Sharon White has announced her retirement from the School and Public Health Nurses Association (SAPHNA) after nearly two decades at the organisation.
Ms White said it had been ‘an utter honour and pleasure’ to lead the charity as chief executive and to help ‘champion’ the health and wellbeing of children and the workforce supporting them.
She announced today that following a period of extended sick leave she had taken the difficult decision to retire. Her final day at SAPHNA will be January 31.
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Her career has spanned more than 45 years, having worked as a nurse, school nurse and a midwife.
Ms White founded SAPHNA over 18 years ago and has supported it to become a nationally recognised organisation that promotes school nursing and the health and wellbeing of children, young people, and their families.
The charity said its board of trustees was looking at a ‘succession plan’ for the chief executive role and would ‘progress this in the near future’.
It also announced the appointment of a new chief operating officer, Lucy Owens, to strengthen the leadership of the organisation ‘with immediate effect’. Ms Owens had previously worked closely with the senior leadership team and trustees.
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Commenting on her retirement Ms White said: ‘It has been an utter honour and pleasure to lead this small but mighty charity, to develop a throng of like-minded voices, raising their roar to champion the health and wellbeing of children and to support the amazing workforce, often against the odds, to be their very best selves to deliver excellence in school nursing services.
‘My personal and professional life has been and will continue to be dedicated to eradicating health inequalities for children, hence, I will continue to cheer loudly from the sides and wish the very best to those who will continue to lead the future growth of SAPHNA.’
Ms White was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the Queens New Years Honours list 2015, for her contribution to championing the school nursing workforce and their vital role in child protection and safeguarding.
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