Karen Spilsbury

Who Karen Spilsbury is

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 for this biography

1. 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. 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. 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. 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. 5.Social care reform must start with the workforce – here's why | The Conversation — Public commentary on social care workforce reform; confirms NIHR Senior Investigator status and Leeds NIHR School for Social Care Research directorship
6. 6.Professor Karen Spilsbury | Social Care – GOV.UK blogs — Confirms role as Professor of Nursing at University of Leeds leading the NICHE-Leeds care home–academia partnership
7. 7.Contact us | School of Healthcare | University of Leeds — Organisation head-office postcode and address: Worsley Building, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT

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 ↗

Where Karen Spilsbury has been quoted

1. Social care reform must start with the workforce – here’s whytheconversation.com · 10 Aug 2026

Related media coverage

Recent UK press coverage of their topics — not necessarily citing them directly.

• Death tax, dementia tax, no tax at all: Why England hasn’t fixed social careTheLead.uk
• Maryland Reform Act Keeps 26 Offenses in Adult Court, Advocates ConcernedDavis Vanguard
• Disability benefits could be cut for young people under new Burnham planMy London

Contact & links

• Staff pagehttps://medicinehealth.leeds.ac.uk/healthcare/staff/785/professor-karen-spilsbury
• LinkedInhttps://uk.linkedin.com/in/karen-spilsbury-2aa8a01b

Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.