
Tracy Nicholls, Director of Clinical Quality and Improvement at East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST), has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of the College of Paramedics.
Tracy has more than 20 years’ experience in the ambulance service. Starting her career in Beds and Herts Ambulance Service, she progressed to station manager at Luton, before moving to the Head of Training at the Beds and Herts training school. After this, she progressed to become the first paramedic on the board at EEAST. Throughout this time, she has been closely involved with the College of Paramedics, supporting its growth and helping to spread its message of support and development, recently becoming Vice Chair of the Board. Tracy will take up her new role in the autumn.
Dorothy Hosein, Interim Chief Executive, EEAST, said, “Tracy has spent her career working to promote the paramedic profession and support all those who take on the role. Her drive and commitment to making paramedicine the force that it is today is humbling. Her reputation across the entire organisation speaks for itself. The amount of people she has supported, mentored and trained in her time is staggering and I will be very sad to see her go. But, to know that she’s going to help shape the future of the industry is incredibly exciting. I wish her every luck in the world, and I’m so very proud.”
Tracy said, “I’ve been working for EEAST most of my adult life so it will be extremely difficult to say goodbye. I’ve worked closely with the college for most of this time and the opportunity to help clinicians across the country and the world is incredibly exciting. I have too many memories, stories and experiences here to recount, but it’s the people who work tirelessly to care for patients that have made it for me. I hope that I can continue to help staff and patients in this new role by helping to shape what it means to be paramedic.”
Gerry Egan FCPara, outgoing Chief Executive of the College of Paramedics, said, “I am delighted that Tracy has accepted the post of Chief Executive. There is no doubt that she is the right person to lead the College of Paramedics on the next stage of its journey. Tracy has been involved with the college since its inception and I know she will bring the commitment and passion to both the college, and the paramedic profession as a whole, to ensure we move forward in the right way for our members and the profession.
“I wish Tracy good luck and best wishes and look forward to handing the keys over at the end of what has been an incredible ‘shift’ for both of us.”