David Cowan

Drawing on several years experience in the not-for-profit sector, NHS project and programme management, and GP federations; KERA Consultancy Ltd collaborates with key stakeholders to facilitate positive change.

KERA was founded in 2018 by myself and a small team of colleagues whose skills and attributes have been selected for their commitment to securing positive changes in complex environments, focusing on project and programme management.​

Being the incumbent Yorkshire and Humber Regional Facilitator for the NHSE Social Prescribing network;

I have led on key projects and initiatives since 2016, acting as a pivotal point of contact for social prescribing services in the region and linking commissioners, providers and creative thinkers successfully together.​

I have worked in the NHS for over a decade. I am very excited to be part of a great new movement and growing evidence base that Social Prescribing works and am really enjoying being the lead facilitator for the NHSE Social Prescribing Network for Yorkshire and Humber. I am still very passionate about sharing the learning gained during two years of the Vanguard programme and wave one Prime Ministers Challenge Fund programme. Currently I am working on delivering level 3 qualifications in Social Prescribing at Conexus Healthcare UK, in partnership with Bromley-by-Bow and University of East London. 

I am a Development Advisor on the Time for Care Programme at NHS England and NHS Improvement.

The focus of this role is to use quality improvement methodologies to help practice teams manage their workload, adopt and spread innovations that free-up clinical time for care, and develop the skills and confidence to lead local improvement. 

I am proud to have led a Care Navigation ‘active sign posting’ consultancy and training programme, at Conexus Healthcare, which has received some national recognition. It was fantastic that the Care Navigation work I led during the MCP Vanguard in Wakefield was recognised in the GP Forward View 2016. As well as winning General Practice Awards 2017 for ‘Developing the Practice Team’ this work was awarded Yorkshire and Humber Academic Health Science Network best example of ‘Adoption and Diffusion’. Furthermore,

the training and consultancy programme I have led, has been awarded General Practice Award 2018 ‘Training Provider of the Year’. During the same year the care navigation training programme that I led

won the HSJ Value Award – Improving the Value of Primary Care Services and HSJ Award – Primary

Care Service Redesign.