Dr Alastair Williamson is Associate Clinical Lead at West Midlands Patient Safety Collaborative and Consultant Anaesthetist based at Good Hope Hospital in North Birmingham.
Alastair’s expertise in patient safety, human factors and ergonomics led to his involvement in the West Midlands Patient Safety Collaborative (WMPSC), which aims to improve patient safety through innovative methods and approaches. He has been at WMPSC for two years, working on concepts to improve outcomes and experiences for staff. He has a specialist interest in the role of teamwork training within healthcare, regularly delivering training to multi-disciplinary teams within his organisation as well as being involved in healthcare projects using ergonomics.
He joined the WMPSC through his connection with the Health Foundation’s Q Community and the Clinical Human Factors Group, for which he is an ambassador. The charity works with healthcare professionals, managers and service users to campaign for change in the NHS and healthcare through the integration of human factors and ergonomics.
With his leading role in improving patient safety, Alastair was invited to Staffordshire University’s School of Health and Social Care to help expand patient safety training and integrate safety science into the curriculum for the University’s trainee nurses, midwives, paramedics and operating department practitioners.
Alastair completed his own medical degree at University of Birmingham Medical School, qualifying in 1990, after doing his pre-clinical training at Cambridge University. Except for one year in Yorkshire, his career has been spent at various hospitals in the West Midlands, where he specialised in anaesthesia. He became a Consultant Anaesthetist in 1999 at Good Hope Hospital, part of the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust. His time is split equally between the hospital and WMPSC.
The Award of Honorary Doctor of Staffordshire University is bestowed upon Alastair in recognition of his contribution and expert knowledge in the field of patient safety, human factors and ergonomics, as well as close links with important organisations including the Clinical Human Factors Group.