnglandPulse Today
• An important step forward in ending corridor care - Colin Poolman | Blog | RCN ScotlandRoyal College of Nursing

Contact & links

• Websitehttps://www.patients-association.org.ukpublished here ↗
• Xhttps://x.com/rachelpower222
• LinkedInhttps://uk.linkedin.com/in/rachel-power-91637b129
• Staff pagehttps://www.england.nhs.uk/author/rachel-power/
• Press office phone020 8423 9111published here ↗

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