Blog authors

Here is a list of authors who have posted blogs on this website, select an author to view their blog posts.

Please note that the opinions expressed in these blogs are the authors’ own views, and not necessarily those of NHS England.

Kevin Garrod

Kevin joined the NHS in April 2021 having spent time as the Chief Executive of Employ-Ability and as Head of Partnerships for Safe Network, the national third-sector safeguarding unit. He is an experienced leader with a track record of strategic development and implementation, which includes managing the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust Anchor Programme to national prominence. One of his main tasks has been to influence local, regional and national government to reflect the importance of Anchors in their strategic planning to support local communities, including in mid and south Essex.

Janet Lindsay

Janet Lindsay is CEO of Wellbeing of Women, the leading charity dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of women, girls and babies through research, education, and advocacy.

Dr Lennard Lee

Dr Lennard YW Lee is Associate Professor at the University of Oxford and senior clinical research fellow at the University of Birmingham. He is a Medical Oncologist at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He works at the NHSE Cancer Programme as clinical advisor for cancer innovations and diagnostics. 

Lauren Harkins

As Assistant Director of Programmes in the Transformation Directorate, Lauren works to ensure that digital health technologies deployed in the NHS are safe for patients to use. The DTAC Programme supports the NHS and innovators by setting the baseline standards that technologies need to meet.

She supports projects under the Partnerships Award to maximise value.

Lauren has a commercial, governance and procurement background and is passionate about getting technologies to patients and the system.

Rhod Joyce

As Deputy Director of Innovation Development within the NHS Transformation Directorate, Rhod works to support the ecosystem in the development, assurance and deployment of digital tools and services at scale.

Key programmes include the Digital Health Partnership Award, the Digital Health Technology Assessment Criteria and drives support for patients to access digital health apps to support the management of long term conditions. He also leads the Transformation Directorate’s Partnerships team.

He brings with him extensive experience from the private sector including politics and finance to media, marketing and creativity leading large scale digital transformation.

@rhodjoyce

Katie Matthews

Katie Matthews is a Learning Disability Network Manager in NHS England and NHS Improvement.

Her team works to improve the engagement between NHS England and Improvement and people with a learning disability, autism, or both and their families and carers.

Her work includes co-producing easy read information to support engagement, quality checking easy read information for colleagues, and promoting accessible communication.

As her team’s social media lead she has responsibility for one of the most important ways of keeping in contact with the network of people interested in the NHS’s work about learning disability and autism.

Lucy

Lucy is 11 years old and lives in Salford, Greater Manchester where she cares for her Mum and her younger brother.

To relax, Lucy likes to play football with her friends and enjoys art and other creative pastimes.

Ruth Mhlanga

Ruth is a physiotherapist by background and as well as being the interim Chief AHP for South Tees, Ruth is the chair for the Chief Allied Health Professions Officers Black and Minority Ethnicity Strategic Advisory Group (CAHPO BAME SAG). Ruth is an experienced manager of physiotherapists and other allied health professions and has a passion for social justice.

Anne

Anne (not her real name), from London, is in her 50s. She tested HIV positive at her local emergency department in April 2021 following an opt out test.

Tom Warner

Tom has just reached ten years’ service in the NHS and recently came into his first specific equality, diversity and inclusion role as Clinical Workforce Equalities Manager for NHS England, Midlands region.

This role works on the development of transformational policy for nursing and midwifery workforce equality. Here Tom has led on the establishment of a Chief Nursing Officer’s and Chief Midwifery Officer’s Ethnic Minority Delivery Group, translating national priorities into Midlands specific actions to improve workforce and patient outcomes.

Guest blogs

Occasionally we invite guest bloggers to write posts for NHS England. Those posts are marked as authored by “Guest blogs”.

Dr Sohail Abbas

Sohail has been working in the NHS since 2003 and has previously worked as the Clinical Chair of Bradford City Clinical Commissioning Group and Clinical Director of Community Services in Salford Royal Foundation Trust. He is also a GP partner in Bradford City and a GP with special interest in diabetes. He holds the fellowship of the Royal College of General Practitioners, membership of the Royal College of Physicians, MSc in diabetes and an executive MBA.

Sohail is passionate about system working and harnessing the power of communities. In Bradford District and Craven, he is working with organisations, community partnerships and primary care networks to embed a population health management approach to reduce health inequalities and develop the district inequalities action plan alongside public health colleagues and system partners to address the wider determinants of health. As the Chair of the Integrated Care System Health Inequalities Network, he is working across places to raise awareness and build the capacity and capability in the system to tackle health inequalities.

Sala Abdalla

Sala Abdalla is a Consultant General and Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeon based at the London North West University Healthcare Trust.

She is an advocate for women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and has made significant contributions to medical education.

She is faculty on several royal college of surgeons accredited courses and is the author of numerous publications in the field of surgery, including two textbooks.

She has a passion for humanitarian work and is director of a surgical charity that performs lifesaving and function-restoring operations in underserved communities around the globe.

Basit Abdul

Basit, a Healthcare Scientist specialised in clinical engineering, holds two part-time roles within NHS England. He is a Clinical Programme Lead in the Pharmacy Integration Fund team, leading the evaluation of the Hearing Health pathway pilot in South West London Integrated Care Board. Additionally, he acts as an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Clinical Fellow in the Chief Scientific Officer’s team, leading the development of a national EDI strategy for the healthcare science workforce.

He is currently enrolled in the Oxford Executive Strategy Programme at Said Business School, University of Oxford. He holds two MSc degrees in medical electronics and in healthcare leadership, and a first degree in electronics engineering. He has received many awards for engineering, innovation, and project management.

Dr Ruw Abeyratne

Dr Abeyratne is a consultant geriatrician and recently joined University Hospitals of Leicester as their first Director of Health Equality and Inclusion. She has a personal and special interest in workforce wellbeing and is an active member of the Midlands’ Charter Board.

Dr Abeyratne has campaigned for improvements in organisational approaches to addressing discrimination and is involved in regional work to tackle inequalities in the workplace as well as being a certified health and wellness coach.

Caroline Abrahams

Caroline is Age UK’s Charity Director and oversees all the charity’s influencing and marketing. She is a member of the NHS Assembly and was formerly a SRO for the Ageing Well strand of the NHS Long Term Plan. She is also co-chair of the Care and Support Alliance (70+ charities campaigning for decent social care for all who need it). She has been at Age UK for a decade after other roles in the voluntary sector, the LGA, and as a civil servant and adviser in Government and Opposition.

Dr Chitra Acharya

Dr Chitra Acharya is a Patient Leader at NHS Nottingham City CCG and is a member of Nottinghamshire My Life Choices and graduate of NHS England’s Peer Leadership Academy. She is also a computer scientist with research interest in Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and patient safety, as well as a trained dancer, volunteer, advocate and campaigner.

Nigel Acheson

Nigel Acheson is Regional Medical Director and Higher Level Responsible Officer for the South Region of NHS England. With a population of 13.4 million, the Region stretches from Cornwall to Kent and includes the cities of Bristol, Oxford and Southampton.

Born in Belfast, Nigel trained in Birmingham and was appointed as a consultant gynaecological oncologist in 2002, moving to the Royal Devon and Exeter (RD&E) Hospital in Exeter to help develop the Gynaecological Cancer Centre there and learn to sail.

From his time as a National Advisor and Clinical Lead to the Department of Health’s Enhanced Recovery Partnership Programme, Nigel actively promotes the involvement of patients as partners in their care. Whilst Medical Director for the Peninsula Cancer Network in the South West of England, Nigel helped to re-establish the patient and public group with the chair and vice-chair becoming members of the network Board.

Sue Adams

Sue Adams is the Chief Executive of Care & Repair England.

Care & Repair England is a national charity established in 1986 to improve the housing and living conditions of older and disabled people. Sue has contributed to successive governments’ policies concerning housing and ageing. She currently chairs the national Housing & Ageing Alliance & the Home Adaptations Consortium and has served on DCLG’s Housing Sounding Board, DWP’s Age Action Alliance and DH’s Ministerial working party on the future of Adult Social Care. She is a fellow of the World Demographic Association and has written extensively about housing and older people. She was awarded the Foundations Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009 and an OBE for services to older people’s housing in 2010.

Victor Adebowale

Victor Adebowale is currently Chief Executive and company secretary of Turning Point. He is a cross-bench peer and Visiting Professor and Chancellor at the University of Lincoln, a Fellow of the City and Guilds of London Institute, an associate member of the Health Service Management Centre at the University of Birmingham and of Cambridge University Judge Business School.

He is a director of Leadership in Mind and THP Innovate and Chair of youth charity Urban Development. Victor is on the Board of Governors for the London School of Economics, and is President of the International Association of Philosophy and Psychiatry.

His previous roles include being the Chief Executive at Centre Point, the youth homelessness charity and membership of the United Kingdom Commission for Employment and Skills.

Follow Victor on Twitter @voa1234

Jacqui Adeniji-Williams

Jacqui Adeniji-Williams first received a piece of equipment from Whizz-Kidz when she was seven years old – ‘a purple sparkly manual chair’. Jacqui has been involved ever since and as she has got older decided to give something back and take on a volunteering role. In doing so, she has gone on to inspire, support and bring fun to the lives of many disabled children and young people.

Jacqui volunteers at her local Ambassador Club, takes part in local and national campaigns and acts as a mentor to young people at Whizz-Kidz Camps.

Adebusuyi (Ade) Adeyemi

Ade is Co-Chair for the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Staff Network of NHS England and NHS Improvement and was awarded an MBE for services to Global Health policy.

He is currently supporting a number of commercial activities at NHS England and NHS Improvement, including PPE procurement for COVID-19 and establishing the NHS Long Term Plan ambition for the NHS Export Collaborative, exploring the ways the NHS can collaborate around their innovations and engage overseas.

Ade is a Global Health policy expert who is also a Director at the Think Tank Chatham House, where he supports Ministry of Health stakeholders across Africa, by strengthening their leadership and policy development capacities.

He is also the Managing Director of the world’s biggest Global Health Jobs platform www.globalhealthjobs.com. Ade is also the founder and Executive Director for the African Healthcare Hackathon (www.ahhack.com), an annual hackathon (an event typically lasting several days where a large number of people collaborate intensively on a project) that has worked on developing solutions for organisations such as WHO, Médecins Sans Frontières, Save the Children and UNICEF.

He has also served on the National Executive Committee of the Fabian Society (Britain’s oldest political think-tank) and was Chair of the Young Fabian’s (the under-31 section) Health Network.

Ade is also studying for a Doctor of Philosophy in Global Health and Social Medicine at King’s College London.

Dr Veena Aggarwal

Dr Veena Aggarwal is a Chief Sustainability Officer’s Clinical Fellow and is based in the Primary Care team and the Greener NHS team at NHS England and NHS Improvement. She is a GP speciality trainee in South West London. She has practiced medicine in the UK and New Zealand, and is passionate about sustainable healthcare, global health and preventative medicine. She is also a co-chair of Greener Practice, South London.

Professor Sanjay Agrawal

Professor Sanjay Agrawal is the National Specialty Adviser for Tobacco Dependency at NHS England, Chair of the Royal College of Physicians Tobacco Advisory group and Consultant in Respiratory and Intensive Care Medicine.

Over the past decade Professor Agrawal has highlighted the need to address the treatment of tobacco dependency and is now supporting the NHS Long Term Plan programme to implement tobacco dependency treatment services across the NHS.

Dr Shahed Ahmad

Shahed Ahmad, National Clinical Director for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at NHS England.

Dr Shahed Ahmad is an NHS England Medical Director in the South East Region where he is the Responsible Officer for over 3000 GPs. Shahed was educated at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge and University College and Middlesex School of Medicine. Shahed did his MSc in Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and his leadership training at the London Business School. Before working for NHS England and NHS Improvement, Shahed was a Director of Public Health and led on cardiovascular risk reduction in a number of boroughs. Since joining NHS England, Shahed developed the NHS@2030 programme for GPs in South Central (a number of whom are now clinical directors of primary care networks) and developed the Hampshire Thames Valley Leadership Forum.

Dr Linda Aiken

Linda H. Aiken, PhD, RN is the Claire Fagin Professor of Nursing, Professor of Sociology, Director of Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research, and Senior Fellow of the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania.

Dr Aiken conducts research on the use of performance measures to demonstrate relationships between health care workforce and patient outcomes in over 30 countries.

She is the author of more than 300 scientific papers, and is the recipient of the Lienhard Award of the National Academy of Medicine and the Individual Codman Award from the Joint Commission.

Dr Aiken is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, is a fellow and past President of the American Academy of Nursing, and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing.

Mat Ainsworth

Mat Ainsworth is the Assistant Director for Employment (Strategy, Policy & Delivery) at the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. Mat is responsible for the delivery of the employment elements of GM’s groundbreaking devolution agreement and the Greater Manchester Strategy priority around good jobs for people to progress & develop. The key elements of this include the development of a whole population Working Well system to ensure people have the support and opportunities to secure and progress in work; developing a world-class jobs and progression service, working with Jobcentre Plus; and developing a GM approach to managing welfare reform that delivers job progression and addresses low pay.

The role includes significant joint working with partners across GM, especially those working in health, skills and economic development, as well as with central government departments, academics and Think Tanks.

Mat has previously worked for Salford City Council, Nottingham City Council, Jobcentre Plus and as a teacher and freelance translator in Slovenia.

Susan Aitkenhead

Susan Aitkenhead is a Deputy Chief Nursing Officer to Ruth May, Chief Nursing Officer for England and supports CNO on matters linked to professional regulation, education, research, and collective leadership. This is in addition to the work with ministers, government officials, professional regulators, royal colleges, professional bodies and the Devolved Administrations to help shape policy and decision making.

Susan was previously a Director of Nursing at NHS England leading on a range of work aligned to system and service transformation at national, regional and local levels.

Susan is a registered nurse with extensive clinical, operational and strategic experience within healthcare across a variety of settings; and provider and commissioning executive and non-executive Board roles within both the UK and overseas.

She has also worked in a variety of other national roles such as at the Department of Health providing advice and support to ministers and policy officials across central government departments, and in professional regulation across the UK at the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Twitter: @SAitke
E-mail: susanaitkenhead@nhs.net

Bola Akinwale

Bola Akinwale, Deputy Director, National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme, is a health policy professional and has worked in a variety of national policy and strategy roles across the health and care system. She has a PhD in public health and is a member of the government social research profession.

Dr Hussain Al-Zubaidi

Movement, community and nutrition are three cornerstones of Dr Al-Zubaidi’s personal and professional life. He is a lifestyle medic and long-distance triathlete. He is the Royal College of General Practitioners lifestyle and physical activity lead as well as a Swim England clinical advisor. He runs a pioneering NHS based fitness club and lifestyle clinic helping to educate and support patients to eat better, move more and connect with their community.  He heads up the social prescribing team at the Leamington Primary Care Network which assists people holistically to promote, protect and improve their health. A key passion is to use lifestyle to tackle health inequalities. Hussain volunteers at the mental health charity Run Talk Run as the West Midlands regional leader, where they use movement to help forge conversations and peers support. It is his strong belief that lifestyle can be a powerful tool in the fight against many conditions both physical and mental, while being a great way to socialize and stay connected with our community. He is a keen triathlete and UK Athletics leader in running fitness and tries to use his own personal journey of taking up physical activity from a previous sedentary lifestyle and improvement in his own nutrition and knowledge of food to promote its benefits for our wellbeing. He delivers numerous talks and lectures to various audiences both professional and public including a regular slot on Steph’s Packed Lunch on Channel 4.

Instagram: @irondoctorhaz | Twitter: @zubaidihussain | Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/hussain-al-zubaidi-402b141a7/

Sarah Aldridge

Prior to working as a counsellor, Sarah Aldridge worked in media, mainly in TV and newspapers including The Guardian and MTV.

In 2010 she completed her training as a Psychodynamic Counsellor and then worked in the voluntary sector, a cancer charity and set up private practice.

Later roles include clinician and casework, Tavistock and Portman Primary Care Psychotherapy Consultation Service (Hackney community team).

In 2016 Sarah joined Ealing Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT), West London NHS Trust and she is a British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and BPC accredited counsellor.

Caroline Alexander

Caroline has significant nursing leadership experience at director level across a breadth of portfolios – healthcare provision, commissioning and system leadership.

She was director of nursing and therapies for Tower Hamlets PCT and then director of nursing and quality For NHS ELC, then NHS NEL clusters of primary care trusts. Caroline was regional chief nurse for NHS England in London for three years before taking up her current post as Chief Nurse for Barts Health.

She graduated as a nurse in 1987 from Edinburgh University (BSc/RGN) and has an MSc in Nursing Studies from South Bank University. Caroline was a 2008 Florence Nightingale Leadership Scholar and is a Visiting Professor at Bucks New University.

Salma Ali

Salma Ali is a Liaison & Diversion Practitioner, specialising in working within people with Intellectual Disability. She has worked in Liaison & Diversion for the past 6 years, and has been integral in the development of a screening and assessment pathway for offenders with Intellectual Disability within the offender care service at the Central & North-West London Foundation Trust, as well as the development of the ‘RAPID’ screening tool.

Dr Amar Ali

Dr Amar Ali Graduated from university of Sheffield in 2005. Completed GP training in 2010 and joined Oakenhurst Medical Practice as a partner. He has a active interest in diabetes research and education. Currently works at the community diabetes service and is the CCG lead for diabetes. He is also working as clinical lead for the Lancashire and South Cumbria NDPP

Dr Ayesha Ali

Dr Ayesha Ali, Medical Advisor to Highly Specialised Services at NHS England and NHS Improvement.

Dr Martin Allen

Dr Martin Allen is Interim National Clinical Director for Respiratory Medicine, GIRFT National Clinical Lead for Respiratory Medicine and National Specialty Adviser for Physiological Science.
 
Martin is also Consultant Respiratory Physician at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire, one of the largest respiratory departments in the country. He currently chairs the National Expert Group on Respiratory Coding and sits on the Royal College of Physicians Commissioning Advisory Group and the British Thoracic Society Board.

Yasmin Allen

Yasmin Allen is a dentist who has worked in emergency dental services in a dental hospital environment and within London.

She continues to work within the Emergency dental service and Urgent Dental service.

In her day job she works in Health Education Kent, Surrey and Sussex as dental programme manager.

Joy Allen

Joy Allen is the Registered Manager at Hemsworth Park Care Home.

Joy manages the care home in Pontefract, with a 93 bed capacity for elderly nursing, residential, and adults up to 65 years of age.

Dr Dan Alton,

Dan is a GP at Wargrave Surgery in Berkshire, combining this with his local role as Berkshire West CCG Population Health Management (PHM) Clinical Lead, as well as National PHM Clinical Advisor to NHS England and NHS Improvement.

Dan’s work focusses on using Population Health Management methodology to drive the development of transformative approaches that lead to proactive, integrated care.

He has been instrumental in helping design and deliver multiple large-scale system transformation projects and longer-term strategies to create the governance and data infrastructure that enable this cultural change within systems.

Sarah Amani

Sarah Amani is Senior Programme Manager at the EIP Programme (South of England) and currently seconded to NHS England (South) mental health priority programme. With experience of leading complex programmes spanning multiple organisations to deliver measurable results, her role involves supporting 16 providers and 50 clinical commissioning groups to implement the new national target for psychosis, whilst supporting NHS England managers to assure delivery of robust service development and improvement plans.

Khudeja Amer-Sharif

Khudeja Amer-Sharif, CEO Shama Womens Centre.

Khudeja has over 30 years of experience in leadership roles in Finance, Education and Voluntary Sector; leading diverse teams of professionals in new levels of success. Khudeja is experienced in implementing organisational change, spearheading the Equalities and Diversity agenda. As CEO for Shama women’s Centre, Khudeja has pioneered a innovative mental health support programme, exceeding KPI’s, improving outcomes in education, work and health inequalities. Khudeja is an advocate for patients through various Board Lay Roles within NHS, and is Prince 2, MBA, MCIM qualified.

Clare Anderson

Clare Anderson is a Clinical Nurse Specialist in the CAMHS Crisis and Liaison Team in Durham & Darlington in the North East of England.

She is a paediatric nurse with Tees Esk & Wear Valleys NHS Trust and helped develop the Crisis & Liaison service from its conception in May 2014. She has been involved in developing national guidelines for emergency care of young people with mental health problems. She has also visited other areas of the country to share the Durham model and help shape newly developing CAMHS crisis services. She has worked in various clinical settings including acute paediatrics and Accident & Emergency before spending the majority of her career in CAMHS.

Carol Anderson

Carol Anderson is an accomplished senior nurse leader with 30 years’ experience in the NHS. Her recent roles have included Director of Nursing and Interim Managing Director of Mid-Essex CCG, where she championed the role of the nurse on the governing body and its importance in advocating for patients. As Chief Nurse for the Mid and South Essex STP Joint Committee, she has provided oversight of all contracts delegated to the Joint Committee on behalf of the five CCGs in Mid and South Essex as well as delivering professional leadership for nursing across the STP.

Adam Anderson

Adam is the Head of Commercial Medicines Unit in the Commercial Medicines Directorate of NHS England. Adam is responsible for the overall tendering and supply chain strategies for secondary care. His team works very closely with the trusts, suppliers and trade bodies to ensure appropriate category frameworks are implemented and supply chain resilience is achieved for secondary care

Tim Anfilogoff

Tim Anfilogoff is Head of Community Resilience at Herts Valleys CCG, and NHS England’s Social Prescribing Regional Facilitator for the East of England.

Tiziana Ansell

Tiziana Ansell is a registered nurse, independent nurse prescriber and Darzi Fellow.

She specialised in continence care in 1999 and has been working in the field since.

Tiziana works for the Health Innovation Network on a two-year project to reduce catheter-associated urinary-tract infections (CAUTIs) in South London. She has 20 years’ clinical and managerial experience working in the UK across community, acute and private sector.

Prior to moving to the UK she also worked in Italy as a volunteer and paramedic in the ambulance service and underwent work experience in Slovenia in neuro-surgery intensive care unit.

Dr Waheed Arian

Dr Waheed Arian is an emergency medicine doctor based in Chester.

He has been recognised with several awards for his innovation and humanitarian work, including awards from the United Nations, UNESCO and UK Prime Minister.

You can read his story in his autobiography, In The Wars and find out more about his global and mental health work, Arian Teleheal and Arian Wellbeing at www.drwaheedarian.com.

Dr Amit Arora

Dr Amit Arora is a consultant geriatrician in the North Midlands, Clinical Director for the Emergency Care Improvement Support Team of NHS England and a Vice President (Workforce) for the British Geriatrics Society.

He is the founding Director of the National Frailty Academy and creator of the National Deconditioning Awareness and Prevention campaign and is now leading the national mission to #ReconditionTheNation.

John Ashcroft

John is currently Director of NHS IMPACT and Pathways at NHS England. John has held a number of posts in both the NHS and private sector healthcare and was previously Chief Executive of Manchester Royal Eye Hospital and University Dental Hospital of Manchester Trust. He has also worked at Great Ormond Street and the Royal Free London hospitals. John has expertise in leadership, strategy and operational delivery both within and across organisations in health and care.

Richard Ashworth

Richard Ashworth has been with NHS England for four years and is a Senior Insight Account Manager in the Insight & Feedback team. He leads work on PROMs and also on other major projects such as the annual NHS Staff Survey.

Alison Austin

Alison Austin is Deputy Director of Research in the Innovation, Research and Life Sciences Group within NHS England and NHS Improvement. Her role is to raise the profile of research across NHS England and NHS Improvement and ensure we take a cross organisational approach to supporting research in the NHS. Her work focuses on improving patient outcomes by embedding research in healthcare practice across all NHS settings, and increasing the number and diversity of people accessing and taking part in research.

Alison has worked on health, medical or research related policies in a number of government departments including the Department of Health, the Medical Devices Agency, the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Treasury. She is a qualified nurse with 13 years front line experience and has a degree in molecular biology and a PhD in molecular endocrinology.

Lesley Bainbridge

Lesley Bainbridge is Lead Nurse at Newcastle Gateshead Clinical Commissioning Group.

Lesley trained as a nurse and midwife in Gateshead in an apprentice style training that she loved. She says she laughed through all the student years while making lifelong friends and importantly being privileged to work alongside, and learn from, nurses and midwives she still regards to be among the best in the business. Since then she has complimented her training with graduations from Northumbria University.

Professionally there are two things that get Lesley out of bed every morning and they are nursing in its fullest sense and the care of older people. She is very much looking forward therefore to progressing all of the clinical components of the Care Home Vanguard programme so as to make a positive contribution towards improving not only the lives of older people and their families; but the working lives of the staff providing the services also.

Professor James Bainbridge

Professor James Bainbridge, Consultant Retinal Surgeon Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Dr Berge Balian

Dr Berge Balian has been a full time GP in a large semi-rural practice in Somerset with approximately 11,000 patients for the past 20 years, having completed his medical training at St Thomas’s Hospital in London.

Berge has a career long interest in medical politics and has been a representative of the South Somerset GP practices on the Somerset Local Medical Committee (LMC) for the whole of his GP career – including a period as Chair of the LMC. He has been Associate Medical Director for Primary Care at Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust since 2013 and was elected to the role of Chair of the Symphony Programme Board in April 2015.

Dr Roger Banks

Dr Roger Banks FRCPsych FRCGP(hon) FIPD is a Consultant Psychiatrist with more than 30 years of experience of working with people with a learning disability, autistic people and their families. In 2020 he was appointed as National Clinical Director for Learning Disability and Autism.

Roger is a previous Vice-President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners, Fellow of the Institute of Psychotherapy and Disability. He is Vice President of the Association for Research and Training on Integration in Europe (ARFIE) and a past President of the European Association for Mental Health in Intellectual Disability.

In 2009-10 he was jointly responsible for drafting “Better Health – Better Lives” the World Health Organisation’s Declaration and Action Plan for the Health and Wellbeing of Children and Young People with Intellectual Disabilities and their Families and he continues to work as a consultant to WHO-Europe on intellectual disability issues.

Dr Wasim Baqir

Dr Wasim Baqir is currently on secondment to NHS England to lead the care homes medicines optimisation scheme.

He was the lead pharmacist for the Northumberland PACS Vanguard where he led an integrated team of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, working collaboratively with doctors, nurses, social care and other professionals to develop and test services for patients across Northumberland.

Before this, he was the R&D and quality improvement pharmacist, leading on several projects including the Shine project; optimising medicines in care homes.

He has a passion for quality improvement and sits on the Trust Quality Laboratory and recently was successful in joining the Health Foundation’s Generation Q Network. Nationally, he is a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Innovators’ Forum and the Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists’ National Professional Committee.

Follow Wasim on Twitter: @wasimbaqir.

Judith Barlow

Judith Barlow works as a community midwife in London, as well as working with the National Elective Care Transformation Programme site delivery team.

She has been part of the team working on all the specialty based specialty waves, case studies and handbooks.

‘Using the rapid implementation approach we were able to implement good practice in several sites for women needing care to support them through a significant life change which can be individually challenging’

Angela Barrago

Angela Barrago is the Project Manager for the Spice Time Credit project in Chorley, Lancashire.

Spice develops Time Credit systems that value everyone’s time and are proven to improve outcomes for individuals, organisations and communities. Over 25,000 people have earned Time Credits, and approximately 450,000 Time Credits have been issued across England and Wales.

Spice works with a network of over 1,200 organisations and services across the private, public and voluntary sector in England and Wales.

Joanne Barrow

Joanne Barrow lives in Wigan, Greater Manchester. She is the parent to three adult children. Her youngest son Tom has a personal health budget which she manages. She is chairperson of Embrace Wigan and Leigh, an organisation which provides support to disabled people and their families. Through personal experience, Joanne believes that personalisation has been extremely positive both for her son, and for her family

Jonathan Barrow

Jonathan Barrow started his working life at 13, cleaning the local supermarket at 4.30am every morning.

At 15 Jon faced a no-brainer decision, was he to finish school, or take a job in a Butchers shop? So a Butcher he was to be, well at least for a couple of years then, he says: “I found the cold just too offal.”

By 18 he was married to his best friend’s sister, living on a notorious estate, set to be a father.

With no money, and little to look forward too, he took a job working nights on the Underground.

Over the next 15 years he educated himself, gaining extensive knowledge of signalling and qualifications in management. He spent the last 20 years as an operations manager, dealing with contracts in excess of a million pounds.

In this time he suffered traumatic events – the most devastating being when he lost his mum when aged just 24, and she was only 53. His next traumatic situation came when his soul mate of 30 years, Deb, began the painful, daily battle to cope with primary progressive Multiple Sclerosis.

The method of blotting out the pain Jon had put so much faith into, resulted in him spending two years shut in his bedroom unable to cope or face the world, too frightened to leave the room.

His long journey back took five years. Along the way he gained a degree with the Open University.

Jon now takes care of his wife but, having a real desire to share his coping skills, he started up a new charitable incorporated organisation for anyone with a health condition that feels they could benefit from peer support.

After just five months in operation Jon received the 2015 Volunteering through Adversity Award from Basildon Council.

Jon Bashford

Jon is an experienced senior manager, researcher and teacher with over 30 years’ experience working in health, social care and education in the public, independent and voluntary sectors. He is particularly known for his work on mental health, veterans, drug and alcohol use, offender health and equality and human rights. Coming from a practitioner background as a Registered Mental Nurse Jon has been able to successfully bridge the gap between research, innovation and practice. He has worked extensively as a senior manager on programmes for health and social care improvement including service user, carer and community engagement. In particular Jon has a reputation for ensuring that engagement and inclusion are at the forefront of mainstream organisational change management.

Betsy Basis

Betsy Basis is Chief Executive of NHS Blood and Transplant she has extensive experience leading complex, customer-facing organisations across the private and public sectors. Before joining NHSBT in March 2019, she was the Chief Operating Officer at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Betsy spent 12 years at Centrica/British Gas in a range of senior roles, including Strategy Director for British Gas.

Rachel Bassett

Rachel is 47 and lives with her husband and her dog. She has now been sober for 18 months.

She volunteers with the Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals Trust working with the alcohol team that saved her life. Though she feels she can never repay them enough, it is her way of saying thank you for all the hard work they do and hopefully, helping patients that are in the same position as she was.

She is enjoying life again. Has started baking again and is happily sleeping in her own bed. Her mood and physical health are so much better and she is enjoying the feeling that the people she loves are not having to worry about her anymore.

Neel Basudev

Neel Basudev is Senior GP Partner at Springfield Medical Centre in Lambeth, Clinical Director Diabetes at Health Innovation Network (South London Academic Health Science Network) and Out of Hospital Lead.

Juliet Bauer

Juliet was previously NHS England’s Chief Digital Officer. Tara Donnelly is due to take over the role of CDO at the beginning of February. She will oversee a portfolio of digital services including the NHS website, NHS ‘assured’ apps library, and the development of digital services to empower patients to better manage their health and care, including long-term conditions such as diabetes.

Dr Noel Baxter

Dr Noel Baxter is a GP in Southwark, London. He has been the respiratory champion there for the last 10 years, working with both primary and secondary care colleagues within a population based integrated respiratory service. He is also Clinical Director for Quality and Service Improvement at NHS Southwark CCG.

He is the Executive Chair of the Primary Care Respiratory Society (PCRS) and is a clinical advisor to the British Lung Foundation. He recently led the primary care workstream of the Royal College of Physicians’ asthma and COPD audit in England and Wales and was a member of the recent National Institute of Clinical and Care Excellence clinical guideline group for asthma management.

Passionate about tobacco harm, Dr Baxter is a member of the board of trustees for Action on Smoking in Health (ASH) and recent co-lead of the London respiratory strategic clinical network from 2010 -16 and the London Clinical Senate ‘Helping smokers quit’ delivery team programme.

Joanna Bayley

Jo is a GP and the chief executive of GDoc Ltd, the countywide GP provider in Gloucestershire and of Gloucester GP Consortium Ltd, which provides urgent and primary care to deprived communities. She was until recently the National Medical Advisor on Urgent and Emergency Care to the Care Quality Commission.

Jo was previously the medical director of a community provider, Gloucestershire Care Services, and of a mental health provider. Before becoming a GP, Jo trained in emergency medicine and intensive care, with membership of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine. Jo was awarded an MA in medical law and ethics from the University of Manchester and has studied transformational change in healthcare at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.

Tracey Bayliss

Tracey Bayliss has worked for nearly 30 years in various admin and clerical roles for two acute NHS trusts in the West Midlands. Currently she works as a Senior Project Manager at The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust. As a member of the Service Improvement and Programme Management Team, established to oversee, challenge and support the trust’s transformation workstreams, she is responsible for managing and delivering multiple complex projects; helping to embed use of the trust’s own programme management tools; and providing assurance of delivery to the trust’s Transformation Delivery Group. Tracey recently completed the Improvement FUNdamentals Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) and would like to recommend it to others.

Professor Lisa Bayliss-Pratt

Lisa was appointed as Chief Nurse at Health Education England (HEE) in 2012 and in this role she is responsible for leading national policy, workforce planning, and multi-professional education and training commissioning for the non-medical healthcare workforce.

Key achievements include delivering transformation of nursing education and training (Raising the Bar), the successful test site programme for the Nursing Associate role, development and piloting of pre-degree care experience for aspirant nurses and leading the ‘return to practice’ initiative.

In 2017, in addition to her Chief Nurse role, Lisa was appointed to the as Interim Regional Director for London and South East. As the Regional Director Lisa is responsible for approximately £1billion of investment in education, training and workforce development across London. Her role also includes providing support to five Sustainability and Transformation Plans within the capital.

Professor Juliet Beal

Juliet is the Director of Nursing: Quality Improvement and Care for NHS England. She is responsible for ensuring that care, compassion and patient experience are at the heart of nursing and midwifery in the healthcare system.

Juliet is responsible for the implementation of ‘Compassion in Practice’ the vision and strategy for nurses, midwives and care staff. Juliet provides clinical and professional leadership for mental health, midwifery, children’s health and leadership for the nursing and midwifery contribution to the five domains of the NHS outcomes framework.

She has over ten years Executive Director of Nursing experience in several acute trusts, and was the Cluster Director of Nursing at NHS Outer North East London. Juliet also has Acting Chief Executive, Director of Operations and Director of People and Organisation Development experience. Juliet was included in last year’s Health Service Journal top 100 clinical leaders.

Juliet’s particular areas of expertise and interest are quality improvement, patient safety and experience, clinical standards and outcomes, complex organisational change, sustainability, leading teams to provide excellent standards of care whilst improving financial and patient care standards.

