About Simon
Simon Bristow RMN, MSc
Simon is a Registered Mental Health Nurse and senior consultant with over 20 years of NHS experience and a national track record of leading in organisations during regulatory intervention.
He spent seven years as a Senior Consultant Adviser with NHS England, leading complex, multi-workstream improvement engagements with large mental health providers under enforcement action. He has a consistent record of supporting organisations to exit regulatory intervention, achieved through rigorous governance redesign, operational and patient safety turnaround, leadership development, and sustained engagement with executive boards and regulators.
Before joining NHS England, Simon held senior operational and nursing leadership roles in NHS provider Trusts. He has led community and inpatient services from CQC ratings of Requires Improvement to Good, and has direct experience of the operational, cultural, and governance conditions that deliver high performing services.
Simon holds an MSc in Mental Health Services and Population Research from King's College London, a CMI Level 7 in Leadership Coaching and Mentoring, and PRINCE2 Practitioner accreditation. He is a confident coach, an experienced presenter at national forums, and an analytical thinker who brings both clinical credibility and commercial rigour to every engagement.
English
Native or bilingual
Can work on-site
London (up to 50km)
Experience
- NHS England (NHSE) (Mental Health Improvement Support Team / GIRFT Mental Health)System Improvement AdvisorPUBLIC SECTORApril 2019 - Today (7 years and 2 months)London, United KingdomSenior consultant adviser operating at national level, leading complex improvement engagements and capability-building programmes.Led multidisciplinary consultant teams of up to 10 across three major 18-month engagements with large, complex providers under CQC enforcement action, enabling all three organisations to exit intervention.•Designed and implemented quality controls delivering sustained reductions in avoidable harm and mortality; co-designed productivity interventions improving waiting times and reducing staff sickness and turnover.•Led digital patient safety implementations improving documentation quality and increasing productivity by ~50%.•Conducted diagnostic reviews of regulatory compliance and quality oversight; reported findings directly to executives and Boards.•Supported NEDs and senior leaders in inspection preparation through mock interviews and governance coaching.•Presented synthesised learning at national conferences hosted by the Royal College of Medicine and Royal College of Psychiatrists.National Capability-Building Programmes•Designed and led a national Lean-based improvement programme on access, flow, and clinical capacity; webinars reached 2,500+ leaders across 143 organisations (84% of all NHS mental health providers).•Led a national epidemiological modelling programme for COVID-related mental health demand, coordinating five centres of excellence; 900+ participants.•Developed a national best-practice platform used by 1,200+ members, incorporating guidance, case studies, and benchmarking dashboards.•Led diagnostic engagements enabling executive directors to translate national policy and regulatory standards into operational delivery.•Developed analytic frameworks synthesising national best practice and regulatory guidance.•Advised national policy leads on implementation barriers and unintended consequences of policy change.
- Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation TrustHead of NursingPUBLIC SECTORDecember 2017 - March 2019 (1 year and 3 months)St Albans, United KingdomLed a 200+ nursing workforce and a ~£10m budget across the adult acute mental health inpatient pathway; professional lead for adult community pathways.• Implemented quality control programmes improving patient safety and regulatory compliance, driving inpatient services being re-rated from 'Requires Improvement' to 'Good' by the CQC.• Led deployment of a digital acuity management system, improving temporary staffing effectiveness, budget compliance, and quality outcomes.
- Older People's Mental Health, Camden & Islington NHS Foundation TrustSenior Service ManagerPUBLIC SECTORFebruary 2016 - December 2017 (1 year and 10 months)London, United KingdomLed 70+ staff across five services areas in the community pathway.• Led the community pathway from 'Requires Improvement' to 'Good' rating with the CQC.• Reduced waiting lists from 18 months to 6 weeks through demand analysis-led business cases for additional psychological interventions.• Delivered a 20% improvement in average inpatient length of stay by redirecting community resources to support early discharge.• Performance-managed contracts with local social care providers, improving staffing quality and patient care outcomes.
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Education
- CMI Level 7Chartered Management Institute2023CMI Level 7
- MScKing's College London (KCL)2015MSc
Certifications
- MSc Mental Health Services and Population ResearchKing’s College London2015