HQIP welcomes new Medical Director

We are delighted to announce that Professor Tom Wilkinson has been appointed as HQIP’s new Medical Director, following the retirement of Professor Danny Keenan.

Professor Wilkinson was most recently the Senior Clinical Lead for the National Respiratory Audit Programme (NRAP), which is managed by the Royal College of Physicians and is part of the HQIP-commissioned programme of national clinical audits. Alongside his role at HQIP, Tom will continue as Professor of respiratory medicine at the University of Southampton and honorary NHS consultant physician at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.

This wealth of healthcare and research experience, together with an in-depth knowledge of clinical audit, means that Professor Wilkinson understands not only the systemic challenges facing healthcare today, but also the difference that patient-centred, evidence-informed improvement makes. His insights will be pivotal when supporting clinical audits to work in partnership with healthcare commissioners and providers, to translate data into tangible improvements in care.

Commenting on his appointment, Tom said: “I am passionate about using data to provide actionable insights into how services are organised, and to identify and help address variations in outcomes. I look forward to working with the wider healthcare community to help drive improvements in care across the breadth of NHS services.”

With over 20 years’ experience in asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) research and clinical service development, Professor Wilkinson leads the Southampton COPD research group as well as the airways disease theme of the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, and is a long-time champion of the value of healthcare data in saving and improving lives. This appointment presents a significant opportunity to maximise the impact that data has on patient outcomes across a wide range of care areas, and is particularly timely in light of the aims of the NHS 10 Year Plan and more recent healthcare strategies, such as the new National Cancer Plan.

Chris Gush, HQIP Chief Executive, underlines the importance of this key appointment: “Tom will provide senior clinical leadership across HQIP’s portfolio of national programmes. He is well placed to represent the voice of both clinicians and patients in national discussions around clinical audit, registries and quality improvement, leading to strategic partnerships that support those providing care to change outcomes for patients for generations to come.”

Professor Wilkinson will take up the position of HQIP Medical Director from 1 May 2026. Professor Danny Keenen – to whom we would like to extend our gratitude for many years of service, supporting evidence-informed improvement in healthcare – will retire on 8 May 2026.

Find out more about the work of NRAP

• National Respiratory Audit Programme (NRAP)
• Catching our breath: Time for change in respiratory care report, June 2025
• Respiratory care – Clinical outcomes and outliers report, Oct 2025
• Article: Patient voice in clinical audit – A powerful partnership improving asthma and COPD care.