She has a BSc in Sociology and Social Administration from Southampton University (1982) and an MBA from Henley Management College (2005). Juliet was awarded a visiting professorship by the Faculty of Health and Social Care at London South Bank University in 2011 after holding a joint post with NHS Barking and Dagenham and London South Bank University from 2009. Juliet qualified as a registered General Nurse in 1986 and a Registered Midwife in 1988.

Paula Bee

Paula Bee is Chief Executive of Age UK Wakefield District.

Throughout her career in the health and voluntary sectors Paula has developed a passion for changing the lives of older people, recognising that we all have an important part to play if this is to become a reality.

Training as a physiotherapist involved her in the well-being of older people. Now, as Chief Executive of Age UK Wakefield District and member of the Age England Association Executive Group, she has been fortunate to be at the forefront of local and national changes that have the potential to alter the experience of ageing for us all.

At Age UK Wakefield District, Paula is responsible for ensuring the changing needs of older people are met throughout the district. Integration into the new model of care has brought Age UK some fresh challenges but has significantly improved the service it provides. As a result it is able to place the expertise gained over many decades alongside other health and social care professionals to significantly alter and improve the lives of older people.

Paula also chairs the Wakefield Assembly (the local voluntary and community sector board for voice and influence), and is on the board of Nova (the support agency for voluntary and community groups in Wakefield district). In addition, she is a member of the local Health and Wellbeing Board and part of Wakefield Provider Alliance.

Elizabeth Beech

Elizabeth Beech is a National Project Lead for Healthcare Acquired Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance at NHS England, and also works as a pharmacist for NHS Bath and North East Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group, where she has been based since 2007.

She qualified from Aston University and trained as a junior pharmacist at St Mary’s Hospital Paddington before continuing to work in a variety of roles within the NHS. She has worked as a Regional Clinical Pharmacist with the North Thames Regional Health Authority, as an academic teacher/practitioner and health services researcher at London University, and established an academic research and development support unit in Swindon on behalf of the South West Strategic Health Authority.

Amanda Begley

Dr Amanda Begley is Director of Innovation and Implementation at UCLPartners. She supports work across the organisation by building partnerships and expertise to deliver innovation at scale for patient and population benefit.

Most recently Amanda co-wrote the national guidelines for Clinical Commissioning Groups on their duty to promote innovation, on behalf of NHS England. She also currently works part time as a GSK Fellow, supporting the generation of collaborative solutions between pharma, academia and the NHS to achieve even greater outcomes for patients.

Following an educational psychology PhD, Amanda joined the NHS as an Assistant and Trainee Clinical Psychologist. She has worked as a commissioner and senior manager across primary, community and secondary care, and has led the implementation of policy. Before joining UCLPartners, Amanda worked as Head of Innovation at NHS London.

Poorna Bell

Poorna Bell is an award-winning journalist and author. She has written a book, Chase The Rainbow, an account of life with her husband Rob who struggled with depression and took his own life in 2015. Poorna has since campaigned around mental health – particularly men’s mental health – speaking on radio, TV and at events. She is also a judge for this year’s Mind media award.

Dr Ilan Ben-Zion

Ilan is a Clinical Psychologist working at St Pancras Rehabilitation Unit – Inpatient Wards and Hertfordshire Neurological Service – Community team – Outpatients

I feel very privileged to be able to say I love what I do and always have, ever since I started volunteering for ChildLine in 2007. Following this, I’ve had experience working with a wide variety of individuals including children, young people, adults, older adults, military personnel, individuals with learning disabilities, neurodevelopmental disorders and neurological conditions.

Currently, I’m based across two teams, one at St Pancras Rehabilitation Unit, where we support individuals to recover from various difficulties from strokes and brain injuries, to falls and occasionally unknown conditions. In my other post, I work at Hertfordshire Neurological Service where we see individuals as outpatients in order to support them with a variety of neurological conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease and strokes.

I am passionate about mental health, as this something we all share and an area where there is real potential to make a positive impact in the world. I hope the #ihavementalhealthcampaign will contribute towards helping people better understand this part of themselves.

Ruth Bender Atik

Ruth Bender Atik qualified as a social worker in 1973 as has worked in both the UK and in Israel. She has been National Director of the Miscarriage Association since 1993.

Professor Jonathan Benger

Professor Jonathan Benger is National Clinical Director for Urgent Care for NHS England.

Jonathan is the Director of the Academic Department of Emergency Care at the University of the West of England, Bristol and a Consultant in Emergency Medicine at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust. He also has extensive experience of pre-hospital care, having previously contributed to the establishment of a pre-hospital critical care team for Great Western Ambulance, and does regular clinical work in both the Emergency Department and ambulance service.

Jonathan has led or collaborated on 28 grant-funded research projects with a total value in excess of £8million, and has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications. His main research interests are the evaluation of new technologies and techniques, service configuration and workforce, emergency airway management, resuscitation and pre-hospital care.

Until May 2013, Jonathan chaired the Clinical Effectiveness Committee of the College of Emergency Medicine, and served on the Council and Executive of the College. He has been closely involved with guideline and policy development in the UK, alongside international initiatives to define and improve the quality and safety of emergency care.

Jon Bennett

Jon Bennett is an Honorary Professor of Respiratory Sciences at the University of Leicester, a Respiratory Consultant at Glenfield Hospital Leicester and Chair of the British Thoracic Society Board.

Laura Bennett

Laura Bennett is Carers Trust’s lead on policy and public affairs, including external relationships with stakeholders such as parliamentarians, government departments, NHS England, local government, and voluntary sector organisations. She has worked for the organisation since 2015.

Laura – who tweets as @LauraBWork – is a public policy professional, with experience of policy, public affairs and campaigns, supported by her background of project delivery, frontline work, partnership and strategic working. She has worked in a variety of local, regional and national voluntary sector organisations, as well as charities using the experience of service user experience and service delivery as evidence for change. These policy areas and organisations include end of life and palliative care, mental health, advice and information, volunteering, older people, Sense (where she led on their work as part of the Campaign to End Loneliness), and a local Mind.

Simon Bennett

Simon Bennett is Deputy Director Quality Framework Team at NHS England

Simon works across the clinical directorates of NHS England to ensure that a coherent, aligned and strategic approach is taken to improving quality in all five domains of the NHS Outcomes Framework. Simon has lead responsibility within NHS England for a range of quality ‘levers’, including NICE Quality Standards, Quality Accounts, the national clinical audit programme and clinical governance policy. He also leads NHS England’s programme of work on seven day services in the NHS.

Simon has worked in the NHS Commissioning Board/NHS England since January 2012. He has previously worked in the Department of Health, as well as in the Department of Trade and Industry and the Cabinet Office. He also spent several years seconded to a Strategic Health Authority.

Sam Bennett

Dr Sam Bennett is Head of the Integrated Personal Commissioning programme and the Personal Health Budgets team at NHS England. He is passionate about personalised care and support and has worked on implementing personalised systems in health and social care at local, regional and national levels for over 10 years.

Dr Phillip Bennett-Richards

Dr Phillip Bennett-Richards is clinical director of the GP care group and chair of THIPP and Tower Hamlets Together.

Keith Bentham

Keith Bentham is a Senior Programme and Project Manager with over 25 years’ experience of working for and with the NHS.

His health career began as an Information Systems Manager at a hospital in Manchester, and has since progressed through various pre-sales, project and programme management roles.

In 2008, he was a medallist at the prestigious British Computer Society Project Manager of the Year Awards for his work in the Lorenzo Release 1 Project.

Within the last five years has worked in a very senior capacity within the Health Informatics team in University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust.

Dr Richard Berman

Dr Richard Berman FRCP is NHS England’s National Clinical Lead for Enhanced Supportive Care, and a Consultant in Supportive & Palliative Care based at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust.

Dr Giles Berrisford

Dr Giles Berrisford is Associate National Clinical Director for Perinatal Mental Health for NHS England.

Dr Giles Berrisford is the Clinical Lead at the Birmingham Perinatal Mental Health Service at BSMHFT – leading one of the largest inpatient Mother and Baby Units in the country. He is the Chair of the national charity Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP) – working closely with women and families directly affected by postpartum psychosis – the most severe form of perinatal mental illness. He is committed to bringing about improved access to maternal mental health services and reducing the unwarranted variation in care currently seen across the country.

Jonathan Berry

Jonathan Berry is Personalisation and Control Specialist in NHS England’s Person Centred Care Team. He took up this post in November 2015, and leads on policy development with regard to Health Literacy and Shared Decision Making.

Prior to this Jonathan was the Director of the Community Health and Learning Foundation, a national voluntary organisation that specialises in delivering Health Literacy programmes in deprived communities. He has an extensive health background and was Executive Director for Health for five years at the national charity, ContinYou, where he project managed the development of the national Health Literacy Programme, Skilled for Health.

Marc Berry

Marc Berry qualified as a physiotherapist in 2006 from the University of Brighton.

He began his career at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and in 2010 became a band 7 in Critical Care. Marc then secured a NIHR Biomedical Research Centre Fellowship, where he researched non-invasive lung imaging for ventilated patients.

This led to further research work around physiotherapy in Critical Care. Marc returned to clinical practice in 2014 at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as a physiotherapy clinical lead for Acute Care. The work outlined above was part of Marc’s QI Fellowship at the Wessex School of Quality Improvement.

Trevor Beswick

Trevor Beswick started his career in hospital posts before joining the South Western Regional Health Authority in education and training and medicines information.

In 1993 he took up the post of South West Regional Pharmaceutical Adviser, followed by a post at Bristol Primary Care Trust as Head of Medicines Management and then as Associate Director of Primary Care Commissioning.

He took a specialist regional pharmacy role in medicines information and education and training at South West Medicines Information and Training and then joined HEE’s South Region in August 2017 and has been working on a range of national and regional projects including:

• Advanced Clinical Practitioner Framework
• The review of pharmacy education and training
• Reforming pre-registration pharmacist support in HEE South
• Education quality
• Medication safety education and training
• Supporting advanced and consultant pharmacy practice
• Apprenticeships for pharmacy technicians
• Pharmacy workforce data and intelligence.

Adrienne Betteley

Adrienne Betteley, Strategic Adviser for End of Life Care for Macmillan.

Adrienne is a nurse by background and has worked in a variety of settings including care homes and hospital but most of her nursing career was spent as a District Nursing Sister and Practice Educator working in Cheshire.

Adrienne then went on to do a number of different roles which were all focusing on End of Life Care in a variety of settings such as a Primary Care Trust, Cancer Networks and Strategic Health Authorities. She also undertook some national work on Advance Care Planning as part of the team leading on Preferred Priorities for Care in England.
Adrienne was also a trustee at her local hospice for 4 ½ years and a trustee of Care2Save for 2 years. She was also an elected Board member for the North West RCN Board for 2 years from 2006.

In 2011, Adrienne joined Macmillan Cancer Support and has worked there in a variety of roles, mostly focusing on End of Life Care. Her current role commenced in January 2020 as Strategic Adviser for End of Life Care, which is UK wide and provides expertise and advice internally and externally. Adrienne represents Macmillan on several national groups in England such as the Ambitions Partnership of which she was elected as co-chair in January 2019 and she also sits on the National End of Life Care Programme Board for England.

To find out more about the reasons she is passionate about End of Life Care, you can read this article or listen to her on the “You, Me and the Big C” podcast.

Mike Bewick

Dr Mike Bewick is Deputy Medical Director at NHS England.

Chandraa Bhattacharya

Chandraa Bhattacharya is the national lead for Core20PLUS5 and the wider healthcare inequalities agenda for those in contact with the criminal justice system working across NHS England Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Team and His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS).
Previously, she was the Head of HQ Diversity and Inclusion in HMPPS leading on age, disability, equality analysis, Public Sector Equality Duties addressing disproportionate outcomes for prisoners, people on probation and staff. Chandraa has extensive public health experience having previously worked at various local public health teams, regionally and nationally at erstwhile Public Health England and the Home Office.

Liz Biggs

Liz Biggs is Programme Lead – Children, Young People and Maternity at Herts Valleys CCG, one of 90 CCGs, six STP footprints and four NHS England regions that make up 20 proposals that were selected for wave 1 of the Perinatal mental health community development fund. Liz leads the Children young people and maternity programme in Herts Valleys CCG. She has worked in Hertfordshire for over 15 years and her previous roles have been in the county council in both Children’s Services and Public Health.

Dr Jo Black

Dr Jo Black is a consultant perinatal psychiatrist with Devon Partnership NHS Trust, SW regional representative on the perinatal faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists and Chair of the Regional Reps Committee. She has developed an integrated community perinatal mental health service, with perinatal expertise embedded in the three maternity units serving families in Devon.

Jo has experience of working with teams, bringing together clinical, management and commissioning colleagues from primary care, acute and mental health services, women, families and colleagues from the third sector. She looks forward to bringing her energy, experience and ideas to this national role.

Sharon Blackburn

Sharon Blackburn CBE, RGN RMN, has worked in the independent care sector for over 28 years, having previously spent 10 years in the NHS in a variety of roles. She has held the posts of director of nursing and director of quality assurance in one of the largest UK care providers and was the managing director for Heart of England Housing and Care until 2009.

She has served on a number of national policy groups, where she seeks to bridge the gap between policy and practice. She is director of the Residential Forum, a director of CommonAge and Vice Chair of NAPA.

Sharon began her role at the National Care Forum in 2009 as Policy and Communications Director. In addition to representing members at national and international events, Sharon has developed skills in social care and health policy and regularly works with directors and boards on the successful management of change.
Sharon was awarded an CBE in the 2016 New Year’s Honours for services to nursing and the not-for-profit care sector.

Dr Claire Bloomfield

Dr Claire Bloomfield, Director for the Centre for Improving Data Collaboration.

Claire is based at the Centre for Improving Data Collaboration. She oversees development and delivery of NHS coordinated investments in health data for R&D, to support the ambitions of the Life Sciences Vision and Vision for future of UK Clinical Research Delivery. Prior to joining CIDC Claire was the CEO of the world-leading UK National Centre of Excellence for Artificial Intelligent in Medical Imaging (NCIMI), at the University of Oxford. NCIMI is a launchpad to improve the healthcare industry through the use of AI.

Dave Blowers

Dave Blowers is an advanced paramedic with North West Ambulance Service, covering West Cheshire and the Wirral. He started his paramedic training with London Ambulance Service and the University of Hertfordshire in 2000. He currently lives with his partner and two cats in Chester.

Frances Blunden

Frances Blunden has been an elected patient governor at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust since October 2014.

She also chairs the NHS Providers Governor Policy Board.

Frances has had a career as a highly experienced policy analyst and adviser, with particular expertise in health and regulatory issues. She has established a reputation as an authoritative and effective advocate for consumers with a long-standing commitment to improving the quality and safety of healthcare, strengthening complaint-handling and achieving effective patient and public engagement.

Marie Boardman

Marie Boardman is a Senior Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner with Mental Health Matters, which is partnered with Midlands Partnership Foundation Trust to provide IAPT services in South Staffordshire. She spent 20 years employed by a housing association within Care and Support services. She later set up a pilot programme at Sandwell to help hard-to-reach groups access primary care mental health services. This led to her following a career in IAPT – training with Wolverhampton Healthy Minds before moving to Birmingham Healthy Minds. In her present role Marie has been instrumental in developing community engagement initiatives and developing the West Midlands Senior PWP Forum.

Karen Bonner

Karen is the chief nurse at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust.

In her 25 years qualified nursing career, Karen has worked in a number of large and complex NHS organisations in London. She holds a diploma along with a BSc (hons) in Nursing and a MSc in advanced practice leadership from Kings College University. She is a graduate from the NHS Leadership Academy Senior Leaders and Nye Bevan programme for aspiring directors.

Karen is a member of the Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) strategic advisory group and works with the Prostate Cancer UK, to educate and raise awareness of the disease.

She is also a trustee of the Mary Seacole Trust and leads the diversity in leadership programme and was highly commended by the Nursing Times in 2019 for her work in diversity and inclusion.

Tony Bonser

Tony Bonser is a trustee of St Catherine’s Hospice, Preston and the National Council for Palliative Care, for whom he chairs the People in Partnership User Group.

He is also the North West Local Champion for the Dying Matters Coalition. He speaks and writes on end of life care issues, and campaigns for better communication between professionals and patients. He has broadcast on television and local and national radio. He is a member of the Independent Review Panel for the Liverpool Care Pathway.

Alison Boreham

Alison Boreham is an expert by experience working in the broader field of mental health service provision.

Her main interest is in secure services and mental health within the criminal justice arena.

She is currently volunteering as a peer support worker within Bristol and Taunton courts supporting people with mental illness through the court process.

Alison also works extensively with her local clinical commissioning group as an expert by experience and has also worked with NHS England at a national and local level by providing a lived experience perspective to meetings and consultations.

Juliet Bouverie

Juliet has been chief executive of the Stroke Association since June 2016. Prior to joining the charity, Juliet worked at Macmillan Cancer Support for 16 years in roles including head of planning and policy, director of corporate development and executive director of services and influencing. In this last role she led a staff team of over 800 people, managed a budget of £150m and oversaw a programme of award-winning innovations and service design across the UK. She also secured important government commitments to improve patient experience and post-treatment support through the 2015 Cancer Strategy for England.

Prior to Macmillan, Juliet worked at the British Red Cross in strategy and service evaluation, the Community Development Foundation in fundraising and a political consultancy. She was a trustee of the Long-Term Conditions Alliance and chaired the Cancer Patient Experience Board for University College London Hospital (UCLH) from 2011 to 2014.

Juliet has a degree in modern languages from Oxford and a postgraduate diploma in management.

Caroline Bovey

Caroline Bovey BEM RD, Chair of BDA

Caroline is an HCPC registered Dietitian, who has been practicing for 16 years, with practice experience in acute hospital settings, community rehabilitation, and more latterly Public Health.
Caroline was appointed to the role of Chair of the British Dietetic Association in 2018. Throughout this time Caroline has been instrumental in leading a Governance review and implementation phase for the Association. As a strong advocate for the benefits of Professional Association membership Caroline advocates for the diversity and breadth of practice for dietitians and challenges the Board regularly to work creatively within a strong governance framework to advance the Association and the profession.

Caroline qualified as a Dietitian in Cardiff, Wales in 2004 and has Master’s Degree in Post Compulsory Education. She is currently a Professional Doctorate Candidate at Cardiff University. Her research interests are in professional identity and professionalisation with a focus on developing individual and collective leadership for the profession. In 2016 Caroline was awarded a BEM for Services to Equality in NHS Wales.

Joyce Bowler

Joyce Bowler is a Registered Nurse by background, and has been Programme Lead for personal health budgets for the three Clinical Commissioning groups of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland since June 2014.

Joyce first became interested in PHBs back in 2013 when she was Head of Quality Contracting for the CCGs and had Continuing Healthcare in her portfolio.

She is a passionate advocate for personalisation and believes that people should not only be given the choice of care and services, but they should be able to access novel ideas to create packages that are outside of what is traditionally commissioned by the NHS that best meet their needs.

Rebecca and Colin Bowman

Bekki Bowman is a 30-year-old mum of two young children. Until recently she has been a stay at home mum, but has just begun a degree in adult nursing. Her experience of a mental health illness has spurred her to get involved with the development of perinatal services, and NHS development in general.

Bekki is excited to see where her degree will take her, and is looking forward to seeing her children grow and achieve new things.

Colin Bowman, 38, works across Lancashire for a charity called Ncompass. In his role he raises awareness of their Carer’s hub project which provides support for unpaid carers.

Colin is passionate about a number of things, support for partners, mental health awareness, aeroplanes and Derby County Football Club.

Paul Box

Paul Box is a volunteer with Black Health Agency Skyline.

Adrian Bradley

Adrian Bradley is Head of Health and Wellbeing at the EFL Trust – the national charity that represents, advises and supports 72 charities linked to professional football clubs across England and Wales.

Adrian is responsible for a wide ranging public health offer including an expanding portfolio of person-centred support services in non-clinical settings designed to encourage healthy choices and self-management of conditions. These include health education in primary schools, adult testing and screening programmes, cancer recovery services, dementia support groups, drug and alcohol recovery services, adult mental health support groups, services tackling chronic loneliness in older people, the FIT FANS adult weight management programme, and Extra Time Hubs – a shared interest community of people in their retirement who meet on a weekly basis to socialise and to do the things they enjoy.

He has over 25 years’ experience in local government and the charity sector. Prior to joining EFL Trust in 2016 he held senior roles as Director of Strategy for the Child Migrants Trust and at Alzheimer’s Society where he was National Lead for Young Onset Dementia.

Dr Michael Brady

Dr Brady was appointed as the National Advisor for LGBT Health at NHS England in April 2019. In this new role Dr Brady works across NHS England and NHS Improvement, with the Government Equalities Office and a wide range of stakeholders, partner organisations and the LGBT community to address health inequalities for LGBT individuals and improve experience in the NHS. Michael is also an HIV and Sexual Health consultant at Kings College Hospital in London and the Medical Director of the Terrence Higgins Trust.

David Bramley

David is Deputy Head of NHS England’s Long-Term Conditions Unit. 

He started his public sector career working for the Ministry of Defence before moving into Health around 10 years ago. David has worked in a range of roles supporting organisational change and collaboration including diversity policy in the Armed Forces through to overseeing the smooth closure of Arm’s Length Bodies for the Department of Health. In NHS England, David’s main focus is clinical strategy and policy on frailty and multimorbidity.

Magda Branker

Magda Branker is GP Partner and GP Trainer at Amersham Vale Training Practice.

Paul Breckell

Paul Breckell is the Chief Executive of Action on Hearing Loss.

He has been in this position since August 2012 and has worked for the charity since July 2007. Action on Hearing Loss is the new name for RNID; the charity working for a world where hearing loss doesn’t limit or label people, where tinnitus is silenced and where people value and look after their hearing.

Prior to this, Paul was the Finance and Corporate Services Director of the Church Mission Society for seven years and the Head of Finance at the HIV/AIDS healthcare charity Mildmay for three years. He is a chartered public finance accountant (CIPFA), having trained whilst working with the Audit Commission. Paul is a past Chair of the CIPFA Voluntary Sector Panel and a past member of CIPFA Council.

Paul is a Trustee of the Roffey Park Institute, a Commissioner on the ILC Commission on Hearing Loss and the Chair of the NHS England Working Group on the Early Diagnosis of Hearing Loss. Paul a former Chair of the Disability Charities Consortium and the Charity Finance Group. He writes and speaks on a number of topics in relation to hearing loss and disability as well as on leadership, organisational development, governance and finance in the ‘beyond profit’ sector.

He was named one of Cityweath Magazine’s top 10 charity Chief Executives of 2016.

Kate Brintworth

Kate Brintworth RM, BSc (Hons) MSc is the Chief Midwifery Officer for England and has worked strategically across many parts of the maternity system, including as Regional Chief Midwife for London, Head of Maternity Transformation at the Royal College of Midwives, and Head of Maternity Commissioning for East London.

In East London she led the delivery of the Sustainability and transformation partnership maternity plan, the East London ‘Better Birth’ pioneer programme and development of the local maternity system. As Regional Chief Midwife for London, Kate led the implementation of the successful Capital Midwife Ethnic Minority Midwives Fellowship to support band 6 and 7 midwives from global majority groups to move into leadership roles, with Kate and the Capital Midwife team subsequently receiving an equality, diversity and inclusion award at the Royal College of Midwives in May 2023.

Kate has also been part of national and regional maternity networks, including the London Local Supervising Authority, national expert reference groups for commissioning, postnatal and continuity of care, and research steering groups for complex programmes of research.

She has worked in multiple roles as a midwife including as a community midwife, labour ward co-ordinator and manager. Her special interests are reducing inequalities for both service users and staff, coproduction, system working, the reorganisation of services, tariff and women making complex care choices.

Emma Brookes

Emma Brookes – Head of Soft FM Strategy & Operations

Emma has been with the Estates and Facilities team at NHS England since the end of July 2017. Emma is responsible for policy and strategy development for soft facilities services across the NHS in England, with a portfolio which includes cleaning, catering, portering, security and linen and laundry.

Emma holds a master’s degree in Healthcare Leadership and has a career which spans 28 years in the world of Facilities management 19 of which have been in the NHS as both a provider and a direct employee and has led projects including National Standards for Healthcare Cleanliness, Provision of non-sterile PPE during the height of the Covid pandemic, EU exit preparations, NHS Chef competition and the National Standards for Healthcare Food.

Sian Brookes

Sian Brookes is a Project Manager in the Integrated Care team at Age UK.

She is currently working on the Integrated Care Pilot sites in Sheffield, Redbridge, Barking and Havering and Kent and is also working on developing new models of care.

She also provides project management support in the Programme’s Communications Strategy and most recently established a series of pilot programmes focused on Wellbeing Co-ordinators.

Dr Abbie Brooks

Dr Abbie Brooks is a GP at the Priory Medical Group in York.Dr Abbie Brooks is a GP partner at Priory Medical Group in York – a large, nine-site practice with a practice population of over 55,000 patients.

Abbie trained locally at Hull York Medical School and went on to complete her postgraduate foundation jobs and GP training in Yorkshire. She enjoys the variety that general practice brings but has a passion for communications and making healthcare accessible to all in a variety of ways.

You will often find Abbie running her practice social media accounts and publishing videos or blogs on specific health problems and wider issues.

Dr Andy Brooks

Andy is a practising primary care doctor and Clinical Chief Officer for the Frimley Clinical Commissioning Group. He is currently on secondment to NHS England and NHS Improvement as a National System Policy Advisor.

Poppy Brooks

Poppy is the Lead Nurse for Cardiac Support Services at Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (Northern services). Poppy practices as a Heart Failure Specialist Nurse in an integrated heart failure service, covering both in-patient and community care.

Poppy has worked in cardiology for 20 years, initially on the coronary care unit at Southampton General Hospital, before moving to North Devon to specialise in heart failure in 2015. Poppy has completed specialist post registration education at Masters level and is a non-medical prescriber.

Poppy is Chair of the British Society for Heart Failure (BSH) Nurse Forum and also volunteers on the BSH policy and media committee. Poppy has written articles and editorials both independently and on behalf of the BSH. She previously represented the BSH on the Editorial Board of the British Journal of Cardiac Nursing.

Poppy is passionate about highlighting the essential role of the heart failure nurse specialist (HFSN), particularly the urgent need to grow the specialist workforce in heart failure and meet the needs of this complex group of patients.

Ailsa Brotherton

Ailsa Brotherton is the Executive Director of Improvement, Research and Innovation at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and an Honorary Professor at the University of Central Lancashire.

Prior to joining the trust, Ailsa was Director of Transformation for the Single Hospital Programme at Manchester Foundation Trust. She has also held the positions of Interim Clinical Quality Director for the North of England with the Trust Development Authority/NHSI, Associate Director for Quality Improvement Programmes at the Haelo Innovation and Improvement Centre based at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, and post-doctoral Senior Research Fellow at the University of Central Lancashire.

Ailsa is a Health Foundation Generation Q Fellow, graduating from Hult Ashridge with a Masters degree as part of this improvement fellowship. Her PhD and programme of research were in the field of clinical nutrition. Ailsa has experience of designing and delivering quality improvement and large-scale change programmes at national, regional and local levels.

Ailsa has a particular interest in system level improvement, working across organisational boundaries. She is currently working with the improvement directors and clinical leads across Lancashire and South Cumbria in collaboration with Professor John Clarkson FREng, University of Cambridge, to test the Engineering Better Care framework across the ICS. As part of this collaboration, the team is designing a bespoke Improving Improvement Framework, building on the learning from their initial work at system level.

Emma Brothwood

Emma Brothwood is part of NHS England communications team, working as a Digital Audio Visual Technician, producing video and graphics for the organisation.

Her experiences of bereavement have opened a path into working with charities to help raise awareness and support to families who have lost a child.

Oliver

Naval Officer Oliver was 29 when he was diagnosed as living with HIV. Since his diagnosis, Oliver has been campaigning to lift the blanket ban on people with HIV being able to serve for their country.

Matt Brown

Matt Brown is passionate about working to improve services and outcomes for patients, having spent 15 years working in the NHS around the country, particularly in Cumbria and the North East.

During that time, Matt has worked for a number of commissioner and provider organisations, across a range of strategic and operational roles, latterly as Head of Primary Care and Head of Strategic Planning for NHS England.

Colette Brown

Colette Brown is the Social Prescribing Coordinator for Southmead Development Trust in Bristol and for SPEAR (Social Prescribing for Equality and Resilience).

SPEAR is a partnership of community anchor organisations in Bristol working together to address the health inequalities in low-income areas of the city. Together they use an assets-based approach to health and wellbeing, using social prescribing link workers based in GP practices.

Each SPEAR partner (Knowle West Healthy Living Centre, Southmead Development Trust, Wellspring Healthy Living Centre and The Care Forum) is embedded in and trusted by their local community.

Email: colettebrown@southmead.org
Web: www.spearbristol.org

Stuart Brown

Stuart Brown currently works as an antimicrobial pharmacist at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust and has spent the last 10 years working within Secondary care.

He is a keen advocate of antimicrobial stewardship, presenting on this at both local and national conferences.

Stuart works closely with his colleagues in primary care and is the current chair of the Antimicrobial Pharmacist Group in the North East of England. He is currently seconded to NHS England as a national project lead for AMR and HCAI’s.

Sue Brown

Sue is the CEO of the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA), a role which she took up in February 2017.

ARMA is an umbrella body representing the breadth of musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions and professions. Its vision is that the MSK health of the population is promoted throughout life and that everyone with MSK conditions receives appropriate, high quality interventions to promote their health and well-being in a timely manner.

Sue has over 20 years’ experience of policy work in health and social care. Before joining ARMA, she was Head of Public Policy at deafblind charity Sense and Vice-Chair of the Care and Support Alliance and previously worked for Mind. Sue is also a trustee of VoiceAbility.

Jenny Brumby

Jenny Brumby is a married mother of two boys and has a holiday home business in Millom.

She is one of the Editors of Around The Combe Magazine and a steering group member of Millom Health Action Group. The group works on behalf of the community with the NHS to make decisions about health services.

Beverley Bryant

Beverley Bryant was previously Director of Digital Technology, since the publication of these blogs she has left NHS England.

Laura Buckley

Laura Buckley is a Primary Care Network Pharmacist in Hull, having taken up the post in December 2019. Laura is the regional ambassador for the Primary Care Pharmacy Association (PCPA) in the North East and Yorkshire. She is currently studying on the Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway course, led by the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education.

Prior to taking up her current role, Laura was a community pharmacy manager. Since March 2019, Laura has also been freelance writing for a variety of platforms about topics within pharmacy. She also runs her own blog with the hope to provide insight into the pharmacy profession for the general public.

Kate Buffery

Kate Buffery is Head of Personal Health Budgets and Personal Wheelchair Budgets in the Primary, Community and Personalised Care team at NHS England.

Kate originally qualified as a Registered Nurse and has 20 years’ experience working in the NHS.

Kate spent the majority of her nursing career working in the community as a District Nurse, before moving into commissioning. Kate has commissioning experience within continuing healthcare, urgent care and health and social care, and before coming into the team Kate held a varied portfolio of community services which included commissioning wheelchair services.

Dr Dan Bunstone

Dr Dan Bunstone is Clinical Director of Warrington Innovation Network in Warrington, Cheshire and lead GP at a new and expanding surgery in Chapelford.

He has an interest in innovative models of care delivery and digital healthcare.

Dan is Chair of an NHS Confederation design group exploring data and digital in primary care.

Alistair Burns, CBE FRCP, FRCPsych, MD, MPhil

Alistair Burns is Professor of Old Age Psychiatry at The University of Manchester and an Honorary Consultant Old Age Psychiatrist in the Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. He is the National Clinical Director for Dementia and Older People’s Mental Health at NHS England and NHS Improvement.

He graduated in medicine from Glasgow University in 1980, training in psychiatry at the Maudsley Hospital and Institute of Psychiatry in London. He became the Foundation Chair of Old Age Psychiatry in The University of Manchester in 1992, where he has variously been Head of the Division of Psychiatry and a Vice Dean in the Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, with responsibility for liaison within the NHS. He set up the Memory Clinic in Manchester and helped establish the old age liaison psychiatry service at Wythenshawe Hospital. He is a Past President of the International Psychogeriatric Association.

He was Editor of the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry for twenty years, (retiring in 2017) and is on the Editorial Boards of the British Journal of Psychiatry and International Psychogeriatrics. His research and clinical interests are in mental health problems of older people, particularly dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. He has published over 300 papers and 25 books.

He was made an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 2016, received the lifetime achievement award from their old age Faculty in 2015 and was awarded the CBE in 2016 for contributions to health and social care, in particular dementia.

Christine Burrows

Christine is from Wigan, Greater Manchester and is passionate to give back and make things better for carers. She has been Mark’s carer for five years. She is now also working as part of NHS England’s Personalisation and Choice Lived Experience Team, where she is part of the National Personal Health Budget Peer Network and the Integrated Personalised Commissioning Strategic Co-production Group.

Mary Busk

Mary Busk is one of two new Family Carer Advisers in the Improving Health and Quality Team, part of the Learning Disability Programme. They are both working on the new #AskListenDo project about concerns and complaints.

Mary is also involved with the children and young people part of the Transforming Care programme. Mary previously co-founded the National Network of Parent Carer Forums and was the Steering Group member for London.

Jennifer Bute

Jennifer Bute is a former GP.

Amy Butler

Amy Butler is a patient safety partner working as a lay person to support the NHS London region team, by providing a patient voice and sharing their insight from their experiences of NHS care, to help improve patient safety across London.

Olivia Butterworth

Olivia Butterworth is Head of Public Participation for NHS England and NHS Improvement.

She ensures the NHS works with citizens and communities to have a voice that influences the development, design and delivery of our health and care services.
Olivia is the national lead for the People and Communities workstream of the Primary Care Networks programme and was named in the HSJs Top 50 Innovators and the Top 50 Integrators in 2014. In 2018 she was named as one of the Top 70 NHS Stars.

She has a background in Community Development and education with a passion for empowering people to be their own change.

Olivia has worked with a wide and diverse range of voluntary sector organisations, both in paid and voluntary roles, providing support with organisational development, developing services, engagement, involvement and fundraising. Olivia is very proud to be a Trustee of Manchester based LGBT Foundation and a Non-Executive Director of Local Care Direct.

You can follow her on Twitter @LiviBF

Jeni Caguioa

Jeni Caguioa qualified in 1994 as a nurse in the Philippines, and worked in a government hospital for 5 years. She was among the first Filipino nurses who came to work in the UK in 1999.

She started in Haematology at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital (now Heart of England) and have worked in the NHS for the last 21 years.

