Vanessa PurdayClinician

Biography

Dr Vanessa Purday is Chief Medical Officer at Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, where she holds core CMO responsibilities including operations, strategy, safety, pharmacy, medical education, clinical scientists, and serving as the Trust Responsible Officer. She is a practising Consultant Anaesthetist with a special interest in intensive care medicine and brings over 30 years' experience in the NHS, having previously served as Chief Medical Officer at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust and in a number of leadership roles at East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, including Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Clinical Director for Surgery and Anaesthetics. She trained in the South West and spent seven years as a consultant anaesthetist at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital before working in Australia. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Anaesthetists and the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, and a graduate of the NHS Leadership Academy Nye Bevan programme. She has been publicly quoted on issues including maternity service safety and staffing pressures in NHS Devon.

References

1. 1.Executive Directors – NHS Royal Devon — Current role, CMO responsibilities, clinical background, fellowships, and leadership qualifications
2. 2.Dr Vanessa Purday appointed as Chief Medical Officer for Service Strategy and Operations – NHS Royal Devon — Appointment announcement, previous role at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, NHS Leadership Academy credentials, scope of CMO role
3. 3.Meet our new Chief Medical Officer – Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust — Prior appointment as CMO at LGT, leadership roles at East Kent Hospitals, career background
4. 4.North Devon District Hospital's maternity unit set to temporarily close due to staff levels – ITV News West Country — Recent press quote as Royal Devon CMO on maternity service safety and staffing

Expertise

Cited on

• Maternity & neonatal

Stated areas of expertise

• Anaesthesia and intensive care medicine
• Clinical safety and quality
• Medical workforce and staffing
• Maternity services
• NHS operational leadership
• Medical education

Notable achievements

• Appointed Chief Medical Officer at Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust from 1 September 2025, responsible for professional leadership across medical and clinical staff for the population of north and east Devon. Source ↗
• Awarded the NHS Leadership Academy Award in Executive Healthcare Leadership and completed the NHS Leadership Academy Nye Bevan programme. Source ↗
• Served as Chief Medical Officer at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust from June 2023, having previously been Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Interim Medical Director at East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust. Source ↗
• Publicly led communications on the temporary suspension of North Devon District Hospital's maternity unit due to consultant and medical staffing shortfalls, July 2026. Source ↗

What they’ve said

• “The trust has a responsibility to make decisions based on clinical risk, patient safety and the available evidence. The decision to temporarily suspend birthing services was reached through established clinical, executive and system governance processes when safe staffing could no longer be assured.”

  Chief medical officer of Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust · Maternity & neonatal · 27 Aug 2026 · Trust’s top doctor resigns in protest over North Devon maternity services ↗

• “The trust has a responsibility to make decisions based on clinical risk, patient safety and the available evidence.”

  Chief medical officer at Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust · Maternity & neonatal · 27 Aug 2026 · Health boss resigns over maternity unit closure ↗

Source references

1. Trust’s top doctor resigns in protest over North Devon maternity servicesnorthdevongazette.co.uk · 27 Aug 2026
2. Health boss resigns over maternity unit closurebbc.co.uk · 27 Aug 2026

Contact & links

• Staff pagehttps://www.royaldevon.nhs.uk/about-us/board-of-directors/executive-directors/
• LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-purday-529523255/
• Press office phone01392 411611published here ↗

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