Sir Stephen Powis Senior Adviser

From January 2018 to July 2025 Sir Stephen Powis was the National Medical Director of NHS England, during one of the most challenging periods in the history of the National Health Service. In this role he was the most senior doctor within the NHS in England and the public face of the NHS’ role in the covid-19 pandemic.

Sir Stephen was a critical member of the national response to the pandemic, appearing on TV screens daily as part of the government’s daily press conferences.

Stephen was a member of the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (SAGE) and advised senior government ministers throughout the pandemic, including the prime minister, as well as being responsible for the rapid, world-leading deployment of treatments for the virus. Alongside these roles Stephen was one of the most frequent spokespeople at Downing Street briefings.

Sir Stephen has extensive media experience, including live interviews to Andrew Marr and Laura Kuenssberg and making frequent appearances on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. As well as extensive media engagement, Stephen has given evidence to parliamentary select committees on eighteen occasions.

At NHS England Stephen oversaw the country’s most senior clinicians and was the executive lead for the NHS national cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, stroke, diabetes and prevention programmes. He was also the senior responsible officer in England for the human health workstream of the UK government’s antimicrobial resistance strategy. Stephen co-chaired the National Quality Board with the Chief Inspector of Hospitals and worked closely with colleagues at NIHR and NICE to ensure that research and guideline priorities were aligned with the needs of the NHS. He has led several national reviews, most recently of postgraduate medical training.

Sir Stephen was knighted in the 2022 Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to the NHS.