Pictured above: Professor Brian Toft
Coventry University's Professor of Patient Safety has been
awarded an OBE for services to healthcare in the recent Queen's
Birthday honours.
Professor Brian Toft came to work for Coventry University in
2008 when his appointment as the Professor of Patient Safety was a
world first but he has been associated with the University for a
number of years prior to his appointment.
Professor Toft said that he was "thrilled and delighted" to have
been awarded the OBE.
He added: "It is an honour for me to have my work
recognised in such a public way and it means a great deal for
patient safely in general. I hope the public recognition is a
signal from the government that the work we do within the NHS is
valued and patient safety seen as an important part of health care
in general.
"I am also delighted that Coventry University will benefit from
this as well because they appointed me to this role. I am very
proud to be associated with Coventry and will accept this honour in
the name of patient safety."
Professor Toft's pedigree in patient safety is second to none.
He is Chairman of the External Reference Group on Safer Neuraxial
Devices, member of the Joint Commission International's, European
Regional Advisory Council to the World Health Organisation on
healthcare, UK Intrathecal Chemotherapy Advisory Group and sits on
the safety committee of the Association of Anaesthetists of Great
Britain and Ireland.
A graduate of Lancaster, Exeter and Cambridge universities he
has studied both the Social and Natural Sciences which he notes is
most helpful when carrying out work in the highly complex
socio-technical area of health care.
Professor Toft has carried out a number of investigations into
serious adverse patient safety incidents and was the first
non-physician to Chair an inquiry into the death of a patient in
the National Health Service since its inception in 1948.
Professor Toft spends a day a week at the University working in
the field of applied research into patient safety.
For more information about Coventry University, please visit
their website here: www.coventry.ac.uk