[2][3] May began her career with a variety of nursing roles before becoming a theatre sister at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey.

[3] In October 2005, May became Chief Executive of Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, a post she held for two years.

[3][4] She was appointed Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) for England on 7 January 2019,[2] succeeding Jane Cummings.

[12] She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2022 Birthday Honours for services to nursing, midwifery and the NHS.

[13] She was born in Wales but has lived in Colchester, Essex for most of the 21st century[10] She has a daughter who was eight at the time of May's appointment as CNO.