The Health Foundation appoints Chief Economist

The Health Foundation has appointed Anita Charlesworth to the new post of Chief Economist. Anita will lead the Foundation’s work in economics and will be responsible for recruiting a new team at the Foundation.

The creation of the new 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 appointing a new team in economics, the Foundation is creating another two in-house teams in policy analysis and data analytics.

Anita will join the Health Foundation from the Nuffield Trust where, since 2010, she has led on analysis of financing and market reforms in healthcare. Prior to this Anita had been Chief Analyst and Chief Scientific Advisor at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport since 2007. Previously, Anita was Director of Public Spending at the Treasury, where she led the team working with Sir Derek Wanless on his reform of NHS funding in 2002. Anita has a Masters in Health Economics from York University and has worked as an Economic Advisor in the Department of Health and for SmithKline Beecham pharmaceuticals in the UK and USA.

Dr Jennifer Dixon, Chief Executive of the Health Foundation comments: 'Anita will be a terrific asset to the Foundation. At a time when the NHS across the UK faces unprecedented pressures, she will bring analytical clarity to some of the big issues of the day relating to financing healthcare and related reforms. Helping the Foundation to understand the big picture in this way will help us to target our efforts and investments to improve the quality of care for patients in future'

Anita Charlesworth comments: 'I am delighted to be joining the Health Foundation at such an exciting time and look forward to working with colleagues to develop the Foundation's work on economics and health service funding.'

Contact:

Mike Findlay, Media Manager
T: 020 7257 8047
E: mike.findlay@health.org.uk