Zim nurse to receive UK’s third highest honour

Edwin Charinge Ndlovu (49), a Zimbabwean nurse working for National Health Service (NHS) in the UK will be a guest of Buckingham Palace next month where he will receive the Member of Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE), that country’s third highest honour from King Charles.
Ndlovu who oversees 7 000 health workers at East London NHS Foundation Trust and a budget of £650 million confirmed the award which is posted on the UK Government website. He will receive the award at Buckingham Palace on March 29, 2025.
Ndlovu is being recognized for being a champion of Quality Improvement (QI) methodologies, driving violence reduction, patient access improvements, and service efficiency.
The MBE comes with a medal and several benefits in the UK including networking opportunities, access to top corporate purchasing agents and recipients and their children can get married in the St Paul’s Cathedral, London where royal families marry among other benefits.
He spearheaded system-wide pandemic response efforts, mental health innovations, and workforce equity programmes and the key achievements being executive lead for major collaborations, including forensic mental health services Virtual Wards, and Urgent Care partnerships.
Ndlovu comes from Morningside, Masvingo and went to school at Victoria Primary and Secondary schools.
Ndlovu is currently the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at East London NHS Foundation Trust, London. The Trust operates from over 135 community and inpatient sites and has 900 general and specialist inpatient beds.
The MBE is the third highest ranking Order of the British Empire after the Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) and the Officer of the Most excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE).
Some MBE holders include footballers Harry Kane and Stephen Gerrard and musicians Adele and Ed Sheeran. One is nominated to receive the award and a committee assesses one’s worthiness of the award.
He said the award reflects the strength, resilience, and contributions of many Zimbabweans in the diaspora.
Ndlovu was born at Morgenster Mission, Masvingo in 1976. He completed a three-year mechanical engineering program at Masvingo Technical College before relocating to the UK in 1997.
He enrolled at the City University of London in the same year and started working as a registered nurse in 2000.
Ndlovu progressed through various clinical and leadership roles within the East London NHS Foundation from 2000 until 2015. He held several positions and played a key role in three successful Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections and upholding excellence in patient care.
He was appointed Director for Borough – Tower Hamlets in January 2015 and led 600 staff members with a £50 million annual budget. He held the post until 2018 and some of his achievements include pioneering an award-winning Carers Lead role, enhancing service user and career engagement, led financial efficiency programmes and delivered a nationally recognised employment support model (IPS Fidelity) for mental health service users.
“I was appointed Chief Operating Officer in December 2019 and I currently hold that position. As an Executive Board Director, I lead 7,000 staff and oversee a £650m budget, ensuring the delivery of safe, high-quality care. I am a champion of Quality Improvement (QI) methodologies, driving violence reduction, patient access improvements, and service efficiency.

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