Sir Mansel Aylward CB MD DSc FFOM FCRP FLSW (born November 1942,

Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydf ...

) is a Welsh public health physician and academic. He was Chief Medical Officer, Medical Director and Chief Scientist at the U.K. Government Department for Work and Pensions. He was Director of the Centre for Psychosocial Research, Occupational and Physician Health at

Cardiff University School of Medicine The Cardiff University School of Medicine ( cy, Ysgol Feddygaeth Prifysgol Caerdydd) is the medical school of Cardiff University and is located in Cardiff, Wales, UK. Founded in 1893 as part of the University College of South Wales and Monmouth ...

. He was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in the

2010 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2010 were announced on 31 December 2009 in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Barbados, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Saint Lucia, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Christopher and NevisSaint Christ ...

for services to health and healthcare. He was made a Freeman of the Borough of

in 2013 and elected to the fellowship of the Learned Society of Wales in 2016. He was the first Chair of

Public Health Wales Public Health Wales (PHW; ) is an NHS Trust which was established on 1 October 2009 as part of a major restructuring of the health service in Wales. It aims to protect and improve health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities in Wales. M ...

NHS Trust from 2009 a 2017, responsible for the delivery of public health services at national, local and community levels in Wales. He is currently the Chair (Emeritus) of the Bevan Commission.

Early life and education

He was born in the Ex-servicemen's Club in

in November 1942.

Career

From 1996 to April 2005, Aylward was Chief Medical Adviser, Medical Director and Chief Scientist of the UK

Department for Work and Pensions , type = Department , seal = , logo = Department for Work and Pensions logo.svg , logo_width = 166px , formed = , preceding1 = , jurisdiction = Government of the United Kingdom , headquarters = Caxton House7th Floor6–12 Tothill Stree ...

and Chief Medical Adviser and Head of Profession at the Veteran's Agency,

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

. He was on the board of the

Benefits Agency The Benefits Agency (BA), a now defunct UK government welfare department, was an executive agency of the United Kingdom Department of Social Security (subsequently the Department for Work and Pensions) which was set up in 1991 to "help create an ...

Medical Service in the 1990s. Aylward's wife, Angela, was then involved in setting up a company called Mediprobe, trading under the name Nationwide Medical Examination Advisory Service Ltd, which arranged for the agency's doctors to work for insurance companies. He was involved in the establishment of the new

Work Capability Assessment The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) is used by the British Government's Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to decide whether and to what extent welfare benefit claimants are capable of doing work or work-related activities. The outcome of th ...

test. When he left the department he headed the UnumProvident Centre for Psychosocial and Disability Research, at Cardiff University, Aylward has been criticized for giving academic credibility to the

biopsychosocial model Biopsychosocial models are a class of trans-disciplinary models which look at the interconnection between biology, psychology, and socio-environmental factors. These models specifically examine how these aspects play a role in topics ranging from ...

which was said to be the basis of the Cameron government’s disability benefits crackdown. He is Chair of the advisory board of HCB Group, a provider of rehabilitation and case management services to insurance companies and the corporate sector. Aylward is chair (emeritus) of the Bevan Commission, a group of international experts which advises the Welsh Minister for Health and Social Services. He was Chair of Life Sciences Hub Wales from 2017-21. He remains on the Board of Directors.

Publications

* Managing long-term worklessness in primary care: a focus group study, Cohen D, Marfell N, Webb K, Robling M, Aylward M, Occup Med (Lond), Volume 60, 2 (March 2010) pp. 121–126 * Models of Sickness and Disability Applied to Common Health Problems, Waddell G et al., Royal Society of Medicine Press (2010) * The Power of Belief: psychosocial influences on illness, disability and medicine, Edited by Halligan P W and Aylward M * Beliefs: Clinical and vocational interventions; tackling psychological and social determinants of illness and disability, Edited by Halligan PW and Aylward M Oxford University Press (2006) * The Scientific and Conceptual Basis of Incapacity Benefits, Gordon Waddell and Mansel Aylward, The Stationery Office 2005

References

External links

Cardiff University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aylward, Mansel 21st-century Welsh medical doctors Knights Bachelor British public health doctors Civil servants in the Department for Work and Pensions Living people 1942 births