Parliament to nominate Scotland’s first Patient Safety Commissioner

The role of Patient Safety Commissioner was created by an Act of Parliament in 2023.

The commissioner’s role is to:

• advocate for systematic improvement in the safety of health care in Scotland; and
• promote the importance of the views of patients and other members of the public in relation to the safety of health care.

The appointment follows an open recruitment process.

Mrs Titchener is expected to take up post on 1 September 2025.

This is a full-time, fixed term appointment for eight years.

The salary scale is £93,094 rising to £117,042.

The motion recommending Mrs Titchener’s nomination to His Majesty the King will be debated in Holyrood on Thursday 15 May 2025.

Biographical information - Karen Titchener

Karen Titchener is currently serving as Vice President of Hospital at Home Operation in the USA and brings over two decades of senior leadership experience within the NHS. Prior to this role, she was recruited from NHS London by the University of Utah’s Huntsman Cancer Institute, where she played a pivotal role in the design and implementation of the world’s first reported Oncology at home programme that was a safe, high-performing, multidisciplinary model of care, delivering excellence in acute care at home.

Mrs Titchener is widely recognised as a national and international authority in complex care delivered in the home—including acute hospital level care, palliative and end-of-life services. Her approach prioritises patient safety, quality, and patient outcomes at every level. Her systems-based leadership and integration of rigorous safety standards across care pathways position her as a leading voice in patient safety within acute care at home models.

In 2016, she was awarded a Winston Churchill Fellowship, enabling her to study best practices across Australia and New Zealand in acute care in the home. She is a published expert with numerous peer-reviewed articles, including a recent study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology demonstrating improved patient outcomes through the Huntsman’s Oncology programme.

Mrs Titchener’s extensive experience across both UK and international health systems gives her a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities in delivering safe, effective, person-centred care.

This uniquely positions her to understand and support the priorities of Scotland’s new Patient Safety Commissioner role, particularly in advocating for systems that uphold the voice, safety, and dignity of patients across all care settings.

Recent positions held

2022-current: Maribel Health VP Hospital at Home Operations

2017-2022: Huntsman Cancer Hospital University of Utah- Adjunct Professor Director of Strategic Operations

2013-2017: Guys and St Thomas NHS Trust – Clinical Lead, Deputy Head of Nursing GSTT@Home

Find out more about the work of the Commissioner here:

Patient Safety Commissioner Information for Applicants 2024 (226KB, pdf) posted 20 March 2024