Dr Donald Berwick, the renowned international authority on health care quality and improvement management, is today appointed by The King’s Fund with NHS England and national partners to help support vanguard sites in developing the new models of care set out in the NHS Five Year Forward View.

Don, who is currently President Emeritus and Senior Fellow at the US-based Institute for Healthcare Improvement, will participate in a series of national events at the Fund intended to help the vanguard teams in developing effective leadership for system transformation and engaging the workforce in service redesign.

The work has been commissioned by the new care models programme which is a partnership of seven arms-length bodies, including NHS England, Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority.

Don is also appointed an international visiting fellow today, where he will contribute to the Fund’s broader work to improve health and care in the NHS. He will be speaking at the Fund’s annual conference on Thursday 19 November on ‘aiming for a better health system’.

Don will also be working widely with governmental and non-governmental organisations in addition to The King’s Fund throughout England as appropriate as part of his efforts in support of improvement of care, outcomes, and costs within the NHS in England.

A paediatrician by background, Don was for 19 years the founding CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. In 2010, he was appointed by President Barack Obama as the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (the federal agency overseeing Medicare and Medicaid), a position that he held until December 2011. He has served on the faculties of the Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health.

In 2013 he carried out a review of patient safety in the NHS on behalf of Prime Minister David Cameron. Recognised as a leading authority on health care quality and improvement, Don has authored or co-authored more than 160 scientific articles and six books.

Chris Ham, Chief Executive of The King’s Fund, said: “We are delighted that Don is joining the Fund. He brings with him unrivalled international experience and expertise in health and health care management. His work with the vanguard sites, and his interactions with other organisations in England, will benefit the wider health service as it grapples with how to develop new models of care built around the needs of patients.”

Samantha Jones, Director of New Care Models Programme, said: “The vanguards have asked us to support them in developing leadership capability and to help them learn from international experts.  We’re delighted to have teamed up with The King’s Fund and Don to put this in place.”