Picker is recognised as one of the pre-eminent sources of intelligence on how to measure and improve health and care quality from the perspective of patients, service users, and the public. Our approach ranges from system-level research to shape health and social care policy through to working with front line staff. Our aim is to understand, measure and improve peoples’ experiences of health and social care. Now is an exciting time to join the Board; already in 2021, we have been proud to have led the coordination of the NHS 2020 Staff Survey which used machine-based learning to process 600,000 responses and has given the NHS unprecedented depth of insight into their workforce; and later this summer we will be sharing the results of our ground-breaking first national survey for understanding children’s experience of cancer care, developed on behalf of NHS England and NHS Improvement.

The Role

Now is an exciting time to join the Board. Our outgoing Chair, Professor Aileen Clarke, has overseen the organisation through a challenging but successful period during the Covid pandemic. Despite environmental and political threats, excellent commercial performance in 2020/21 and 2021/22 has left the Charity in a position of strength. Earlier this year we launched an updated forward strategy with a set of goals designed to build on recent progress and to develop our impact and effectiveness. Alongside this, the Group is managing a broad and high-profile programme of work. Already in 2022, we have been proud to publish results from the 2021 NHS Staff Survey, the largest workforce survey in the world – and we are actively piloting methods to extend the survey to primary care and to bank staff. We are also working on ground-breaking studies into children’s experience of cancer care (developed on behalf of NHS England and NHS Improvement) as well as launching new programmes in other territories.

We are now seeking an exceptional new Chair to support the Board and Executive Team and bring their unique set of skills and experience to help further our aims. With a strong and professionally diverse Board, we are looking for an exceptional leader with the gravitas, credibility, and skills to help us continue our journey: a big picture thinker who can also demonstrate a deep, personal commitment to person centred care. The successful candidate may come from a range of professional backgrounds, but will bring a proven track record as a senior leader; exceptional communication and analytic skills; and the ability to support our Board to work together effectively in pursuit of our charitable objectives. 

We welcome applicants from all sectors who understand our context and share our passion for improving people’s experiences of person centred care. We are committed to widening the diversity of the Board and welcome applications from underrepresented groups.

If you have the experience and qualities we are seeking, we look forward very much to hearing from you.