New Year honour for Birmingham NHS board member
Published on 31/12/2024
Jacynth Ivey, Non-Executive Director of Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (BCHC) and University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB), has received an MBE in His Majesty the King’s New Year Honours List for services to nursing. Jacynth is also a member of the Stakeholder Engagement Advisory Group of the national NHS Race and Health Observatory.
Jacynth dedicated 25 years of her career to patients of Birmingham and Solihull as a former nurse, midwife, and health visitor, before taking on extensive leadership roles in the NHS and voluntary sector.
Jacynth became the first black executive director of nursing (chief nurse) in the West Midlands when working for Solihull Primary Care Trust, before she became a consultant for the NHS specialising in leadership and equality.
Six years ago, Jacynth took up a non-executive role at BCHC and then the same role at UHB in 2023.
Jacynth said, “I am deeply humbled to accept this honour. It serves as both a recognition of the incredible individuals and communities who have supported me throughout my journey, and as a renewed call to continue championing equity, inclusion, and better health outcomes for all.” In her non-executive role, Jacynth supports colleagues from culturally and ethnically diverse backgrounds at both trusts as a non-executive sponsor of the respective staff networks.
Dame Yve Buckland, Chair of UHB, said: “On behalf of the whole Trust, I am delighted that His Majesty the King has chosen to recognise the groundbreaking work undertaken by Jacynth Ivey to address health inequalities and make the NHS more inclusive for staff and patients.”
Professor David Sallah, Chair of BCHC, said: “I'm delighted about this recognition of Jacynth's positive contribution to our work and on behalf of our BCHC Board, I would like to congratulate her. Jacynth has been instrumental in influencing positive culture change and in particular advancing our steps towards being an inclusive organisation. This honour recognises her commitment, hard work and influence.”
Jacynth is one of two UHB colleagues to be recognised in the New Year Honour List.
