Brian is both a mental health nurse and an adult nurse and has been a registered nurse for 38 years. He has worked in substance misuses community services as well as inpatient care, specialising in supporting those with alcohol dependency, as well as leading services in gastroenterology, hepatology and emergency medicine.
Brian has been leading on the creation of the Cumbria School of Medicine, a partnership with Imperial College London, which will open in 2025 as a joint venture, providing a graduate entry medicine programme with a focus on public and community health as well as rural health.
Brian has an extensive national and international profile and previously held the post of Chair of the Council of Deans of Health UK (www.councilofdeans.org.uk) for 6 years. He has provided evidence to the Health Select Committee and a number of other national and strategic organisations in relation to workforce issues, education and innovative solutions to education, training and skills.
Brian was recognised as a Fellow of the Queens Nursing Institute in 2022 and is a Governor at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust and a Trustee of the Fells Education Trust in Cumbria. He was also an adjunct Professor at John Hopkins University from 2016 – 2022.