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Navina Evans

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Ahalia Navina Evans CBE is a British retired child and adolescent psychiatry consultant who was the Chief Workforce, Training & Education Officer of NHS England between 2023 and 2025. She was previously the chief executive officer of East London NHS Foundation Trust between 2016 and 2020 and chief executive of Health Education England between 2020 and 2023.

Career

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Evans was born in September 1962,[1] grew up in Malaysia, and emigrated to the UK in her teenage years to study O‑Levels and A-levels. Her parents were teachers and she has one brother who is an artist.[2][3] Evans studied medicine at Guy's Hospital Medical School, graduating in 1987.[4][5][6] She developed an interest in child and adolescent psychiatry during medical school while on placement with consultant psychiatrist Dr Bob Jezzard.[7] She joined East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) initially as a specialty registrar before becoming a child and adolescent psychiatry consultant in 1997. Evans had applied for registrar posts elsewhere but felt that racism and sexism had limited her career opportunities.[8] She later became the clinical director for the speciality and deputy chief executive and director of operations at the trust in 2011. Five years later, Evans was appointed as the trust's chief executive.[9][10][11]

In 2020, she left ELFT to become the chief executive of Health Education England (HEE).[12][13] Evans was the first and only Asian woman to lead HEE.[14] She also became the interim Chief Workforce Officer of NHS England in June 2022.[15][16] HEE merged with NHS England in 2023 and Evans became its Chief Workforce Training and Education Officer.[17][18] She was also a board member of Think Ahead, an organisation which trains mental health social workers, and was previously an Honorary Senior Lecturer and Associate Dean at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry.[19][20]

In February 2024, Evans wrote a letter of apology to the parents of Dr Vaish Kumar who died of suicide in June 2022. Kumar had been wrongly told in December 2021 by HEE that she had to complete a further six months of training at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham where she was being allegedly bullied and belittled by consultants. Evans stated, "I wish to unreservedly apologise for these mistakes and for the impact they would have had".[21][22] On 12 April 2024, NHS Practitioner Health, a national mental health support service for healthcare staff, announced that they would no longer be accepting new referrals from secondary care staff from 15 April as NHS England had withdrawn funding. The British Medical Association, a doctors' trade union, criticised the decision as a "short-sighted financial decision with potentially harmful consequences for both doctors and their patients". The Medical Defence Union, a healthcare professional indemnity provider, also commented that the decision was a "huge concern".[23][24] On 15 April 2024, Evans announced that NHS England would continue to fund the service for another year after a direct intervention by Health Secretary Victoria Atkins.[25][26] On September 2024, the contract was extended to March 2026.[27]

Evans announced that she was leaving her position at NHS England in the summer of 2025.[28]

Honours and personal life

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Evans was made an Honorary Fellow at the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 2020.[29] In the same year, she was awarded a CBE in the New Year Honours for services to NHS leadership and the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic community.[30]

She is married to Richard Evans who was deputy medical director at East London NHS Foundation Trust. They have no children.[31][32][33]

References

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  1. ^ "Ahalia Navina Evans". Companies House. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  2. ^ "Medical Women Talking: Dr Navina Evans" (Podcast). University College London. Event occurs at 00:03:47.
  3. ^ "Medical Women Talking: Dr Navina Evans" (Podcast). University College London. Event occurs at 00:01:50.
  4. ^ "Dr Navina Evans CBE: leadership, learning and the NHS workforce". The King's Fund. 29 August 2023. Event occurs at 01:30. Archived from the original on 7 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Ahalia Navina Evans". General Medical Council. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Medical Women Talking: Dr Navina Evans" (Podcast). University College London. Event occurs at 00:02:27.
  7. ^ "Medical Women Talking: Dr Navina Evans" (Podcast). University College London. Event occurs at 00:05:00.
  8. ^ "Medical Women Talking: Dr Navina Evans" (Podcast). University College London. Event occurs at 00:07:00.
  9. ^ "Navina Evans". The King's Fund. Archived from the original on 8 November 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  10. ^ Evans, Navina (31 October 2019). "A request for my white colleagues, family and friends". NHS Providers. Archived from the original on 12 March 2025.
  11. ^ Hopps, Kat (27 September 2016). "Newham-based NHS trust has UK's first female and ethnic minority top team". Newham Recorder. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  12. ^ "Health Education England announces new Chief Executive as Dr Navina Evans". Health Education England. 26 March 2020. Archived from the original on 27 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  13. ^ Kituno, Nick (26 March 2020). "Chief leaves trust after 25 years for national role". Health Service Journal. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  14. ^ "Senior NHS staff want to inspire others to consider careers in nursing". Lancashire Telegraph. 5 March 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  15. ^ "NHS Confederation responds to Dr Navina Evans' appointment as Chief Workforce Officer at NHSE". NHS Confederation. 29 June 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  16. ^ Collins, Annabelle (29 June 2022). "NHS England appoints chief workforce officer to lead expanded department". Health Service Journal. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  17. ^ "Creating a new NHS England". Health Education England. 7 March 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  18. ^ Evans, Navina (21 April 2023). "The end of an era and new beginnings". Health Education England. Archived from the original on 22 February 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  19. ^ "Welcoming the 2022 Cohort to our programme". Think Ahead. 16 June 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  20. ^ "Author: Navina Evans". NHS Leadership Academy. Archived from the original on 7 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  21. ^ "NHS apologises after hospital doctor took own life". BBC News. 13 February 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  22. ^ "Birmingham QE trainee doctor belittled at work, inquest told". BBC News. 29 November 2022. Archived from the original on 17 February 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  23. ^ "BMA responds to withdrawal of NHS Practitioner Health funding". BMA. 14 April 2024. Archived from the original on 18 May 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  24. ^ Parr, Eliza (15 April 2024). "NHS England reviewing future of practitioner mental health service". Pulse Today.
  25. ^ Kituno, Nick (15 April 2024). "NHSE U-turns over axing staff mental health support". Health Service Journal. Archived from the original on 15 April 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2024.(subscription required)
  26. ^ @VictoriaAtkins (15 April 2024). "I have heard the concerns of NHS staff in recent days. You deserve to have the right support. After meeting with @NHSuk this morning, I am pleased that this important service will be maintained for both existing and new patients" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  27. ^ Parr, Eliza (20 September 2024). "GP mental health service offer extended another year amid NHSE review". Pulse. Archived from the original on 19 May 2025. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  28. ^ Kituno, Nick (10 July 2025). "NHSE workforce chief departs". Health Service Journal.(subscription required)
  29. ^ "Honorary Fellows and President's medal winners accept awards at virtual ceremony". Royal College of Psychiatrists. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  30. ^ "New Role for Chief Executive, Dr Navina Evans CBE". East London NHS Foundation Trust. 2020. Archived from the original on 27 October 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  31. ^ "Board of Directors Register of Interests" (PDF). East London NHS Foundation Trust. 22 February 2018. p. 2.
  32. ^ "Chair's Report" (PDF). East London NHS Foundation Trust. 23 February 2017. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2024-06-30. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
  33. ^ "Medical Women Talking: Dr Navina Evans" (Podcast). University College London. Event occurs at 00:25:45.
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