Dr Ross Millar

Ross is a Senior Lecturer with interests in the organisation and governance of healthcare. His research analyses the experiences and dynamics of quality and safety, partnerships and collaboration, and hybrid organisational forms.

Since joining HSMC in 2008, Ross has worked on a variety of research projects. These have included comparative case studies of health system reform, the promotion of social enterprise in health and social care, hospital board governance of patient safety, and the use of partnering as an approach to improvement across NHS providers. Ross also has an interest in international healthcare systems, particularly China where he is involved in research exploring workforce experiences of healthcare delivery.

Ross’s methodological interests are primarily qualitative in looking to capture workforce perspectives through interviews and observations. He also has an interest in evidence synthesis using realist methods. He has published widely across these areas and takes in interest in connecting qualitative experiences to theories of public policy, organisation studies, and sociology.

Ross is a Programme Director for the Level 7 Senior Leader Degree Apprenticeship. He teaches across a range of undergraduate and postgraduate modules in relation to quality and safety, understanding organisational performance, and innovation and improvement.

Between 2015 and 2019, Ross was the Director of Learning and Teaching at HSMC. He was the Co-Director of Postgraduate Research between 2013 and 2015.

MSc Health and Care System Leadership (Degree Apprenticeship)

• Understanding Organisational Performance
• Leading Quality & Safety
• Innovation & Improvement

MSc Health Policy and Management

• Health Care Quality: Improvement and Innovation 

BMedSci Intercalated Degree in Health Management and Leadership

• Improving Quality & Patient Safety

Ross is interested in PhD supervision across the following research areas:

Healthcare reform
Quality improvement
Patient Safety
Partnerships and Collaboration
Governance

He specialises in the use of qualitative research methods within such areas.

Ross has worked on a range of research projects which have been funded by the British Academy, Department of Health Policy Research Programme, NIHR Health Service and Delivery programme, the Health Foundation, and the Academic Health Science Network. Recent projects have included:

• A study of inter organisational partnering across NHS providers
• Examining the role of NHS Boards in overseeing quality and safety in hospitals
• Comparative case studies of healthcare reform in the NHS
• Analysing healthcare reform in China from the perspective of the workforce
• The start-up and growth of social enterprises in health and social care

Ross draws on a variety of theories and ideas from public policy, organisation studies and sociology to make sense of these developments.

His methodological interests are primarily qualitative drawing on interviews and observations. Ross also has an interest in evidence synthesis using realist methods.

Ross is interested in any PhD proposals connected to these areas.