Professor Russell Mannion

Professor Russell Mannion

Health Services Management Centre
Professor of Health Systems
Co-director, MSc Health Policy and Management

Contact details

Address
School of Social Policy, HSMC
Park House
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2RT

 Russell has held the Chair in Health Systems at the University of Birmingham since 2010.  He is an Honorary Professor at the Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney. He was previously Director of the Centre for Health Services Management at the University of York (2005-2009) and served as a Board Director of the York Health Economics Consortium. 

Current and recent advisory and public appointments (UK and international)

As part of the Centre for Science and Policy’s network of academics at the University of Cambridge, Russell provides evidence to inform policy-making at the highest levels of the UK Civil Service.

  • Member of the advisory board of the National Guardian’s Office for the NHS (2018-)
  • Expert advisor, World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean Region, Cairo (2018-)
  • Member of the expert review panel for Covid-19 Research programme, Swiss National Science Foundation (2020-)
  • Member of the evaluation panel (Economics and Politics) Academy of Finland, Helsinki (2018-)
  • Member of the assessment panel, German Research Foundation (DFG) for multidisciplinary Research into Epidemics and Pandemics in Response to the Outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 (2020-)
  • Member of the panel of experts, Belgium Science Policy Office, Brussels. (2020-)
  • Member of the evaluation panel (Health, Welfare and Society), Academy of Finland, Helsinki, (2021-)
  • Member of the international advisory board for the Cologne Regional Health Care Research Network (2018-)
  • Member of the international advisory board for research planning, Medical School, University of Cologne (2018-)
  • Member of the Irish Health Research Board, (2016-)
  • Academic advisor to the Department of Health Policy Research Programme Research Committee (2017-)
  • Member of the College of Reviewers for the Government of Canada and the Canada Research Chairs programme (2016-)
  • International expert, International Society for Quality in Health Care (2017-) (Tokyo, Doha, Cape Town, Florence).
  • Visiting Professor, Sant' Anna School of Advanced Studies, University of Pisa (2017-)
  • Visiting Professor, University of Heidelberg (2019 -)
  • Chair of the External Evaluation Committee, Cyprus Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Higher Education (2021-)
  • Independent Expert Consultant, The Science Fund of Serbia (2021-)
  • Member of the Expert Review Panel, Research Council of Norway (2021-)
  • Member of the Social Sciences Panel, Research Grants Council, Hong Kong (2021 -)

  • Vice chair of the evaluation panel (Health, Welfare and Society), Academy of Finland (2022 -) 

  • Chair Norwegian Centres for excellence sub-panel (2022-)  

  • Visiting Professor, University of Sassari, Sardinia (Autumn term, 2022)

  • Independent Evaluator,  Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation (2023-) 

  • Returning Visiting Professor, University of Sassari, Sardinia (Autumn term 2023)
  •  Chair of the Welfare, Wellbeing and Health Research panel, Academy of Finland (2024 -) 
  • Expert advisor, Health Sciences Research panel, Research Foundation Flanders, Brussels, (2024-2028)

Russell presents keynote lectures and seminars around the world and provides policy and research advice to a range of national and international governments and agencies, including: the World Health Organization, OECD, the International Society for Quality in Health Care, the European Health Management Association, the European Union, Department of Health, HM Treasury, NHS Confederation, Nuffield Trust, the Royal College of General Practitioners and the governments (and sub-jurisdictions) of  Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Cyprus, Finland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Jordan, Malta, Spain, Switzerland and New Zealand.His work on organisational culture, health care quality and patient safety was used at evidence at the Mid Staffordshire Public Inquiry chaired by Sir Robert Francis QC and the inquiry into failing maternity services at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust chaired by Dame Donna Ockenden. His research features in the WHO Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021-2030. He has won numerous international awards and prizes for his research including the Baxter European book Award. He is the Birmingham lead for The Healthcare Improvement Studies Institute (THIS Institute) based at the University of Cambridge.

Russell has more than 350 peer reviewed publications, many appearing in leading scientific journals such as The Lancet, BMJ, Social Science and Medicine and The Milbank Quarterly. He has authored or edited 14 books.  His most recent books include: The NHS at 75: The State of Health Policy: Policy Press (2023),Healthcare Reform, Quality and Safety: Perspectives, Participants and Prospects in 30 Countries (2015) ( With Braithwaite et al);  Dismantling the NHS: Evaluating the Impact of Health Reforms (2016), Policy Press (with Exworthy and Powell); Health Systems Improvement Across the Globe:  Success Stories from 60 Countries. (2017) Taylor & Francis (with Braithwaite et al),  Healthcare Systems Improvement Across the Globe:  Future Predictions for Global Care.(2018) and Making Culture Change Happen (2022).  

He is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Health Organization and Management and sits on the editorial boards of: the International Journal for Health Policy and Management; the International Journal for Human Rights in Healthcare; the International Journal of Public and Private Healthcare Management and Economics; and the Open Medical Informatics Journal

He is currently external examiner (2022-2026) for the MSc Health Policy Planning and Financing -  jointly hosted between the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).