Jeni pursued her passion on health care and leader ship as an MSc in 2016 . As BAME Network Engagement Lead, she believes in equality and the strength of diversity so that teams can deliver the best care for our patients.

In 2018, she initiated Project KINs (King’s International Nurses) How are we doing? which focuses on supporting the care and well-being of newly arrived overseas nurses. This led her to a secondment post with NHS England and NHS Improvement as the first Filipino Chief Nursing Officer’s BAME Nurse Advisor for COVID19 in 2020. Her workstream relates to work on addressing the disproportionate impact that the pandemic has had on our ethnic minority workforce and improving their pastoral care and support.

Currently, her substantive post at NHS England & Improvement as Nurse Advisor supports programmes of work related to the outcomes and experiences of internationally recruited and ethnic minority nursing and midwifery staff and the formation of a network for international nursing associations across the UK.

Tom Cahill

In October 2021, Tom took up the position of National Learning Disability and Autism Director with NHS England. Tom works alongside National Mental Health Director Claire Murdoch to lead work on driving up standards of care across the health service and independent sector for people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

Tom began his career as a mental health nurse and held several senior posts before joining Hertfordshire Partnership Foundation Trust (HPFT) as Chief Executive. At HPFT, he has overseen the development of new models of care, new facilities and the trust’s culture. Under Tom’s leadership, HPFT was rated as ‘outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission in 2019.

Dr Catherine Calderwood

Dr Catherine Calderwood is National Clinical Director for maternity and women’s health in NHS England. She is also a medical adviser for Scottish Government and an obstetrician and gynaecologist working in Edinburgh.

Catherine has a special interest in high risk pregnancy, particularly in those women with complex medical problems and continue to have an obstetric medicine antenatal clinic. She carries out a number of teaching and training roles in both obstetrics and gynaecology and in general medicine. Research interests include thromboembolic disease in pregnancy and she is an investigator on the AFFIRM study which will study the effect of the introduction of a standardized education and management plan for the care of women presenting with decreased fetal movements in hospitals throughout the UK and Ireland.

Catherine is chair of the UK maternal, newborn and infant Clinical Outcome Review Programme – the new process for confidential enquiries into maternal, newborn and infant deaths and severe morbidity run by MBRRACE-UK.

Ian Callaghan

Ian Callaghan is the Recovery and Secure Care Manager at the national mental health charity Rethink Mental Illness, where he delivers a national network of involvement groups for people in secure mental health services called Recovery and Outcomes.

Ian is also a Patient and Public Voice partner with the NHS England Adult Secure Clinical Reference Group. Ian was the Rethink Mental Illness Member of the Year in 2012 and in February 2015 was awarded the Deputy Prime Minister’s Mental Health Hero Award in recognition of his role with Recovery and Outcomes.

Ian was also recognised as one of the top 50 Patient Leaders by the Health Services Journal in July 2015.

Neil Calland

Neil Calland is a Senior Programme Lead in the Operations and Information Directorate within NHS England.

He is leading the development of an STP-led investment programme focused on the digitisation of secondary care providers, and the business adoption and transformation workstream of the Digital Child Health programme.

Previously for NHS England, Neil has managed the Nursing Technology Fund and led the Local Digital Roadmaps agenda.

He has worked extensively across public services, including health, social care, youth justice, welfare to work, parenting support and education.

Shelley Cann

Shelley, is 50, lives in Brighton and has a 14 year old daughter, Faye. She has always been very active with a healthy lifestyle and a very positive outlook but suddenly, in 2014, she was diagnosed with stage IIb high grade serious ovarian cancer.

Fiona Carragher

Fiona Carragher is the Deputy Chief Scientific Officer for England, supporting the head of profession for the 50,000 healthcare science workforce in the NHS and associated bodies – embracing more than 50 separate scientific specialisms. A Consultant Clinical Biochemist by background, Fiona has a broad portfolio of policy responsibilities, providing professional leadership and expert clinical advice across the health and care system as well as working with senior clinical leaders within both the NHS England and the wider NHS.

Fiona has a strong background in both public health and treatment & care, having led and worked in multi-professional teams for two decades at Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospital, the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh and Kings College Hospital, London – with a focus on providing high quality, innovative laboratory services. More recently she led a number of specialised laboratories for the diagnosis and monitoring of inherited metabolic disease and was Director of Newborn Screening for the South East Thames Region.

She has led a number of broader healthcare science projects including technology adoption and leadership development, and created a proactive scientific and diagnostics network across London that supports quality improvement and effective commissioning.

Julie Carrick

Julie was successful in becoming the Director of Nursing for GPS Healthcare in 2015, when six individual general practices across Solihull merged to become one. She started her journey in primary care back in 2007, when she was employed to provide care for patients who had diabetes.

Julie attended Birmingham City University to complete the Return to Nursing course, as she had been a midwife for 20 years previously, and could not become a practice nurse without obtaining a nursing qualification. Since qualifying as a nurse, Julie has not looked back and had enjoyed every moment of her journey so far.

Dominic Carter

Dominic Carter is a Policy Officer with the United Kingdom Homecare Association.

He joined the sector three years ago through the Skills for Care Graduate Management Training Scheme and previously studied at Leeds University.

Janet Carter

Dr Carter is a Senior Clinical lecturer in Old Age Psychiatry at UCL Division of Psychiatry.

She works for as a Consultant in Old Age Psychiatry for NELFT in Havering where she runs a community mental health team and a Cognitive Disorders clinic with a fast track service for under 65s. She is member of the Steering group for the Young Dementia network.

Andrew Carter

Andrew Carter is the Stockton-on-Tees Integrated Personal Commissioning Communications Workstream Lead.

He is an experienced public sector governance and communications officer who has worked in local government, central government and the NHS.

Andrew has worked in the NHS for five years in varying roles including for acute providers, primary care trusts and currently for Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees Clinical Commissioning Group.

Emily Carter

Emily Carter has worked in the field of public engagement and patient experience for 12 years in a range of settings – voluntary sector, Primary Care Trust, Strategic Health Authority and a community healthcare NHS Trust provider.

Emily has worked as Regional Head of Patient and Public Voice at NHS England since April 2013- working with the Area Teams and Clinical Commissioning Groups across the South of England.

Follow Emily on Twitter: @NHSEmily.

Rachel Cashman

Rachel Cashman, Head of Collaboration for Excellence, NHS England

Rachel leads on creating the conditions and incentives for the behavioural changes needed to foster a culture of collaboration and excellence within NHS England, across the wider NHS and between healthcare stakeholders, demonstrating new ways of working to deliver health outcomes, quality care and economic growth.

She utilises evidence and research of network leadership to spread new ideas, build and orchestrate communities that foster learning and knowledge exchange, and achieve effective cooperative action and peer support. Rachel coordinates across NHS England and its industry, third sector and social care partners the Integrated Care for the 3million lives programme enabling new investment and operating models for the self-management of long term conditions and clinical collaboration underpinned by new technologies.

Prior to joining NHS England, Rachel was the Head of the Innovation Health and Wealth (IHW) programme in the Department of Health have worked as part of the NHS Chief Executive’s Review of Innovation and co-authored IHW. This was a role on secondment from worldwide pharmaceutical company Pfizer where Rachel lead on policy and public affairs in the areas of UK R&D and Science Policy, Oncology, inward investment and Life Sciences sector engagement with UK Department of Business and Department of Health, product and strategic value proposition and QIPP, NHS partnerships and advising the business on the strategic operating environment in the UK.

Dr Diana Cassell

Dr Diana Cassell is Clinical Director at the South London Partnership, CAMHS programme having worked as a child psychiatrist since 1987.

She became a consultant in 1987 in a community tier 3 team and currently her clinical sessions are in CAMHS Neurodevelopmental Disorders. She has held additional management roles with South West London and St George’s since 2007, and is Clinical Director for CAMHS at the trust.

Throughout her career Diana has championed and raised the needs of young people, and has developed effective local services; recently including providing mental health input to the development of Child Sexual abuse services, and roles for the NHS England CAMHS Tier 4 Clinical Reference Group.

Richard Cattell

Richard Cattell has been a pharmacist for 28 years with a career mainly in acute hospitals in the South West, Cardiff and the West Midlands.

He most recent roles have included Chief Operating Officer and Chief Pharmacist.

His current role is the Deputy Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for NHS England and NHS Improvement. In this he focuses on supporting trusts with their care quality, driving the improvement in 7-day pharmacy services, developing aspiring chief pharmacists and providing the senior medicines leadership to the Medicines Safety Programme.

He is passionate about supporting patients and the healthcare team in getting the best from medicines, reducing harm and improving care.

Professor Mark Caulfield

Professor Mark Caulfield is the Chief Scientist at Genomics England. After graduating in Medicine in 1984, he trained in Clinical Pharmacology at St Bartholomew’s Hospital (Barts) where he developed a research programme in molecular genetics of hypertension and clinical research.

In 2000 Mark successfully bid for £3.1m to create the Barts and The London Genome Centre at the Queen Mary University of London and subsequently became Director of the William Harvey Research Institute.

Since 2008 he has directed the Barts National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Unit/Centre. He is a Fellow of The Royal College of Physicians, has been elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences and became a Senior Investigator for the NIHR in 2013.

Katy Chachou

Katy Chachou works part time for Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust as a Recovery Peer Support worker. She also works voluntarily at the Barberry Mother and Baby Unit in Birmingham. As someone who’s had experience of their services, she provides manicures and peer support for mums there, and gives talks to medical audiences so people can learn from her story.

Dr Nav Chana

Dr Nav Chana, National PCH Clinical Director, National Association of Primary Care (NAPC).

Dr Nav Chana has served as NAPC Chair for four years and has been integral to the development and roll out of more than 200 primary care home (PCH) sites across England. He has been a GP at the Cricket Green Medical Practice in South West London for over 26 years.

Previously Nav was Clinical Adviser for Workforce Redesign for the new care models programme, Director of Education Quality for Health Education South London and Postgraduate Dean for General Practice and Community-Based Education.

Nav featured in Pulse’s Power 50 list of the most influential GPs in 2018.

Simon Chapman

Simon Chapman joined NHS England as a Deputy-Director in the Personalised Care Group in April 2018. He has over 15 years’ experience in the voluntary sector campaigning for people to have better choice and control over their care, particularly in relation to the end of life. He was most recently Director of Policy and External Affairs at the National Council for Palliative Care, where he also led the Dying Matters coalition. He has also served as a trustee of the National Voices charity which advocates for person-centred care.

Dr Margaret Charleroy

Dr Margaret Charleroy is the Head of Strategy at the NHS England Centre for Improving Data Collaboration (CIDC), leading strategy and policy development to shape digital and data-driven innovation across the NHS that ensures the greatest benefits for citizens, patients, and workforce across the health sector.

Prior to joining the Centre, Margaret held senior strategy roles in the public sector, including UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), where she led her council research and policy response to the covid-19 pandemic. She has held academic positions at universities in the United States and United Kingdom, focusing a research career on data management and evidence-based care to improve health outcomes in criminal justice settings.

Dr Linda Charles-Ozuzu

Linda Charles-Ozuzu is NHS England’s Director of Commissioning in the North West.

She was previously NHS England’s Director of the Elective Care Transformation Programme, and Assistant Director/Associate Medical Director in NHS England Midlands and East.

Her other senior healthcare management roles include extending the Department of Health’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) Programme to people with long term conditions, severe mental illness and medically unexplained symptoms.

Linda is a member of the Royal Society for Public Health; a recipient of the NHS Leadership Academy Award in Executive Healthcare Leadership and an alumnus of the Global Health Leadership Forum.

Rebecca Charlwood

Councillor Rebecca Charlwood is the Chair of the Leeds Health and Wellbeing Board and has been the Executive Member for Health, Wellbeing and Adults for Leeds City Council since May 2016.

Councillor Charlwood moved to Leeds at the age of 20 for university and has called the city home ever since. After university, she was determined to pursue a career that could genuinely make a difference to the lives of others. So, she became a mental health support worker, with a focus on peer support. Her four years in that environment had a profound effect. She then went on to work for a national charity for a further four years as a quality officer. This role reinforced just how important it is that people receive the right support at the right time, in order to help them work towards recovery.

Councillor Charlwood then began a Masters degree in public policy and management. This led to her decision to get involved in politics, with a commitment to making sure the right people were making the right decisions about how best to support those who need it most.

Following completion of her Masters, Councillor Charlwood continued to work within the third sector, as a UK compliance advisor for a care provider. She was then elected to represent Moortown and Meanwood ward as a local councillor.

Kate Chartres

Kate Chartres is a registered Mental Health Nurse with around 18 years post-qualification experience.

As the Nurse Consultant at Sunderland Psychiatric Liaison Team, she has provided clinical practice and professional leadership for the nursing team, research, training and development. The service has been accredited by the RCP with excellence (PLAN).

Previously, she worked for nine years within crisis services, Primary Care, EIP and Clinical Management of the Psychiatric Liaison Teams within NTW.

Chris Child

Chris Child is Communications Manager for NHS England’s Primary Care Digital Transformation team.

He was a journalist and health correspondent with a major regional newspaper before working for over 10 years as a Communications Director for the Government in the North East.

He latterly led on communications for a national heart charity.

Professor Frank Chinegwundoh MBE

Professor Frank Chinegwundoh MBE MBBS MS MML (Med Law) FRCS (Eng) FRCS(Ed) FRCS (Urol) FEBU, is a Consultant Urological Surgeon at Barts Health NHS Trust, the Honorary Visiting Professor at City University of London, School of Health Sciences, Chairman of Cancer Black Care, Trustee of TACKLE (National Federation of Prostate Cancer Support Groups) and an advisor to Prostate Cancer UK. Frank was awarded a MBE in the Queen’s birthday honours list 2013, for services to the NHS. The opinions in this blog are Frank’s own.

Teresa Chinn MBE

Teresa Chinn is a Registered Nurse, and Professional Social Media Community Development and blogger for WeNurses.

Teresa was an agency nurse who found herself professionally isolated and reached out to social media to connect with other nurses.

Teresa runs WeNurses which is primarily a Twitter-based real time weekly discussion that enables nurses to share ideas, information, experience and expertise around a predetermined subject.

WeNurses has grown and developed significantly and now has a following of nearly 75,000 and uses a range of social media to engage them including Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Vimeo, Blogs and Prezi.

In addition to running WeNurses Teresa has become a social media specialist and now works with healthcare organisations delivering workshops, seminars, speaking at conferences and providing social media consultancy.

In 2005 Teresa received an MBE for services to nursing .

Teresa tweets as @AgencyNurse and @WeNurses.

Professor Prathiba Chitsabesan

Professor Prathiba Chitsabesan is National Clinical Director for Children and Young People’s Mental Health, NHS England.

Prathiba is a Consultant in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry working in a large mental health and community trust (Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust). Lead consultant since 2005, she became Clinical Director in 2015 and continues to work clinically within a community child and adolescent mental health service in South Manchester. She graduated from Medicine (University of Manchester) before completing her MD, inspiring her interest in the needs of children and young people in contact with the criminal justice system.

Over the last 12 years she has published in journals and books and contributed to national reports and guidance for the Youth Justice Board and Office of the Children’s Commissioner.

She has contributed to the development of the Comprehensive Health Assessment Tool across the youth justice secure estate for the Department of Health and NHS England and continues to be research active as an Honorary Research Fellow and Lecturer for the Offender Health Research Network (University of Manchester).

As a clinical advisor (Greater Manchester and East Cheshire Strategic Clinical Networks), she has also promoted the development of regional clinical guidance across Greater Manchester.

Dr Shera Chok

Dr Shera Chok is a GP in Tower Hamlets Together vanguard and Director of Primary Care, Barts Health NHS Trust.

Shera is a GP in Tower Hamlets, a member of the Tower Hamlets multispecialty community provider vanguard and Director of Primary Care at Barts Health. Her role involves bringing a primary care voice and perspective to the largest acute trust in England, shaping their clinical strategy, listening to our GP partners, improving patient safety, delivering new models of care and building relationships with primary care and CCGs. Shera is also a member of the national Independent Reconfiguration Panel which advises ministers on NHS reconfiguration, and a Clinical Associate with NHS England’s new care models team.

Shera’s MBA and MA in Inter-Professional Education focused on patient experience and clinical leadership. She won a Nuffield Trust Fellowship on cross-organisational learning and studied at the Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard School of Public Health and the Institute of Health Improvement (IHI) in Boston as part of the prestigious NHS Executive Fast Track Programme. She has worked in Sudan, Indonesia, Laos and Greece as a clinician with leading NGOs.

Chris Smith

Chris Smith is Clinical Director of Ambulance, Urgent Care and Community Services part of the My Life a Full Life vanguard (Isle of Wight) vanguard.

Chris started his career with West Midlands Metropolitan Ambulance (WMAS) service in March 1979 as a patient transport driver. He moved to the emergency service as a qualified Ambulance Man in August 1981 and became a paramedic in July 1987.

In 1992 he became a supervisor and was then promoted to Area Superintendent in September 1994. He then held a number of senior manager positions and became Deputy Director of Operations in 1997. In 1998 he then became Director of Operations/Head of Training.

He left WMAS in July 2000 and after a brief spell with Warwickshire Ambulance Service he came to the Isle of Wight on 22nd January 2001 as a Clinical Team Leader. In March 2002 he was seconded to Hampshire Ambulance Service as a Director of Operations returning to the IOWAS in July 2003.

Chris became Head of Ambulance in December 2009 and during this time has lead the team on the development of the integrated care hub. He took over ED MAAU and Bed Management in September 2014 and in November 2015 became Clinical Director of Ambulance, Urgent Care & Community along with Clinical Director of Integrated access and Integrated Localities.

Chris currently also chairs the National Ambulance Control group and holds a seat on the National Director of Operations Group and the National Emergency Care Standards Group.

Dr Karen Chumbley

Dr Karen Chumbley has been a GP in North East Essex for 17 years and the Clinical Director at St Helena Hospice for the last 4 years.

In 2018 she was appointed the Senior Responsible Officer for End of Life Care in North East Essex and is chair of the North East Essex Alliance End of Life Board.

Karen led Castle Gardens Practice in Colchester to be one of the first cohort of practices accredited with the Gold Standard Framework Going for Gold award. She was the Clinical Lead for End of Life care for North East Essex from 2013-2015 and as such led the CCG Primary Care End of Life programme promoting the identification of people approaching the end of life, advance care planning, care coordination and symptom control.

In 2019 Karen was awarded FRCGP for her work in end of life care within Primary Care.

Dr Neil Churchill

Neil is Director for People and Communities at NHS England, having joined the NHS after a 25-year career in the voluntary sector. His work includes understanding people’s experiences of the NHS, involving people and communities in decision-making and leading change to improve the quality and equality of care. He has a particular focus on strengthening partnerships with unpaid carers, volunteers and the voluntary sector.

Neil has previously been a non-executive director for the NHS in the South of England, is a member of the Strategy Board for the Beryl Institute and Chair of Care for the Carers in East Sussex. He is himself an unpaid carer. Neil tweets as @neilgchurchill

Janice Clark

Janice has been an unpaid carer for over fifty years caring for relatives who could not manage without her help because of disability and illness. Her areas of interest in health and social care are mental health care; dementia care; the care of older people and cancer care. Her sons and grandchildren have been, or are currently, young and young adult carers. This is an area of carer’s needs that is close to her heart, and she champions the rights of families and children who provide care to be recognised and better supported. This involves encouraging education, the NHS and social care to work closely together in a whole family approach.

Professor David M Clark

Professor David M Clark is Clinical and Informatics Advisor: NHS Talking Therapies for Anxiety and Depression, NHS England.

Professor David M Clark holds the Chair of Experimental Psychology at University of Oxford and is the National Clinical and Informatics Advisor for the NHS Talking Therapies Programme. Along with Lord Richard Layard and other colleagues, he is one of the original architects of the programme.

He is well-known for his research on the understanding and treatment of anxiety disorders, especially panic disorder, social anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Recognition of his work includes Lifetime Achievement Awards from the British Psychological Society and the American Psychological Association.

Nicky Clark

Nicky is a Senior Lecturer, Lead Midwife for Education and the Head of department for Midwifery and Child Health at the University of Hull. Nicky provides professional advice at strategic and operational levels and takes full responsibility for the impact of midwifery practice, midwifery research and midwifery education within the Faculty.

Nicky has significant experience in Higher education, having worked in HE since 1990. Nicky is a member of the NHS England’s taskforce for developing a New Model of Supervision and is co-chair of the education workstream. Nicky chairs the LME strategic reference group; is a member of the NMC Education stakeholder forum to provide input and have oversight of the NMC’s education framework and is a member of the CoDH Midwifery advisory group working on the vision for the future midwife.

Nicky qualified as a registered general nurse in 1982 and her first midwife teacher post was in 1990. Nicky has undertaken many national and international external collaborations, working in the UK and across Europe and Asia providing expert advice on programme approvals in midwifery, and also undertaking institutional quality assurance reviews across the UK and Croatia.

Fiona Clark

Fiona Clark has worked in and around the NHS from ward to Board for more than 30 years, first qualifying as a registered general nurse and midwife and currently sitting on the Board of Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust as a non-executive director, a position she has held for 13 years.

She has worked extensively in the voluntary sector developing services and managing projects in healthcare related charities locally, nationally and internationally. Fiona is currently the NHS Programme Director leading the development of Scaling up Shared Lives in Health programme funded by NHS England.

Olivia Clark-Young

Olivia Clark-Young is from a seaside town in Essex. She was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes aged seven.

By day, Olivia works in a post office and in her spare time is a keen baker and regularly volunteers for Diabetes UK to help others living with Type 1 diabetes – particularly children – learn about and better manage their condition.

Follow Olivia on twitter: @livvyinabox

Emily Clarke

Genetic Counsellor working with families for the charity Genetic Disorders UK.

Janet Clarke

Janet Clarke qualified in the 1980s from Birmingham University and went on to work in general practice, but primarily the community dental service in and around Birmingham. She has significant involvement with the British Dental Association, firstly as Chair of the Central Committee for Community and Public Health Dentistry and then as BDA President in 2011. She was a member of the Steele Review team in 2008 and led the production of the Commissioning Guide for Special Care Dentistry that was published in 2015. She is currently Deputy Chief Dental Officer for England, chairs the Local Professional Network for dentistry in the West Midlands and was awarded an MBE for services to dentistry in 2010.

Katie Clarke-Day

Katie Clarke-Day is an expert by experience as a patient living with numerous long term conditions.

She has a background as a social worker and psychologist, but due to ill health, now spends as much time as possible using her skills and experience to advocate for an improved patient experience.

Katie works alongside NHS England on a number of projects and is also the lead governor of an NHS foundation trust. On Thursday, she is taking part in a patient panel session at the Insight and Feedback Conference in Leeds.

Julie Clayton

Julie Clayton is the Head of Communications and Engagement at NHS North Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group and leads co-production across the North Cumbria Health and Care Partnership.

She supports the local health and community forums and has worked to involve people, patients, staff and the third sector in service change and developing the future strategy for services in the area.

Siobhan Clibbens

Siobhan Clibbens has worked with NHS England for three years, starting in the corporate PMO, supporting the Strategy Programme Board, moving to the-then Policy Directorate in the Partnerships team.

Siobhan is Senior Information Manager for the Yorkshire and Humber specialised commissioning hub, working with the CSU and specialised commissioning contract and finance leads to ensure contractual relationships with providers are underpinned by good quality data and information.

Siobhan is the inaugural co-chair of the LGBT+ Staff Network at NHS England, alongside Oli Mansell, a post she has held since September 2015

Her previous jobs include Community Networks Coordinator at ARK Housing in Edinburgh, a housing association supporting people with learning disabilities and other support needs; Health Improvement Coordinator at NHS Education for Scotland, and Project Support Officer in Adult Social Care at Essex County Council.

Trevor Clower

Trevor Clower is an unpaid carer living in Nottingham. He is very active organising and running 16 Carers Road Shows each year offering free support for all Carers. Trevor is an active campaigner for both carers and people with learning disabilities.

Barry Cockcroft

Barry Cockcroft qualified from Birmingham Dental School in 1973 and worked for 27 years in NHS general dental practice.

He was elected to the General Dental Services Committee of the British Dental Association in 1990, serving on many sub-committees and working groups before being elected vice-chairman in 2000.

He was appointed Deputy Chief Dental Officer for England in November 2002 and appointed as Chief Dental Officer in 2006.

In 2008 he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from the University of Central Lancashire for his contribution to the dental profession.

He was awarded a CBE in the New Year Honours List of 2010.

A year later, Barry was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from the Faculty of General Dental Practice.

Miriam Coffie

Miriam began her career working for the NHS as a Midwife providing antenatal, labour and postnatal care in both hospital and community settings. She progressed to further specialist community qualification as a Registered Health Visitor, providing support and advice on child and family health and child development.

In her role as a Health Visitor she worked across Luton, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire for many years working with GPs, social workers, children’s centres and a host of other professionals to promote the wellbeing of children under the age of five years and their families. In 2011, Miriam took a role with the local primary care trust to support commissioning of health services in Bedfordshire, primarily working with GPs to ensure services provided were of high quality and demonstrated value for money. Miriam was responsible for the commissioning and reviewing of several healthcare services in Bedfordshire including services from local GPs for people with long term conditions.

In 2017, Miriam moved into a quality assurance role with NHS England as the Head of Quality for the Central Midlands area, leading on a variety of work streams including maternity transformation, enhanced health in care homes and the GP Nursing 10 Point Plan. Miriam is substantively the Head of Nursing for Professional Standards for NHS England (Midlands) and is responsible for a large portfolio including oversight of patient experience and patient engagement activities, the Chief Nursing Officer’s priorities associated with workforce, complaints for services commissioned by NHS England, leadership and support for carers, equalities and health inequalities, and General Practice nursing across the region.

In October 2021, Miriam commenced a secondment to Assistant Director of Nursing and Quality for the locality team and retains several nursing corporate projects such as nursing and midwifery equalities and leadership development.

Here you can read a recent article written by Miriam for Black History Month.

Yvonne Coghill

Yvonne Coghill CBE, OBE, JP, MSc, DMS, RGN, RMN, HV, CPT, Dip Exec Coaching.

Yvonne commenced nurse training at Central Middlesex Hospital in 1977, qualified as a general nurse in 1980 and then went on to qualify in mental health nursing and health visiting. In 1986 she secured her first NHS management job and has since held a number of operational and strategic leadership posts.

In 2004, she was appointed at the Department of Health as Private Secretary to the Chief Executive of the NHS, Sir Nigel Crisp.

Yvonne is currently the Director – WRES Implementation in NHS England, and deputy president of the RCN.

Tina Coldham

Tina campaigns for a better understanding of mental health issues in society, and works to improve service provision. She describes herself as having enduring mental health problems, having used mental health services over many years.

Tina has worked in the voluntary sector, across disability, in academia, with regulators and governing bodies as a trainer, researcher and consultant. In 2001 Tina joined the Centre for Mental Health Services Development England (CMHSDE) at King’s College as a project coordinator, working on the successful national pilot to implement direct payments in mental health.

Since 2003, she has worked for the Health and Social Care Advisory Service (HASCAS) on various national projects including direct payments work, service reviews, independent investigations, and MARD – the review of user and carer involvement in NIMHE (CSIP). Tina also chairs the SCIE co-production network.

Dr Katie Coleman

Dr Katie Coleman is a GP partner at The City Road Medical Centre. The practice was established in 1999 in collaboration with Dr Josephine Sauvage, Chair of Islington CCG and together they developed the organisation into a thriving inner-city training practice.

She is the Islington CCG Governing board GP lead for Patient and Public Participation and the Chief Clinical Information Officer, leading on the development of integrated care records for Islington residents in collaboration with other CCGs across North London Partners in health and social care.

She is the North London Partners clinical lead in Primary care and Care Closer to Home, providing strategic direction on the development of Care Closer to Home Integration networks and Quality improvement support teams (QISTs), Access to GP services and social prescribing.

Katie has recently taken up a GP Director role for the Islington GP federation.

Dr Linda Collie

Dr Linda Collie is Clinical Executive at NHS Portsmouth CCG.

Dr Donal Collins

Dr Donal Collins qualified in Cork, Ireland in 1989 and worked for five years in a busy district general hospital in Limerick.

He finished his GP training in Gosport, Hampshire, before taking on a full- time job at The Highlands Practice in Fareham.

Dr Collins developed his special interest in Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) conditions and finished his postgraduate diploma in ENT in 2007.

Following this Dr Collins was part of a group who set up Fareham Area Clinical Enterprise (FACE) Ltd in Fareham and Gosport.

He is now chairman of FACE, which runs ENT, gynaecology and cardiology clinics in the community, at GP surgeries in the area. He is also lead for the community ENT service.

Dr Collins is Clinical Lead for the Multi-Specialty Community Provider in Gosport and Chairman of Fareham and Gosport Primary Care Alliance.

Professor Alf Collins

Professor Alf Collins is NHS England’s Clinical Director, Personalised Care Group.

He was a community consultant in pain management and in parallel worked for a decade with the Health Foundation. He has researched and published widely on self-management support, shared decision making, care planning, co-production, patient activation and patient engagement.

He has honorary fellowships from the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of General Practitioners and is a Visiting Professor at Coventry University.

Dr Kiren Collison

Dr Kiren Collison is a GP and Interim Medical Director for Primary Care, NHS England

She is also chair of the NHS long COVID taskforce.

Dr Vincent Connolly

Dr Vincent Connolly is currently Medical Director for the Emergency Care Improvement Programme and Consultant Physician at the James Cook University Hospital.

He has an interest in Diabetes and Endocrinology and a medical doctorate on the impact of social deprivation on diabetes mellitus.

He has been Clinical Lead for the Emergency Care Intensive Support Team since 2010, was a member of the National Clinical Advisory Team and, since 2011, has been Clinical Advisor to the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement Ambulatory Emergency Care Delivery Network.

Dr Connolly was previously Chair of the North East SHA, Clinical Innovation Team for Acute Care, and a recipient of the Hospital Doctor Acute Medicine Team of the Year Award 2004.

Alison Cook

Alison Cook is Director of External Affairs at the Asthma UK and British Lung Foundation Partnership. Throughout her role at the Partnership, she helped establish the Taskforce for Lung Heath, which is a coalition of patients, clinicians, charities and health organisations that work closely together to seek and support better ways of improving prevention, diagnosis and treatment of all lung diseases.

Alison earned her PhD researching nervous system signals processing with a focus on pain modulation. She then completed post-doctoral research in colour vision at University College London.

In her early career she worked as a specialist journalist for the BBC as a bi-media correspondent in regional and national news before becoming Programme Editor. She then became Head of Media at the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and following that was asked to join the Department of Health as Head of Policy Communications and Special Advisor to Ministers in both the Department of Health and Number 10.

Alison became Director of External Affairs at the Royal College of Surgeons, setting up their communications and policy teams and steering the College through the Health and Social Care Act. She had previously headed the media and public affairs team at Cancer Research UK. Her first role for a charity was as Director of External Affairs for the Alzheimer’s Society.

Lisa Cooper

Lisa Cooper is Chair of the NHS England Child Sexual Exploitation sub-group and Assistant Director of Nursing, Quality & Safety for Cheshire, Warrington and Wirral Area Team.

Simon Corben

Simon Corben is Director and Head of Profession for NHS Estates and Facilities at NHS England.
Simon joined the NHS in May 2017, after 16 years in the private sector, to lead the estates and facilities function which includes both primary and secondary care estate. Building on the Carter Implementation Programme and Naylor Review, Simon leads on work including the Model Hospital, sustainability and ICS Infrastructure Strategies, ProCure23, and delivery of the Health Infrastructure Programmes announced by the Prime Minister in 2019. Simon also led the NHS Estates response to the COVID-19 pandemic including the delivery of the Nightingale hospitals with over 3,500 critical care beds in a matter of weeks.

Derek Corbett

Derek Corbett is a patient safety partner working as a lay person to support the NHS London region team, by providing a patient voice and sharing their insight from their experiences of NHS care, to help improve patient safety across London.

Dr Jacqueline Cornish

Dr Jacqueline Cornish was the National Clinical Director for Children, Young People and Transition to Adulthood in NHS England from 2013 to 2019.

As a clinician she specialised in pioneering treatments for childhood cancer and leukaemia, and brought to NHS England 20 years’ leadership experience in the NHS, having been Head of Division of Women’s and Children’s Services at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, and a former Director of Paediatric Stem Cell Transplant (SCT) at the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children.

The post of National Clinical Director for Children and Young People is now held by Professor Simon Kenny, Consultant Paediatric Surgeon at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust in Liverpool and National Clinical Lead for Paediatric Surgery for the Getting It Right First Time programme.

Professor Paul Corrigan, CBE

Professor Paul Corrigan gained his first degree in social policy from the LSE in 1969, his PhD at Durham in 1974. He is currently adjunct professor of public health at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and of health policy at Imperial College London.

For the first 12 years of his working life he taught at Warwick University and the Polytechnic of North London. During this period he taught, researched and wrote about inner city social policy and community development. In 1985 he left academic life and became a senior manager in London local government and in 1997 he started to work as a public services management consultant. In 1998 he published Shakespeare on Management.

From July 2001 he worked as a special adviser to Alan Milburn first and then John Reid, the then Secretary of States for Health. At the end of 2005 he became the senior health policy adviser to the Prime Minister Tony Blair. Over these six years he was instrumental in developing all the major themes of NHS reform not only in terms of policy levers buy also in developing capacity throughout the NHS to use those levers.

Between June 2007 and March 2009 he was the director of strategy and commissioning at the London Strategic Health Authority.

Since then Paul has been working as a management consultant and an executive coach helping leaders within the NHS and internationally create and develop step changes within their organisation. In September 2011 he published a pamphlet “The hospital is dead Long live the Hospital” that was recognised by a leader in the Times as an important contribution to reform. He continues to argue the case for NHS reform. From July 2013 he has become a non-executive director of the Care Quality Commission. In 2015 he is working with NHS England to help them develop the new models of care.

Follow Paul on Twitter @Paul_Corrigan.

Caroline Corrigan

Caroline Corrigan has been the National Workforce Lead with the New Care Models Team since November 2015.

Her role is to support and enable vanguards to design and develop a modern, flexible workforce that addresses local population needs. In addition, Caroline continues to work with Health Education England on all aspects of workforce transformation.

Previously Caroline lead Health Education East of England which focuses on the development of people for health and healthcare. Prior to joining HEE Caroline spent six years at the Department of Health. Her roles there included People Transition Director for the NHS, Talent Management Lead and lead for the department’s business plan.

Caroline has worked for over 15 years for NHS Trusts as an HR Director and national organisations, including the Modernisation Agency. She is a fellow of the CIPD and has worked with the Complexity Group London School of Economics.

