Quality Network - Spotlight on a Quality Network Regional Lead

Find out more about Dr Annie Hunningher, RCoA Quality Network Regional Lead for Barts and the London

Annie is a consultant anaesthetist at Barts Health NHS Trust and a driving force in patient safety, education, and improvement. With a strong track record as an IHI Improvement Coach and as a Loughborough Patient Safety Specialist, she combines frontline clinical delivery with expertise in systems change, culture transformation, and safety innovation. As Group Safety Lead for Barts Health, Annie is spearheading the implementation of the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) and demystifying the interface of safety science and QI. She is leading on initiatives and innovations to embed a just restorative safety culture in one of the largest NHS trusts in the country.

Nationally, Annie is recognised as the lead clinical author of the updated National Safety Standards for Invasive Procedures (NatSSIPs2), shaping safer practice in theatres and invasive settings across the UK. She has trained over 100 perioperative teams in human factors and systems thinking and chairs the Barts Health Group committee, along with co-chairing a National NatSSIPs network with the charity Patient Safety Learning. She has developed CANDLE (Curriculum and Delivery Learning Event) to strengthen resident training in QI and safety and build collaboration, teamwork and improvement. 

As regional lead she is part of a group at the RCoA developing a national model for resident training in QI and Safety. Alongside this, she is currently completing a Multiverse data apprenticeship, developing advanced skills in using data to problem-sense, predict risks, and measure the impact of QI and safety interventions.

Annie’s career reflects a deep commitment to bridging improvement science, safety frameworks, and clinical practice — always with patients, staff wellbeing, and building system resilience driving the vision forward.

October 2025