In March 2022 Russell presented the 36th Annual Health Services Research Lecture at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine: Changing cultures in healthcare: What, why, how?

Russell’s specialisms are: 

  • Evaluation of health systems reform
  • Global health and international health policy
  • Patient safety and healthcare quality
  • Pandemic planning and management
  • Speaking Up and whistleblowing in healthcare organisations
  • Political economy, (especially Populist approaches) to health policy  
  • Performance measurement and management 
  • Organisational behaviour and healthcare cultures
  • Publication bias in health services research
  • Cooperation and partnership working in health as social care
  • Medical Tourism
  • Commissioning and procurement theory
  • Economic Sociology, behavioural economics and Institutional Economics
  • Mixed methods research

Qualifications

  • PhD Economics and Social Policy, University of Manchester
  • Postgraduate Diploma Health Economics, University of Tromso
  • BA (Hons) Economics and Sociology, University of Stirling
  • Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, elected 2008
  • Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), elected 2008
  • Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS), elected 2015

Teaching

Russell co-leads several modules on the MSc in Health Care Policy and Management at Birmingham.  He also lectures on the undergraduate inter-calation programme for medical students, Birmingham Medical School. He previously set up, and lectured on the MSc in Health Management at York.

Postgraduate supervision

Russell is happy to supervise PhDs around areas such as:

  • Patient safety
  • Health care quality improvement
  • International health reform.

Research

Current and recent projects

Current and recent research projects include:

  • NIHR Midlands Patient Safety Research Collaboration (PSRC)  (2023-2028)

  • Strategies to address unprofessional behaviours among staff in acute healthcare settings, NIHR HSDR, 2021-2023

  • Impact of the pandemic on mental health and the demand for healthcare, The Health Foundation, (2021-2022)
  • Models of acute care resilience to Covid-19, NIHR Policy research programme (2020-2022)
  •  Use of research evidence by NHS Boards, THIS Institute, University of Cambridge (2020-2021)
  •  NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) West Midlands (2020-2025)
  • Extending Universal Health Coverage in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, World Health Organization
  • Models of Acute Care Resilience, NIHR Policy Research Programme  (2019-2023)
  • Commissioning Third sector provider, NIHR HSDR (2019 - 2023)
  • Evaluation of NHS Improvement's culture and leadership programme, NHS Improvement, (2019-2020)
  • Towards a framework for partnering as an intervention for improvement (HSDR, 2019-2021)
  • Evaluation of health system reform in Cyprus, ESRC
  • BRACE Centre (HSDR 2018-2023)
  • THIS Institute  (Health Foundation, 2018-2028)
  • Evaluation of the implementation and role of Freedom to Speak Up Guardians in NHS trusts in England, (HSDR 2018-2021)
  • Efficiency and quality of mental health trusts in England (Health Foundation, 2017-2021)
  • Publication and related bias in health services and delivery research (HSDR): Systematic review of literature, evaluation of empirical evidence and methodology and key informant interviews (2017-2019)
  • Evaluation of Integrated Care in Norway (2016-2019)
  • Partnering for improvement (2015-2016)
  • Understanding employee whistleblowing in health care (2015 - 2017)
  • Community Hospitals Research Programme (2014 - 2017)
  • Values based recruitment: What works, for whom, why and in what way? (2015 - 2017)
  • Diverse health care providers: Behaviour in response to commissioners, patients (2015 - 2017)
  • Decommissioning services in the NHS (2013-2016) NIHR HS&DR
  • An evaluation of the impact of High-Intensity Specialist-Led Acute Care (HiSLAC) on emergency admissions to NHS hospitals at weekends. NIHR HSDR (2014-2019) 
  • Procurement theory and NHS Commissioning (2013-2014) (NIHR HS&DR)
  • Ensuring safety at the interface between acute care and children’s social services (2012-2014) NIHR HSDR
  • NHS Health system governance and commissioning practice (2-11-14) NIHR SDO
  • Effective Board Governance of Safe Care (2011-2015) (NIHR SDO)
  • Implications for the NHS of inward and outward Medical Tourism (2012-2014) (NIHR HSR)
  • The relationship between Board performance and wider organisational performance 2013-2014,(NIHR SDO)
  • Changing management cultures and organisational performance in the NHS (NIHRSDO)
  • Measuring and assessing organisational culture in the NHS (NIHRSDO)
  • The equity implications of pro-market reforms in England (NIHR Policy Research Programme)
  • Understanding the factors associated with successful quality and safety improvement in European hospitals (EU FP7)
  • The dynamics of doctor-manager relations in the NHS (NIHRSDO)
  • PCT Commissioning and primary governance (NIHRSDO)
  • The role and effectiveness of professional and clinical networks (NIHRSDO)
  • The role and motivations of primary care professionals (NIHRSDO)
  • Translating research into Practice in Leeds and Bradford (CLARHC)
  • The role and effectiveness of the NHS Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) in primary care.

