The Health Foundation appoints Director of Policy

The Health Foundation has appointed Richard Taunt to lead on the organisation’s healthcare policy work. As Director of Policy for the Foundation, Richard will establish a new team, and provide expertise in policy analysis of the healthcare reforms and the key challenges facing the sector.

Richard joins the Health Foundation from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) where he is Head of Regulatory Change, a post which he has been seconded to from the Department of Health. He has held a number of roles within the Department of Health, most recently as head of the NHS Policy and Strategy Unit. Richard has also been an adviser on strategy and policy on areas including quality, primary care and reform, as well as working on health and care at the Treasury and Cabinet Office.

Dr Jennifer Dixon, Chief Executive at the Health Foundation, comments: ‘I am absolutely thrilled that we have secured such a high calibre individual to lead our work at the Foundation on policy. There is a lot to do as healthcare faces significant challenges over the next few years and Richard, with his team, will play a key role in shaping the health environment towards better quality care for patients. He joins a strong team at the Foundation working to improve safety, involve people more fully in making decisions about their care, and in ensuring services are more efficient.’

Richard Taunt comments: ‘I’m delighted to be joining the Health Foundation at a time when its focus, improving quality, is the overriding priority for the NHS. Difficult choices lie ahead for the health service, and I look forward to working with such a distinguished set of colleagues to help the NHS make the right decisions for the good of all those who depend on it.’

The creation of the new policy team at the Health Foundation, an independent healthcare charity, comes at a time when the organisation expands into new areas of work in support of its core focus on improving the quality of healthcare in the UK. As well as creating a new policy team, the Foundation is also creating another two in-house teams in economics and data analytics.

Richard is due to take up his post in May of this year.

Contact

Mike Findlay, Media Manager, the Health Foundation
020 7257 8047
mike.findlay@health.org.uk