Catherine Weir

Catherine Weir

Health Services Management Centre
Deputy Programme Director and Senior Lecturer, EGA Programme

Contact details

Address
School of Social Policy and Society
HSMC, Park House
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston, Birmingham
B15 2RT

Catherine is a Senior Lecturer supporting health and care leaders undertaking the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson MSc Programme. She has a background in NHS leadership both in primary care delivery and in acute and primary care commissioning and she is an experienced facilitator with Third Sector Boards and action learning sets. 

Catherine also runs her own consultancy company, Alpha & Omega Management Consultants Ltd which focusses on finance, PMO, business case and service evaluation support to the NHS, the wider public sector and the  third sector.

Catherine has worked as a senior NHS leader, including PCT Director of Operations and PCG Chief Executive, and has over 30 years work experience in the NHS and in the community and voluntary sector. Catherine’s most recent third sector experience is supporting business case development with a local hospice. 

Qualifications

  • MSc in Health Care Management 1995
  • MSc in Medical Demography 1984
  • BA in Economics and Geography  1983

Research

Catherine’s main research interests are in integrated care, leadership and evaluation.  Catherine is experienced and adept in working and engaging with strategic partners, clinical teams and GPs as part of her approach. A background in community development and academic research means Catherine is passionate about inclusion, community engagement and the support of patient co-production.  

Catherine is engaged in three areas of work:

  • Research and Evaluation
  • Organisational development
  • Leadership development 

Research and Evaluation 

Catherine has been involved in three research and evaluation projects with HSMC from 2017-19: 

  • Macmillan funded evaluation of whole system working, due to report late 2019.
  • AHRC funded project (2016-19) examining the development of practical wisdom by doctors and medical students.
  • Critical Appraisal of Pacesetter Programme for primary care in Wales ( 2018) 

In addition, Catherine  carried  out a  independent evaluation of a Big Lottery funded hospice support service during 2018 and in 2019 provided business case and evaluation  support to  another Hospice. 

Previous research and evaluation activity has included: 

  • Evaluation of a Hospice Education and Training programme (2017)
  • Evaluation of the Inclusive Leadership Programme for Health Education England and West Midlands  (2016)
  • Evaluation of two  Intermediate Care services for Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG (2015)

Organisational Development 

Catherine has supported OD work with a local hospice and been involved in the initial development of two new collaborative ventures across the University and beyond via Birmingham Health Partners and the Centre for Health and Social Care Leadership. Previous organisational development work included board development support for  the Sickle Cell Society from 2013- 2016. 

Leadership Development 

Catherine is a tutor on the NHS Leadership Academy programmes for mid-tier leaders (Elizabeth Garrett Anderson) and has been a tutor since its inception in 2013.  She has previously facilitated learning sets at the following events Aspiring Directors Programme  (2014-2016 ) and Health and Well Being Board simulation events (2012)

Other activities

Facilitator: NHS Healthcare Leadership Model, 2015, JCA Consulting 

Member: Institute of Healthcare Management  1996

Non-Executive Board Member of Healthwatch Birmingham Director of Alpha & Omega Management Consultants Ltd providing service evaluation, business case and OD support to third sector and public sector organisations. 

Recent support includes: 

  • Business Case for  Integrated Community End of Life  with Compton Care in Wolverhampton
  • Aspire  workshop for women in West Midlands Police 

Previous posts include commissioning and operational management at Director level in CCGs and Primary Care Trust. 

Publications

Selected publications and conference papers 

Two papers relating to community and patient trust in doctors and research, arising from the Phronesis Project, and for which Catherine is the lead author, are due for publication in 2020

Conroy, M et al (2019)  A collective phronesis (practical wisdom) from the medical community to facilitate ethical decision making: a major empirical study of decision narratives  BMC Medical Ethics forthcoming

Catherine has produced posters for the 2018 RCGP Conference in relation to Phronesis (practical wisdom) and the Medical Community and for the FMLM 2018 national conference 

Miller, R., Weir,C., Gulati, S.  Transforming primary care; scoping review of research and practice  Journal of Integrated Care  Vol 26 No. 3 2018 

Conroy, M. et al (2018) Phronesis in Medical Decision Making: Medical Leadership, Virtue Ethics and Practical Wisdom. AHRC Final Report for Phronesis and the Medical Community. UoB: www.Birmingham.ac.uk/Wisedecisionmaking