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Weis, C, Spiliopoulos, G, Ignatowicz, A, Conroy, S, Mannion, R, Lasserson, D & Tarrant, C 2024, 'Help-seeking and access to care for stroke and heart attack during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study', Sociology of Health and Illness. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.13848

Aragón, MJ, Gravelle, H, Castelli, A, Goddard, M, Gutacker, N, Mason, A, Rowen, D, Mannion, R & Jacobs, R 2024, 'Measuring the overall performance of mental healthcare providers', Social Science and Medicine, vol. 344, 116582. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116582

Ansmann, L, Nöst, S, Körner, M, Auschra, C, Bal, R, Böddeker, M, Bode, I, Braithwaite, J, Breidenbach, C, Coors, M, Demirer, I, Exworthy, M, Harst, L, Heuser, C, Hoffmann, J, Köberlein-Neu, J, Krajic, K, Maniatopoulos, G, Mannion, R, Möhler, R, Pfaff, H, Rind, E, Schnack, MAH, Wagner, MAA, Weigl, M, Wensing, M, Wiig, S, Wild, E, Wilhelm, H, Wirtz, M & Götz, K 2024, 'Navigating the Future of Organisational Health Services Research in Germany and beyond: a Position Paper', Das Gesundheitswesen. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-2308-7384

Mawuena, E, Mannion, R, Adu-Aryee, NA, Adzei, F, Amoakwa, EK & Twumasi, E 2024, 'Professional Disrespect between Doctors and Nurses: Implications for Voicing Concerns about Threats to Patient Safety', Journal of Health Organization and Management.

Sheaff, R, Allen, P, Exworthy, M & Mannion, R 2024, 'The policy and politics of healthcare corporatisation: The case of the English NHS', Social Science and Medicine, vol. 342, 116505. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116505

Aunger, JA, Abrams, R, Westbrook, JI, Wright, JM, Pearson, M, Jones, A, Mannion, R & Maben, J 2024, 'Why do acute healthcare staff behave unprofessionally towards each other and how can these behaviours be reduced? A realist review', Health and Social Care Delivery Research, vol. 12, no. 25. https://doi.org/10.3310/PAMV3758

Ignatowicz, A, Tarrant, C, Mannion, R, El‑Sawy, D, Conroy, S & Lasserson, D 2023, 'Correction: Organizational resilience in healthcare: a review and descriptive narrative synthesis of approaches to resilience measurement and assessment in empirical studies', BMC Health Services Research, vol. 23, no. 1, 731. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-09636-9

Aunger, JA, Maben, J, Abrams, R, Wright, JM, Mannion, R, Pearson, M, Jones, A & Westbrook, JI 2023, 'Drivers of unprofessional behaviour between staff in acute care hospitals: a realist review', BMC Health Services Research, vol. 23, no. 1, 1326. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-10291-3

Bagot, KL, McInnes, E, Mannion, R, McMullan, RD, Urwin, R, Churruca, K, Hibbert, PD & Westbrook, JI 2023, 'Middle manager responses to hospital co-workers’ unprofessional behaviours within the context of a professional accountability culture change program: a qualitative analysis', BMC Health Services Research, vol. 23, no. 1, 1012. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-09968-6

Chapter

Mannion, R 2023, Implications of the rise of right wing populism for health care during the pandemic and beyond. in G Craig (ed.), Social Justice in a Turbulent Era. Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., pp. 10-23. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781803926155.00006

Comment/debate

Mannion, R 2024, 'A statutory public inquiry is not always the most effective vehicle for learning lessons in the NHS', BMJ, vol. 386, q1785. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.q1785

Editorial

Mannion, R & Greenfield, D 2024, 'Heeding frontline voice for better quality and safer care', International journal for quality in health care : journal of the International Society for Quality in Health Care, vol. 36, no. 3, mzae091. https://doi.org/10.1093/intqhc/mzae091

Powell, M & Mannion, R 2023, 'Modelling the health policy process: one size fits all or horses for courses?', International Journal of Health Geographics, vol. 12, pp. 1-5. https://doi.org/10.34172/IJHPM.2022.7580

Review article

Nöst , S, Miedaner, F, Wagner, A, Beckmann, M, Exworthy, M, Götz , K, Körner , M, Mannion, R, Pfaff, H, Piotrowski, A, Hammer, A & Ansmann, L 2024, 'Organisational Health Services Research in Germany: A Scoping Review of Conference Abstracts', Das Gesundheitswesen. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-2350-3857

Maben, J, Aunger, J, Abrams, R, Wright, JM, Pearson, M, Westbrook, JI, Jones, A & Mannion, R 2023, 'Interventions to address unprofessional behaviours between staff in acute care: what works for whom and why? A realist review', BMC Medicine, vol. 21, no. 1, 403. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-023-03102-3

View all publications in research portal

Expertise

Health policy and management with a focus on quality and safety improvement