A Hertfordshire doctor with a passion for patient safety has been named as the new medical director for Practice Plus Group.
Consultant anaesthetist Dr Marcelle Michail has become our new Medical Director, Secondary Care, a role in which she will oversee medical excellence in hospitals and services from Derbyshire to Devon.
Secondary care covers non-emergency, planned surgery and diagnostic imaging including MRI, X-rays and colonoscopies and endoscopies.
Marcelle came to England after gaining her first medical degree in Cairo, Egypt. She qualified as a consultant in 2000 and has spent the last 20 years working in a number of senior roles in the NHS including Clinical Director (Surgery and Critical Care), Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Chief Medical Officer (interim) at the Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust, Harlow.
She has also been an inspector for the Care Quality Commission and she took an active role in the Keogh Review – a national review into care within the NHS. The end report provided a set of lessons on how to accelerate improvement across the healthcare system in England.
Marcelle said: “COVID-19 has taken its toll. This is a particularly challenging time for secondary care as we emerge out of the pandemic and start recovering our elective activity to meet the needs of our patients. I will be working alongside my colleagues to continue supporting the delivery of excellent healthcare to our patients.
“I will also be working with our Infection Prevention and Control team to ensure the implementation of the COVID-19 secure measures to give our patients, visitors and staff confidence in the safety of our environment.”
Marcelle is married with two children and one grandchild. She said: “Family is everything to me. My daughter is a dentist and my son has just qualified as a doctor. I also have the most adorable two-year-old grandson and I could not be prouder of them all.”