Carol Kefford facts for kids
Carol Margaret Kefford is a British nurse who has held many important jobs. She was the Clinical Director and Chief Nurse for Nuffield Health from 2017 to 2021. Since 2017, she has also been a Colonel Commandant for the Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC). Currently, she is the Chief Nursing Executive for HCA Healthcare UK.
Early Life and Training
Carol Kefford was born in 1958 in St Helens, Merseyside. She trained to be a nurse in Oxford. She worked as a registered nurse for the NHS from 1976 to 1982.
Serving in the Army
In 1981, Carol Kefford became a Lieutenant in the Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC). This was part of the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve.
She worked as a Nursing Officer in the British Army for 20 years. This was from 1982 to 2003. Early in her army career, she worked at the Cambridge Military Hospital in Aldershot. In 1988, she became a Captain in the QARANC. She married Michael Kefford in 1992.
From 2001 to 2003, she was a Lieutenant Colonel. She led a team of 100 nurses. This team was getting ready to be a field hospital in Iraq. During her time in the army, Kefford also worked in Hong Kong and Nepal. She helped with finding and training new nurses too.
Life After the Army
Carol Kefford left the Army in 2003. She then started working for Nuffield Health. This is a charity that helps people with healthcare. She began as a Matron at their hospital in Oxford. Later, she became a hospital director in Bristol. She has said that Florence Nightingale and Mary Quant were people who inspired her.
Kefford decided to take a break from nursing. She wanted to sail across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Her trip lasted seven years. She traveled about 7,400 kilometers from Trinidad to Australia.
After her sailing adventure, she returned to Nuffield Health. She became the Clinical Director and Chief Nurse from 2017 to 2021. In this role, she made sure that patients received excellent care.
In 2017, she also became a Colonel Commandant for the Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps. This is an honorary title given to a senior officer. Queen Elizabeth II must approve this appointment. When she received this title, she met Sophie, Countess of Wessex.
Since October 2021, she has been the Chief Nursing Executive for HCA Healthcare UK. She is in charge of the nursing strategy. She also helps manage the careers of nurses and other health professionals. She leads a large team of nurses and health experts across many hospitals and clinics.
Kefford was honored with the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2023. This award was for her great work in nursing.
Education
Carol Kefford is a Florence Nightingale Foundation Senior Leadership Scholar. She earned an MBA from Henley Business School (1999–2003). Before that, she got a first-class BSc degree in Health Service Management from the University of Manchester (1995–1998).
