From Law Graduate to Healthcare Leader: Introducing Iwona Ngody, Director of NHS Public Services Post Date : June 1, 2026 Career , News 3 minutes read From studying law in Poland to leading high-impact healthcare strategies in the UK, Iwona Ngody’s journey is defined by a singular focus: helping people. As Director of NHS Public Services, Iwona brings together strong commercial acumen and a genuine commitment to patient care. She works to ensure services are designed sustainably and delivered efficiently, while maintaining a clear focus on improving access to high‑quality treatment for all patients, regardless of where they live. From Law to Healthcare Iwona’s career began in an entirely different field. After earning a Master’s degree in Law in Poland, she moved to the UK in 2006 with her husband and young daughter. While she originally envisaged a life in the courtroom, her desire to advocate for others found a new home in the healthcare sector. Starting as a sexual health supervisor, Iwona spent 16 years progressing through various “ologies”—including ophthalmology and dermatology—before joining the team at CHEC. “I’m not a lawyer in the UK, but the main objectives of helping people and treating patients the way I want to be treated remain the same. I found the work incredibly rewarding.” Driving Change and Reducing Waiting Times In her current role, Iwona oversees our NHS offering, focusing on core services such as ophthalmology, gastroenterology, ENT, and dermatology. Her work is a blend of operational refinement and long-term strategy, aimed at delivering more equitable services and creating meaningful, sustainable improvements across local health economies. One of her proudest recent achievements is the mobilisation of the Mid South Essex (MSE) dermatology service. This was a complex, high-risk project involving urgent cancer referral pathways in an area where CHEC didn’t have a physical hospital presence. “The MSE project was a true testament to teamwork,” Iwona explains. “Within one month, we saw a significant decrease in hospital referrals and cleared backlogs that were weeks overdue. It proved that when we pull together—from IT infrastructure to clinical resourcing—we can make an immediate impact on patient lives.” A Culture of Collaboration For Iwona, the magic of working at CHEC lies in the lack of hierarchy when a job needs to be done. Whether it’s redesigning an EPR system or resolving a teething issue for a Trust, she thrives on the “all hands on deck” mentality. “I’m one of those lucky people who is genuinely happy to come to work,” she says. “I love when it’s busy and there’s a problem to solve. I like including the team in decision-making and seeing everyone take accountability.” Beyond the Office Outside of her busy professional life, Iwona is a self-described “open book.” Her world revolves around her family—her husband and her 21-year-old daughter, who is currently studying psychology—and her commitment to the gym. “The gym keeps me sane!” she laughs, recalling a time she was spotted giving histology instructions over her headphones while mid-squat. “I’m a typical Polish person; I’m very close to my roots and family, but my life and my home are firmly here in the UK.” Looking to the Future Iwona is ambitious about what’s next. Her goal is to see CHEC diversify its disciplines even further. “What we do, we do really well. We have the governance and the structure to ensure safety and quality. In the future, I want to see us offering even more diversity in our services, ensuring more patients can access the care they need.”