Formed in 2009, the National Quality Board (NQB) champions the importance of quality and drives system alignment of quality across health and care on behalf of NHS England, NHS Digital, the Care Quality Commission, the UK Health Security Agency, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, the Department of Health and Social Care, and Healthwatch England.

The NQB provides advice, recommendations and endorsement on matters relating to quality, and acts as a collective to influence, drive and ensure system alignment of quality programmes and initiatives.

Its aim is to support delivery of the Long Term Plan’s ambition for quality in the NHS, while encouraging high quality care for all across all of health, public health and social care. Its current priorities include supporting system transformation and the integration of care and outcomes, understanding and addressing unwarranted variation and inequalities, and supporting learning and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Membership

The NQB’s membership comprises senior clinical and professional leaders from the partner organisations who developed the Five Year Forward View, along with patient and public representatives.

Chairs

• Professor Stephen Powis, National Medical Director, NHS England
• Dr Sean O’Kelly, Chief Inspector of Healthcare, Care Quality Commission

Members

• Ruth May, Chief Nursing Officer, NHS England
• Dr Aidan Fowler, National Director of Patient Safety, NHS England
• Dr Vinod Diwakar, Medical Director for Secondary Care and Transformation, NHS England
• James Bullion, Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care and Integrated Care, Care Quality Commission
• Clenton Farquharson, Lived Experience Expert
• Anna Severwright, Lived Experience Expert
• Professor Wendy Reid, Director of Education & Training, Health Education England
• Professor Mark Radford, Chief Nurse of Health Education England and Deputy Chief Nursing Officer, NHS England
• Allison Streetley, Director of Health Protection and Medical Director, UK Health Security Agency
• Professor Jamie Waterall, Deputy Chief Public Health Nurse, Office for Health Improvement and Disparities
• Jonathan Benger, Chief Medical Officer, National Institute of Health and Care Excellence
• Louise Ansari, National Director, Healthwatch England
• Professor Deborah Sturdy, Chief Nurse for Social Care, Department of Health and Social Care
• Lyn Romeo, Chief Social Worker for Adults, Department of Health and Social Care
• William Vineall, Director of NHS Quality, Safety and Investigations, Department of Health and Social Care
• Dr Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Advisor, UK Health Services Authority
• Matthew Style, Director General for Acute Care and Workforce, Department of Health and Social Care