Karen SpilsburyAcademic
Professor of Nursing
University of Leeds (School of Healthcare)
University of Leeds (School of Healthcare) is based in Leeds Central and Headingley (Leeds)
Cited in UK press coverage of health & social care
2 citations
Across 1 topic, first on 10 Aug 2026.
1 of these 2 are linkable below; the rest were counted by the coverage scan without a stored article link.
Biography
Karen Spilsbury is a Professor of Nursing at the School of Healthcare, University of Leeds, and a registered nurse and applied health and care researcher. She joined Leeds in March 2015 as Chair in Nursing, having previously been awarded a personal Chair at the University of York in 2012. Her research programme focuses on the health and care workforce and quality of care for older people, particularly in care home settings, with a specific interest in how the composition, organisation and management of the workforce affects care quality and outcomes. She is Academic Director of NICHE-Leeds, a partnership between care providers, local authority and university scientists designed to help care homes innovate effectively and sustainably. She was appointed an NIHR Senior Investigator in 2023, and is Director for Leeds membership of the NIHR School for Social Care Research. She has publicly argued that social care reform must prioritise the workforce — including pay, training and retention — not just funding mechanisms.
References
- 1.Professor Karen Spilsbury | School of Healthcare | University of Leeds — Role title, organisation, career history (joined Leeds 2015, Chair at York 2012), areas of expertise, research projects and grants
- 2.Professor Karen Spilsbury announced as NIHR Senior Investigator | University of Leeds — NIHR Senior Investigator appointment in 2023 and Academic Director role at NICHE-Leeds
- 3.The NICHE-Leeds team – Niche — Her leadership of NICHE-Leeds and description as nurse and applied health and social care researcher focused on care home workforce and quality
- 4.New research to tackle challenges facing NHS and care workforce | NIHR — Co-leadership of NIHR Social Care Workforce Research Partnership as part of £24m NIHR investment
- 5.
Expertise
Cited on
Stated areas of expertise
- Care home quality and workforce
- Adult social care workforce policy
- Older people's care
- Nurse staffing and skill mix
- Health and care research methods
- Care home innovation
Notable achievements
- Appointed NIHR Senior Investigator in 2023 for research addressing care of older people Source ↗
- Co-leads the NIHR-funded Social Care Workforce Research Partnership ('Care Work'), a share of a £24m NIHR investment, alongside Professor Ann-Marie Towers of King's College London Source ↗
- Founded and leads NICHE-Leeds, a care home innovation partnership between the University of Leeds, care providers, and Leeds City Council Source ↗
- Led or contributed to acquisition of over £19.6m in research and infrastructure grants across 30 different studies as PI, theme or work package lead Source ↗
What they’ve said
“Research funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is currently exploring how employers can better attract and retain groups under-represented in care work, including younger people and men.”
Professor of Nursing, University of Leeds · Adult social care & reform · 10 Aug 2026 · Social care reform must start with the workforce – here’s why ↗
Source references
- Social care reform must start with the workforce – here’s whytheconversation.com · 10 Aug 2026
Contact & links
- Staff pagehttps://medicinehealth.leeds.ac.uk/healthcare/staff/785/professor-karen-spilsbury
- LinkedInhttps://uk.linkedin.com/in/karen-spilsbury-2aa8a01b
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Professors, researchers and think-tank analysts quoted on the strength of their research rather than a clinical role. Citations are counted by an automated scan of UK press coverage and may be incomplete. Roles, biographies and contact details are researched and human-reviewed before they appear here; anything not yet reviewed is simply absent rather than shown unverified. See the methodology for how this page is built, or email contact@bridgeheadcommunications.com to correct anything on it.