James became involved in patent safety following the loss of his baby son Joshua due to failures in his care at hospital where he was born in 2008. 

Formerly a project manager in the nuclear industry, James has since worked as the National Advisor on Patient Safety for the Care Quality Commission and was a member of the advisory group established to set up the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB). James has recently worked as a specialist advisor supporting the Independent Investigation into East Kent Maternity Services, which published its report in September 2022. 

James’s current roles include Ambassador and Course Director for the charity Baby Lifeline, member of the Expect Advisory Panel for the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO), Chair of the charity Patient Safety Watch and Co-founder of the Harmed Patients Alliance. 

James is currently a visiting fellow at Cranfield University and was awarded an OBE for service to Patient Safety in 2015. In 2018, James completed a PGCert in Patient Safety at Imperial College, London. James’s book, Joshua’s Story was published in 2015.