James Titcombe is the Chief Executive of Patient Safety Watch, a charity that aims to improve patient safety and reduce preventable harm in healthcare through research and publication of reports. He is also a Patient Safety Improvement Advisor for the Morecambe Bay NHS Trust, where he works to promote a culture of learning and improvement. James is also an Ambassador for Baby Lifeline. 

He has over ten years of experience in patient safety work and supporting patient safety initiatives, research, and education across the NHS and beyond. 

James became a passionate advocate for patient safety after losing his son Joshua due to failures in his care at hospital in 2008. He has since worked with various organisations, including the Care Quality Commission, the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch, and the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. He is the author of Joshua’s Story, a book that shares his personal and professional journey in patient safety. James also contributed a chapter for the book Restorative Just Culture in Practice (Dekker, Oats, Raffety), published in 2022. 

James is an honorary visiting fellow at Cranfield University and a regular speaker at conferences and events. He holds an OBE for his services to patient safety and a PGCert in Patient Safety from Imperial College London. 

In 2021, James worked with Joanne Hughes to help set up the Harmed Patients Alliance, that works to address compounded harm following safety incidents and promote the potential for restorative practice to support improvements in this area. James has completed training in restorative practice facilitation.