Sir Alan Langlands to chair Health Foundation board

Sir Alan Langlands will be the new chair of the board of governors of the Health Foundation. Sir Alan will take over the role when Sir David Carter steps down in January 2009.

Sir Alan is a natural choice to take on the role of advocate for the foundation's mission to improve quality and safety in the health service.He brings a wealth of knowledge and insight from his many years of developing public policy and managing health services.

As chief executive of the NHS Executive in England, he consistently supported excellence and innovative change. Since 2000, Sir Alan has been principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Dundee.

Sir Alan said: "The Health Foundation offers some of the most effective and original thinking on how we can improve the quality, safety and effectiveness of healthcare, ensuring that patients receive the care they deserve.

"I am looking forward to helping the sector benefit from their constructive, creative and practical approach to improvement and their focus on clinical and managerial leadership."

Sir David and the Health Foundation are delighted to welcome Sir Alan's appointment.