[2] Nicholson was educated at Forest Fields Grammar School in Nottingham, and graduated from Bristol Polytechnic (now known as the University of the West of England) with a 2:1 in History and Politics.

For 10 years he worked in mental health, mainly in Yorkshire, where he was involved in implementing the policy of closing the old asylums and developing care in the community services.

However he had little opportunity to make his mark, as it was announced on 27 July 2006 that he would be taking up the role of NHS Chief executive in September 2006 in charge of a £90bn budget and 1.3m employees,[5] his fifth job-change in a year.

[6] Sir David issued a full apology, saying "I apologise to them on behalf of the NHS as a whole and for the fact that those patients, relatives and carers found themselves in the position where they not only had terrible things happen to them but the very organisation they looked to for support let them down in the most devastating of ways.

[citation needed] In September 2011, The Daily Telegraph revealed that Nicholson claimed expenses of over £50,000 a year on top of a basic salary of £200,000 and benefits in kind of £37,600 at a time when he was asking the health service to make cuts of £20 billion by 2015.

[15] Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt praised Sir David's leadership, saying: "NHS waiting times have fallen, infection rates [have been] reduced, and mixed sex accommodation is at an all-time low.

His job has often been incredibly complex and very difficult, and yet he has always had a reputation for staying calm, and maintaining a relentless focus on what makes a difference on the NHS frontline.

He was announced as Chair of Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust in March 2021, replacing the retiring Richard Samuda from the beginning of May.

[citation needed] He is presently married to Sarah-Jane Marsh, who was a former intern on the NHS-graduate scheme, and became Chief executive of Birmingham Children's Hospital in 2009.