Dr Janet Williamson is Director of National Improvement Programmes for NHS Improving Quality. NHS Improving Quality brings together the improvement expertise for healthcare, working on large scale change and is part of NHS England, Medical Directorate. Janet works closely with policy leaders, Department of Health, public health England, National Clinical Directors for NHS England, clinical networks, commissioning, and providers of healthcare services.

With over 25 years’ experience of managing both clinical and non-clinical services across the NHS, Janet has also been involved in and led a number of large improvement programmes, including total quality management, business process re-engineering and the Cancer Services Collaborative ‘Improvement Partnership’, which was instrumental in reducing GP referral to cancer treatment waiting times from nine months to two.

Between 2007 and 2013, Janet was National Director, NHS Improvement, a national team renowned for its experience and expertise in practical service improvement which has redesigned clinical pathways in cancer, diagnostics, heart, lung and stroke. It demonstrates some of the most leading edge work in England, helping to improve patient experience and outcomes. Much of its work provides the foundation for NHS Improving Quality.

In 2012, NHS Improvement under Janet’s leadership, was officially recognised as one of The Sunday Times 100 best places to work in the not for profit sector.

In 2007, she was awarded a professional Doctorate, identifying critical factors for spreading whole system change in healthcare. This drew on over four years of learning from change in cancer at a national, network and local team level.