Follow Caroline on Twitter: @CarolineCorrig3.

Paul Court

Paul Court joined Healthworks as their Chief Executive in October 2019. Paul supported the development and formation of Healthworks over 27 years ago and since then has worked at a senior level across the NHS and Newcastle City Council, shaping policy and practice to improve outcomes for disadvantaged communities including children and young people. Previously, Paul has developed and led Sure Start services, been a researcher influencing national policy, NHS board member and a long serving Grant Committee member for BBC Children in Need. Paul is a current volunteer Director for Swim England North East.

Dr Dan Cowie

Dr Dan Cowie, Clinical Director Transformation, Newcastle Gateshead Clinical Commissioning Group.

Dan graduated in 1999 from Newcastle University and qualified as GP in 2004. Over the last 10 years he has worked as a GP in varies roles with a particular focus on elderly care. Dan has also been a part time clinical author of clinical knowledge summaries and writing guidelines for primary care.

He took up a GP partnership at Crowhall Medical Group in 2012 and also started his work within Gateshead Clinical Commissioning (CCG) Group as the Community Services and Urgent Care lead. Recently, Dan has been leading transformation work within the CCG and has particular interest in service redesign.

Duncan Craig

Duncan Craig, Chief Executive Officer and Psychotherapist. FRSA. MBACP ACRED; MA Couns (dist); Cert EMDR.

Duncan is the founder and Chief Executive of Survivors Manchester, a third sector organisation offering therapeutic and advocacy support to boys and men affected by sexual abuse, rape and sexual exploitation.

He began designing and developing Survivors Manchester’s services in 2009, when he identified a gap in support provision for boys and men, and continues to develop new services today, most recently across the male prison estate.

As a qualified and BACP Accredited trauma-informed psychotherapist, Duncan’s personal and professional experience of sexual violation has presented him with the opportunity to be involved in a number of national inquiries, projects and forums, including The Stern Review; the National Rape Working Group; and the Office of the Children’s Commissioner on the Child Sexual Exploitation in Groups and Gangs.

Duncan has also consulted on a number of projects, including work with male sex workers; and provided input into various media outlets including BBC Crimewatch, Channel 5’s The Wright Stuff, C4 Hollyoaks (where he was storyline consultant on the John Paul rape story) and more recently, the ground breaking male rape story on Coronation Street.

He is the co-founder of the Male Survivors Partnership, a consortium of male survivor organisations working together to create quality assured support; and most recently has travelled to New York, Iceland, Portugal and New Zealand to talk about the work he does and supporting others to break the silence.

In 2015, Duncan was awarded The Guardian Charity Trailblazer of the Year and most recently, became a Fellow of the Royal Society Arts.

Simon Cramp

Simon Cramp lives in Chesterfield where he promotes the rights of disabled people at every opportunity.

He has a learning difficulty himself, and works with people with learning disabilities, helping them get the right support and information. He offers expert advice on all issues to do with learning disability and has extensive experience working as a consultant throughout the learning disability sector and was an early member of the National Forum for People with Learning Disabilities.

Simon has a great interest in politics and political structures and has always been keen to get involved to make things better. He is also a powerful advocate on making writings accessible and he worked for several years as a member of the advisory committee on older and disabled people for Ofcom. He has also worked at a senior board level for two major learning disability organisations.

Simon has been an important advocate for personalisation and co-authored a key paper on supported decision-making with Simon Duffy in 2004.

Pete Crane

Pete is a 63 year old grandad who is now retired following many years working as a bank cashier.

Pete is married to Wendy and together they have raised son and daughter Nick and Sarah – both Nick and Sarah have good lives, friends, jobs and mortgages – but Nick has been profoundly learning disabled since birth.

Pete has always regarded both his children as having equal civil rights – equal needs for love and respect – and being equally important to him.

Pete would always ‘swap the labels’ in order to work out what a good life should look like – for example “would I put my 6 year old daughter alone on a bus and send her 20 miles away each day to school ? – no ! – so why would I do that to my son Nick – therefore he should go to a local school like his sister would.”

As Nick’s parents for 35 years, Pete and Wendy have been involved in many ways with the positive changes that have been taking place in civil society for people with a learning disability – most notably Pete was the chair of the national charity IPSEA for many years and in this role gave evidence to both the House of Lords and the House of Commons on various disability related matters.

Following the events at Winterbourne View, Pete was involved as an ‘expert by experience’ in the Care Quality Commission inspections of Assessment and Treatment Centres for people with a learning disability and/or autism.

Recently Pete has been working as an ‘expert by experience’ involved in the NHS CTR program – this is managed and enabled by NWTDT (North West Training and Development Team) / Pathways, an organisation based in Accrington that has various networks and work streams all designed to improve the lives of people and families living with learning disability and/or autism. Pathways is working hard to capture and share the knowledge that self-advocates, families and professionals all have in order to enable civil society to welcome and include people with learning disabilities and/or autism – and at the same time allow us all to benefit from the gifts and talents that everyone has.

Professor Matthew Cripps

Professor Matthew Cripps is National Director of NHS RightCare, a part of NHS England that focusses on population healthcare improvement and helping the wider health service to identify and use techniques, tools and methodologies to increase value in healthcare.

Its focus on increasing value at system level, for individuals and the population, is seen as integral to the delivery of financial sustainability for the NHS.

Jill Crook

Jill Crook is the Transforming Care Lead for NHS England South region.

Jill has been a Director of Nursing for 15 years in a variety of strategic roles including the Chief Nursing Officers directorate at the Department of Health, Avon Gloucestershire & Wiltshire Strategic Health Authority, Gloucestershire & Swindon Primary Care Trusts and the Bath, Gloucestershire, Swindon & Wiltshire Area Team of NHS England. Jill’s clinical background is within both mental health and general nursing with a large focus on community settings.

From February 2015 Jill has been working on a part time basis as the Project Lead for Transforming Care Learning Disabilities and Autism supporting the Chief Nurse within NHS England South Region.

Jill enjoys an effective work life balance and in her personal time enjoys cooking, gardening and walking.

Richard Cross

Richard Cross is 71 years old and spent his working life as an auditor. His wife Sheila has multiple Long-Term Conditions, including COPD, spinal and related arthritic conditions, severe abdominal pains and mental health issues.

On behalf of carers nationwide, he has met David Cameron at 10 Downing Street, had several visits to Westminster to meet other M.P’s, a carers meeting at The Foreign Office (for their staff) and many local meetings with influential representatives of both government departments and regulatory bodies.

Elaine Cross

Elaine is a patient from Sheffield with lived experience of Type 2 diabetes, depression, high blood pressure and osteoarthritis. She has experienced the best and the worst of care as a patient. But, that has motivated her to become first a patient champion in her GP practice and then complete the NHS England Peer Leadership Development Programme which has been life changing.

Locally, she has been involved in the development of a person-centred approach to the management of people with long-term conditions at her local GP practice including the formation and induction of patient peer support volunteers and has been involved in setting up a peer led mental health peer support group.

At national level, Elaine sits on the NHS England Lived Experience Co-production Group, the Perioperative Care Stakeholder Group, and the Primary Care Assisted Recovery Plan Board. Being a member of the NHS England Peer Leader Network has given her some amazing opportunities to have her patient voice heard.

Eddie Crouch

Eddie Crouch is Vice Chairman of the British Dental Association Principal Executive Committee and has worked in South Birmingham providing primary care to patients in dental practices for more than 25 years.

He is active in supporting colleagues locally via the Local Dental Committee and nationally via the BDA , and is a member of the Birmingham Black Country and Solihull Local Professional Network who advise commissioners on patient services.

Paula Cruise

Paula started in the NHS in 1993 working in the private office of the Director of Policy for the NHS Executive. Most of her NHS career has been spent in nursing directorates within Primary Care Trusts.

She joined the NHS Commissioning Board in 2012 has PA/Business Manager in the Chief Nursing Officer for England’s private office. Moving to the Patient Experience team in 2014 and into the Leadership Support Manager role in 2018. This role has specific responsibility for young carers, young adult carers and carers in the armed forces.

You can follow Paula on Twitter: @CruisePM

Mark Cubbon

Mark is Chief Delivery Officer at NHS England. Reporting directly to the NHS Chief Executive, Mark is responsible for driving change across the NHS to support the move to system working and enable delivery.

The team that Mark leads is responsible for the creation of the new NHSE Operating Framework, the establishment of Integrated Care Systems and the continued development of providers, and for the delivery of the NHS Long Term Plan. He is also the Senior Responsible Owner for the merger of Health Education England, NHS Digital, NHSX, and NHSE (formerly NHS England and NHS Improvement), one of the largest change programmes across the NHS.

Mark joined the NHS as a nurse 30 years ago and held several director roles in London NHS Trusts before taking on the role of regional chief operating officer for NHS Improvement, working across the Midlands and East of England. Immediately prior to joining NHS England, Mark was Chief Executive at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust

Baroness Julia Cumberlege, CBE DL

Baroness Julia Cumberlege CBE DL was appointed a Junior Health Minister in 1992 and for five years she covered all Health and Social Services matters in the House of Lords.

She has been commissioned by two Governments to produce two national reports: “Neighbourhood Nursing – a Focus for Care” and “Changing Childbirth”.

At the invitation of the Royal College of Physicians, Julia has chaired two working parties. The first report “Doctors in Society” was published in December 2005. The second, “Future Physician, Changing Doctors in Changing Times”, was published in May 2010.

From 2000 until July 2006, Julia chaired St George’s Medical School.

Professor Jane Cummings

Professor Jane Cummings is the Chief Nursing Officer for England and Executive Director at NHS England.

Jane specialised in emergency care and has held a wide variety of roles across the NHS including Director of Commissioning, Director of Nursing and Deputy Chief Executive.

In February 2004, she became the national lead for emergency care agreeing and implementing the 98% operational standard. She has also worked as the nursing advisor for emergency care. In January 2005, she was appointed as the National Implementation Director for ‘Choice’ and ‘Choose and Book’.

Jane moved to NHS North West in November 2007 where she held executive responsibility for the professional leadership of nursing, quality, performance as well as QIPP, commissioning and for a time Deputy Chief Executive Officer. In October 2011, she was appointed to the role of Chief Nurse for the North of England SHA Cluster.

She was appointed as Chief Nursing Officer for England in March 2012 and started full time in June 2012. Jane is the professional lead for all nurses and midwives in England (with the exception of public health) and published the ‘6Cs’ and ‘Compassion in Practice’ in December 2012, followed by publishing the ‘Leading Change, Adding Value’ framework in May 2016.

Jane has executive oversight of maternity, patient experience, learning disability and, in January 2016, became executive lead for Patient and Public Participation.

She was awarded Doctorates by Edge Hill University and by Bucks New University, and she is a visiting professor at Kingston University and St George’s University, London.

She is also Director and trustee for Macmillan Cancer Support and a clinical Ambassador for the Over the Wall Children’s Charity where she volunteers as a nurse providing care for children affected by serious illnesses.

Follow Jane on Twitter: @JaneMCummings.

Dr James Cusack

Since joining Autistica Dr James Cusack has led the development of a research strategy focused on outcomes, leading to their new vision, “a world where all autistic people and their families live a long, healthy, happy life”.

Autistica has also sought to build involvement to every stage of their work, including the launch of Discover: the UK’s first autism research network.

Since James joined Autistica they have also dramatically expanded their portfolio of world class research. He has successfully worked with funders and academics to influence research funding strategy to make sure community priorities and critical issues like early death in autism are on their agenda.

Prior to joining Autistica James undertook a PhD and postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Aberdeen, and while in Scotland has worked in a range of different roles related to autism including the Scottish autism strategy.

Annie-Rose Cutler

Annie-Rose Cutler is a young adult carer and student nurse.

Sir David Dalton

Sir David Dalton was appointed as chief executive of The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust in April 2016 in addition to his role as chief executive of Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, a post he has held since 2001.

Sir David has a strong profile, both locally within Greater Manchester, and nationally in the areas of quality improvement and patient safety. His leadership focuses on a disciplined approach of applied ‘improvement science’ coupled with deep staff involvement.

He is currently involved in two strategic developments: creating a fully integrated health and social care system for the City; and developing the concept of standardisation of best practice and seeking to apply this at scale, through a digital enterprise, across multiple organisations.

Sir David has developed national health policy and advised government in the areas of patient safety, new organisational forms and digital development. He was the founder Chair of AQuA, NHS QUEST, and Haelo: each of which support organisations in their improvement activities.

He is also the Vice Chair of the Greater Manchester Academic Health Science Network and a Governor of the Health Foundation.

Georgi Daluiso-King BSc MSc MCSP MMACP

Personalised Care Lead and Advanced Practitioner Physiotherapist in Sussex MSK Partnership Central.

As Personalised Care Lead, Georgi creates and embeds the culture of personalised care across Sussex MSK Partnership Central, with a team of 18 personalised care champions, to galvanise this work with all colleagues through coaching and education.

Personalised Care Lead and Advanced Practitioner Physiotherapist in Sussex MSK Partnership Central.

As Personalised Care Lead, Georgi creates and embeds the culture of personalised care across Sussex MSK Partnership Central, with a team of 18 personalised care champions, to galvanise this work with all colleagues through coaching and education.

Georgi works as a First Contact Practitioner within a GP practice in Brighton, through this role she has fostered a closeness, understanding and connection between primary and community care. Georgi also provides her clinical expertise as a spinal and lower limb specialist Advanced Practitioner Physiotherapist. Georgi manages contracts with local community and voluntary sector organisations, with a particular interest in social prescribing.

Fiona Daly

As the National Deputy Director of Estates for NHS England, Fiona is tasked with leading the strategies, policies and national programmes to decarbonise of the NHS Estate, improve operational resilience and patient experience, and develop the 100,000 strong Estates and Facilities Workforce; driving innovation, engagement and delivery, and providing healthcare organisations with critical support they need to implement their plans.

Fiona has 17 years’ experience of working in Estates and Facilities Management and is passionate about reducing health and social inequalities, establishing an estate that supports the transition to sustainable models of care throughout the NHS. She is focused on driving the delivery of a healthy, resilient healthcare estate; tackling organisational leadership, investment in the built environment and developing the skills and capacity of the current and future NHS workforce. In 2018 she was made an honorary professor at University College London (UCL) for her contribution in supporting the development of students in her field.

Dr Ron Daniels

Dr Ron Daniels BEM is the Chief Executive of the UK Sepsis Trust where he provides clinical advice to NHS England, the Department of Health and to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, Royal College of Anaesthetists and Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine. He is also Chief Executive of the Global Sepsis Alliance, and was instrumental in bringing the Chairman’s concept of the World Sepsis Declaration to fruition.

Blake Dark

Blake is the Commercial Medicines Director for NHS England. He is NHS England’s chief negotiator with the pharmaceutical industry and SRO for the broader cross-organisational Medicines Value Program.

Blake‘s team oversee all commercial discussions with companies in relation to individual drugs: Drugs that trigger the £20 million budget impact test (BIT); commercial arrangements associated with the Cancer Drug Fund (CDF); commercial arrangements relating to NICE’s Highly Specialised Technology appraisal programme (HST); commercial arrangements relating to NHS England’s clinical policy process overseen by its Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG).

Blake also leads a procurement function relating to medicines used in secondary care; Commercial Medicines Unit (CMU).
Before joining NHS England in Oct 2018, Blake held senior roles in the pharmaceutical industry for 24 years at Sanofi. Blake has led both innovative pharma and generic businesses in the UK for 15 years and 9 years running innovative pharma businesses across multiple countries in Europe and as Commercial Operations Head for Sanofi’s global generic’s company.

Dr Natalie Darko

Dr Natalie Darko, Associate Professor of Health Inequalities, at the University of Leicester and Director of Inclusion at the Leicester National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre.

Dr Natalie Darko specialises in health research and practice that addresses equality, equity, and inclusion of underrepresented and minority groups. She has extensive experience in leading and delivering research within the field of health inequalities, of which her current research projects focus on maternal health, womb cancer, social prescribing, diabetes, faith-based interventions, and dementia. She supports researchers, organisations and practitioners on how to work collaboratively with and for underserved and minority groups to inform equitable health and research practice.

Dr Charlie Davie

Dr Charlie Davie joined UCLPartners in 2009 as Stroke Lead and subsequently took on the role of Programme Director for Neurosciences.

He was appointed as Director of the AHSN in 2014 and became Managing Director in May 2015. He provides strategic leadership for the AHSN and its integrated programmes, supporting the operational and clinical directors in transforming care for patients and populations.

Before joining UCLPartners, Charlie was the clinical lead for stroke services at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, where he continues his clinical work as Consultant Neurologist. He has also been the stroke lead for the North Central London Cardiovascular and Stroke Network.

Charlie played a pivotal role in redesigning stroke services in London and large areas of England, which has resulted in significantly improved outcomes.

He qualified in medicine from the University of Glasgow in 1986 and completed much of his postgraduate clinical training and early research at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London. He was awarded a doctorate with honours by University of Glasgow in 1997 and has been a consultant at the Royal Free since 1999.

Andrew Davies

Andrew Davies is Director of Hospital Pharmacy, NHS Improvement.

Having worked for 17 years as a hospital chief pharmacist Andrew became involved in the Lord Carter productivity programme at NHS Improvement in October 2015, becoming the professional lead for hospital pharmacy and medicines optimisation in January 2017 and director of hospital pharmacy in October 2018.

Kate Davies

Kate Davies CBE, Director of Health and Justice, Armed Forces and Sexual Assault Services Commissioning, NHS England.

Kate is the national director for healthcare services across England for Armed Forces serving personnel, veterans and their families; sexual assault referral centres (SARCs); and prisons, immigration removal centres and secure children’s homes and training centres. Her national role is to assure high quality, consistent and sustained services with a strong focus on health inequalities and outcomes for patients and their families.

Kate has developed and led national partnership agreements with the Ministry of Defence for Armed Forces commissioning, the Ministry of Justice for prisons and the children and young people secure estate and the Home Office for immigration removal centres. These agreements focus on core objectives and outcomes across Government for key patient areas that can only be delivered in partnership.

From a health and justice perspective, she has led the development of the national Liaison & Diversion Programme and Street Triage, the roll out of community sentence treatment requirements and the launch of RECONNECT to support prison leavers transition to community health and wellbeing services. Kate has facilitated the roll-out of increased provision for survivors of sexual violence, the launch of the Strategic Direction for Sexual Assault and Abuse Services and the development of enhanced sexual assault and abuse pathfinder services for individuals with complex trauma mental health needs.

Prior to her current role, Kate worked in a range of senior positions, including the Executive Lead for Prison, Detainee and SARCs Healthcare Commissioning for East Midlands; the strategic director of the award-winning Nottinghamshire County Drug and Alcohol Action Team, where she co-ordinated and delivered the Government’s National Drug Strategy; and the Director of Black and Ethnic Minority Community Engagement at the University of Central Lancashire, International School for Communities Rights and Inclusion. This follows her early career, when she worked as a probation office in the probation service.

In addition, Kate has been a Non-Executive Director on the National Treatment Agency Board and a member of the Government’s independent Board for the Prison Drug Treatment Strategy Patel Review, which implemented the Substance Treatment Service and strategy and delivery across England. She has also been an Ambassador for Diversity in Public Appointments for the Government Public Appointments Commission.

Kate’s strong leadership style and commitment to lived experience, co-production and addressing health inequalities, has led to her being awarded an OBE in 2009 for services for disadvantaged communities and a CBE in 2018, for her work to improve services for some of the most vulnerable groups. She is also an Honorary Doctor of Staffordshire University in recognition of her commitment to health and social equality.

Neil Davies

Neil Davies was thrown out of secondary modern school at the age of 14, with a certificate stating this boy has left school with no qualifications. Neil joined the Parachute Regiment on his 17th birthday and by the age of 19 he’d served on active service tours in the Middle East and North Africa.

Neil left the army with physical injuries and PTSD, and flitted aimlessly from country to country, continent to continent, and job to job; as a logger, steelworker, working on fishing boats, building worker, rank and file union organiser, out-door pursuits instructor and lecturer.

Neil broke into the film industry as a driver and worked his way up, covering all jobs and eventually became an award winning filmmaker; best documentary of the year award for ‘Raw Spice’ – ITV and the huge success of the series; ‘Nights at the Empire’ – Channel Four, ‘Inside RAF Brize Norton’ – Sky One, ‘The Hunt’ – BBC and feature film ‘Dog City’.

Neil is a member of the Soldiers Arts Academy, does volunteer work at the London Veterans Mental Health Transition, Intervention and Liaison Service (TILS) at St Pancras Hospital and over the last few years scratched an itch for doing stand-up comedy, acting at Shakespeare’s Globe and writing fiction, Falling Soldiers, which was published in April 2019.

Dr Helen Davies

Dr Helen Davies is a GP clinical lead for community and population health management in Calderdale which is part of West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board. Follow her on Twitter @HelenDa21136593 and connect with Helen on LinkedIn.

Janet Davies

Janet Davies is Chief Executive and General Secretary, Royal College of Nursing.

Janet Davies is the Chief Executive and General Secretary for the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), the voice of nursing across the UK. The RCN promotes patient and nursing interests on a wide range of issues by working closely with the Government, the UK parliaments and other national and European political institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organisations.

Prior to her current role, Janet was one of the Executive Directors at the RCN and took the strategic lead for nursing and service delivery to its members. Before joining the RCN, she had a long career as a Nurse within the NHS. She was Director of Nursing in West Lancashire and Liverpool and Chief Executive of Mersey Regional Ambulance Service.

Kieran Day

Kieran Day enjoys playing video games (twitchy and YouTube), seeing friends , cinema, and spending time with other young carers.

Dr Stephanie de Giorgio

• Portfolio GP in Kent with an interest in Women’s Health
• Perinatal Mental Health National Clinical Lead and Advisor to NHS England
• Works with Perinatal Mental Health Network to promote education via social media
• Writes and presents the Women’s Health course for NB Medical Education
• Is part of #obsmuk and works with EASO to promote education about and reduce stigma around obesity
• Working with NHS England and charities to help develop evidence based postnatal care in the community.
• Runs Resilient GP, an online peer support and educatino forum she co-founded to support primary care staff
• Likes a nap!

Dr Jeanelle de Gruchy

Dr Jeanelle de Gruchy is President of the Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH), having been elected in May 2018 for 3 years.

Jeanelle’s priorities as ADPH president are to continue to develop the Association as a well-respected and vibrant voice for prevention and public health. She is passionate about ADPH advocating for equality in all its forms.

Jeanelle is also Director of Population Health for Tameside and Glossop Strategic Commission, an integrated NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Local Authority organisation, led by both local politicians and NHS clinicians. She has a role in leading population health system reform developments in Greater Manchester.

Ruth Dearnley, OBE

Ruth Dearnley OBE became Chief Executive for STOP THE TRAFFIK in May 2008 having participated in its formation in 2005.

With a law degree and background in education, she inspires and enables people to transform the world around them.

Ruth believes that STOP THE TRAFFIK’s working model demonstrates the unique power of bringing people and technology into a harmonious relationship for good for all, imagining a different future where good can prevail.

Ruth was honoured with the award of an OBE in the 2014 British New Year Honours.

For more information on STOP THE TRAFFIK, please visit the STOP THE TRAFFIK website.

Paul Deemer

Paul has been a HR professional for over 30 years. He has worked in local government, the voluntary sector and the health service – with particular experience in the fields of recruitment, employee relations, employment law and diversity. It was whilst working for the charity Barnardo’s that he took on the role of national equality and diversity manager, further utilising the experience and knowledge gained in this role when he was seconded into the Department of Health’s equality and diversity team in 2000 to help them develop their national strategy in this area. Paul currently works for NHS Employers – which represents and supports NHS trusts across England – and is helping NHS organisations to embed diversity and inclusion good practice across the NHS.

Dr Karen Deeny

Dr Karen Deeny works in the national Patient Experience Team and is leading a work programme to drive improved outcomes and experiences for patients through improving staff experiences of care.

With a clinical background in speech and language therapy and an enduring passion for improvement, Karen has worked as a clinician, manager, researcher, author and coach in health, education and social care.

Karen’s doctoral research involved working with members of more than 200 healthcare teams to understand theirs and their patients’ journeys and using this learning to drive improvement through experience based co-design in the UK and internationally.

Paris Dehghani

Paris Dehghani is a proud and committed mum who was born in Iran.

She is passionate about empowering vulnerable people and an advocate for volunteering.

Joe Dent

Joe Dent, MCPara, MSc Post grad Cert, BSc, is an Advanced Practitioner for Stroke, working at the Salford Royal Hospital. He is also Lead for Stroke at the College of Paramedics.

He has worked in healthcare for 28 years, 26 of those spent working for the ambulance service.
In his current role at Salford Royal, Joe is developing a training package for universities and ambulance trusts to improve education around pre-hospital identification and treatment of strokes.

Joe has an interest in data sharing and management and is a working party member and scientific member for the UK Stroke Forum.

Joanna Dervisoglu

Joanna Dervisoglu, Treasurer and Trustee of Knitted Knockers UK, is a Teaching Assistant, a mum of four and grandmother of three.

Laura Devlin

Laura Devlin is a general practitioner based in Somerset. She is the GP for Inclusion and Homeless Health in Mendip and Yeovil, and Yeovil PCN lead on reducing health inequalities. Since qualifying as a GP in 2008, Dr Devlin has worked in substance misuse and homeless health services in Glasgow, London, and Somerset.

Dr Mo Dewji

Dr Mo Dewji is a partner and trainer in a ten-doctor urban practice in Milton Keynes.

He was the PCG and then PEC chair of MKPCT prior to his appointment as the Head of the National PMS Development Team.

He was then appointed as the Clinical Director for Strategy and System Reform at South Central SHA.

He is now the National Clinical Lead (Primary Care) within the Medical Directorate of the NHS England, where he has been advising on the support of the Friends and Family Test in General Practice.

He has also acted as the clinical lead in the benchmarking of care across health systems and the active use of data to develop and deliver high quality care.

Between his work at the SHA and his recent move to the NHS England he headed the Primary Care QIPP Workstream at the Department of Health.

He has been actively involved in the development of new commissioning models supporting CCG’s and practices, and acted as an advisor to the development of the Diabetes NSF and was one of the founder members of the National Resource Framework Group.

His clinical interests lie in Paediatrics and GP Training.

Dr Martyn Diaper

Dr Martyn Diaper is the Head of Patient Safety (Primary Care) and the chairman of the Primary Care Patient Safety Expert Group at NHS England.

Born and raised in Southampton, Martyn trained at St Thomas’s Hospital and worked in the UK and Australia before settling with his wife in Winchester, where he was a GP for nearly 20 years. During that time he gained an MBA with the Open University and worked with the NHS Institute for innovation and improvement as clinical lead for patient safety.

In 2011 he trained as a Patient Safety Officer in Boston MA at the Institute of Healthcare Improvement. Martyn worked as Clinical Director for South East Hampshire ISD at Southern Health from 2013 to 2014, and later became Southern Health medical director until July 2015.

He has also worked for NHS Improving Quality as clinical lead for patient safety and commissioner development in its delivery team.

Niall Dickson

The former head of the General Medical Council, Niall Dickson, was appointed Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation in February 2017.

During his time at the GMC from 2010 to 2016, Niall delivered a raft of reforms. These included an expansion of its responsibilities for medical education and training; the introduction of revalidation in 2012; the introduction of language checks for doctors from Europe in 2014, and the establishment of the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service to provide a clear separation between the GMC’s investigation of complaints and the adjudication of hearings.

He worked as Chief Executive of the King’s Fund from 2004 to 2009 before being appointed as Chief Executive and Registrar of the General Medical Council in January 2010. Niall also led the International Association of Medical Regulatory Authorities (IAMRA) until 2016.

He was the editor of the Nursing Times from 1983 to 1988 before joining the BBC as health correspondent and progressing to the position of social affairs editor for BBC News from 1995 to 2003, broadcasting mainly on the BBC1 Ten O’clock News and Radio 4’s Today programme. Niall was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2017.

Dr Vin Diwakar

Medical Director for Transformation and Secondary Care National Medical and Transformation Directorates NHS England.

Vin Diwakar is the Medical Director for Transformation in the National Transformation Directorate and leads on the secondary care portfolio in the National Improvement Directorate. He provides clinical leadership to improvement and transformation programmes including those which use improvement science, technology, digital, and data. He leads teams which are supporting improvement and transformation of a number of different clinical areas including diagnostics, urgent, emergency, acute and planned care and is responsible for improving clinical effectiveness.

In his previous role, he provided clinical leadership to London’s health and care system and was a key member of the multiprofessional regional team which led the capital through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr Mary Docherty

Dr Mary Docherty is a Clinical Quality Improvement Fellow in the Mental Health Strategic Clinical Network and Specialty Registrar at the South London and Maudsley (SLaM) NHS Foundation Trust.

She currently holds a Darzi Fellowship supported by the Healthy London Partnership and is taking a lead role, through Healthy London Partnership, in a London-wide initiative to reduce the premature mortality of people with serious mental illness.

Mary came to medicine with previous degrees in Politics, Philosophy and Economics, completed a National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Academic Foundation Programme at the Institute of Neuroscience in Newcastle and an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN). She undertook her core training and specialty training on the Maudsley Training Programme following a year secondment in the Research and Development team at NICE on the Chief Medical Officer’s Clinical Advisors Scheme.

As Clinical Fellow at the IoPPN her research interests are in service improvement, treatment and service gaps in UK Mental Health provision and cognitive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. She co-authored a national review chapter on Parity of Esteem in the Chief Medical Officer’s 2014 report on Public Mental Health. Mary also developed and ran with the National Psychosis Service the first specialist clinic dedicated to the assessment and treatment of cognitive and negative symptoms in schizophrenia.

She is involved in clinical research, service development initiatives and a Kings Health Partners strategic academic network aimed at exploring and addressing the mortality gap in people with serious and enduring mental illness.

Sarah Dodds

Sarah has been the Director of Nursing at Weston Area Health NHS Trust since February 2018.

Prior to this role, she was the Deputy Director of Nursing at North Bristol Trust. She has worked in a variety of senior nursing roles at both University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust.

Her clinical experience has been in Respiratory Medicine and Emergency Care.

Professor Brian Dolan, OBE

Professor Brian Dolan OBE is Director of Health Service 360, UK, Visiting Prof of Nursing, Oxford Institute of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Research and Honorary Professor of Leadership in Healthcare, University of Salford.

With Lynda Holt, CEO, Health Service 360 he recently co-hosted the 72-hour #EndPJparalysis Global Online Summit, in collaboration with Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland, ECIST, NHS Horizons, Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, US #EveryBODYmoves and Safer Care, Victoria, Australia.

All the presentations can be viewed free at https://endpjparalysis.org

Linda Dominguez

Linda Dominguez has been a counsellor at One in Four since 2005 and also became director of One in Four on a voluntary basis in 2009.

Her counselling experience includes working with ex offenders, mental health issues, children, bereavement and substance abuse. Her passion is working with survivors of childhood sexual abuse, sharing their journey to become the person who can be all they can be.

She is a qualified supervisor in counselling. In her day role she is Head of Safeguarding, for St John Ambulance.

Tara Donnelly

Tara Donnelly is the interim Chief Digital Officer at NHS England.

She oversees a portfolio of citizen facing digital services, including the NHS website, NHS App and the development of digital services which meet people’s needs, target prevention and offer a personalised experience.

Tara is on secondment from her role as Chief Executive of the Health Innovation Network. She has led the Health Innovation Network for over three years and is also a non-executive director at the Nuffield Trust.

She has an extensive background in leadership roles within the NHS and the voluntary and community sector and has spent the past 18 years at board level. She has worked in the NHS for 30 years, with her first role being as a Ward Housekeeper when she was 18.

Darren Dooler

Daz (Darren) Dooler has worked for Live Well Wakefield for 18 months as a ‘Self Help Support Worker’.

Live Well Wakefield has been commissioned by Wakefield Metropolitan District Council, through Nova Wakefield and South West Yorkshire NHS Foundation Trust (SWYFT). They work with anyone in the Wakefield and 5 Towns area struggling with their wellbeing.

Daz is a time-served mechanical and electrical engineer and has worked at a senior level of management in the UK and abroad. Due to long-term health conditions, including Generalised Anxiety Disorder, he then struggled with employment for several years.

Having become involved in the Expert Patients Programme (formerly part of SWYFT) and completing the General Self-Management Community Course, he moved forward to become a volunteer for the service and trained to become a tutor. He then went on to become a governor at SWYFT and started his own community group The S.M.a.S.H Society. Here he ensures social prescribing continues to improve lives in his community with health conditions, particularly those struggling with their mental health.

Karen Dorey-Rees

Karen Dorey-Rees is the Assistant Director for Specialist Services in Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust. Karen qualified as a mental health nurse in 1989 and since then has worked in a variety of clinical and operational management roles in the South East of England.

Throughout her career Karen has been involved in developing services and has lead on key projects within adult mental health community and inpatient services to support the transformation of services to ensure improvements in the quality of care.

Over the past 2 years Karen has taken a lead role in the development of Perinatal Mental Health Services. This has included major expansion of the Community Perinatal Mental Health Services in Kent and the successful development of a perinatal mental health Mother and Baby Unit to serve women from across Kent, Surrey and Sussex. Karen champions the involvement of service users and carers and co-production has been at the heart of these service developments and continues with subsequent service delivery.

Felicity Dormon

Felicity Dormon is the IAPT programme lead at NHS England. Prior to joining NHS England she worked at the Health Foundation as a Senior Policy Fellow. She has also worked for the Department of Health, undertaking policy roles in strategy, mental health and cancer in addition to a secondment as a social care commissioner in local government. She previously worked in defence research. She has a Masters in Health Policy from Imperial College, and a degree in Physics with Computing from the University of Warwick.

Mark Doughty

Mark Doughty co-founded the Centre for Patient Leadership (CPL) in 2011 where he is responsible for designing their model of patient leadership.

This was shortlisted for the Guardian Healthcare Innovation Awards in 2013. He was also a finalist in 2012 for the International Ashoka Changemakers Innovation for Health Award.

Since 2012 Mark has facilitated leadership development programmes for more than 500 patient leaders. He has also coached and supported lay assessors for the CQC, the People Champions on the board of the NHS Leadership Academy as well as CCG and Healthwatch chair and board members.

Libby Dowling

Libby Dowling has been a clinical advisor at Diabetes UK for 7 years. Her background is in nursing and she works across all aspects of diabetes care to provide the most up to date advice.

