Mary is a General and Mental Health Nurse with a Master’s Degree in Nursing and a PhD. She has held several clinical and higher education appointments.

Mary was Dean of Health Studies and Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Plymouth University, roles which involved development of the Peninsula Medical and Dental Schools. She has held several non-executive board posts including as Deputy Chair of the South-West Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust.

As Alternate Chair of Nursing Now, a global initiative to raise the profile of nursing, Mary co-chaired the WHO Review of the State of the World’s Nursing in 2020. She recently chaired the HEE Mental Health Nursing Workforce Review and the National Wound Care Strategy Programme (NHS England).

Mary holds an Emeritus Chair in Healthcare Leadership at Plymouth University, is a Visiting Professor of Nursing at King’s College, London and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing.

Mary joined the NHS England Board in January 2023.

Mary was appointed as a Cross-Bench Life Peer in 2015 and is now a Deputy Speaker in the House of Lords.