A professor from Lancaster University Management School (LUMS) has been awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2020.

Michael West, Professor of Organisational Psychology, has been recognised for services to compassion and innovation in the NHS. This is linked to his longstanding work to develop the leadership and cultures of UK health care organisations to ensure high quality, compassionate patient care and to promote staff health and wellbeing.

Professor West said: “I feel hugely honoured and privileged to receive such an award. This is a true highlight of my career, and the fact that it is in recognition of my work with the NHS is particularly important to me. I want to sincerely thank all my colleagues and friends across LUMS, the NHS and further afield who have helped shape my contribution to the field.”

Professor West joined Lancaster University in 2011 and the majority of his academic career has been dedicated to working with the NHS. His research has underpinned national health strategies across the UK and internationally. His partnership with the NHS has supported over 100 NHS Trusts and half a million clinical and managerial staff in a programme to develop leadership and cultures that deliver high quality, compassionate patient care. Prof West also moved quickly to support the NHS as the sector battled to respond to Covid-19, applying his research and experience to help NHS leaders deal with the crisis and support frontline staff.

Professor West co-chaired an inquiry for the General Medical Council in 2019 into the health and wellbeing of doctors for the UK and, in collaboration with The King’s Fund, led a Royal College of Nursing Foundation review in 2020 into the health and wellbeing of nurses and midwives across the UK.

He is a Senior Fellow at the Kings Fund, and a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, the American Psychological Association (APA), the APA Society for Industrial/Organizational Psychology, the International Association of Applied Psychologists, the British Academy of Management and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences.

Prof West has authored, edited or co-edited 20 books, including The Psychology of Work and Organizations (2010) and Effective Teamwork (2004), which has been translated into 12 languages. He has also published over 200 articles for scientific and practitioner publications.