Dr Amanda Doyle OBE

Dr Amanda Doyle OBE took up the post of National Director for Primary Care and Community Services on 13 June 2022. Amanda joined NHS England as North West Regional Director on 2 August 2021. Previously she was the Chief Clinical Officer for West Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), Blackpool CCG and Fylde and Wyre CCG. Amanda was also the Integrated Care System Lead for Lancashire and South Cumbria, leading a large health and care transformation programme across the patch.

Amanda has been a GP for more than 20 years, practising in a large practice in a deprived area of Blackpool, which, in addition to primary medical services, provides a range of urgent care services for patients across the Fylde Coast.

Amanda was the Co-Chair of NHS Clinical Commissioners from 2013 to 2018.

She was Senior Responsible Officer for the primary care component of the Long Term Plan and was involved in the leadership of the health inequalities, prevention and personalisation elements.

She was part of the national General Medical Services (GMS) Negotiation team in 2018 which delivered the reformed GMS Contract. Amanda maintains an interest in urgent care. She was for 10 years a Medical Director of the local GP out-of-hours service.

Amanda was awarded an OBE for services to primary care and commissioning in 2014.

Sean Duffy

Sean Duffy is the National Clinical Director for Cancer. Professor Duffy is also a clinical academic gynaecologist based at the University of Leeds with his clinical practice at the city’s St James’s Hospital. His medical expertise is in endometrial cancer and he has an international reputation in the field of endoscopy surgery and training.

He has had senior academic experience in laboratory and health services research and has had national and regional responsibilities for undergraduate and postgraduate education in obstetrics and gynaecology with senior roles in the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and the University of Leeds. For the eight years before he was appointed National Clinical Director for Cancer, he was leading the Yorkshire Cancer Network as medical director and over the last four as director as well.

Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent

Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent has vast experience in healthcare provision and is the first Chief Midwifery Officer in England.

She has worked as a midwife and a nurse and held senior positions in clinical practice, education, leadership and management including: Director of Midwifery and Nursing positions for Women’s and Children’s services at Imperial College Healthcare Trust & Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.

Academic roles have included: Senior Lecturer, Curriculum Leader, LME and Professor of Midwifery.

Jacqueline was appointed Chief Midwifery Officer in Spring 2019 at NHS England and NHS Improvement and is National Maternity Safety Champion for the Department of Health. She is also visiting Professor of Midwifery at Kings College London and London South Bank University.

Her experience has seen her leading and influencing national maternity standards and guidance. She also influences healthcare, nationally and internationally through research, education and publications and is frequently invited to speak at national and international conferences. She is a member of the British Journal of Midwifery editorial board and until recently was an active member of the Maternity and Newborn Forum at the Royal Society of Medicine.

She has joined the Tommy’s Charity National Advisory Board as Midwifery advisor, and the Women of the Year management committee. Her voluntary work currently includes Midwifery Advisor for the Wellbeing Foundation Africa and until recently a trustee.

In 2014 she received the HSJ, BME Pioneers award and in 2015 she was selected from over 100 nominations for inclusion on Nursing Times’ Leaders 2015 list that celebrates nurses and midwives who are pioneers, entrepreneurs and inspirational role models in their profession.

Mike Durkin

Dr Mike Durkin was previously Director of Patient Safety, since the publication of these blogs he has left NHS England.

Jane Dwelly

Jane Dwelly is head of Health and Care Innovation Expo 2015. Previously as head of programme communications at NHS England she led the communications and marketing team for Expo 14.

Before joining NHS England, Jane was head of communications for the NHS Medical Director Bruce Keogh in the Department of Health.

Jane has led communications on a number of high-profile NHS programmes including Professor Lord Darzi’s Next Stage Review in 2007/8 and the NHS Future Forum in 2011.

In the early part of her career, Jane trained and worked as a financial journalist.

Follow Jane on Twitter @janedwelly.

Jacqui Dyer

Jacqui Dyer is an independent health and social care consultant with a background in adult mental health commissioning as well as community and family social work.

Jacqui has worked with a wide range of vulnerable care groups and has a strong passion in grass roots community empowerment. As an experienced counsellor, trainer, personal and professional development coach and group facilitator, Jacqui brings many dimensions to her insights.

As a mental service user and carer for the past few decades Jacqui’s experiential knowledge of mental health services is extensive and her commitment to this agenda is personal, political and professional. Currently she is a senior management board lived experience advisor for the ‘Time To Change’ anti-stigma and discrimination campaign. Additionally Jacqui was an appointed member of the Ministerial Advisory Group for Mental Health chaired by the Minister for Care and Support, which oversaw the implementation of the national mental health strategy and a member of the Ministerial Advisory Group for Mental Health.

Jacqui was vice chair of England’s mental health Taskforce, which collaboratively developed the 5 Year Forward View for Mental Health. Jacqui is currently the Mental Health Equalities advisor for NHS England and co-chairs the Mayoral ‘Thrive London’ programme.

Jacqui is also an elected Lambeth Labour Councillor where she is cabinet member for health and adult social care and is the chair of Lambeth’s Black Thrive; a partnership for improving black mental health and wellbeing.

Jacqui is also an advisory panel member of the Mental Health Act Review and co-chair of its African & Caribbean Working Group (MHARAC).

Rob Dyer

Dr Rob Dyer is the Medical Director for Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust and also the Lead Medical Director for the Devon Sustainability and Transformation Partnership.

A Consultant Physician and Endocrinologist, Dr Dyer trained in Birmingham and Newcastle and has been a consultant since 1994, first in Northumberland and Newcastle, and from 1998 at Torbay Hospital. His clinical specialisms are in diabetes, endocrinology and thyroid problems.

Dr Dyer also holds the position of Associate Medical Director for Long Term Conditions and Transformation and has a long-standing interest in integrated care models, patient self-management and prevention in long term conditions. He has experience of management of acute medical admissions and sub-specialty endocrine and thyroid cancer management.

As Medical Director he plays a key role at Board level, and as part of the Executive Team, in influencing and shaping the Trust’s strategic direction and in driving improvement in quality and safety.

In his Lead Medical Director role for the Devon Sustainability and Transformation Partnership he chairs the Clinical Cabinet, which brings together medical directors and clinicians from across the health system.

Lisa Dymond

Lisa Dymond is a Clinical Services Manager and PCN Clinical Lead in South and West Norfolk. She is a registered nurse and a mental health and approved mental health professional working for Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust..
Twitter @lisalivelife_

Sally Dyson

Sally Dyson is Voluntary Services Manager at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and East Anglian Hub Chair for the National Association of Voluntary Services Managers.

Dr Karen Eastman

Dr Karen Eastman is a Clinical Director for NHS Horsham and Mid Sussex CCG and a GP Partner at The Brow Medical Centre in Burgess Hill, West Sussex. She also enjoys a role as a GPwSI in Pain Management.

With a passion for high quality, person centred and innovative patient care and services provided in local community settings, Karen became involved in Practice Based Commissioning in 2005 and remained active in representing frontline patient and clinician experience right through to the formation of Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) in April 2013.

She is now a Clinical Director for the CCG formed of 23 GP Practices, responsible for the health and wellbeing of more than 225,000 people. She also leads the clinical input into Long Term Conditions and Planned Care for the CCG and feeds into NHS England’s Person Centred Care Working Group, and is a RCGP Champion for Care and Support Planning and sits on the NHSE PAM Learning set.

Karen has been a GP for 19 years, having trained at The Royal London Hospital Medical College.

Emma Easton

Emma Easton is NHS England’s Head of Voluntary Partnerships. She leads on developing more inclusive partnerships with the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector, including through a close working relationship with the Department of Health and Social Care and Public Health England to support the VCSE Health and Wellbeing Programme.

Emma’s team also develop and lead the approach to increasing high impact volunteering opportunities in health and care.

Prior to joining NHS England in 2014, Emma worked for Regional Voices, a network of regional VCSE organisations, supporting the VCSE sector to be more involved in health and care policy development, for example in supporting the sector’s response to the Marmot review, the transition from LINks to Local Healthwatch, and involvement in the Health and Social Care Act, 2012.

Dr Simon Eccles

Dr Simon Eccles is the Chief Clinical Information Officer for Health and Care. The role spans the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England, NHS Improvement and the arms-length bodies. He is accountable for delivery of the Personal Health and Care 2020 programme, and the whole of the central NHS IT expenditure.

Simon still practices one day a week as a consultant in Emergency Medicine at St Thomas’ Hospital.

Former roles have included: Programme Director for Emergency Care Pathways transformation at Guys and St Thomas’, including overseeing the building of a new Emergency Floor on the St Thomas’ site; joint Clinical Director for Urgent and Emergency Care for NHSE London; joint SRO for Urgent and Emergency Care in South East London and a reviewer with CQC, the MPA and NHS England. He has been SRO for Interoperability within the P2020 programme and for NHSmail, providing secure communication across the NHS.

Simon was a first wave graduate of the Major Projects Leadership Academy at the Said Business School, Oxford sponsored by the Cabinet Office. He was previously the Medical Director for NHS Connecting for Health, where he had responsibility for clinical engagement in health informatics as a driver for clinical quality and productivity improvement. He was the clinical lead for the NHS Information Strategy in 2011.

Simon Eccles qualified from the London Hospital Medical College in 1994. He has previously chaired the BMA Junior Doctors Committee; leading in addressing the challenges of changing doctors’ post-graduate training and the European Working Time Directive. He has held a number of strategy and policy advisory roles within the Department of Health, including clinical lead for the Hospital at Night programme.

Simon Eccles is co-author of the Oxford Handbook of the Foundation Programme and joint editor of the best selling careers guide ‘So you want to be a brain surgeon’.

Amy Edmondson

Amy C. Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School, a chair established to support the study of human interactions that lead to the creation of successful enterprises that contribute to the betterment of society.

Edmondson has been recognized by the biannual Thinkers50 global ranking of management thinkers in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017 and was honoured with the Talent Award in 2017. She studies teaming, psychological safety, and leadership, and her articles have been published numerous academic and management outlets, including Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Journal, Harvard Business Review and California Management Review. Her books – Teaming: How organizations learn, innovate and compete in the knowledge economy (Jossey-Bass, 2012), Teaming to Innovate (Jossey-Bass, 2013) and Extreme Teaming (Emerald, 2017) – explore teamwork in dynamic organizational environments. In Building the future: Big teaming for audacious innovation (Berrett-Koehler, 2016), she examines the challenges and opportunities of teaming across industries to build smart cities. Her new book,The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation and Growth (Wiley, 2018), offers a practical guide for organizations serious about success in the modern economy.

Before her academic career, she was Director of Research at Pecos River Learning Centers, where she worked on transformational change in large companies. In the early 1980s, she worked as Chief Engineer for architect/inventor Buckminster Fuller, and her book A Fuller Explanation: The Synergetic Geometry of R. Buckminster Fuller (Birkauser Boston, 1987) clarifies Fuller’s mathematical contributions for a non-technical audience. Edmondson received her PhD in organizational behaviour, AM in psychology, and AB in engineering and design from Harvard University.

Nigel Edwards

Nigel Edwards is Chief Executive at the Nuffield Trust. Prior to becoming Chief Executive in 2014, Nigel was an expert advisor with KPMG’s Global Centre of Excellence for Health and Life Sciences and a Senior Fellow at The King’s Fund.

Nigel was Policy Director of the NHS Confederation for 11 years and has a wealth of experience in health and social care. He joined the organisation from his former role as Director of the London Health Economics Consortium at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, where he remains an honorary visiting professor.

Nigel has a strong interest in new models of service delivery and a practical focus on what is happening at the front line as well as a wealth of experience in wider health care policy in the UK and internationally.

Nigel is a well-known media commentator, often in the spotlight debating key policy issues.

Nigel is currently working with the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies on developments in health care provision in Europe.

Ellen Devine

Ellen Devine is a Training Officer for the National Osteoporosis Society and has worked in the health and social care charity sector since 2008 including roles with the British Red Cross and The Care Forum.

In her free time she enjoys running and is a run director at Chipping Sodbury parkrun. Ellen believes that patients should be at the heart of decisions about their own care and advocates for patient leadership in the development of health and social care services.

Sarah Elliott

Sarah Elliott was appointed as the Regional Chief Nurse for NHS England (South) in April 2014 and also leads a number of national commissioning work streams including continence.

Following qualification, Sarah practiced as a nurse in a range of hospital settings including intensive care. She later developed an interest in health promotion and public health and trained as a Health Visitor and Practice Teacher in Brighton.

She has held several Director of Nursing posts in a number of organisations within the South in community/mental health Trusts and commissioning organisations.

In addition to leading the agenda for commissioning for quality and safety in NHS services across the south, Sarah has initiated multiple patient and public involvement activities.

Alongside Sarah’s professional working life, Sarah has undertaken voluntary work with Youth Offending teams and the Alzheimer’s Society. She is also an accredited coach and special advisor to the CQC.

Carol Elliott

Carol Elliott is the SeaFit Programme Manager. She has worked extensively in the Voluntary and Community sector in the UK, as well as spending 9 years overseas in Uganda, Mozambique, Tanzania and Cambodia. Much of her work has focused on health and well-being, education strategies, mitigating loneliness and poverty, specialising in collaborative partnerships, dementia support, and strategic development.

She also spent 2 years as a volunteer with Voluntary Services Overseas in Cambodia’s Ministry of Education, as a Management Advisor providing strategic advice and training Central Government Planning Department to manage the change process of decentralised planning mechanisms and developed the Capacity Building Working Group within the Directorate of General Education. She has a Masters Degree in management and her dissertation focused on effectively managing change in the workplace, one of her greatest passions is helping others to fulfil their full potential.

Garrett Emmerson

Chief Executive of the London Ambulance Service.

Garrett joined the London Ambulance Service as Chief Executive in May 2017 at a time when the service was in special measures. Driving forward the change needed to help the organisation become a primary integrator of urgent and emergency care in London, the Service was rated ‘good’ by the Care Quality Commission and subsequently came out of special measures in May 2018.

Prior to joining the London Ambulance Service, Garrett was at Transport for London as Chief Operating Officer for Surface Transport for eight years. In this role, he had overall responsibility for TfL’s road management including strategy and planning and the operation of the capital’s major road network. Before Transport for London, he was the director of a transport consultancy.

Clare Enston

Clare Enston is NHS England’s Head of Insight and Feedback. Working alongside NHS Improvement, the Care Quality Commission and the Department of Health and Social Care, she leads on ensuring the views and experiences of patients and staff England are captured in order to drive improvements in patient experience and outcomes.

Clare’s team also explore new areas of insight not supported by the current national survey programme, along with developing thinking on insight and feedback approaches in the healthcare system.

Prior to joining NHS England in 2013, Clare worked in both the customer service and civil service sectors before moving into the work of NHS service improvement – latterly at Yorkshire & Humber Strategic Health Authority, where she had a regional role in health informatics.

Dr Marie Anne Essam

Dr Marie Anne Essam is a GP in South Oxhey, social prescribing ambassador for the Herts and West Essex STP, and supports regional, national and international development of the link worker role. South Oxhey is an area of significant deprivation in South West Hertfordshire.

Sharon Eustice

Sharon Eustice is a Nurse Consultant at Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s the Bladder and Bowel Specialist Service. She specialises in the diagnosis and conservative treatment of urinary and bowel continence conditions for all populations.

Navina Evans

Dr Navina Evans MBBS, DCH, MRCPsych is one of the first female, ethnic minority chief executives in the NHS and was appointed CEO at East London NHS Foundation Trust in August 2016.

She led it to “Trust of the Year” in 2016-17 and to be rated “Outstanding” by the Care Quality Commission.

She was previously the Trust’s Director of Operations & Deputy CEO, and before that Director for Mental Health.

Navina was formerly Lead Clinician for Newham CAMHS and then Clinical Director Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, East London Foundation Trust.

She has involvement in Medical Education at Barts and The London Medical School as Honorary Senior Lecturer, Associate Dean, and Academic Year Tutor.

Her extensive clinical experience is in CAMHS Psychiatry and Paediatrics. Her interests include leadership, improving the way healthcare is delivered and learning from sources beyond healthcare.

Paula Evans

Paula Evans works for Sherwood Forest NHS Foundation Trust which provides hospital services for 420,000 people across Mansfield, Ashfield, Newark, Sherwood and parts of Derbyshire and Lincolnshire.

Paula has been a sepsis nurse since 2012 providing direct clinical support to teams caring for people with complex infections and sepsis. She also works with both primary and secondary care teams to improve sepsis care at a strategic level.

Kathryn Evans

Kathryn Evans, RGN, BNurs (Hons), MA, Queens Nurse

Kath is the Deputy Director of Urgent Community Response for the Ageing Well Programme as part of the NHS Long Term Plan in NHS England and NHS Improvement.

Key areas of work include improving the outcomes and responsiveness of intermediate care to meet new national standards. She contributes to the greater work of the programme, which includes continuing the roll out of the Enhanced Health in Care Homes framework including, NHSmail into the independent social care sector and supporting community multidisciplinary teams in improving outcomes for people with frailty and multimorbidity.

Kath’s background includes working as a nurse with over 25 years’ experience in the NHS, in professional leadership, service development and operational management in the community. Kath has worked at a regional level in service improvement and assurance and delivery of CCG’s.

She has led on improving the reduction in Delayed Transfers of Care from hospital and was the Community Nurse lead for NHS England having a background as a District Nurse.

Kath is passionate about partnership working across health and social care and community services.

Follow her on Twitter: @kathevans2015</a

Harry Evans

Harry Evans is a senior programme manager in the Primary Care and System Transformation team in NHS England and Improvement.

He works with local systems to develop their population health management capabilities, primarily through the population health management development programme.

Before coming to NHS England and Improvement, Harry worked at the King’s Fund and Ipsos MORI, leading research projects on digital, data and technology.

Kath Evans

Kath Evans, RGN, RSCN, MSc (Nursing), PG Dip (Education), BSc (Hons), PG Dip (Management), Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) Accredited Coach, is NHS England’s Experience of Care Lead – Maternity, Infants, Children and Young People.

She is a registered general and children’s nurse and her career has included clinical, educational, managerial and service improvement roles.

She is committed to ensuring the voices of children, young people, families/carers and maternity service users are heard in their care and in the design, delivery and commissioning of services.

Every Mind Matters Team

Every Mind Matters is the national platform for good mental health, from the NHS and Public Health England. It aims to make it easier for everyone to look after their own wellbeing and improve their mental health, by providing a digital hub full of advice, tips and resources and a new online tool to help everyone create their own action plan.

Matt Fagg

Matt Fagg is the Director responsible for the Prevention and Long-Term Conditions Programme in the Medical Directorate at NHS England.

Matt has over 25 years’ experience in management in the healthcare sector. His health service career began at the Dept. for Health and he has worked in NHS England since it was established in 2013, initially as Director for Reducing Premature Mortality. Matt held the post of Programme Director for the Diabetes Programme between 2016 and 2020, as part of which he delivered the world’s first nationwide prevention programme, the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme. He took on the role of Director for Prevention in 2020.

Jonathon Fagge

Jonathon originally qualified as a Barrister in 2005, and then joined the Pharmaceutical Industry – working across licensing, marketing, finance, legal and compliance. He left the industry in 2001 to set up a consultancy firm, and worked with NHS customers across the East of England – General Practice, NHS Providers; and PCTs. Services were focused on business development and organisational efficiency; large scale procurements; health system development; and GP Appraisal and Revalidation.

In 2010 Jonathon joined Norwich Practice Based Commissioning Group, and managed the transition to CCGs. He worked with the shadow CCG in Norwich as Programme Director, then Deputy Chief Officer. He was appointed Chief Executive Officer in August 2012.

Sherree Fagge

Sherree Fagge RN, DMS, MBA is the Head of Nursing for End of Life Care, NHS England and Improvement. She began her nursing career as a Cadet Nurse and worked in a psychiatric hospital during placements. She trained at Cuckfield and Crawley School of Nursing.

Sherree held various nurse leadership roles throughout her career, including Ward Manager on a male surgical ward and then on a gynae ward. She was successful in obtaining directorate leadership roles in surgery and critical care and has also worked as a service manager in medicine and a general manager in orthopaedics.

Sherree has previously been responsible for inpatient access, so manging patient flow and admissions both elective and emergency, over three sites and 1040 beds.

She has also worked as Chief Nurse for a large teaching hospital in Sussex. This included the Executive lead for End of Life Care and ensuring patients and carers at the hospitals received the very best care during the last phase of their lives.

Sherree seconded to NHSI to lead EoLC in the nursing directorate and to support trusts to improve care in this area. She continues to work in this substantive role, working with partners across the system to make a difference to patients.

Sherree has now celebrated 45 years in the NHS and has continued to enjoy her nursing career throughout this time. She finds privilege in nursing and caring for people at times of vulnerability.

Paul Farmer

Paul Farmer has been Chief Executive of Mind, the leading mental health charity working in England and Wales since May 2006.

He is Chair of the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO), the leading voice of the UK’s charity and social enterprise sector. Paul is also a trustee at Lloyds Bank Foundation which invests in charities supporting people to break out of disadvantage at critical points in their lives.

Paul is Chair of the NHS England Mental Health Taskforce – bringing together health and care leaders and experts in the field, including people using services, to lead a programme of work to create a mental health Five Year Forward View for the NHS in England.

Paul has an Honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of East London, is an Honorary Fellow of St Peter’s College Oxford and The Royal College of Psychiatrists, and was awarded a CBE in the New Year’s Honours 2016.

Kate Fayers

Dr Kate Fayers is a consultant diabetologist who leads Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust’s West Hampshire community diabetes service.

Kate is involved in the Better Local Care (Hampshire) vanguard, working with partners to ensure appropriate access to specialist diabetes care and to promote patient self-management.

Follow Kate on Twitter: @drkatefayers.

Dr Nadim Fazlani

Dr Nadim Fazlani is Chair of Liverpool CCG and has been a GP in Kensington Liverpool for the past 22 years, having worked in the NHS since 1983.

A Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners, he was Chair of Liverpool Health Care Practice Based Consortium from 2006 – 2011 and Chair of Liverpool Central Clinical Consortium from 2011 to 2012, before being elected as Chair of Liverpool CCG.

He has also been a long standing GP trainer and an examiner for MRCGP conducted by Royal College of General Practitioners since 2004.

In addition, he is also a performance assessor for General Medical Council, a role he has undertaken since 2005.

David Fearnley

Dr David Fearnley was appointed Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist in 2001, at Ashworth Hospital, one of three high security hospitals in England.

He was appointed Medical Director for Mersey Care NHS Trust in 2005, where he was also seconded as Medical Director for Calderstones Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (May 2015-July 2016).

A former Psychiatrist of the Year (2009) by the Inaugural Royal College of Psychiatrists, David also received the Healthcare Financial Management Association (in association with the Academy of Royal Colleges) ‘Working with Finance – Clinician of the Year’ award (2013).

He was named in HSJs “100 Clinical Leaders List” (2015) as Mersey Care Trust’s driving force behind an international partnership with The Risk Authority, Stanford, and Lockton insurance brokers to manage and predict risk in mental health.

In 2016, David was appointed Associate National Clinical Director for Secure Mental Health and Chair of the Adult Secure Clinical Reference Group, NHS England.

Dr Jason Fee

Dr Jason Fee is the Clinical Director for South West Regional Secure Services New Care Models programme. He is leading the re-design of clinical care pathways and service provision across the South West, in order to ensure that individuals in receipt of secure care are treated as close to home as possible, for the shortest possible period, within the least restrictive level of security.

Jason is an experienced Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist and Clinical Director within good/outstanding rated secure services, and has worked within healthcare settings both internationally and within the NHS over the course of his career.

Greg Fell

Greg Fell is a Director of Public Health in Sheffield. He graduated from Nottingham University with a degree in biochemistry and physiology in 1993. He has worked as a social researcher in a maternity unit; a number of roles in health promotion and public health before joining the public health training scheme. Greg worked as a consultant in public health in Bradford in the PCT then Bradford council. Since Feb 2016 he has worked for Sheffield as director of public health.

Dr Timothy Ferris

Dr Timothy Ferris took up the post as the National Director of Transformation on 10 May 2021.

Dr Ferris, who has served as a non-executive director of NHS Improvement for almost three years, is internationally renowned for his pioneering work on improving health and care in both hospital and community settings.

He will lead the new Transformation Directorate, bringing together the organisation’s operational improvement team and NHSX, the digital arm, to maintain the pace of innovation seen during the pandemic.

Dr Ferris joins the NHS full-time from the not-for-profit Massachusetts General Physicians Organization, where he is chief executive, and a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He founded the Center for Population Health, which champions the use of prevention and data to improve health, reduce inequalities, and save lives.

David Fillingham

David joined the NHS in 1989 after working in manufacturing. He held several chief executive positions and served as the Director of the NHS Modernisation Agency from 2001 to 2004, where he focused on developing new practices and fostering leadership development across the NHS. He received a CBE for his contributions.
In 2010, David became the National NHS Quality Champion and later retired from the NHS in June 2019 after serving as the Chief Executive of AQuA. Additionally, he held various non-executive roles and served as a visiting Senior Fellow at The King’s Fund. David has particular interests in quality improvement, leadership development, co-production with the users of services and partnership working.

Douglas Findlay

Douglas Findlay has worked with the national Patient Safety team for many years as a patient representative and more recently as a national patient safety partner. Douglas is part of the ongoing Involving Patients in Patient Safety co-design group.

Dr Sam Finnikin

Dr Finnikin is a GP in Sutton Coldfield, a researcher at the University of Birmingham and a National Clinical Specialist Advisor in personalised care at NHS England. Sam has an interest in shared decision-making and cardiovascular disease and how we can better work with patients to ensure they get the most out of healthcare.

Dr Jill Firth

Dr Jill Firth is a Consultant Nurse in Rheumatalogy and Director for Service Improvement at the Pennine Musculoskeletal Partnership Ltd in Oldham and was elected President of the British Health Professionals in Rheumatology in 2016.

She has worked in rheumatology since 1997 including a period leading education and research at the University of Leeds (2004-2011) as Senior Research Fellow in Long Term Conditions and Lead Postgraduate Research Tutor for the School of Health care.

Jill has contributed to the development of specialist nursing nationally and internationally through education, research and publications.

Michaela Firth

Michaela’s career started in Milton Keynes Hospital Pathology lab when it opened in 1984. She studied biochemistry and worked in both private and NHS laboratories before taking up roles in customer service, sales and marketing, during which time she gained post-graduate qualifications in marketing and public relations.

Since rejoining the NHS in 2000 Michaela has held various roles from PCTs, to Dept. of Health, including Communications Manager for NHS Direct, Assistant Director for Southern National Primary Care Development Team supporting PCTs with quality improvement and facilitating change. She programme managed for the South Central PCT Alliance including work to determine behaviours of patients utilising urgent care services. She also lectures and trains in social marketing and has contributed to key documents for the Department of Health and the National Social Marketing Centre.

During a secondment to the Department of Health as a National Coach, she worked with Sir John Oldham, supporting NHS QIPP Long Term Conditions and Urgent Care programmes.

Her current role is in NHS England for the Thames Valley SCN, allowing her to capitalise on her networking passion and develop the network for change and improvement in the area of Children and Maternity services – subjects both very close to her heart.

She is closely involved in spreading the messages of NHS Change Day 2014 having been part of the core team for the first NHS Change Day last year.

Jo Fitzgerald

Jo Fitzgerald is the Lived Experience Lead for the Personalised Care Group at NHS England.

Her role recognises the importance of co-producing and co-designing personalised care and raising the voice of people with lived experience at a national, regional and local level.

Jo’s life was profoundly transformed when her eldest son, Mitchell, was born in 1992 with a severe learning disability and complex health needs. The experience of being Mitchell’s mum has largely influenced the direction of her life; it has shaped her beliefs, values and life choices.

Mitchell became one of the first people in England to have a personal health budget which enabled him to live at home and lead a full life until his death in March, 2015.

Jo is a qualified counsellor and was awarded an MA with distinction from the University of Manchester in 2008.

Bev Fitzsimons

Bev is the Head of Improvement at the Point of Care Foundation. Bev has been with the Foundation since 2015, having been part of the Point of Care team at the King’s Fund, as a fellow in health policy since 2009. Bev is responsible for developing and leading programmes to support staff in the NHS and other care settings to enhance patients’ experiences of care.

Prior to working with the Point of Care team, Bev worked in the Healthcare Commission, Commission for Health Improvement, and Audit Commission, delivering thematic reviews of services including maternity care and care for people with long term conditions.

The Point of Care Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation working to improve the quality of care by putting patients and staff at the heart of care. Our work includes the Sweeney programme, which brings together our quality improvement work; and the Schwartz programme, which delivers training in Schwartz Rounds, a unique forum to help healthcare workers address the psychological and emotional challenges of their everyday work.

Jackie Fleeman

Jackie Fleeman was one of the first learning disability strategic health facilitators in England.

She works in Derbyshire and leads a small team who support GP practices with annual health checks and manages the learning disability acute liaison nurse at Derby Acute Hospital. The team employs three people with a learning disability to support their work with primary care.

Jackie is a LeDer reviewer and has recently completed a project to increase the uptake of screening.

Dr Alan Fletcher

Dr Alan Fletcher is the National Medical Examiner for England and Wales, appointed in March 2019. He was Lead Medical Examiner in Sheffield before this. He pioneered the medical examiner role since 2008 as part of the Department of Health reforms of death certification; personally reviewing over 22,000 deaths. He has overseen the introduction of the medical examiner system in England and Wales. Dr Fletcher maintains his clinical practice as Consultant in Emergency Medicine and General Medicine at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals.

Richard Fluck

Richard Fluck was National Clinical Director for Renal Disease for NHS England.

Richard trained at Trinity Hall, Cambridge and the London Hospital Medical College, qualifying in 1985. Early training was undertaken in the East London area before moving into research at St Bartholomew’s Hospital. He was appointed a British Heart Foundation fellow whilst exploring the link between cardiovascular disease, calcium signalling and abnormalities of calcium metabolism in chronic kidney disease. He returned to the Royal London Hospital as Lecturer and honorary Senior Registrar in Nephrology

In 1996 Richard took up post at Derby City Hospital as a single handed nephrologist. Over the next decade, the department expanded and developed a strong clinical research and safety programme. As a whole, the department has interests in cardiovascular consequences of CKD and dialysis, infection and vascular access. As part of the team, he is involved in the coordination of two cohort studies looking at chronic kidney disease in primary care (RRID) and the short and long term consequences of acute kidney injury (ARID). More recent projects include the development of PROMs for renal patients and developing home therapies for patients on dialysis.

Within the acute trust he has been clinical lead for renal disease for 15 years and clinical director for medicine. He has been the clinical lead for the East Midlands Renal Network and worked with the DH and HPA on infection in renal disease. He was also the clinical lead for the Kidney Care National audit on vascular access and transport in the haemodialysis population.

Dr Matthew Fogarty

Dr Matthew Fogarty is currently NHS England’s Head of Patient Safety Policy and Strategy. Prior to this he was Head of Patient Safety Policy in the Department of Health.

Matt held a number of roles as a DH Civil Servant, including as a Private Secretary to the Minister of State for Health, and as policy lead on Emergency Preparedness and Urgent and Emergency Care.

Before joining the Civil Service, Matt was a research scientist and gained his PhD in Developmental Neuroscience at University College London in 2006.

Anne Forbes

Anne Forbes is the Programme Director for New Care Models for Devon Partnership NHS Trust and is responsible for directing the transformation programme on behalf of South West Regional Secure Services

Anne has a background in finance, governance and business intelligence and has held various roles as part of executive and senior teams over the past 20 years, within the NHS and commercial sector.

Marion Foreman

Marion Foreman has been a nurse for nearly 50 years and is a personal trainer. She has worked across many areas in the NHS and now focusses on helping frail older people and people on their cancer journey to exercise safely and effectively.

She is passionate about encouraging people to make the most of their health and wellbeing and to do the best they can to remain active.

Claire Foreman

Claire Foreman is Director of Medicines Policy and Strategy for NHS England.

Claire has worked in the NHS for over 20 years, leading work to improve patient access, experience and outcomes in care and treatments. Over the last decade, Claire has focused on developing medicines policy and strategy in specialised commissioning in regional and national roles. Claire joined the Commercial Medicines Directorate in the summer of 2021 to lead our policy, strategy and analysis work, helping drive our efforts on medicines access including innovative treatments, on optimisation and value programmes, and on medicines sustainability and Net Zero. Claire is passionate about the role of medicines in improving patient outcomes and reducing health inequalities and has a particular interest in innovative medicines.

Kim Forey

Kim Forey leads on the personalisation agenda as the Director of Integration. This is a new joint post working across both Gloucestershire County Council and NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group.

Professor Graham Foster

Professor Graham Foster is Professor of Hepatology at Queen Mary University of London and the clinical lead for hepatology at Barts Health.

Professor Foster was the founding President of The British Viral Hepatitis Group, a past President of the British Association for the Study of The Liver and is a trustee of the Hepatitis C Trust.

He was appointed as National Clinical Chair for the Hepatitis C Delivery Networks and NHS England’s Hepatitis C (HCV) Elimination Programme in January 2016.

Aidan Fowler

Aidan Fowler is the National Director of Patient Safety in England and a Deputy Chief Medical Officer at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). He was previously the Director of NHS Quality Improvement and Patient Safety and Director of the 1000 Lives Improvement Service for NHS Wales. He had responsibility for QI/PS across the Welsh NHS and was a board member of Public Health Wales.

Aidan was a Consultant Colorectal Surgeon in Gloucestershire for ten years and Chief of Service for Surgery for four before entering the NHS Leadership Academy Fast Track Executive Training Programme during which he worked as an executive at University Hospitals Bristol and subsequently worked briefly as a Medical Director in Mental Health and Community care in Worcestershire. Aidan trained as an Improvement Adviser(IA) with the IHI in Boston and was IA to the South West Safer Patient Programme and has worked on Patient Safety with WEAHSN. He has also worked as faculty with the IHI in the peri-operative safety domain in Qatar, infection reduction in Portugal and teaching improvement and safety in the UK and internationally. Aidan’s surgical training was in the South West, but he graduated in medicine from University College London.

Mike Franklin

Mike Franklin is the joint Director of Equality and Inclusion at NHS England and NHS Improvement, a Non-executive Director at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and he sits on the NHS Equality and Diversity Council Working Group.

He is a former commissioner with the Independent Police Complaints Commission. He was also Her Majesty’s Assistant Inspector of Constabulary and has acted as a specialist assistant inspector for race and diversity across 43 police forces in England and Wales.

Mike was Chair of the Community Police Consultative Group for Lambeth, he previously worked as a non-executive at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and he served on the Trades Union Congress race relations committee. Having grown up in Lambeth and Southwark,

Mike is passionate about advocating for and engaging with diverse local communities, as well championing equality and inclusion in all levels of the workforce.

