New chief nurse takes up role at Dudley Group of hospitals

Martina joined the trust in early March and has expertise in operational and strategic nursing and midwifery agendas, practice development, quality improvement, patient safety and patient experience and engagement.

Originally from Slovakia, Martina qualified as an adult nurse in 1994 before working in intensive care and theatres. She settled in the UK and secured her first registered nursing post in 2000 on the critical care unit at the Wrexham Maelor Hospital, North East Wales.

In 2005, she relocated to the Midlands and developed her career focusing on practice development, quality, safety and standards, underpinned by robust governance.

In her career, she has worked in a variety of senior roles in acute providers and regionally, within the Midlands and East region.

To consolidate her nursing leadership and experience, Martina successfully completed the national Aspiring Directors of Nursing talent pipeline programme in 2020, facilitated by NHS Improvement and NHS Leadership Academy.

She said of her new role: “I am passionate about ensuring that staff are supported, empowered and equipped in their roles to provide high-quality patient care and experience and drive continuous and outcome focused improvements.

“I am also very keen to ensure the patient voice is heard and opportunities for patient engagement and co-production are maximised.”

Diane Wake, Dudley Group chief executive, said: “I’m delighted that Martina has joined our board of directors. Her expertise in quality improvement and passion to empower staff to deliver high-quality care for patients will play a vital role in the Trust delivering continuous improvements in nursing, midwifery and Allied Health Professions.”

Martina takes over from interim chief nurse Helen Blanchard, who was appointed following the departure of the trust’s previous chief nurse Mary Sexton who left at the end of October 2023 after four years with the Dudley Group.