Dr Christine Rivers has worked as a lecturer in sociology/social theory, a mental health social worker and team manager, an equality and human rights lead for a Mental Health and Community Health NHS Trust, and is now working for NHS England/Improvement as the Head of the Workforce Disability Equality Standard (WDES). Christine completed her PhD in 2006; her PhD focussed on LGB people’s experiences of mental health services.

Christine has extensive knowledge and expertise in the field of equality, with specialist expertise in disability, mental health and sexual orientation. Christine has led the WDES and the Implementation team since the WDES was launched in 2019. She has also led many programmes of work, including setting up a network for staff with lived experience of mental ill health, leading work to reach position 32 in the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index and leading on a trust’s Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) and action planning. In 2016, Christine received an Embrace award for her equality work from the National Health and Social Care BME network.

Christine is passionate about, and committed to making positive change in the NHS, and finding and using levers to effect change.