Professor Keith Willett appointed CBE in New Year Honours

Fellow of Wolfson College, Professor Keith Willett has been appointed CBE for services to the NHS. He was the co-founder of the unique 24-hour consultant-resident Oxford Trauma Service at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford in 1994. Building on that model, in 2009 he was appointed the first National Clinical Director for Trauma Care to the Department of Health and was charged with developing and implementing government policy across the NHS to radically improve the care of older people with fragility hip fractures and to establish Regional Trauma Networks and Major Trauma Centres. By 2012 both re-organisations and care pathways were successfully in place and are now credited with marked improvement in patient care and survival.

Professor Willett is the Director for Acute Care to NHS England and is Professor of Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery at the University of Oxford.  An NHS consultant surgeon for 24 years he has extensive experience of trauma care, driving service transformation and healthcare management.  He has taught surgery and leadership extensively across the NHS and internationally.

In 2003 he founded the Kadoorie Centre for Critical Care Research and Education focusing on the treatment of critically ill and injured patients. This year IMPS, a children's safety charity he launched, celebrates 20 years and over 250,000 children trained in risk awareness, first aid and life support.

In his current role, he has the national medical oversight of acute NHS services ranging from pre-hospital and ambulance services, emergency departments, urgent surgery, acute medicine, children's and maternity, armed forces, and health and justice services and national major incidents. He is now leading the transformation of the urgent and emergency care services across the NHS in England.

On receiving this honour he said “I have been enormously privileged to build a career with so many dedicated individuals and friends who are our NHS”