Mary Passant

With over 45 years of distinguished service in the NHS, Mary brings extensive expertise across Paediatric, Neonatal, and Maternity care—spanning clinical practice, operational delivery, commissioning, and strategic leadership at both local and national levels. A versatile and highly committed Director, she is recognised for driving transformational change and fostering collaborative partnerships to improve outcomes for children and families.

Mary’s recent work has centred on the reconfiguration of clinical services. As Programme Director for the Liverpool Neonatal Partnership, she led the development of a new Neonatal Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Alder Hey. Working across two Trust Boards, she established a robust governance framework and standardised care pathways, laying the foundation for a pioneering model of neonatal service delivery.

In 2023, Mary was invited to lead a similar initiative at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital, developing strategic business cases to enhance Neonatal Surgical and Paediatric Critical Care services across the West Midlands.

She also serves as Director of Partners in Paediatrics, a regional leadership role uniting 23 organisations to collaboratively improve children’s services. Through this partnership, she supports 17 paediatric networks and oversees the production of clinical guidelines.

At national level, Mary chaired the Neonatal Working Group that produced the Safe and Sustainable Neonatal Staffing guidance, helping to shape national standards of practice.

Committed to compassionate, effective leadership, Mary believes in empowering and supporting the workforce to create environments where excellence thrives—ultimately improving the lives of children and families.