A pioneering NHS worker has dedicated her MBE to her son who she said had given ‘hope’ to so many people.

Jo Fitzgerald, from Clitheroe, is Senior Programme Manager at NHS England and has been awarded an MBE for services to the community and the NHS in the King's Birthday Honours

She has dedicated 30 years to improving services for disabled people and people with long-term conditions as a mother, carer, volunteer, activist and more latterly in a policy transformation role in NHS England. 

Her passion comes after her son, Mitchell, was born with a profound disability and complex health needs. 

On being made a Member of the British Empire, Jo said: “It takes a little while to get your head around it and I am delighted and humbled, like so many people when they hear the news.

“I would like to dedicate the award to my son, Mitchell. He has been an inspiration to so many people and to us.

“Through what we have achieved I feel we have given people hope.”

Jo had worked relentlessly with the Primary Care Trust, reaching an agreement for Mithell to receive the first Personal Health Budget in 2008.

This was ground-breaking and paved the way for other disabled people to receive personalised care, and subsequently this led to work scaling and spreading mechanisms in health and care for greater choice and control. 

More than 200,000 people have now benefited in part due to pioneering work through her leadership. 

She joined NHS England in 2015, where she continued to create strategic influence over policy design and implementation including a pivotal role in the evolution of Personalised Care, which became one of the five key objectives within the NHS Long Term Plan. 

It is through her leadership and ability to influence, that the first Lived Experience Team was created in 2017. 

Her achievements have previously been recognised as one of the country’s 50 most influential patient and citizen leaders via an HSJ award in 2015.

In 2022, more than 2.5 million people benefited from personalised care across England.

She has overseen and inspired so many projects that have changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people for the better.