The Health Foundation appoints new professorial fellows

The Health Foundation has appointed two new professorial fellows to strengthen academic research in patient safety and person-centred care. Professor Alan Cribb, King’s College London, and Professor Charles Vincent, University of Oxford, are both leading experts in the field of improving the quality and safety of care.

The Health Foundation is committed to investing in leading thinkers: providing experts with the resources to develop world-class research to improve the quality of care.

We will be supporting Professor Cribb and Professor Vincent to continue and develop their research in person-centred care and patient safety over the next three years. They will also advise the Foundation in choosing and evaluating relevant cutting edge research, as well as ensuring we are at the forefront of putting these ideas into practice.

Professor Nick Barber, the Health Foundation’s Director of Research, comments: 'We are delighted to have two talented and experienced professorial fellows, both with exceptional track records in safety and person-centred care. They bring a breadth of experience, alongside – importantly – an understanding of the practical difficulties of delivering change in the real world.'

Professor Cribb has led the Centre for Public Policy Research at King's College London for the last 12 years. Professor Cribb is an applied philosopher, with a particular interest in health and education policy, health services research and professional education. In recent years he has undertaken work on shared decision-making and collaborative working in health care.

Professor Cribb comments: 'I am delighted to be able to deepen my relationship with the Health Foundation. They have a deserved reputation for world-leading research and development in health service improvement. My new role focuses on the philosophy, policy and practice of person-centredness. This is a field in which the Health Foundation has already made a very substantial mark. I hope to be able to make a contribution to the consolidation and continuation of this work.'

Professor Vincent has recently taken up the post of Health Foundation professorial fellow in the Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford where he will continue his work on safety in health care. Since 1985, Professor Vincent has carried out research on the causes of harm to patients, the consequences for patients and staff and methods of improving the safety of health care.

Professor Vincent comments: 'The Health Foundation-supported post offers an opportunity to address the challenges of safety in the NHS in the context of financial austerity. In particular, I will be working on the measurement and monitoring of safety in the NHS and other health care systems and on developing research, and in improvement approaches in mental health and community settings. This work will support the wider work of the Health Foundation in supporting people working in health care practice and policy to make lasting improvements to health services.'