Dr Michael Walsh

Senior Lecturer

Management, Work and Organisation University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA

Dr Michael Walsh

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About me

About me

I am member of Stirling Institute for Health (and inaugural chair from 2009 - 2012), the Operational Research Society and Member of the Institute for Consulting (Savoy Court, Strand London WC2R 0EZ). My expertise in Critical Systems Thinking, action research and participative planning and problem solving underpins my R&D (extrnally funded at more than £500,000 from 2008 to 2012). My previous employment includes:

Charge nurse at Lodgemoor Sheffield, specialising in the care of older people to postgraduate level; postgraduate researcher in the Department of Management Systems, University of Hull, investigating the process and conditions for level playing field dialogue between older blind people and NHS professionals on quality of health services from a critical systems perspective; Research assistant in the Institute of Health Studies on an ESRC funded investigation of risk management by health and social care organisations; Co-ordinator of the human ageing programmes in the School of Health at the University of Hull; Acting director of the Community Operational Research Unit at the University of Lincoln; Freelance research and management consultant; Co-ordinator of the User Centred Research Programme (RWA, RV9) at Humber Mental Health / Sheffield Medical School, on behalf of seven NHS Trusts and 3 Universities.

I came to Stirling in November 2006 to take up a lectureship in management science. I am a keen armchair astronomer, a keen Ochil gazer and I am strongly motivated by issues of justice and a desire to help people.

Research (4)

My recent research and consultancy work is strongly focused on improvement in health (espcially mental health) and community development in the UK and internationally (especially Ghana). In Scotland healthcare projects have dealt with Knowledge Exchange and Learning, quality improvement in childrens care pathways, redesign of Allied Health Professional vocational support, response to change in community nursing in the Highlands, recruitment and retention of health workers in remote and rural Ghana and Scotland, District level policy response to Climate Change in Ghana (UN/GEF project with the Ministry of Health, Ghana) understanding resistance to change in General Practice and many other projects . I am an expert in the application of systems methods to planning, problem solving and decision making – especially Soft Systems Methodology, Strategic Choice Approach, Critical Systems Heuristics, Strategic Assumption Surfacing and Testing also PATH and Result Chain. I am also an expert on the conditions for effective multi – stakeholder involvement in health and welfare systems.

Projects

KTP NHS Lothian.
PI: Dr Michael Walsh
Funded by: NHS Lothian and Technology Strategy Board

Community nursing workforce planning
PI: Dr Annetta Smith
Funded by: NHS Highland

NHS Lothian KTP
PI: Dr Michael Walsh
Funded by: NHS Lothian and Technology Strategy Board

Healthcare Quality Strategy - Scottish Government
PI: Dr Michael Walsh
Funded by: Scottish Government

Outputs (19)

Outputs

Article

Midgley G, Boyd A, Geerling T, Gregory WJ, Murray P, Walsh M & Kagan C (2002) Systemic Evaluation: Three flexible and Inclusive Approaches. Revista Gerencia y Politicas de Salud, 1 (2), pp. 6-16. http://www.e-space.mmu.ac.uk/e-space/handle/2173/17934

Book Chapter

Gregory W & Walsh M (1993) Quality, Ideology and Consumer Choice. In: Malek M, Vacani P & Rasquinhi J (eds.) Managerial Issues in the Reformed NHS. Chichester: Wiley.