‘Wonderful to be awarded’: Crowborough woman made Member of the Order of the British Empire in King’s New years Honours

Louise Ansari, lately chief executive officer of Healthwatch England, was made an MBE for services to health equity.

Louise said on her Linkedin profile: “Wonderful to be awarded an MBE in HM The King's New Year’s honours. I’m proud of my achievements but they have always been as part of a team. Thank you to everyone I’ve worked and volunteered with in public and charitable service over the last 35 years.”

A Healthwatch England spokesperson said: “Huge congratulations to our former chief executive who has been made an MBE for services to health equity in the New Year’s Honours list.”

On October 30, 2025, Healthwatch England had announced that their chief executive Louise was set to step down in December after nearly four years at the organisation.

Professor David Croisdale-Appleby, chair of Healthwatch England, said Louise’s leadership had ‘made a huge contribution’ to the organisation’s work.

He said: “I want to thank her for everything she’s done to ensure Healthwatch has been a strong, independent voice for patients and service users. At Healthwatch England and across the local Healthwatch network we’ve helped millions of people speak up about their care, and brought a national focus on health inequalities across England. Working with the NHS and social care leaders we have turned people’s experiences into meaningful improvements in the availability and quality of care.”