Jill Fraser

Jill Fraser is Chief Executive and Co-founder of the healthcare charity, Kissing it Better .

She trained at the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing at St Thomas’ Hospital in London and during her training was awarded a scholarship by The Kings Fund to work in America.

The experience gave her an interest in medical journalism and, before starting Kissing it Better, for 25 years she presented health features for many programmes on television and radio including Woman’s Hour, Newsround and Breakfast Time for the BBC.

Kissing it Better has won The Nursing Times Care of Older People award, and in March this year, Jill won the ‘Outstanding Contribution Award’ at The Patient Experience Network National Awards.

As well as regular visits to hospitals and care homes as part of Kissing it Better, Jill speaks at conferences across the country and writes articles for national newspapers and magazines.

James Freed

James Freed is Chief Information Officer for Health Education England and is passionate about digital literacy and the professionalism of health informaticians across the health and care system.

He trained as a molecular biologist for several years before making the move to process redesign and IT. James worked in hospitals in South West London for the Cancer Services Collaborative. He cut his teeth on national IT implementation following a move to NHS Connecting for Health where he worked in pathology, order communications, and prevention, screening and surveillance.

James moved to the Health Protection Agency where he managed an operational Information Management department. He then became Head of Information Strategy at Public Health England.

Amy Frewin

Amy Frewin is the Clinical Transformation Lead for the Personalised Care Programme at Hertfordshire and West Essex CCG.

She qualified as a physiotherapist in 2013 and became involved in the programme by taking part in a 100 day challenge in October 2017.

After showing great enthusiasm and passion for improving the personalisation of care, Amy decided to take on a role within the programme with a particular focus on workforce.

Amy continues to work for a community healthcare trust and enjoys being able to share her experiences across both roles in order to shape the future delivery of services.

Jessie Frost

Jessie is a chartered physiotherapist and has worked in paediatrics since 2008. She worked at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust for six years, most recently as a team lead in the Evelina London community physiotherapy team, working with children from 0-19 years with neurodevelopmental difficulties. Jessie co-leads the Physiotherapy and AHP sustainability networks on the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare and is currently a Chief Sustainability Officers Clinical Fellow at NHS England.

Amy Frounks

Amy Frounks is a member of NHS England’s Youth Forum, a young person representative in NHS England’s Children and Young People rehabilitation working group and an NHS service user.

Professor Ahmet Fuat

GP, GPSI in Cardiology Darlington and Honorary Professor of Primary Care Cardiology at Durham University.

Professor Ahmet Fuat has been a GP in Darlington, Co.Durham for 33 years.

He has been a GPSI Cardiology for 20 years having undertaken a Postgraduate Diploma in Cardiology at Bradford University graduating with distinction. He started the first one stop diagnostic and integrated heart failure clinic in the UK in 17 years ago with local colleagues.

His PhD by research in heart failure diagnosis and management including work on natriuretic peptides generated several publications that have informed guidelines and led to the award of an Honorary Professorial Chair at Durham University.

He holds various roles in CVD and research including the Past President of the new Primary Care Cardiovascular Society (PCCS) which he was instrumental in reforming, CVD Clinical Adviser to the RCGP, CVD and Research Leads for Darlington Primary Care Network (PCN) and Federation, Associate Lead for Industry Research at North East and North Cumbria NIHR CRN. He has recently been elected onto the newly formed Darlington PCN Governing body as a GP member, CVD, Research Leads and Chair.

He has a passion for medical education and remains an active lecturer, tutor and researcher. He is on the editorial boards of the British Journal of Cardiology and Primary Care Cardiovascular Journals and a peer reviewer for most high impact Cardiovascular journals and research bodies. His work in community cardiology has been recognised with Fellowships from the RCGP, RCP London and RCP Edinburgh.

Sabrina Fuller

Sabrina Fuller is Head of Health Improvement in the Nursing Directorate.

She leads on health visitor service transformation for Hilary Garratt and Jane Cummings.

Her role in the organisation is to embed prevention in the clinical role of nurses in line with the Forward View and the NHS Mandate, building on her own experience as a clinician and her public health background.

Rodie Garland

Rodie Garland is Policy Adviser at FaithAction, a national network of faith-based organisations involved in social action. She manages FaithAction’s programme of work as part of the VCSE Health and Wellbeing Alliance.

Hilary Garratt

Hilary Garratt CBE, BSc, MSc, RGN, SCPHN (RHV), PGCE is the Deputy Chief Nursing Officer NHS England and NHS Improvement.

Hilary leads the implementation of a range of national programmes that focus on safeguarding vulnerable people and programmes that support the professional development and leadership of the nursing profession.

Hilary is a registered Nurse and Health Visitor, with 36 years’ experience of working in clinical, public health and Executive leadership roles in the NHS. Hilary has held a number of Executive Director posts across both commissioning and provider organisations in addition to holding and Deputy Chief Executive post for both. Hilary has been working at National Director level for the last 7 years.

In addition to her professional life, Hilary enjoys volunteering at the front line and also for the third sector. From 2013 – 2017 Hilary worked for BBC Children in Need as a committee member that undertook grant making for the North of England. Hilary also engages in hands on volunteering, working with the homeless and other vulnerable groups in her home city.

Hilary received a CBE in the 2017 New Years Honours for services to Nursing and her national work to safeguard some of the most vulnerable people in society. In 2018 Hilary was nominated as one of the country’s 400 Women of Achievement and Inspiration.

Follow Hilary on Twitter: @HilaryGarratt.

Nicola Gaskell

Nicola Gaskell, senior clinical advisor for NHS 111, started her nurse training in September 2010 at Edge Hill University in Ormskirk as a ‘mature’ student when her three children were all at school.

She has worked in trauma and orthopaedics at Warrington hospital, intermediate care at Aintree hospital before working in the private sector for a short time. She started her journey with North West Ambulance Service in July 2018 and lives with her three grown up children and two crazy dogs.

Paul Gavin

Deputy Director, Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme.

Paul has worked at senior management level in both the Royal Air Force, (RAF), and NHS England and has been Deputy Director for the Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme for almost a year. Paul has had a varied career within the public sector, comprising of differing roles within the Prison Service, the RAF and five of NHS England’s directorates.

A graduate of the government Project Leadership Programme, Paul’s time in NHS England has seen him deliver numerous programmes, ranging from digital developments to complex change initiatives.

Cristina Gavrilovic

Cristina Gavrilovic was appointed as the Anti-Slavery Partnership Coordinator for Essex Police and Kent Police Serious Crime Directorate in 2016. Since her appointment a record number of 500 victims have been identified through her work that saw a number of sectors joined and supported in actively participating in the fight against Modern Day Slavery and Human Trafficking.

She has the opportunity to address the gaps in our social justice system, ensuring organisations put Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery at the top of their agenda and that victims are at the heart of decision making. This area of her work was recognised by the British Association of Women in Policing where she was awarded Best Police Staff of the Year.

Cristina’s formative years were in Romania, where she experienced a growing awareness of the injustice of a broken system failing individuals living below the poverty line, experiencing domestic violence, and where children went missing. This is an area where Cristina is a strong Ambassador for having recently won the prestigious award of Women of the Future in the Community Spirit category.

Cristina has been seeking the right education, opportunities and paths that allowed her to develop the infrastructures required to address these issues. She has implemented an inclusive model upon which strong partnerships are build and maintained and this model has won her national recognition from the Marsh Awards for Outstanding Contribution to the Fight against Slavery.

Cristina has recently been invited to become a Fellow Associate of the Royal Commonwealth Society where she hopes that her work will influence and support many communities across the Commonwealth countries and engage with younger generations to build a stronger resilience against abuse and exploitation.

Kye Gbangbola

Kye Gbangbola is Chair of the Sickle Cell Society, a national health care charity for the world’s most common blood disorder.

He wrote the Foreword to the Sickle Cell Care Standards recently launched in Parliament and gave a Parliamentary address, as a call to action for medical professionals and patients, to use the Standard as essential intelligence for better health care.

Kye is an NHS PPV member for the NHS Programme of Care Board for Blood and Infections and the NHS Public and Patient Voice Assurance Group. He was formerly a member of the NHS England Clinical Referencing Group for Haemoglobinopathies. He is an NHS England Care Quality Peer Reviewer and an NHS England Information Standard Auditor.

Kye is also an All Party Parliamentary Group Member for Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia at which he gave a talk on Hydroxyurea, and a more recent talk on access, equality and change. He has been involved in a PPV capacity in clinical trials, scientific advice, and medicines development including NICE, the European Medical Agency, 100,000 Genome project etc.

He has experience of providing a patients perspective from the 70’s when he would speak to clinicians about suffering from SCD, and more recently collaborated with Ambulance Services for the development and training of key staff, and very importantly improving the service the LAS provides.

Dr Ian Geddes

Dr Ian Geddes moved from Scotland to Sixpenny Handley in Dorset in 1975 to take over a single handed practice. The practice was a dispensing practice, operating at the time from the house, covering 100 square miles. Although very rural in nature, he had a wide range of patients, ranging from the landed gentry to a patient who lived in a double decker bus. He retired from practice in 1993.

Dr David Geddes

Dr David Geddes qualified at the Royal London Hospital (Whitechapel) in 1987.

Married to a nurse, he has three children, and lives in York where he is a GP partner in a small (5,200) practice working one day a week.

He has a special interest in mental health and got into ‘clinical management’ in fundholding days, then he was a PCG member. He was PEC member of Selby and York PCT, before becoming appointed initially as medical Director for Selby and York PCT, (2004-2007) then Medical Director and Director of Primary Care in North Yorkshire and York PCT (2007-2012)

He was appointed as head of Primary care Commissioning in the Operations department in November 2012.

He is a medical panellist for GMC Fitness to practice hearings, a non-executive of Medipex – a healthcare innovation hub, and a trustee for a number of mental health charities

Professor Dame Clare Gerada

Professor Dame Clare Gerada is a Co-Chair of the NHS Assembly, and President of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP). She has practiced medicine for over 35 years, and has been a driving force behind efforts to provide more wellbeing support for NHS staff. As well as being the first female Chair of the RCGP in 50 years, Clare has held leadership roles with the Department of Health and Social Care, and is on the Council of the British Medical Association.

In the Millennium Birthday Honours, Clare received an MBE for services to medicine and substance misuse, and was awarded a damehood in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2020. She was awarded a fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians in 2008 and was made an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in July 2013.

Nicci Gerrard

Nicci Gerrard is a journalist who for two decades worked on The Observer. She describes herself as a novelist, (she writes psychological thrillers with Sean French under the name of Nicci French as well as solo novels in her own name), a humanist celebrant, and now a campaigner. She has four children.

Dave Gerrard

Dave Gerrard works as an advanced pharmacist practitioner for Northumberland Tyne Wear NHS Foundation Trust and is joint pharmacist lead for the STOMP programme at NHS England.

Dave runs STOMP clinics in both Newcastle and Sunderland community learning disability teams where he works in partnership with people having a learning disability, autism or both, their carers and family members together with specialist behavioural nurses to challenge the over-medication of psychotropic medications.

Dave joined the trust as a mental health pharmacist 10 years ago and has specialised in learning disability services for the last seven years.

Zoe Gibson

Zoe Gibson is a mother-of-two and part-time peer support worker (PSW) at KMPT’s Rosewood MBU in Dartford. Prior to her PSW role Zoe was an English for Foreign Language teacher and service user representative on KMPT’s MBU project development board. Zoe has also spoken at various events including the Kent and Medway Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) mental health conference. She lives with her husband and sons, Harry and Jack in Canterbury, Kent.

Bryony Gibson

Bryony has worked as a mental health nurse and manager in the NHS since 1984 and worked with an interest in perinatal mental health since 1992. An RMN by background she has worked as a ward sister with responsibility for a small (now closed) MBU, a CPN in the community and for the past 6 years as perinatal service (and development) manager developing services for Berkshire.

For the past four years alongside developing services in Berkshire she has a perinatal lead role in Thames Valley and for the past 2 ½ years has also chaired the Thames Valley Regional Perinatal Mental Health Network. Bryony retired from her service manager role at the end of March 2018 but will be continuing working part-time delivering SHaRON into new services and continuing as a Perinatal Lead in the Thames Valley.

Jacqui Gibson

Jacqui Gibson is a programme manager at Breaking Barriers Innovations (BBI) and leads a number of projects including the creation of innovative “more and different” career pathways across the UK and BBI’s pioneering Playbook Programme based in various locations including the Isle of Sheppey.

Jacqui previously led on a lived experience career pathway project, designing transformative pathways for people with convictions seeking leadership roles within the healthcare and justice sector.

Debra Gilderdale

Debra Gilderdale is Deputy Director of Bradford District NHS Care Foundation Trust and is responsible for acute and community mental health, CAMHS, IAPT and learning disabilities.

Her role includes the transformation of services across all teams, including acute and crisis mental health, taking a whole-system integrated approach to providing high quality care.

Debra is also leading on the Urgent and Emergency Care Mental Health Liaison Vanguard for West Yorkshire, and is a Positive Practice Mental Health Collaborative specialist lead for Transformation and Improvement.

David Gill

David Gill is one of three learning disability and autism advisers and two learning disability and autism network managers working on the learning disability programme.

He has been with NHS England for four years. During this time David’s main areas of work have been in the Children and Young People’s team, Autism, STOMP-STAMP, Restrictive Practices and Ask Listen Do.

He is also a talented artist and has illustrated accessible pictures for NHS Easy Read documents and presentations.

For his job David uses his experience of going through services, schools and colleges for people with a learning disability, autism or both.

He previously volunteered at Speakup Self Advocacy where he is still a trustee and worked as a peer support worker for Rotherham learning disability services.

Rebecca Gill

Rebecca Gill joined the IAPT Programme at NHS England in September 2016. Prior to this she worked in IAPT services as a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner and then as a Senior Practitioner managing the Step 2 service.

In this role Rebecca focussed on equality of access and using data to drive quality improvement.

Simon Gillespie

Simon Gillespie joined the British Heart Foundation in 2013, following seven years as Chief Executive of the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society.

He has a family connection with heart disease, and fundraises and volunteers for the BHF.

His early career was in the Royal Navy, including command of HMS Sheffield and advising government ministers. From 2000 to 2004, he was Director of Operations at the Charity Commission. He then moved to become Head of Operations at the Healthcare Commission, where he was responsible for the inspection of NHS and independent healthcare facilities in England.

Simon has extensive national and international experience of charity and non-profit governance as a non-executive director/trustee. He currently holds a number of non-executive roles, including President of the European Heart Network.

Mark Gillyon-Powell

Mark Gillyon-Powell leads the elimination of hepatitis C as a part of NHS England’s response to the World Health Organisation goal to eliminate blood borne viruses as a public health issue.

Mark’s professional background is in provision, commissioning, and national policy in relation to drug and alcohol treatment services, and latterly in public health – especially in relation to secure and detained settings.

David Glover

David Glover became Deputy Head of the Medicines Analysis Team at NHS England and Improvement, in January 2019. Prior to joining the NHS, David worked in central government for over 20 years, including 15 years as an economic adviser to the Department of Health and Social Care and the Office for Life Sciences, having also spent six years as a patent examiner at the UK Intellectual Property Office.

Virginia Golding

Virginia Golding is the head of equality, diversity and inclusion at Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust.
She joined the NHS in 1992 as a clerical officer and progressed to become the equality and diversity lead at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

In 2007 she took voluntary redundancy and set up her consultancy Golding Diversity Training. She returned to the NHS in 2013.
Virginia is an active member of the Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) frontline staff forum and a member of the NHS Confederations BME Leaders Network.
She has a master’s degree in Human Resource Management and a postgraduate certificate in diversity management.

Ted Goodman

Ted is married and lives with his adult son in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. Ted moved to Shropshire from the West Midlands around 12 years ago.

Ted’s career has been in social work, mainly in mental health and learning disability services in the community and in hospital, though at times also working with young children and their families. Ted moved into the regulation of health and social care where he managed the regulation and inspection of social care services for adults and young children in the local authority and later with Ofsted where he managed one of the regional complaint investigation and enforcement teams. Since then, Ted has worked as an expert by experience with CBF (Challenging Behaviour Foundation) supporting CQC inspections and also with NHS England’s Improving Lives team. Occasional private work includes workplace and family mediation and independent reviews of local authority complaints.

Ted has “a busy home life as you would expect supporting our son who is autistic and has learning disabilities”. He enjoys photography, most things to do with computing and a wide variety of good music of most genres. His family love walking and keeping active and most importantly for them, taking every opportunity to get away on weekends or holiday.

Ask Listen Do is a project to develop a series of resources that will support children, young people and adults with a learning disability, autism or both and their families and carers to feel confident in giving feedback, raising a concern or a complaint about care, education or support so that they feel that their feedback, concerns and complaints are proactively received, listened to and acted on in a timely manner.

Dr Andrea Gordon

Dr Andrea Gordon is the Programme Director for the West Midlands Cancer Alliance.

She has held the post since September 2018 following roles working with NHS trusts in the Black Country and at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust. Prior to this she worked in regulation for over fifteen years, more latterly as Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals for the Care Quality Commission.

The West Midlands Cancer Alliance has an ambitious transformation programme that spans from early diagnosis to living with and beyond cancer. In order to make a difference; improve services, responsiveness and outcomes, the team has to work with a range of stakeholders to include patients, charities, regulators and NHS trusts and colleagues in primary care.

Chris Gormley

Chris Gormley has worked in the NHS for 7 years and is currently the Acting Chief Sustainability Officer of the NHS, responsible for its commitment to deliver a world-class net zero emission health service.

Previously, as Director of Policy, he was responsible for developing and delivering the Health and Care Act 2022 and negotiating the NHS’s annual mandate with government.

Prior to joining the NHS, Chris spent 12 years working in government on climate and energy policy, including development of renewables incentives, removing barriers to deployment, implementing emissions trading legislation and oversight of carbon budgets under the UK Climate Change Act.

Hope Gorton

Hope Gorton is a 27-year-old Digital Marketing Manager working in the advertising industry. As a member of The Reporters’ Academy, she has worked with the NHS Youth Forum to teach young people valuable media skills. She recently attended the NHS Youth Voice Summit to discuss young people’s mental health.

Diagnosed with Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in 2015, Hope has experienced first-hand the impact of social media on body image and mental health. She contributed to blogs to raise awareness of the condition – her latest work includes a very honest ‘letter to my gut’ which highlights her personal journey towards accepting her body.

Katie Goulding

Katie Goulding is a Personalised Care Organisational Development Facilitator and EMCC trained coach, working with Blackpool Teaching Hospitals.

She works across Lancashire and South Cumbria ICS which is a Personalised Care demonstrator site and is currently studying towards a Masters in health coaching and culture change. She is passionate about people having better conversations within health and care settings.

David Graham

David Graham is a Consultant Gastroenterologist at University College Hospital, London.

He has a specialist interest in Barrett’s oesophagus, oesophago-gastric cancer, endoscopic imaging technologies and interventional endoscopy.

David is part of the expert committee devising the BSG guidelines for the management of the pre-malignant and early malignant lesions of the stomach and is part of an international research collaboration looking at ways to improve the early detection of gastric cancer.

Peter Grainger

Peter Grainger is a Patient and Public Involvement representative at St Mark’s Hospital, part of North West London Healthcare Trust. He and his family are affected by a genetic disease, so when the Trust joined the North Thames Genomic Medicine Centre in September, he stepped forward to explain how genetic science is driving improvements in personalised medicine – and what it means to the Grainger family.

Tracey Grainger

Tracey Grainger is Head of Digital Primary Care Development at NHS England with responsibility for supporting transformation across general practice and child health information services. This includes supporting services with a choice of high quality clinical IT systems, tailored to local requirements, while enabling the flexibility and innovation to meet current and future service needs of our patients and citizens.

She has over 24 years’ experience within the NHS that has involved leading service management, performance improvement and large scale transformational change programmes both enabled through technology and organisational development. Tracey has worked across national, regional and local levels in a variety of health care settings.

She is currently supporting the digital programme within the Estates and Technology Fund to support the delivery of new and enhanced technology solutions that will significantly improve patients’ access to services through innovative care models, making them available through digital enablement to all users of health and care data to support the delivery of better, safer care.

Dr Kate Granger

Kate Granger, 34, was a Consultant in Medicine for Older People at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield.

Launched in 2014 and presented annually at the Health and Innovation Expo, the Kate Granger Compassionate Care Awards are a lasting legacy to her inspirational #hellomynameis campaign.

Kate was passionate about quality improvement and she used her experiences and observations as a patient to raise awareness and drive up the standard of care delivered by the NHS.

The #hellomynameis campaign, launched in 2013 by Kate and her husband Chris Pointon, came as a result of staff failing to introduce themselves when they were caring for her.

Kate jokingly said she thought the campaign would “amount to one or two tweets and then fizzle out”. Instead it became a national campaign, winning the support of over 130 organisations, including NHS Trusts across England, Scotland and Wales, before becoming a global phenomenon – with #hellomynameis receiving more than 1.5billion Twitter impressions.

Kate, who wrote books as well as posting tweets and blogs regularly about her experiences of illness, also raised £200,000 with her husband which was donated to the Yorkshire Cancer Centre.

Professor Sir Malcolm Grant CBE

Professor Sir Malcolm Grant CBE is the Chairman of NHS England.

Sir Malcolm is also Chancellor of the University of York, and immediate past President and Provost of UCL (University College London) from 2003-2013. He is a barrister and a Bencher of Middle Temple.

As an academic lawyer he specialised in planning, property and environmental law, and was Professor and Head of Department of Land Economy (1991-2003) and pro-vice chancellor (2002-03) of Cambridge University, and professorial fellow of Clare College.

He has served as Chair of the Local Government Commission for England, of the Agriculture and Environmental Biotechnology Commission and the Russell Group. He is currently a trustee of Somerset House, a director of Genomics England Ltd and a UK Business Ambassador.

Sir Muir Gray

Sir Muir Gray is a Consultant in Public Health in Oxford University Hospital NHS Trust and a professor in the University of Oxford’s department of Primary Care Health Sciences.

He is also a Consultant in Public Health for www.ukactive.com.

He is the author of Sod70! And with Diana Moran the joint Author of Sod Sitting, Get Moving.

Professor Huon Gray

Professor Huon Gray MD FRCP FESC FACC was the National Clinical Director for Heart Disease for NHS England (2013-2019).

Huon was appointed Consultant Adult and Interventional Cardiologist to Southampton University Hospital in 1989. He was President of the British Cardiac Society (2003-2005) and co-chaired the Department of Health’s National Infarct Angioplasty Project (2006-2008) which led to the subsequent roll out of primary PCI for ST elevation myocardial infarction.

He was Clinical Adviser to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on acute coronary syndromes (2007-2010) and chaired its guideline on ST elevation myocardial infarction (2011-2013). He chaired the International Council of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) (2008-2013) and sat on the ACC’s Board of Trustees (2012-2016).

Huon is Honorary Professor at Queen Mary’s University, and University College, London, and has published on various aspects of cardiology and health service delivery. He was Deputy and then Interim National Clinical Director for Heart Disease at the Department of Health (2007-2012).

Matthew Greene

Matthew Greene graduated in 2013 from the University of Salford with a degree in Finance & Accounting which involved a 12 month student placement at Greater Manchester West Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust.

After graduating, Matthew moved to work at NHS Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group where he is now Programme Project Accountant and is studying for CIMA. Matthew is also a Future Focused Finance Value Maker, member of the FSD NW Student Forum and Student Representative on the HFMA NW Branch Committee.

Charles Greenough

Charles Greenough qualified as a doctor from Queens’ College, Cambridge and University College Hospital, London. He trained as an orthopaedic surgeon at the Royal Free Hospital, London and the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore. Specialist spinal training was also undertaken at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, South Australia.

He is also a Consultant Spinal Surgeon, Professor of Spinal Studies at the University of Durham and undertakes lecturing work in the U.K and Internationally. He is Past President of the Spine Society of Europe. He is also Clinical Director of the Golden Jubilee Regional Spinal Cord Injuries Centre at the James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough.

In his previous role as National Clinical Director for Spinal Disorders in April 2013 – March 2016 his vision was to promote a seamless care pathway for patients with low back pain or sciatica across the NHS to reduce long term disability and multiple ineffective therapies. He is currently chair of the Improving Spinal Care Project, NHS England. The project aims to implement the National Back Pain and Radicular Pain Pathway, and to give effect to spinal surgery networks.

Principal research interests have been spinal trauma, spinal cord injury and low back pain.

Hobbies include fell walking and family life.

Louise Greenrod

Louise began her role as Deputy Director Data Policy in the Joint Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)/NHS England Digital Policy Unit in October 2022.

She has responsibility for ensuring that the policy and legislative framework for data in DHSC and NHS England is fit for purpose and supports delivery of the commitments and outcomes of the government’s Data Saves Lives strategy, driving improvements in access to health and care data for the benefit of the public and the system as a whole.

Prior to her current role, Louise worked in a number of other Government departments including the Cabinet Office, Home Office and Ministry of Defence, as well as being part of the secretariat for an independent inquiry. Her roles have spanned policy and project delivery and have involved close working with government ministers. She has a keen interest in successful policy implementation and the value of data in this. Prior to joining the civil service, Louise worked in local government and holds an MSc in International and European politics from the University of Edinburgh.

Dr Jon Griffiths

Dr Jonathan Griffiths is a GP at Swanlow Practice in Winsford, Cheshire, and Chair of NHS Vale Royal CCG.

He qualified from Manchester University in 1994 and worked as a junior doctor in the West Midlands, completing his GP training in South Birmingham.

He then worked as a GP for 7 years in South Staffordshire, where for a while he was involved as a member of the Professional Executive Committee for the local PCT.

In 2005 he moved to work at Swanlow Practice in Winsford.

Jon has been involved in commissioning in Vale Royal since Practice Based Commissioning (PBC) first developed a few years ago, and was Chair of Vale Royal PBC group before the NHS reforms led to the creation of Clinical Commissioning Groups.

He is a member on the board of the North West Leadership Academy.

Jon’s professional interests include GP commissioning and Clinical Leadership.

Outside of work he spends time with his wife and daughters, and enjoys being outside, particularly if that involves walking (or running) up a hill!.

Brad Gudger

Brad Gudger is a member of the NHS Youth Forum.

Diagnosed with Leukaemia in 2013, Brad has extensive experience of NHS services for more than 6 years.

A champion of youth voice and co-design, he has volunteered for various organisations and has worked extensively to advocate on behalf of young people.

His experience includes advising the APPG for Young People with Cancer on various policy changes, petitioning the government to offer more support to young cancer survivors and he has spoken in Parliament numerous times about patient experience.

Brad has been an international advocate for young people as well, working with organisations such as Youth Cancer Europe and being a Young Technical Advisor for a World Health Organisation & Public Health England Collaborating Centre.

Brad founded his own charity in 2018, called Alike. Alike has been created to combat isolation amongst people with cancer using a new digital peer support platform and UK wide peer support groups.

In July 2019, he received a Diana Award for his services to young people and the cancer community.

Erk Gunce

Erk (pronounced Eric, pronouns: he/him/his) is a Turkish Cypriot who came to the UK to pursue higher education. He is an equality, diversity and inclusion practitioner by profession and his academic specialism is inclusive leadership. He is currently on a journey, exploring how impact can be made on others using creative media – blogs, podcasts, presentations, videos, art and more. He works as an expert by experience in NHS England and NHS Improvement’s Mental Health team, embracing, and encouraging others to embrace, vulnerability, equity, dignity in care, patient representation and systems improvement.

Declan Hadley

Declan Hadley is the Digital Lead for the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care System.

Healthier Lancashire and South Cumbria is the name for the partnership of NHS, local councils, public sector, voluntary sector and community organisations working together to improve health and care services and help the 1.7 million people in Lancashire and South Cumbria live longer, healthier lives.

Declan leads the Digital Health team, who have worked with colleagues across the local health and care system to co-create a shared digital health strategy for Lancashire and South Cumbria, ‘Our Digital Future’.

He has been a core member of the leadership team behind the development of a Population Health Management approach locally, with Lancashire and South Cumbria taking part in an NHS England sponsored accelerated development programme for Population Health Management in 2019. He is also joint Senior Responsible Officer for the Share 2 Care programme, a joint initiative between Healthier Lancashire and South Cumbria and the Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership looking at extending shared local health and care records across Lancashire, South Cumbria, Cheshire and Merseyside.

Declan has worked in the NHS for more than thirty years. He started his NHS career as a Psychiatric Nurse, moving quickly into Information Management in the 1990s where he worked in a number of different roles across the North West.

Between 2001 and 2014, heworked as Health Informatics Director at Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust, where he oversaw the development of innovative mobile solutions, new clinical applications and technology to support an agile workforce. Declan has been leading the Digital agenda on a health and care system wide level across Lancashire and South Cumbria since 2014.

Dr John Hague

Based at The Derby Road Practice in Ipswich, Dr Hague’s main interest is in mental health in primary care, and the provision of high quality mental health care. Dr Hague was GP Clinical Lead for the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme at NHS East of England between 2008 and 2011 – a role in which he delivered an IAPT service to between 11 and 13 Primary Care Trusts. He is a General Practitioner appraiser for NHS England. Having gained more than 30 years’ experience as a GP at the Derby Road Practice in Ipswich, he now works there as a salaried GP.

Dr Hague is a member of the Clinical Executive at Ipswich and East Suffolk CCG, and has been appointed Clinical Mental Health Lead for North East Essex and Suffolk STP. He has written a number of professional publications including The Neglected Majority (The Centre for Mental Health), November 2005 (co-author).

Becky Haines

Dr Becky Haines has been a GP partner at Glenpark Medical Centre in Dunston since 2002. She has been the practice lead for diabetes since then, involved at a PCT then CCG level for most of this time and became the Gateshead Clinical Lead for Diabetes NGCCG in 2014. She is also a Year of Care trainer and has helped to implement YOC care and support planning across the CCG. She is an RCGP Champion for Collaborative Care and Support Planning.

Rachel Halford

Rachel Halford is the Chief Executive of the Hepatitis C Trust. She has over 25 years’ experience of working with people at high-risk of viral hepatitis, and liver disease generally, the past 20 years of which have been in senior management roles within the voluntary/non-governmental organisation sector.

Passionate about equality and human rights, Rachel joined the Hepatitis C Trust in 2015 as deputy chief executive officer (CEO), before taking over as CEO in July 2018. Before joining the trust, she was CEO of Women in Prison, a national UK campaigning organisation that provided support and advocacy for women affected by the criminal justice system.

Rebecca Hall

Rebecca Hall is an Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Primary Care and Lead Nurse for the E4 Network PCN.

She has completed the coach practitioner programme with NHS London Leadership Academy, a course that holds the European Quality Award conferred by the European Mentoring and Coaching Council.

Donna Hall

Donna Hall CBE has been chief executive at Wigan, the second largest council in Greater Manchester, for the last six years.

Despite being the third worst-affected UK council by cuts of £100 million, Wigan has been voted by 72 per cent of its staff as the best council to work for in the UK. Donna is also the accountable officer of NHS Wigan Borough Clinical Commissioning Group.

Donna leads on culture, arts and leisure and supports Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, on public service reform across health, social care and public services.

Donna was awarded a CBE for services to local government in 2009 and has initiated a major programme of reform in partnership with residents, The Wigan Deal. She is a passionate feminist and last year won Transformational Leader at the Northern Power Women Awards.

Professor Sir Chris Ham

Chris Ham is currently Co-Chair of the NHS Assembly, Emeritus Professor of health policy and management at the University of Birmingham, and Senior Visiting Fellow at The King’s Fund, where he was Chief Executive between 2010 and 2018. He served as chair of the Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care System from 2019 to 2021.

Chris was awarded a CBE for his services to the NHS in 2004 and a knighthood for services to health policy and management in 2018. He is a founding fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, a fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, and holds honorary fellowships with both the Royal College of Physicians of London and the Royal College of General Practitioners. He became a companion of the Institute of Healthcare Management in 2006.

Dr David Hambleton

Dr David Hambleton is chief executive officer at South Tyneside Clinical Commissioning Group.

Before taking up his current role, he was director of commissioning and reform at NHS South of Tyne and Wear and held a number of clinical managerial posts, including head of performance and clinical governance and director of surgery.

Dr Angela Hamblin

Dr Angela Hamblin is currently working as a Molecular Diagnostic Research Fellow with Prof Anna Schuh in the Oxford Molecular Diagnostics Centre. She trained in medicine at Oxford University Medical School and undertook a PhD in Cancer Immunotherapy with Prof Martin Glennie and Prof Peter Johnson in the Cancer Sciences Division, University of Southampton.

She is completing a Specialist Registrar rotation in Haematology in the Oxford Deanery. Dr Hamblin is particularly interested in the translation of next generation sequencing techniques from research into routine clinical practice for patients with (particularly haematological) malignancies in order to improve patient outcomes.

Dr Clare Hambling

Dr Clare Hambling is a GP with an interest in diabetes, cardiometabolic disease and long term conditions.

She is the NHS England National Clinical Director for Diabetes and Obesity.

Tricia Handley

Tricia Handley trained as a learning disability nurse 30 years ago. She has worked in a number of roles: community nurse, multiple disability trainer, research nurse, project lead supporting people to move from long stay hospitals, clinical nurse management.

She also enjoyed studying quite a bit during this period, gaining first class honours in Interprofessional Practice at City University and post graduate cert. in Health and Social Care Management.

Tricia is passionate about equality and specifically collaboration, both within and outside the NHS as a means of achieving it. She is currently Lead Nurse for People with a Learning Disability in Barts Health NHS Trust and enjoying the challenge of an acute hospital environment.

Paddy Hanrahan

Paddy Hanrahan is the Managing Director of HelpForce and has experience of start-ups in the health-social space after helping to set up the Centre for Ageing Better over 2015-16. Prior to that Paddy was a managing director at Accenture where he worked for 13 years, mostly with NHS clients.

HelpForce is a Community Interest Company, founded in 2016 by Sir Thomas Hughes Hallett, Chair of Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust. It was set up to support the development of 21st century volunteering at national scale in collaboration with the NHS, charities and the patients and communities it serves.

Jason Hanrahan

Jason Hanrahan is an ambitious song writer and musician. He writes songs about personal experiences and life in general. He enjoys doing this because it gives him a way to express his emotions.

Jason is also a stroke survivor.

