Arlene Wellman MBE is the first Group Chief Nursing Officer for St George’s, Epsom and St Helier hospitals group since the hospital group executive team formed in February 2022. Arlene qualified as a general registered nurse in Trinidad and migrated to the UK with the intention of training as a midwife, however she fell in love with elderly care nursing and has more than 20 years’ experience in this specialty. She is the one of most senior internationally trained nurses in the UK and was awarded an MBE in recognition of her contribution to nursing as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours in June 2021. She has a first-class BSc Hons degree in Health and Social Care for Older People, a MSc in Clinical Healthcare Practice and is a Florence Nightingale Leadership Fellow. As Executive Director for Nursing, Arlene is responsible for the nursing, midwifery, healthcare support and allied health professionals workforce and is the Director of Infection Prevention and Control (DiPC, Maternity Safety Champion and Baby Friendly Guardian across the St George’s, Epsom and St Helier hospitals group. Arlene is also a WRES expert and Executive sponsor for the BME and REACH staff networks