Women in Leadership Across Health and Social Care: Culture, Career Pathways and What Needs to Change
Women hold the majority of frontline roles in health and social care, yet remain under-represented in senior leadership. In this panel from the Connected Health & Care Summit 2026, Jane Stott, Chief People Officer at Priory Group, and Ruth Carnall, former Chief Executive of NHS London and chair of the UK’s largest care home company, share their experiences of building careers, shaping culture and creating pathways for the next generation of women leaders.
Watch two senior leaders from health and social care discuss the role of culture in safety, the reality of building a leadership career, and what organisations can do to better support women into senior roles.
Key themes from the panel
This panel brings together perspectives from independent healthcare, social care and NHS leadership, hosted by Johnny Newsham, Head of Independent Health and Care Sectors at RLDatix. The key themes were:
- Culture is the foundation of safety. It is built day to day through leadership behaviours, creating environments where staff feel trusted and supported to speak up
- Social care is far more complex than many in the health sector recognise, with frontline staff managing significant clinical risk while enabling vulnerable residents to live a life
- Care workers are wrongly labelled as unskilled. Recruitment must focus on the purpose and impact of the role, not just pay
- Clear career pathways can help people progress in social care, from support worker roles through to leadership positions, alongside opportunities such as nurse apprenticeships and specialist roles.
- Women leaders should invest in qualifications, seek out mentors and not be afraid to challenge in the room