Professor Nick Harding OBE

Professor Nick Harding OBE is Chair for Sandwell and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group, actively involved in primary care transformation and leadership development, recognised nationally by awards for its delivery. Nick undertakes a number of roles, locally (Aston Medical School honorary senior lecturer), regionally (LETC member, stroke review, Primary Care Leadership development programme) and nationally (co-chair specialised commissioning, Health Education Advisor, New Models of Care Evaluator and Nuffield leadership panel).

Professor Harding established Modality Partnership (formerly known as Vitality and also a MCP vanguard) with GP colleagues to improve quality of care in the inner city setting of Birmingham, and build a new sustainable type of primary care model for the future. This Super-Partnership is now one of the largest GP provider organisations, with close to 100,000 patients.

Victoria Harding

Vicky leads the Wellbeing Team for Titan Primary Care Network in the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICS, creating opportunities for patients to receive the best possible support locally. She identifies gaps in local provisions and works with existing or new community groups to create a service that bridges the gap. She has a wide range of community experience in both a healthcare setting and the charitable sector. She is a trained Social Prescriber and enjoys offering support on a one to one basis supporting patients to achieve their goals. She is also a qualified Health Coach and can offer the tools and mindset to sustain the positive changes made by the Social Prescribing interventions.

Dom Hardy

Dom Hardy is the Director of Primary Care and System Transformation in NHS England, leading the implementation of the NHS Long Term Plan’s commitment to create Integrated Care Systems across the country, and ensure primary care provides the strong foundation of those systems so they can provide excellent health care for patients and communities.

He previously held roles at regional level in NHS England as Director of Commissioning Operations for Wessex and as Regional Assurance and Delivery Director.

Prior to that he worked in the South of England and South Central SHA for over 3 years, working with colleagues across the South to establish and then lead the new commissioning system.

Before moving to the NHS he worked in central government in a range of roles, including at the DH with Professor Sir Ara Darzi as project director for the NHS Next Stage Review.

He has also worked at the management consultancy Pricewaterhouse Coopers and as a policy advisor to Tony Blair and Principal Private Secretary to John Reid and Patricia Hewitt.

Dr Sam Hare

Dr Sam Hare is a consultant chest radiologist at Barnet Hospital, which is part of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. He is also one of the lead radiologists for the London Cancer lung pathway board, responsible for improving regional lung cancer outcomes and patient experience.

Sam studied medicine at Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge and Imperial College School of Medicine, gaining a 1st class honours degree.

After completing formal radiology training in the UK between 2004-2009 he undertook a thoracic radiology fellowship in North America (2009-2010). Sam was subsequently appointed to the position of consultant thoracic radiologist at The Ottawa Hospital in Canada specialising in: (i) complex lung biopsy techniques and (ii) lung cancer screening & diagnosis. He returned to the UK NHS in 2011 and currently runs the innovative ambulatory lung biopsy service at the Royal Free London NHS Trust.

Dr Hare’s technical lung biopsy expertise has been acknowledged as providing earlier lung cancer diagnosis in a wider range of patients. The novel ambulatory lung biopsy service was awarded the inaugural NHS Innovation Challenge Prize for Cancer Care in 2016 in addition to the 2016 BMJ Award for Cancer Care Team of the Year (sponsored by Macmillan Cancer). Sam’s work has also gained national recognition in Thorax, one of the world’s leading respiratory medicine journals, as well as in the Times newspaper and BBC news (August 2015).

Sam is currently focused on leading wider NHS adoption of ‘ambulatory lung biopsy’ and is working closely with NHS England to achieve this. As part of this ambition, he has established a national lung biopsy education course (POBAS) that will train clinicians from other hospitals to use the innovative technique. For more details please visit www.POBAS.co.uk

Dr Linda Harris

Dr Linda Harris FRCGP is Chief Executive and Chief Medical Officer of Spectrum Community Health CIC, a not for profit organisation delivering community and health and justice services on behalf of the NHS, local authority public health and other partners in sites across the north of England.

Passionate about integrated care for vulnerable groups and tackling the root causes of health inequality, Dr Harris is the Chair of the NHS England Health and Justice Clinical Reference Group, which plays host to a range of task and finish groups and quality improvement initiatives.

Chris Harris

Chris currently works for the NHS England Medical Directorate on frailty with the aim of supporting the NHS to understand frailty and consider how future patient centre services can be delivered.

Ruth Harrison

Ruth Harrison is a learning disability nurse and busy mum of three with a long history of working with people with complex care needs from day services, private and forensic sector and within NHS primary and acute care trusts.

She now provides direct support in clinical situations but also works at a strategic level to develop improvement plans and monitor progress. Ruth is passionate about equality and the positives of ability rather than the negatives of disability.

Professor Chris Harrison

Professor Chris Harrison is NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Cancer and he is Medical Director (Strategy) for The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester.

He qualified in Medicine from Manchester and, following experience in both hospital medicine and primary care, trained in epidemiology and public health.

Chris held a series of Director of Public Health Posts in Lancashire before becoming Cancer Director for the North West Region in 2000, and then Medical Director of Greater Manchester Strategic Health Authority in 2002.

He became Executive Medical Director at The Christie from 2006 until 2013 when he moved to London becoming Medical Director at Imperial Healthcare NHS Trust before returning to Manchester in March 2016.

Between 2011 and 2013 Chris was seconded part time from his role at The Christie to be Clinical Director for Cancer to NHS London.

Dr Ollie Hart

Dr Ollie Hart is a GP from Sheffield. He is the clinical director for the local primary care network, Heeley Plus, covering 42,000 patients.

He has a core professional interest in person-centred care. Across the last 10 years he has held a range of national roles in this area, co-chairing NHS England’s Strategy Board for Supported Self-management, a national champion for the Royal College of General Practitioners in its Collaborative Care and Support Planning Programme, clinical lead for personalised care for NHS Sheffield, and member of South Yorkshire Social Prescribing Board.

He is a director for Peak Health Coaching (PHC), a company that specialises in health coaching training and organisational development for person-centred care. PHC was the first company nationally to be accredited for health coaching training by the Personalised Care Institute and has trained over 2,000 people in coaching skills.

He is one of two global health and wellbeing ambassadors for parkrun.

If not at his standing desk, Ollie is most at home running or biking in the Peak District.

Jenny Hartnoll

Jenny Hartnoll, is Service Lead for Health Connections Mendip.

Email: j.hartnoll@nhs.net
Website: www.healthconnectionsmendip.org
Twitter: @jennyhartnoll

Nick Hartshorne-Evans

Nick Hartshorne-Evans was diagnosed with Heart Failure in January 2010 at 39. His experience as a patient stimulated him into developing the only dedicated patient-led Heart Failure charity in the UK, the Pumping Marvellous Foundation.

After significant learning about not only the condition but also the health system, Nick narrowed his focus to developing and evolving a charity that delivered patient-led solutions developed by the patients themselves. The charities knowledge and value comes from the beneficiaries and is a valuable resource to health economies and has attracted international exposure. Recruiting driven and innovative beneficiaries is a key driver for the foundation. Developing solutions from the needs of patients rather than thinking what the patient needs is a powerful stakeholder position. The Pumping Marvellous Foundation manages the world’s largest online community of heart failure patients through their innovative and rich data communities. This is where the charity gains insights, using it to influence policy decisions.

Nick regularly engages and involves himself in both Global, European, National and Regional patient advocacy along with delivering patient-led collaborative solutions at a local level.

Nick is regularly consulted on the “patient opinion” both by key stakeholders and at conferences. His peers and partners across health channels see him as a “key opinion leader”.

Dr Mari Harty

Dr Mari Harty, Clinical Director of the SLP Forensic Programme, is a Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist and Clinical Director – Forensic, Specialist and National services at South West London and St George’s.

She leads a team of psychiatrists and is responsible for end-to-end service delivery.

Mari has published on a range of forensic issues including the needs of patients in the High Secure Psychiatric Hospitals, community forensic services, prison mental health inreach and service provision for women.

Sam Haskell

Sam works as the Housing and Integration Policy Lead at the Department of Health. He is the organisation’s lead for housing and health/care issues.

His previous role was at Public Health England (PHE) as the national lead for work, worklessness and health. Before joining PHE, Sam worked in the Department of Health and Ministry of Justice in a variety of different roles. Between 2011 and 2013 he completed the Government graduate scheme – The Civil Service Fast Stream – as an internal candidate.

Sam recently completed an MSc in Health Policy at Imperial College London. He received the Dean’s Prize for his dissertation on pet ownership and health in later life. He now lives and works in London with his partner.

Helen Hassell

Helen Hassell is a parent carer, a lived experience partner, and an active member of the My Life Choices co-production group with Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board. She has been a member of the NHS Assembly since it was founded in 2019.

Lynne Hawksworth

Lynne Hawksworth is Secretary and Trustee of Knitted Knockers UK and is a retired Head of English, a mum of two and granna of four.

Dr Adrian Hayter

GP Partner Runnymede Medical Practice, National Clinical Director for Older People and Personalised Care, NHS England.

Zara Head

Zara Head is the Lead Nurse for Primary Care Quality at NHS Doncaster CCG and has been in post for two years.

She trained as a nurse at Scunthorpe General Hospital, starting her career in Orthopaedics and Accident and Emergency, working in various hospitals in the north of England.

She has spent most of her career in primary care, first as a practice nurse for a busy GP and prior to her current role, she was a Lead Inspector for the Care Quality Commission for primary and integrated care.

Suzy Heafield

Suzy Heafield, BPharm. Head of Medicines Value and Delivery, NHS England (NHSE) Commercial Medicines Directorate
Suzy is a commissioning pharmacist working for NHSE as the Head of Medicines Value and Delivery. She graduated from Kings College London in 1996 and qualified as a pharmacist in 1997.
Suzy leads the cross-organisational Medicines Value Programme. The programme involves working across both primary and secondary care, aligning clinical and commercial opportunities to ensure that the NHS achieves the best possible value from its significant investment in medicines. This includes supporting patients and clinicians to access the best value medicines to enable the best possible outcomes.

Dr Charles Heatley

Dr Charles Heatley is a senior partner at Birley Health Centre in Sheffield and Clinical Director for Planned Care at Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group. He has special interests in mental health and cardiology.

Alison Hemsworth

Alison Hemsworth has led on many national projects relating to community pharmacy, the most notable being the introduction of the Community Pharmacy Seasonal Flu Vaccination Service.

Her previous roles have included: performance management of community pharmacy and optometry contracts in several PCTs; Service Development Officer for Leeds LPC; Prescribing Support Technician in Bradford; Education and training of pharmacy support staff for the University of Leeds/Bradford College; and Hospital pharmacy in various departments across the country.

In addition to her technician qualifications, Alison has an MSc in Leadership and Management in Health and Social Care, and a Foundation Degree in Pharmacy Services and Medicines Management. In 2016 Alison was a finalist in the Women in the City Future Leaders Award.

Judith Hendley

Judith Hendley became Head of Supported Self-Management at NHS England and NHS Improvement in April 2020, which is part of NHS Personalised Care.  She was previously Head of Patient Safety Policy for the same organisation.  Immediately prior to joining the NHS centrally, Judith worked in health and social care policy for London local government supporting initiatives to help local government and the NHS work more closely together. 

Shehan Hettiaratchy

Shehan Hettiaratchy is the clinical lead for the Veterans Trauma Network.

He is the Lead Surgeon and Major Trauma Director at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in London.

He has developed the VTN together with Richard Swarbrick, National Lead Armed Forces and Families & MOD Health Transition, NHS England.

Shehan has served in the British Army since he left school and is currently a reservist serving with Airborne Forces. He was deployed to Afghanistan twice.

Jenny Hicken

Jenny Hicken is a Network Delivery Facilitator in the Northern England Clinical Networks, and is part of the Mental Health and Dementia Network team.

She is currently working on projects addressing the wellbeing of vulnerable groups, and represents the Network team on the North East and North Cumbria ICS Zero Suicide Ambition Steering Group. She also keeps a hand in with the Maternity Network team, with whom she has worked closely on a number of pieces of work.

Jenny lives in Newcastle upon Tyne with her husband and two young sons, and has worked in the NHS since 2009.

Dr Julie Higgins

Julie has held a number of NHS positions including Chief Executive, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Public Health in PCTs; she led the development of CCGs in Greater Manchester. She has been the Regional Director of Commissioning in NHS England as well as and has been SRO for large scale hospital reconfigurations following hospital merger to improve child and maternity services. Julie was Vice Chair of the Greater Manchester Public Health Network which carried out a number of ground breaking public health initiatives including the development of the Greater Manchester Health Commission.

Before joining the NHS, Julie worked at London University in the field of immunology after gaining her PhD. Julie is a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health. She has a strong commitment to reducing health inequalities and alongside her working life has undertaken voluntary work with Youth Offending Teams.

In her Current role as Director of Transformation/SRO Learning Disabilities she is leading on:- Reducing health inequalities and improving health outcomes for people with Learning Disabilities; Improving services and reducing reliance on hospital beds, for people with learning disabilities and/or autism with mental health issues and/or behaviours that challenge.

Professor Dame Sue Hill

Professor Dame Sue Hill DBE FMedSci FRSB FRCP(Hon) FRCPath (Hon) FHCS (Hon) is the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) for England and a respiratory scientist by background.

Throughout her career she has led on large-scale priority programmes across government and in NHS England including as the senior responsible officer for Genomics in the NHS, introducing a world-leading and nationwide Genomic Medicine Service, building on her work in heading up the NHS contribution to the 100,000 Genomes Project.

She has also played a pivotal role in the national COVID-19 programme leading the development and deployment of testing technologies into use for the UK population and co-directing the whole-genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 programme.

Nikky Hill

Nikky Hill qualified as an Occupational Therapist in 1998 after completing her degree at Brunel University.

She started her career in Surrey and London and has always worked in the acute hospital setting.

For the past 14 years she has worked at Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust.

In April 2019, she moved into her new role as Macmillan Prehabilitation Project Manager to look at the feasibility of developing and delivering a model of prehabilitation with the aim of improving patient’s health and wellbeing before, during and after primary cancer treatment.

Julian Hill

Julian is an experienced nurse with 30 years in the fields of learning disabilities and mental health.

He works independently and is firmly committed to the principles of Care and Treatment Reviews.

He believes that people with a learning disability, autism or both should almost never be admitted to hospital. If there is no other option; then it is only appropriate to admit when the person has very clear treatment outcomes and a discharge package in place

Rachel Hill-Tout

Blood borne viruses (BBV) clinical lead.

Dr Selwyn Hodge

Dr Selwyn Hodge is co-Chair of the Self Care Forum.

Having trained as a research organic chemist, he qualified as a teacher and became Deputy Head of a large 11-18 comprehensive school.

Selwyn then returned to higher education, as a research fellow for a Government technical and vocational education initiative, and a lecturer in chemistry education in initial teacher training.

His next move was into local government, firstly as a schools science adviser and then Chief Education Adviser and Deputy Director of Education. During this timehe was closely involved in public health initiatives.

Later Selwyn became an inspector of schools for OFSTED.

He was previously Chair of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health, Chair of the Royal Society for Public Health and a Board member of the National Association of Clubs for Young People. And was also Honorary Editor of the RSPH Journal Perspectives in Public Health.

Currently he is Chair of Ambition, a leading UK youth charity, and an adviser to the Public Health England Well North Programme.

Stephen Hodges

Stephen Hodges is the NHS RightCare Hot Housing Implementation Lead for the North Region.

He has worked in the NHS for 26 years and started his career in nursing. His clinical career has included roles within Intensive Care, transplant coordination and research.

Stephen spent 10 years working in Scotland in clinical, research and public health roles and more recently worked for NICE within their Medtech and Diagnostic programmes.

He has experience of working on national improvement programmes, working for NHS Improving Quality and, prior to joining NHS RightCare was Head of Patient Services at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.

Isabel Hodkinson

Isabel Hodkinson is a GP principal in Tower Hamlets, where much of the care for people with LTCs is delivered through enhanced service funding for packages of care via GP networks.

She is on the Tower Hamlets CCG board as lead for informatics and is the RCGP Clinical Champion for Care and Support planning.

John Holden

John Holden was previously Director of Policy, Partnerships and Innovation, since the publication of these blogs he has left NHS England.

Lisa Hollins

Lisa Hollins is the Director of Innovation Delivery at NHSX.

Until September, she was Executive Director of Improvement, Informatics and ICT, at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Chair of the Shelford Group Transformation Directors.

Lisa is an experienced health leader and has worked in the NHS for over 25 years. Until September 2019, she was Chair of the Shelford Group Transformation Directors and has held senior positions in NHS trusts with University College London Hospitals, Barts Health and King’s College Hospital as her most recent organisations.

She has held regional and national roles in quality improvement and previously published a number of articles on quality improvement and efficiency.

Dr Daniel Holman

Dr Daniel Holman is a Research Fellow in the Department of Sociological Studies at the University of Sheffield. He is currently researching inequalities in chronic diseases, and how they are patterned according to combinations of socioeconomic factors, age, gender and ethnicity (so-called ‘intersectionality’), and how this patterning is shaped by experiences across the life course.

Previously, he worked on a European project on extending working lives, particularly on the relationships between health, age management, pensions and retirement.

Janice Holt

Janice Holt is a retired teacher with a passion for music and a love of dogs.

She volunteered at St George’s Community Centre prior to working with the Care Homes Vanguard in Wakefield.

In addition, Janice also volunteers twice a week at a Wakefield District Housing Independent Living scheme.

Emily Holzhausen OBE

Emily Holzhausen OBE is the Director of Policy and Public Affairs for Carers UK, who she has been with since 1996, and is one of the country’s foremost experts on carers’ issues.

She is responsible for the organisation’s UK and England strategic development and direction of policy, research, campaigning, parliamentary and media work.

Emily leads on advice and awareness for the charity – supporting tens of thousands of carers each year through its Adviceline services. She is also responsible for Carers Week, one of the UK’s biggest awareness weeks.

Emily has developed and led different campaigns which have resulted in new legislation, policy or practice to improve the lives of carers.

She was a trustee of the Fawcett Society for six years and, prior to her role at Carers UK, she was responsible for public affairs work at the National Federation of Women’s Institutes.

Emily was awarded an OBE for services to carers in the 2015 Birthday Honours.

Jo Hooper

Jo Hooper is the Operations Manager for Hampshire’s Integrated Personal Commissioning Programme, which is called My Life My Way.

She qualified as a Learning Disability Nurse and has since worked for the NHS and Local Authority, primarily with people who have lived experience of living with a learning disability, but more recently as a Project Manager and then a Team Manager for social workers supporting young people through transition.

In her current role Jo has worked very closely with families to trial the new processes being championed by IPC.

Jonathon Hope MBE

Over the last 10 years Jonathon has chaired or co-chaired a number of national and local health care improvement projects, and has spoken widely on person centred care, self care, self-management, patient participation and activation

Jonathon was diagnosed with kidney failure in his teens – over 30 years ago. He experienced 15 years on dialysis, much of it on a kidney machine at home. He currently has a fourth transplant which is working well

Jonathon has recently been appointed as co-chair to a national programme looking at increasing activation and self-management support for people living with long term conditions.

Michelle Hope

Michelle Hope trained as a nurse at the University of Chester in 2000. Her nursing career has been focused within the specialties of haematology and oncology and she has most recently worked as a ward sister at University College London Hospital.

The ward sister role is one in which the competing priorities of leader and manager exist. Michelle is now focusing on the leadership element of an exciting new chapter in her career through her Darzi fellowship as Quality Improvement Nurse. The role spans across UCLPartners addressing pressure ulcer prevention, and her vision is to develop a brand, ‘Help Nurses Care’, building upon elements of practice which have demonstrated success and removing those which have not.

Catherine Horbury

Catherine Horbury is a Peer Support Worker for Horizons in Wakefield, in addition to being a Peer Leader on a voluntary basis for Wakefield District Health and Care Partnership.

Catherine is an advocate for people with Learning Disabilities and has her own lived experience of living with a Learning Disability.

Dr Karen Horridge

Dr Karen Horridge is a Paediatrician (Disability) in Sunderland and the Chair of the British Academy of Childhood Disability.

You can follow the British Academy of Childhood Disability on Twitter at @BACD_tweets.

Rachael Hough

Rachael Hough is a Consultant in Haematology and Stem Cell Transplantation at UCL Hospitals and an Honorary Senior Lecturer in Haematology/Transplantation at UCL.

As such, she is now the Clinical Lead of the largest teenage cancer service in the UK and has developed an adolescent-focussed transplant practice.

After completing undergraduate training at Nottingham University, she undertook post graduate general medical and haematology training in Sheffield.

She has also established and chairs the BSBMT Umbilical Cord Blood Working Group and is the Chief Investigator of the 2 NCRI-badged national cord blood transplant protocols. She is a member of the BSBMT Clinical Trials Committee and the CCLG Leukaemia and BMT Special Interest Groups and Coordinates the adolescent and young adult appendix of UKALL2003.

Emily Hough

Emily joined NHS England’s Strategy Group in 2014, taking over as Director of the Group in July 2017. The Strategy Group is focused on supporting the strategic priorities and sustainability of the NHS and was instrumental in the development of the NHS Long term Plan. Emily has overseen programmes including Healthy New Towns, Health and Work and the NHS as an anchor institution. She has also led strategy contributions to a wide range of projects from the specification for Rapid Diagnostic Centers to plans for improving autism diagnosis and support.

Emily’s previous NHS experience includes supporting a major service reconfiguration in North Central London, advising the first Trust Special Administrator appointed to an NHS Trust in South East London, developing a Commissioning Support Unit’s Strategy and Transformation practice and supporting the development of London’s Clinical Commissioning Groups. Prior to joining the NHS Emily was a management consultant, specialising in strategy.

Philip Howard

Philip Howard is Consultant Pharmacist in Antimicrobials at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, an Honorary Senior Lecturer at Leeds University, and is currently seconded part time to NHS England as an Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infection project lead.

Philip has been active in the field of Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) for many years. He has been involved in the development of national AMS guidance for primary care and hospitals, the national Antimicrobial Prescribing and Stewardship Competences.

He is a member of the UKCPA Pharmacy Infection Network, BSAC Council, ESCMID AMS committee and has represented FIP on the WHO AMR Strategy. He is also a spokesman for the RPS on antimicrobials.

Clare Howard

Clare Howard is Deputy Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for NHS England and is leading the work on Medicines Optimisation for NHS England. Clare first started working in pharmacy at the age of 16 and since then has worked with community pharmacists, primary and secondary care.

Sharon Howard

Sharon Howard is an Administrative Support Officer for NHS England’s Strategic Clinical Networks in the Thames Valley. She has worked for the NHS since 2010, starting as a Medical Laboratory Assistant in Biochemistry. She also worked as a Healthcare Assistant in Radiology before moving into her first administrative role in Clinical Genetics.

Louise Howorth

Social Prescribing Link Worker. Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Council for Voluntary Service on behalf of Burnley East Primary Care Network.

Ellie Huckle

Ellie Huckle shared her story with NHS England on what it’s like to live with Type 1 diabetes.

Ruth Hudson

Ruth Hudson is a member of NHS England’s Insight Team, focussed on gathering patient feedback to improve services and is passionate about making feedback methods inclusive.

Amanda Hughes

Amanda is Senior Finance, Contracts and Commissioning Manager for the Personalised Care Group at NHS England and Improvement.

Lindsey Hughes

Lindsey Hughes is Director of Research and Engagement in the Innovation, Research and Life Sciences (IRLS) Group and Accelerated Access Collaborative at NHS England.

During 27 years of NHS service, including 18 years in frontline service provision as an Orthoptist, Lindsey has held various clinical and professional leadership roles in service delivery, research and education. Lindsey joined NHS England in 2014 and led the Improving Rehabilitation Services Programme prior to joining the IRLS group in 2016 where she developed the research programme before taking up her current role.

Her portfolio includes Research, Horizon Scanning and Demand Signalling, Health Inequalities, Net Zero and Patient and Public Involvement.

Philippa Hughes

Philippa Hughes is regional housing lead for the north region and sub regional housing lead for Yorkshire and Humber working on the Transforming Care Learning Disabilities programme.

As well as this, Philippa is a volunteer for a local community association and hospice and North East regional ambassador for the Housing Learning and Improvement so brings a real passion to her new role.

Dr Henrietta Hughes

Dr Henrietta Hughes was appointed in July 2016 as the National Guardian, a key recommendation from the Francis Report.

She provides leadership and support to Freedom to Speak Up Guardians across England in arm’s-length bodies, NHS and Independent sector organisations to ensure that speaking up becomes business as usual.

The National Guardian’s Office undertakes and publishes case reviews when it appears that speaking up has not been handled according to best practice, providing challenge and learning to the healthcare system as a whole.

Previously a Medical Director at NHS England, Dr Hughes continues her clinical role weekly as a GP in central London.

Rebecca Hughes

After graduating in Psychology and Counselling, with post-graduate studies in Low Intensity Intervention, Rebecca Hughes began her career, in 2007, as an Employment Support Specialist for people with a learning disability in Boston, USA. At South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, she provided community support to individuals in crisis and experiencing common to severe mental health problems. In 2010 she joined Insight Healthcare talking therapies service in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, as a trainee Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (PWP). Rebecca was appointed PWP Team Lead Insight Healthcare in 2014 and Service Lead two years later.

Anne Hunt

Anne Hunt has been Lead Sepsis Nurse at East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust for 18 months, working on meeting the NHS England Sepsis CQUIN to reduce the impact of serious infections. The easy read leaflet was developed in partnership with Herts County Council Health Liaison Team including The Purple All Stars.

Mike Hurley

Professor Michael Hurley, Clinical Director – Musculoskeletal Programme

Health Innovation Network (Academic Health Science Network for South London)

Mike Hurley qualified as a physiotherapist in 1985. He was Lecturer, Reader and Professor in Physiotherapy at Kings College London until moving to the School of Rehabilitation Sciences at St George’s University of London in 2010.

His areas of interest are devising and evaluating exercise-based rehabilitation chronic joint pain, rheumatic conditions, falls and dementia. He has conducted several large trials in primary and secondary care. He works closely with healthcare users, clinicians and commissioners to ensure the interventions developed are clinically practicable, in order to facilitate wide clinical implementation.

He has published over 65 papers. In July 2013 he was appointed Clinical Director for the Musculoskeletal Programme of the Health Innovation Network South London (an Academic Health Science Network) to promote implementation of best practice for people with musculoskeletal conditions across the twelve South London boroughs.

ESCAPE-pain is a rehabilitation programme for people with chronic knee and/or hip pain. It has an extensive evidence base that shows it is effective, cost-effective and popular, with large potential savings in healthcare. As of August 2016 it was being delivered in almost 30 centres across the UK and over 2000 people had benefitted.

Peter Huskinson

Peter Huskinson is the National Commercial Director of Specialised Commissioning at NHS England.

He joined the NHS in 2003 after a successful career in industry, and has worked in a range of commissioning and transformation roles with responsibility for primary, community acute and mental health care.

He co-chairs NHS England’s National Programme of Care Board for Blood and Infection overseeing the work of clinical reference groups in infection, immunity and haematology.

Dr Farzana Hussain

Dr Hussain is a GP in Newham, East London.

Dr Paul Husselbee

Dr Paul Husselbee is Chief Clinical Officer (CCO) of NHS Southend CCG and has been a GP in Southend for 23 years, having been born and brought up in the town.

He is also co-chair of the Quality Working Group of the NHS Commissioning Assembly, was a member of the Keogh Review Board and sits on the Quality and Clinical Risk committee, a sub-committees of the Board of NHS England.

He has been CCO in Southend since October 2012 – a small CCG with around 180,000 patients, co-terminus with Southend Unitary Local Authority and served by a single acute hospital. He has always had a keen interest in the managerial side of the health service, previously being GP advisor to Southend University Hospital, then Co-Chair of the PEC of Southend PCT.

Will Huxter

Will Huxter is Regional Director of Specialised Commissioning (London) at NHS England and currently chair of the NHS England Gender Task & Finish Group.

Prior to joining NHS England in June 2014, Will worked in a range of commissioning roles within the NHS, and for five years at an NHS Trust.

He has also spent eight years working in the voluntary sector.

Dr Richard Iles

Dr Richard Iles is a consultant in Paediatric Respiratory Medicine at the Evelina London Children’s Hospital.

Previously he was a consultant at Addenbrookes’ Hospital in Cambridge.

He held an Honorary Lecturer post in Health Economics at the School of Medicine, Health Policy and Practice, UEA in Norwich from 2004-2010.

In 2013 he became the clinical lead for the high impact change asthma project for the East of England SCN MNCYP and is the clinical lead for National Paediatric Asthma Collaborative, NHS England, and is Clinical Advisor to the Paediatric Asthma Quality Improvement Program for the Health London Partnership.

Candace Imison

Candace Imison joined the Nuffield Trust in December 2014.

Candace was previously Deputy Director of Policy at The King’s Fund where she researched and published on a wide range of topics including future healthcare trends, service reconfiguration, workforce planning, polyclinics, community health services and referral management.

Candace has extensive senior management experience in the NHS, including at board level for providers and commissioners. She was director of strategy for a large acute trust and director of commissioning for large health authority.

Candace worked on strategy and policy at the Department of Health between 2000 and 2006, including work for the Modernisation Agency leading a workforce modernisation initiative. She is currently a non-executive director of a large NHS Foundation Trust.

Candace holds a master’s degree in health economics and health policy from Birmingham University and a degree in natural sciences from Cambridge University.

Matt Inada-Kim

Matt Inada-Kim is an Acute Medicine Consultant at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Hampshire Hospitals Foundation Trust.

He is also National Clinical Director for Infection, Antimicrobial Resistance and Deterioration.

Celia Ingham Clark

Celia Ingham Clark is the Medical Director for Clinical Effectiveness at NHS England.

She trained in Cambridge and London and was appointed as a consultant general surgeon at the Whittington Hospital in 1996.

After early work in medical education she developed an interest in quality improvement and this took her through several medical management roles to become Medical Director of the trust from 2004-2012.

More recently she worked as national clinical director for acute surgery and enhanced recovery, and as London regional lead for revalidation and quality.

For two years from 2014 she was the NHS England Director for reducing premature mortality, and in 2016 became the Medical Director for Clinical Effectiveness.
She was awarded an MBE in 2013 for services to the NHS.

Celia is also the interim National Director of Patient Safety at NHS Improvement.

Elizabeth Iro

Elizabeth Iro started in her role as Chief Nursing Officer of WHO in January 2018.

She is from the Cook Islands, Mrs Iro has served as the country’s Secretary of Health since 2012. She was the first nurse/midwife and woman to be appointed in this position.

In this role, she has implemented legislative reforms to strengthen the country’s health system and developed the National Health Strategic plans (2012-2016, 2017-2021)and a National Health Road Map 2017-2036, among other National policy and strategic documents.

Prior to this role, she served as the country’s Chief Nursing Officer from 2011 to 2012. In addition, for the first 25 years of her career, she was a practicing nurse and midwife, serving in several roles in the Cook Islands and New Zealand.

Jeremy Isaacs

Jeremy Isaacs is a consultant neurologist at St George’s and Kingston Hospitals and is dementia clinical lead at St George’s Hospital. He studied medicine at Cambridge and UCL; his PhD was on the immunology of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD).

Jeremy has a specialist interest in cognitive neurology and dementia. He runs a multi-disciplinary cognitive neurology service at St George’s Hospital offering diagnosis, treatment and support for all types of cognitive disorder, including young-onset and atypical dementias. He has developed a pioneering support group for people living with young onset dementia. He is currently working with the London Dementia Clinical Network to support memory services in reducing waiting times for assessment and diagnosis.

Jeremy is a member of the NICE dementia clinical guideline (update) committee. He is co-authoring the chapter on Memory Disorders and Dementia for the forthcoming Oxford Textbook of Neuropsychiatry. He has published on clinical and molecular aspects of neurological disorders, prion biology and the history of medicine. He has research interests in clinical trials in Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, repurposing of drugs for dementia and delirium and the neuropsychology of functional cognitive disorders.

Prerana Issar

Prerana Issar is the first NHS Chief People Officer. In joining the NHS, Prerana brings a wealth of expertise in leadership development and strategic talent management, as well as diversity and inclusion.

Prior to joining the NHS Prerana was Director for Public-Private Partnerships at the United Nations and prior to that she was the Chief Human Resources Officer for the World Food Programme. During this time leading the development of the United Nation’s first strategic human capital approach, as well as the reform of many key policies. Before the United Nations, Prerana worked for over 15 years at Unilever Plc, starting with them in India and then for several years was in global roles at Unilever’s headquarters in London. Her last role in Unilever was Vice-President HR for the Global Foods business.

Prerana gets her strong service ethos from her parents who were both in public service in the Government of India for close to 40 years. A proud mother to a teenage son and a younger daughter she says they keep her grounded with timely performance feedback on a variety of topics. One of the happiest days of her life was when her daughter was born at the Royal Free hospital in London, giving her first-hand experience of the NHS staff who every day deliver outstanding care to patients.

Mel Ive

Mel Ive is the Hospital Broadcasting Association Regions Manager and Trustee as well as Chairperson for Hospital Radio Wexham. She has over 18 years’ experience in the voluntary sector, and is passionate, that no matter what age, experience or skills a volunteer has, all volunteers have the opportunities to develop, and has the philosophy “whatever you put in, you get out!”.

The Hospital Broadcasting Association (HBA), more formally known as the National Association of Hospital Broadcasting Organisations (NAHBO), is the national charity that supports and promotes Hospital Broadcasting in the UK.

Dr Graham Jackson

Dr Graham Jackson is GP Principal and Clinical Chair of Aylesbury Vale CCG and has worked within Buckinghamshire continually since 1988.

He became a partner at Whitehill Surgery in 1991 and still thoroughly enjoys the challenge that primary care provides.

In 1994 he brought together a group of local colleagues to found AYDDOC, an Out of Hours GP co-operative, of which he was Medical Manager for 10 years. He has been an LMC (Local Medical Committee) member since 1995.

From 1992 to 2003 he was a Hospital Practitioner in Psychiatry and Chaired Neurolink (a national board of mental health experts providing educational material) for several years.

Dr Jackson has been involved in health service provision in Buckinghamshire for a number of years having previously been Managing Director of Bucks Urgent Care and former chair of Vale Health (a GP Provider company).

He remains a member of the Formulary Management Group for Bucks, and has joined the CCG Development Group with NHS England, and is a member of the Steering Group for the NHS Commissioning Assembly.

He is also a member of Buckinghamshire Health and Wellbeing Board and the Strategic Clinical Network oversight committee for Thames Valley.

Kate Jackson

Kate Jackson (she/her) is the Head of Clinical Workforce and Quality, Personalised Care Group at NHS England and Improvement. An occupational therapist by profession, she has held clinical and non-clinical roles across national and local footprints.

