In a political career spanning more than 20 years, he has experienced many unforgettable moments. From overseeing the 2012 Olympic Games as Culture Secretary through to dealing with international conflicts as Foreign Secretary and financial crises as Chancellor of the Exchequer.
But Sir Jeremy is perhaps best known as England’s longest serving Health Secretary, a role he held between 2012 and 2018. Today, the Conservative MP remains a passionate campaigner for patient safety, one of the issues he championed in government.
The health statistics are stark. If the UK matched the top 10% of OECD countries, 13,495 extra lives would be saved each year. That’s the equivalent of 37 avoidable deaths in the NHS every day.
Following the Francis Report into the Stafford hospital scandal, where hundreds of patients died in the wake of care failings, Sir Jeremy implemented a series of changes. These included overhauling the inspection regime for health providers, introducing a new duty of candour on staff and new rules to support whistleblowing.
He also called for an end to the blame culture, which made it difficult for professionals to be open about mistakes. As Health Secretary, he introduced a new model of learning from patient safety incidents, shifting the focus to correcting systems rather than identifying individuals at fault.
Sir Jeremy later established Patient Safety Watch, a charity focusing on improving NHS outcomes, and wrote two significant books on the issue.
This award recognises his outstanding commitment. His campaigning and policy reforms have helped to transform how patient safety is prioritised and managed.
It aligns perfectly with the core principles instilled in healthcare students at University of Staffordshire. Through our Research Centre for Health Innovation, and our staff expertise in using ergonomics to drive health improvements, we are also having a tangible impact on making care safer for patients.