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Simon Stevens, Chief Executive of NHS England, visited the University of Birmingham today to launch an ambitious new multi-disciplinary Centre for Health and Social Care Leadership.

The Centre builds upon the Health Service Management Centre and the wider University’s strong reputation in leadership. It will become a major regional, national, and international interdisciplinary hub for training and educating leaders in health and social care, and conducting research into leadership and management within these sectors.

The Centre is a collaborative venture between the College of Social Sciences and the College of Medical and Dental Sciences at the University, and will focus on patient and community leadership, clinical leadership, organisational leadership and system leadership. It will foster high quality leadership across professional backgrounds, reflecting the multi-disciplinary nature of modern care delivery.  Patient and community leaders, as well as allied healthcare professionals and social workers, will benefit from the centre’s expertise.

The launch event was hosted by Professor Sir David Eastwood, University of Birmingham Vice-Chancellor, with keynote presentations from Simon Stevens, and Anita Charlesworth, Director of Research and Economics at the Health Foundation.

Professor Judith Smith, Professor of Health Policy and Management and Co Director of the Health Services Management Centre at the University of Birmingham said:“I am proud to introduce the Centre for Health and Social Care Leadership alongside Simon, Anita, and many other colleagues from the sector.

“The NHS and adult social care are at a critical point in their history, and skilled leadership will be essential to their future. Leaders of the highest quality from clinical and non-clinical backgrounds and whose work draws on cutting edge research, will be central to the success of the NHS’s forthcoming ten-year term plan and the expected social care green paper’’.

Dr Robin Miller, Co-Director of the Centre and incoming Head of Social Work and Social Care at the University of Birmingham said:

‘Health and social care have are complex sectors that have long recognised that success requires leadership across professions, organisations and communities.  This exciting new centre will provide a catalyst for discussion, learning and action to deliver the outcomes that people deserve and society needs.’

The Centre will also have a strong external focus on addressing the needs of local communities and health and social care leaders and professionals. External and community advisory groups  will provide critical challenge and support to the Centre, ensuring that it represents the uniqueness and diversity of Birmingham and the Midlands, understands fully the challenges facing the sector regionally and nationally and responds proactively to these and wider opportunities.

For more information or interviews, please contact: Hasan Salim Patel, Communications Manager (Arts, Law and Social Sciences), on +44 (0) 121 415 8134 or contact the press office out of hours on +44 (0) 7789 921 165.

The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions, its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers and teachers and more than 5,000 international students from over 150 countries.