Kate (@krjacks) was previously the Allied Health Professional (AHP) Professional Advisor to the Ageing Well programme and Discharge and Community Cell as part of the COVID-19 response at NHS England and Improvement. She is married with two children, two stepchildren and two granddaughters.

Ian Jackson

Director of Contracting and Planning for Specialised Serves in the London region.

Tom Jackson

Tom Jackson was appointed as Chief Finance Officer for Liverpool CCG in August 2012.

Before that he fulfilled a number of senior financial roles for NHS Merseyside including Locality Director of Finance for Liverpool PCT and NHS Sefton.

He has worked in NHS financial management for over 20 years. After graduating with a degree in Economics he joined the NHS as a Graduate Financial Management Trainee working in hospitals around Liverpool.

Upon qualification as an accountant he continued to work in Liverpool hospitals before a move to Commissioning in Wigan with the advent of PCGs and PCTs. In 2007 he returned to Merseyside firstly as Deputy Director and then as Director of Finance for NHS Sefton.

Tom is currently the Senior Responsible Officer for the Healthy Liverpool health and social care transformation programme.

Jacq Emkes

Jacq Emkes is a maths teacher and lives in Bedfordshire.

She is a patient advocate for continence care, speaking at events across the UK to raise awareness of issues for bladder and bowel patients.

Jacq is a patient champion for the It’s Personal campaign, which calls for better services and support for people with bladder and bowel problems.

She is also a patient advocate for NHS England’s Excellence In Continence Care Programme Board and has contributed to the Excellence in Continence Care guidance.

Ray James CBE

Ray brings a wealth of experience and knowledge from a career in local government to his role leading NHS England’s work to transform care for people with a learning disability and their families/carers.

He has served as Executive Director of Health, Housing and Adult Social Care at Enfield Council for over a decade and is a Past President of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS). Ray was awarded a CBE for services to Adult Social Care in the 2018 New Year’s Honours List.

His Local Government career began in 1984 as a Scale 1 Clerical Officer and after working in three other London boroughs he joined Enfield in 1991 where he was appointed as Director in 2006 . Enfield is a multi-award winning North London Council, it’s growing reputation for adult social care reflected in national recognition in respect of safeguarding, independent living, community involvement and transition amongst other issues. Ray has always championed the insight and expertise of people with lived experience and their families. He has consistently sought greater recognition for the front line care and support workforce.

He has held a number of roles within ADASS including Chair of the London Region, National Lead for the Regions and President. His background in Commissioning has led to extensive work on national policy issues in this area.

Ray was born and raised in the East End of London, his family and Irish Ancestry are very important to him. Ray’s studies have included dual professional qualifications and a Masters in Leadership.

Ursula James

Ursula James joined the IAPT Programme in NHS England in June 2016 and has an extensive background in mental health, having trained as a nurse in 1991. She worked in acute mental health care for many years and completed extensive training in therapy before moving into IAPT services in 2009.

Ursula has worked as a Clinical Lead and IAPT Service Manager focusing on quality improvement and, before joining NHS England, was the regional Recovery Lead for the South West IAPT Clinical Network.

Ursula works on national policy developments of the IAPT programme, most notably this year has been the expansion into integrated IAPT services into physical health pathways, and is a specialist clinical advisor for the CQC.

Ann Jarvis

Ann Jarvis is the Programme Director for NHS England’s Alzheimer’s Disease Modifying Treatments programme.

Nicola Jay

Nicola Jay is a consultant paediatrician leading a clinical network in South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw.

After qualifying as a doctor in London (Royal Free Hospital MBBS, St Mary’s Hospital/Imperial BSc physiology) she trained in paediatrics across three regions (Nottingham, Sheffield and Birmingham) with post graduate qualifications in Health Care Leadership (MSc) as well as Ethics & Law (PgDip).

Nicola has worked at Sheffield Children’s Hospital as a consultant in paediatric allergy for a decade with research interests being prevention of food allergy as part of the BEEP study, looking at minority population to improve health, moving allergy services into the community to improve access and de-labelling of antibiotic allergy.

She sits on the paediatricians in medical management committee at the RCPCH which advices on national health policies and standards for young people and is a council member for the clinical senate of Yorkshire & Humber which gives impartial advice to clinicians.

Her main additional role is as the clinical lead for the acutely unwell child managed clinical network (MCN) of South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw (Barnsley, Bassetlaw, Doncaster, Rotherham, Sheffield and Chesterfield/Mid Yorks NHS Trust). The MCN is a workstream of the Integrated Care System (ICS) aiming to improve equity of access, quality of care and subsequent reduction in inequalities of health for the children in our region by working closely together.

Central to her vision is an NHS that unites across currently recognised boundaries to provide seamless care for all children that need health care.

Paul Jebb

Paul Jebb registered as a nurse in 1996 and has held several senior leadership roles within nursing and operational management in the NHS and voluntary sector.

He supports the development and advancement of nursing by being a Care Maker, member of the Nursing and Midwifery Council professional standards advisory group, and ambassador for the Mary Seacole statue appeal.

Paul now leads on Action Area 2 of the Compassion in Practice strategy, looking at developing  co-production of Always Events within the NHS and works with the national patient experience team delivering NHS England commitment to carers, specifically with a lead on older carers.

Prior to this Paul was the Assistant Director of Nursing (Patient Experience) at Blackpool Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust where he led and implemented improvements within the patient experience team.

Helen Jenkins

Helen Jenkins has worked for NHS Central West Neighbourhood Team, based in Blackpool, Lancashire for approximately two years as Health and Wellbeing Support Worker. She was previously employed in similar roles based in and around Blackpool and has built up a foundation of knowledge of services, groups and organisations to help suitably signpost patients.

The role involves working with complex and diverse patients – some from deprived social and economic communities. During the NHS England pilot scheme – on Population Health Management (PHM) – she worked closely with GPs, the CCG and Blackpool Council.

For her the Health and Wellbeing Support Worker role is about caring, spending time to listen, reacting and supporting people to access the right organisation with a helping hand.

Grace Jeremy

Grace Jeremy is the Engagement Lead and Lead Young Advisor for We Can Talk, the Rights and Participation worker at Off The Record Bristol and Peer Project Coordinator for The Blurt Foundation.

She has been working as a mental health activist, educator and speaker since she was 17. You can follow her at @_graceadele.

Dr Caroline Jessel

Dr Caroline Jessel is the Regional Lead for Sustainability and Health for NHS England, South. She has been a GP for 30 years in Kent and has always had a strong interest in the relationship between the environment and health. She also works for the Kent and Medway area team as Clinical Strategy Lead responsible for facilitating all NHS organisations in the county to develop safe, sustainable and effective services. She is a member of the Kent Surrey and Sussex Clinical Senate Council and supports the Strategic Clinical Networks in the region. Caroline has led the development of the Sustainable Surgery Award Scheme, piloted in Kent and she is co-chair of the Kent Nature Partnership.

James Jeynes

James Jeynes is the proud father of Lewis, 12, who was diagnosed with terminal Batten Disease in 2014.

In his professional life, James is Chief Executive of MemNet Ltd and Executive Office Ltd and also has roles as Associate Director for Advantage Public Services and as a director of the Football Argument Ltd.

James is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and for over 24 years he has been helping to improve the membership and association sectors through his creation of high quality professional networks.

He has previously worked in local and central government including public sector development roles overseas in South Africa, France, Switzerland, UAE, Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad.

In his spare time, James is a trustee of The Lewis Jeynes Fund, a board trustee of the Batten Disease Family Association and a lived experience advisor to the NHS England Personal Health Budgets Team.

Hardeep Jhutty

Deputy Director, Strategy and Development, Centre for Improving Data Collaboration, NHS Transformation Directorate
Hardeep is Deputy Director for Strategy and Development in the Centre for Improving Data Collaboration. Prior to this she led Strategy and Policy for Integrated Care Systems, and Pricing Strategy at Monitor/ NHS Improvement. More broadly, Hardeep’s experience has focussed on healthcare strategy and economics in the UK and in the global health arena. She has worked with a wide range of NHS organisations, international actors including the UN and WHO, funders and industry partners to develop and deliver transformative partnerships. Hardeep is passionate about health and enabling research and innovation that has the potential to transform lives and improve equity. She has also held and continues to serve in Trustee roles that are focussed on health and care at home and overseas.

Dr Jagan John

Dr Jagan John, North East London CCG Chair and Clinical Chair Barking and Dagenham, has worked in the NHS since 1999 and is a GP at the Aurora Medcare Practice in Barking. Before training as a GP, he worked in A&E and cardiology. He has a special interest in cardiology and paediatric cardiology.
Jagan has worked in senior roles in various leadership positions locally and nationally in the NHS, NHS England, and Department of Health and Social Care. He is a strong advocate of personalised health care and excellent patient experience. He is the clinical lead for personalised care in London (NHS England-London) and Healthy London Partnerships. He also works as a GP with a Special Interest (GPwSI) in Cardiology.
Jagan is married with two children and enjoys travelling and spending time with his family. He is a keen West Ham United supporter.

Philip Johns

Phil Johns has been Chief Executive of Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board since its inception, joining from the then newly merged Coventry and Warwickshire CCG and has worked in both provider and commissioner roles in the NHS for over 25 years. Phil came to Coventry and Warwickshire from Birmingham and Solihull CCG where he was both Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Finance Officer. He is a firm believer that the Integrated Care Board must continue with the partnership ethos it developed as the STP and to do that it must continue to involve, and where appropriate devolve to, organisations, professionals and the public in Coventry and Warwickshire in how we deliver our services.

Jeff Johnston

Jeff Johnston, Associate Director of Operations at Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust, joined the Trust in December 2005 as the Assistant Director of Finance before moving into operational management in 2009, and has held a number of senior management roles including Divisional Manager, managing all the divisional services within the Trust.

Jeff became the Associate Director of Operations in September 2014.

Prior to joining the Trust Jeff held a number of senior positions in both the NHS and other public sector organisations.

He led the successful Acute Care Collaborations Vanguard application in 2015 and continues to work with the programme team to develop new care models.

Dr Matthew Jolly

Dr Matthew Jolly is National Clinical Director for the Maternity Review and Women’s Health, NHS England, taking up the role in October 2015.

He is an experienced clinician who is committed to providing excellent individual care and to the strategic improvement of maternity services and women’s health.

Matthew qualified at St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School and trained as an obstetrician and gynaecologist in the North West Thames region, including two years researching the role of maternal metabolism in fetal growth at Imperial College School of Medicine.

He trained as a sub specialist in maternal and fetal medicine at the Centre for Fetal Care, Queen Charlotte’s & Chelsea Hospital. Since 2001 he has worked as a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust and Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust.

He has in the past worked as a departmental clinical director and as joint clinical director for The Maternity Children and Young People South East Coast Strategic Clinical Network.

Samantha Jones

Samantha Jones is NHS England’s Director for New Models of Care.

Samantha Jones was appointed as NHS England’s New Care Models Programme Director in January 2015 leading the implementation of new models of care as outlined in the NHS Five Year Forward View.

She started her NHS career as a paediatric and general nurse and was a national management trainee. Having worked in a variety of operational management roles, and in the national clinical governance support team, she became the Chief Executive of Epsom and St Helier Hospitals NHS Trust.

Following this, Samantha worked in the independent sector before she was appointed Chief Executive of West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust in February 2013.

In 2014 she was awarded Health Service Journal Chief Executive of the Year and the trust’s “Onion” was highly commended in the patient safety award.

Suzanne Jones

Suzanne Jones is NHS England’s Project Lead for Personal Health Budgets in the End of Life Pathway. Suzanne began working in the NHS in 1975 as a student physiotherapist, and spent the first 23 years of her career working clinically, both in the NHS and in the private sector. Following the creation of PCTs, Suzanne became a clinical member of North Devon PCT’s Professional Executive Committee, and a year later Head of Physiotherapy. In 2005, Suzanne moved into commissioning, with a portfolio covering older people and Continuing Healthcare. From 2009-2014, Suzanne led Oxfordshire’s work to successfully pilot personal health budgets and prior to moving to NHS England, Suzanne was Programme Director for Community Integrated Localities in Oxfordshire. Outside work Suzanne has enjoyed several volunteer roles, most notably as a volunteer at the London Olympics and as Chair of a local parish council.

Annwen Jones

Annwen Jones has been Chief Executive of Target Ovarian Cancer since its formation in 2008. She is the Vice-Chair of the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition and co-founder of World Ovarian Cancer Day.

Annwen was appointed by NHS England to the National Cancer Drugs Panel in 2014 and currently sits on several clinical trial steering committees, including the UK Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening (UKCTOCS).

Dr Indra Joshi

Dr Indra Joshi is the Clinical Lead for NHS England’s Empower the Person Portfolio overseeing the national citizen facing digital initiatives within the NHS with a focus on evidence, data, digital health standards and policy for AI.

Indra has a unique portfolio with experience stretching across policy, governance, digital health and marketing, national project strategy and implementation; whilst remaining true to her professional training as an emergency medic.

She is the Clinical Director of One HealthTech – a network which campaigns for the need and importance of better inclusion of all backgrounds, skillsets and disciplines in health technology. Alongside she is a Vice Chair for the British Computer Society (Health), an international speaker and consultant on digital health, an expedition medic, and most importantly a mum to two wonderful little munchkins

Anne Joshua

Anne Joshua is Head of Pharmacy Integration for NHS England and NHS Improvement and is responsible for leading the programme of work supported by the Pharmacy Integration Fund. Prior to this she was Chief Pharmacist at NHS Direct before moving to NHS England in 2013 as NHS 111 Pharmacy Lead supporting the integrated urgent care programme.

Dr Nikki Kanani

Dr Nikki Kanani is a GP in south-east London and is Medical Director of Primary Care for NHS England and NHS Improvement. Prior to joining NHS England she was Chief Clinical Officer of NHS Bexley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

Nikki has held a range of positions within healthcare to support the development of innovative models of care, highly engaged clinical, patient and public leadership and is passionate about supporting primary care, improving service provision and population wellbeing.

She is a member of The King’s Fund General Advisory Council and holds a MSc in health care commissioning. With her sister she co-founded STEMMsisters, a social enterprise supporting young people to study science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine. She has two young children.

Luvjit Kandula

Luvjit Kandula, Chief Officer, Leicestershire and Rutland Local Pharmaceutical Committee. Specialist Advisor APPG Diabetes, Chair – PCPA Community Pharmacy Group.

Luvjit is a qualified pharmacist who currently works as the Chief Officer of Leicestershire and Rutland Local Pharmaceutical Committee and was recently seconded to NHS Digital to support digitising medicines and Pharmacy.

Her role involves advancing community pharmacy in the local NHS whilst representing Community Pharmacists interests through integration. Luvjit has extensive experience working as a Community Pharmacist also having worked in hospital pharmacy and industry both in the UK and abroad. Previous roles include Head of Pharmacy Services, Head of the Pre-registration Training Programmes and also Chairing Warwickshire Local Pharmaceutical Committee.

Viral Kantaria

Viral Kantaria is Senior Programme Manager in NHS England’s Adult Mental Health Team.

He used to be a policy lead for mental health crisis care and legislation at the Department of Health. He has been a member of the Mental Health Act Review’s Working Group. You can follow him at @ViralKMH.

Professor Partha Kar

Professor Partha Kar is National Specialty Advisor, Diabetes with NHS England and co-author of the national Diabetes GIRFT report.

He has been a Consultant in Diabetes and Endocrinology at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust since 2008- and pioneer of the Super Six Diabetes Model which is recognised as one of the good examples of integrated care.

He has helped to expand use of technology in Type 1 Diabetes- namely use of Flash Glucose in Type 1 Diabetes and CGM in Type 1Diabetes pregnancy along with online digital self-management platforms- while recently leading on real world data collection on Closed Loops for subsequent NICE review. He has worked subsequently with NICE on updating relevant guidelines in non-invasive glucose monitoring access in Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes.

His other work has involved introduction of frailty into QoF treatment targets, Diabulimia pilot projects in the NHS; championing “Language Matters” and helping to create an overview of Diabetes care in Primary Care Networks. Recent work has focussed on transitional care models- as well as tackling inequalities in technology access based on deprivation and ethnicity.

He is one of the leading users of social media in diabetes care – and writes a monthly blog for the British Medical Journal.

He has also been:

  • Co-creator of TAD (Talking About Diabetes) – TED talks from those with T1Diabetes
  • Co- creator of Type 1 Diabetes comic (Volume 1 to 4)
  • Co-creator of DEVICES (Virtual Reality educational modules in diabetes)

Beyond diabetes, he also recently taken a role in tackling issues of racial disparity in the medical workforce as the Medical Workforce Race Equality Standard lead for NHS England. He has also been named as one of the most influential BAME individuals in healthcare in 2020,2021 and 2022.

Follow Partha on Twitter: @parthaskar

Dr Juliane Kause

Dr Juliane Kause is the care group lead emergency care, lead consultant out of hours care and seven day services University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.

Visiting fellow at the University of Southampton

Intensivist and General Physician with interest in service improvement, multi-professional working and recognition & treatment of acute illness.

First full time Out of Hours and Seven Day Services consulant in NHS (to date as far as we know).

Passionate Leader for Seven Day Services and Out of Hours Hospital Care.

Proactive teacher, leader, contributor and learner to the patient safety collaborative.

Research interests include rapid response systems in hospitals, Out of Hours Care Systems and Human Factors.

Nicola Kay

Nicola Kay is NHS England’s Deputy Director for Personalised Care Policy and Strategy.

In her role, she develops and leads the approach to scaling up and mainstreaming personalised care, including embedding the relevant IT infrastructure, developing necessary skills across the NHS, identifying new legislative rights and strategic stakeholder engagement.

Nicola leads a team which work closely with local areas to embed new opportunities for personalised care in areas such as substance misuse and neuro-disability. Her team also includes a range of people who bring their own lived experience to the team’s work.

Prior to joining NHS England in 2016, Nicola worked for 10 years as a civil servant in a range of central government policy, strategy and finance roles. She led on health and social care spending at HM Treasury, including the commissioning reforms in the 2012 Health and Social Care Act, the Dilnot Commission and the 2010 Spending Review.

Professor Peter Kay

Peter Kay is National Clinical Director for Musculoskeletal Services for NHS England.

He is a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at Wrightington Hospital, Lancashire and a former President of the British Orthopaedic Association (2011), British Hip Society (2008) and British Orthopaedics Trainees Association (1992).

Peter is also Honorary Clinical Professor of Orthopaedics at the University of Manchester and Clinical Professor at the University Central Lancashire and currently serves on the Council of The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

He has produced research publications (scientific and popular) and presentations on orthopaedics and trauma, health service management, modernisation and medico-legal aspects of orthopaedics and trauma, clinical networks, integrated care, workforce development and specialist commissioning.

His clinical interests include hip and knee replacement surgery, revision joint replacement surgery for loosening and infection and knee arthroscopy, multidisciplinary approach to arthroplasty services.

Managerially he has been Director of Research, Clinical Director, Divisional Chairman for MSK (responsible for elective orthopaedics, trauma and rheumatology) and Associate Medical Director in his own Trust (Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS FT).

He has three years’ experience as a full Trust Board Member up to a successful Foundation Trust application and is the clinical lead for the Specialist Orthopaedic Hospital Alliance in the UK.

He has campaigned nationally and internationally for effective and equitable commissioning for musculoskeletal services across the whole of healthcare.

Dr Matt Kearney

Matt Kearney is NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and a GP in Shropshire. He has been working for both NHS England and Public Health England since 2013, and has led development of the NHS Long Term Plan CVD Prevention Programme.

In particular, he has focused on driving system change to help the NHS to get serious about prevention of heart attacks, strokes and other vascular conditions – through clinical leadership, better use of data, and new ways of working that support primary care to improve outcomes for patients and communities.

Previously Matt worked as clinical and public health advisor to the Department of Health respiratory programme, and was a member of the NICE Public Health Interventions Advisory Committee from 2005 to 2013. He has a Master’s Degree in Public Health and is a Fellow of both the Royal College of GPs and the Royal College of Physicians.

Lavinia Kellman

Lavinia Kellman works as the Young Carer Administrator in the Patient Experience Team at NHS England. Young Carers are supported through our Commitment to Carers programme.

Lavinia spent a large part of her childhood caring for older family members.

As a result of her employment with NHS England, Lavinia is hoping to gain transferable office skills and to widen the range of career opportunities open to her.

Brian Kelly

Brian Kelly is a 73 year old, retired fireman.

Following 30 years services in the fire service, he spent 10 years working at the Bank of England printing works, where he was in charge of their Fire Section.

Brian’s final employment was as a support worker in the Home Treatment Team for a community mental health team.

He retired last year to care for his wife who has just reached the age of 78 and who was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s four years ago. Brian has been a full-time carer for his wife for the last two years.

When his caring role allows, Brian’s interests are D.I.Y, some golf, getting involved in the garden, walking, and generally keeping busy. Brian also enjoys reading and watching TV, when time permits.

Beth Kelly

Beth has worked in the NHS for 16 years. She is a DSN in Southampton specialising in the care of type 1 diabetes. Beth also has a special love for all things young adults and tech!

Beth is a co-chair for the DSN Forum Team & an editorial Board Advisor for @DRWFDiabetes. She is also about to complete her 1st year in her @MScDiabPrac! Beth also lectures in diabetes subjects and has spoken nationally. She has published various work with leading nursing journals.

The DSN Forum Team won the @QICProgramme award for Healthcare Professionals of the Year in 2018.

Professor Peter Kelly

Professor Peter Kelly joined Public Health England in September 2016 as Centre Director for the North East having previously been the Director of Public Health for Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council for 4 years.

Previously he was a Director of Public Health for 11 years in various NHS posts in the North East of England, including two years as Acting Regional Director of Public Health.

His current responsibilities include leading the provision of a high quality, responsive expert public health service to support the work of the Local Authorities and NHS partners in the North East.

Peter started his career as a medical statistician following completion of his PhD in statistics in 1987. He worked as a lecturer at Newcastle University Medical School until 1996 and was the founding director of the Centre for Health & Medical Research at Teesside University until 1999.

He joined Pfizer Pharmaceuticals for a brief spell before joining the NHS in 2000. He also had four years’ experience as an acute hospital non-executive director, including being the trust vice chair and setting up and chairing their original clinical governance committee.

He joined Tees Health Authority in 2000 and has held senior public health roles in the North East since then.

Tim Kelsey

Tim Kelsey was previously National Director for Patients and Information, since the publication of these blogs he has left NHS England.

Scott Kemp

Scott graduated with honours in Philosophy and then gained post-graduate qualifications in Fashion Marketing.

He has worked as the Social Media Manager for three years and prior to this, worked at the NHS Leadership Academy within their digital team. Whilst the last three years have been in healthcare, the majority of his professional life has been within commerce.

His background strengths are within healthcare, fashion and apparel industry and the motor vehicle industry, where he has several years of experience, particularly within the latter two industries. Both his industry background and experiences are far and wide, ranging from traditional offline marketing (events/print), project management through to website management and of course, social media management.

Scott can be found on Twitter via @scottaustinkemp

Professor Tim Kendall

Professor Tim Kendall is NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Mental Health. He has been Director of the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health at the Royal College of Psychiatrists for 15 years and Visiting Professor at University College London for the last eight years.

Tim has also been Medical Director for 13 years and continues as Consultant Psychiatrist for the homeless at Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust.

As Medical Director, Tim has set up a service user experience monitoring unit, led the reconfiguration of acute care and rehabilitation leading to the elimination of out of area treatments, the modernisation of the acute and crisis care pathways and initiated the development of NICE recommended personality disorder services within the community.

He chaired the first NICE guideline, launched in December 2002, on the management of schizophrenia and the first National Quality Standard (Dementia) for NICE.

Tim has published numerous articles and papers and often represents the NCCMH, NICE or the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the media. In 2004, he was awarded “Lancet Paper of the Year” for showing the impact of selective publishing by the drug industry about antidepressants in the treatment of childhood depression; and with others was awarded the Paper of the Year Award for the Health Economic Journal ‘Value in Health’ in 2012 for work on schizophrenia.

Annette Kennedy

Annette Kennedy was elected 28th President of the International Council of Nurses (ICN) in June 2017 after serving four years as Vice President.

Previously, she held the position of President of the European Federation of Nurses and was active in lobbying the European Parliament, Commission and Council.

A Registered Nurse and Midwife with a BA in Nursing Studies and an MSc in Public Sector Analysis, Annette was the Director of Professional Development for the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation for 19 years and established the INMO’s very successful Education, Research and Resource Centre.

Professor Sir Bruce Keogh

Professor Sir Bruce Keogh is NHS England’s Medical Director and professional lead for NHS doctors. He is responsible for promoting clinical leadership, quality and innovation.

Formerly, Sir Bruce had a distinguished career in surgery. He was Director of Surgery at the Heart Hospital and Professor of Cardiac Surgery at UCL. He has been President of the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland, Secretary-General of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, International Director of the US Society of Thoracic Surgeons, and President of the Cardiothoracic Section of the Royal Society of Medicine. He has served as a Commissioner on the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) and the Healthcare Commission. He was knighted for services to medicine in 2003.

Follow Bruce on Twitter @drbrucekeogh

Helen Keynes

Helen Keynes is a patient safety specialist in NHS England’s London region team. They support NHS organisations across London to implement the NHS patient safety strategy.

Jasbinder Khambh

Jasbinder Khambh is an experienced pharmacist who has worked in the NHS for 20 years as a pharmacist and a senior manager. Jas has led on various initiatives and programmes of work across London to help deliver the objectives of the strategic QIPP programme and other medicines optimisation initiatives. More recently, she has been working at NHS England as the National Pharmacy Adviser for NHS RightCare, focusing on the national initiatives for medicines optimisation within NHS RightCare.

Dr Shashidhar Khandavalli

Dr Shashidhar Khandavalli has been a GP partner at The Chorley Surgery, Chorley, since 2008 and is now also Clinical Director for Chorley Central Primary Care Network.

Shashi has interests in a number of areas including management and completed an MBA in 2015. He was previously a CCG clinical director and is a GP Partner at a CQC rated Outstanding practice. His passion for improvement and innovation has driven projects such as the PCUST (primary care user support team) which was shortlisted for the BMJ Award for Primary Care in 2018.

In partnership with Chorley Council, Shashi is determined to bring together the local community assets around the Primary Care Network to improve community and individual resilience. He aims to work collaboratively to improve the lived environment and in particular the ability for residents to access real food and nutrition.

Kamlesh Khunti

Kamlesh Khunti is Professor of Primary Care Diabetes and Vascular Medicine at the University of Leicester, UK. He is Co-Director of the Leicester Diabetes Centre and leads a research group that is currently working on the early identification of, and interventions with, people who have diabetes or are at increased risk of developing diabetes.

His work has influenced national and international guidelines on the screening and management of people with diabetes. Professor Khunti is also Director of the UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care East Midlands and Director of The Real World Evidence Unit and the Centre for Black Minority Ethnic Health. He is a NIHR Senior Investigator and Principal Investigator on several major national and international studies.

Professor Khunti is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and is currently an advisor to the Department of Health, a Clinical Advisor for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and Secretary of the Primary Care Study Group of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes. He is Past Chair of the Department of Health–RCGP Committee on Classification of Diabetes and is Past Chair of the NICE Guidelines on Prevention of Diabetes.

In addition, he is Co-Director of the Diabetes MSc at Leicester University. He has won numerous awards nationally and internationally.

Nicola King

Nicola King is Head of Commissioning Skills in the Commissioning System Development support team.

For the last year she has been leading a programme of work to support the development of CCGs. One of the things that CCGs have been asking for is support to develop governance arrangements that suit the new organisational form of CCGs and which are light on bureaucracy while being rigorous in providing assurance to their full range of stakeholders.

She has supported a task and finish group of the NHS Commissioning Assembly CCG development working group to commission a piece of work from the Good Governance Institute to assist CCGs with this.

Nicola has worked in the NHS for 25 years. She originally trained as a pharmacist and was a specialist in cardiothoracic medicine before moving into general management roles more than ten years ago.

Ewan King

Ewan King joined SCIE in September 2014 and is responsible for ensuring the delivery of SCIE’s contracted work, attracting new commissions, and supporting co-production with people who use services and carers. Ewan has been Director of Business Development and Communications at the OPM Group, an employee owned research organisation and consultancy.

A social researcher and policy analyst by background, Ewan was previously Director of the research team at OPM and led several large scale national evaluations, policy development projects and research studies for organisations including NHS England, Communities and Local Government, Department for Education, Department of Health, CQC and numerous national charities.

Before joining OPM, Ewan worked as a researcher for the Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP. Ewan is a Trustee of the Charity Penrose, which seeks to re-integrate ex-offenders and people with mental health conditions into society, and was educated at the London School of Economics and Warwick University.

Andrea King

Andrea King is the Local Authority Advisor for Wessex and Thames Valley Regions, having previously spent 20 years in Children’s Services, in the voluntary sector, central government and as a senior leader in Local Authority, most recently as Assistant Director for Safeguarding and Prevention Services in West Berkshire Council. Andrea uses restorative approaches to enable senior leaders and frontline staff to work together to find solutions to improve outcomes for children and families. Andrea is working part-time for NHS England and part-time providing safeguarding improvement or restorative/systems change consultancy across the UK, whilst studying for a Bachelor in Theology at Oxford University.

Sally Kingsland

Sally Kingsland is the Clinical Quality Manager for North Central and East London and Infection Prevention and Control lead for NHS England (London).

She qualified as a nurse in 1996 and has a degree and Masters in Public Health.

Sally has worked across the acute, community, social care and health and justice sectors and her current role within NHS England’s nursing directorate is to support the quality improvement, system leadership, direct commissioning and assurance functions of the organisation.

She is a member of the national Infection Prevention and Control Steering Group and the NHS England Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy Implementation Group.

Dr James Kingsland OBE

Dr James Kingsland OBE is President of the National Association Primary Care, having previously served as Chairman from 2004-08.

He is the senior partner in a nationally renowned, award winning General Practice in the North West of England and has a wealth of experience in primary care, medical education and medical politics.

James is the co-author of the new care model for the NHS, the Primary Care Home, and is now one of the two national leads for the programme.

He served as a senior GP advisor at the Department of Health to both ministers and the senior civil service from 1999-2002 and from 2009–2013.

Karen Kirkham

Karen Kirkham has been a GP for over 25 years and is now senior partner in a large practice, combining this with a senior leadership role in Dorset.

She also has a national role as Senior Medical Advisor to the Primary Care Provider Transformation team.

Karen is currently focusing on the redesign, transformation and delivery of the integrated community services and primary care component of Dorset’s STP.

During 2018/19 she was a national clinical advisor for primary care with the NHSE System Transformation team.

Simon Knight

Simon Knight is a Special School Leader and National SEND Leader at Whole School SEND, a consortium of organisations committed to enhancing the quality of education for learners with special educational needs and / or disabilities.

He has sat on the Department for Education panels developing both the Professional Standards for Teaching Assistants and the Standard for Teachers’ Professional Development.

He writes features for the TES and regularly contributes comment and content to other publications and conferences.

Follow Simon Knight on Twitter: @simonknight100

Dr Phil Koczan

Dr Koczan has been a GP in Chingford North East London for nearly 30 years. He is a fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners and a member of their Health Informatics Group. He is also a founding fellow of the Faculty of Clinical Informatics.

He has a long interest in medical informatics and has roles supporting shared records, digital primary care and clinical safety at both London and national levels.

His particular interest is around both the application of technology to support care and bringing data together from different care settings to support direct patient care and quality improvement.

Lela Kogbara

Lela Kogbara combines her role as Director of the NHS Learning Disability Employment Programme with being Assistant Chief Executive of Islington Council. She also undertakes voluntary leadership roles with City & Islington College, Action for Southern Africa, Bernie Grant Arts Centre, and Islington Community Theatre.

Mervyn Kohler

Mervyn Kohler is External Affairs Adviser at Age UK, having been Head of Public Affairs at Help the Aged since 1984.

His original role was to manage the Charity’s links with Parliament, Government and the outside world, and to develop the policy positions of Help the Aged.

As the political and social agenda involving older people has mushroomed, Mervyn has increasingly focussed on cross-cutting issues and new developments in policy and practice whilst retaining an overview of the broad policy field, and a long-standing interest in fuel poverty and the issue of keeping adequately warm in winter.

This, with his (nearly) thirty years of long service, means he plays a part too as the public face of the Charity, at conferences, seminars and in the media.

He is, and has been, on the trustee board of a number of charities and on several public bodies, and currently serves on the Fuel Poverty Advisory Group.

Dr Katerina Kolyva

Dr Katerina Kolyva is the Executive Director of the Council of Deans of Health, the UK network of universities that deliver healthcare programmes and research. In this role, she leads the strategy of the organisation, engages with government and parliament across the UK and influences policy in the field of higher education and research. Prior to joining the Council of Deans, Katerina held director roles in UK healthcare regulation and worked with the EU Commission and Parliament as an expert on education and culture policy. Katerina holds a PhD in European studies and MA in international relations from the University of Kent. She held two Marie Curie Fellowships funded by the EU and a national fellowship funded by the Danish Government and taught identity politics and EU policy in Denmark, the UK, Belgium, Lithuania and Jordan. She speaks five European languages fluently, having lived and worked in six European countries.

Dr Priya Kumar

Dr. Priya Kumar has been a GP Partner at Kumar Medical Centre since 2013 and holds a variety of other roles. This includes being the Health Inequalities lead for Slough, Transformational Clinical Lead for Connected Care in the Frimley ICB. She has also recently been named the ‘Digital Innovator of the Year’ 2023 at the Digital HSJ awards.

Priya has been involved in transforming care across the system by working with various stakeholders including the residents, primary care, secondary care, social care, the voluntary sector, and public health. Her main passion lies in developing innovative clinical pathways by using a population health approach and applying digital solutions to improve patient outcomes whilst incorporating the residents’ views and underlying circumstances.

Dr Steven Laitner

Dr Steven Laitner is a General Practitioner with a Public Health and Clinical Leadership background.

As well as practising as a part time GP he is a freelance health consultant with his own consultancy company Programmes for Health which supports a range of healthcare commissioning and provider organisations.

Steven was one of the original architects of the Accountable Lead Provider model whilst working at the Department of Health, where he was also National Clinical Lead for Shared Decision Making.

He is currently supporting a range of organisations on developing accountable, integrated, programmes of care.

During 2016 Steven joined the National Association of Primary Care (NAPC) as a Clinical Advisor to their Primary Care Home (PCH) Programme.He has developed a keen interest in Population Health Management, in particular, Population Segmentation and Risk Stratification.

His work also covers new models of care delivery such as telephone triage, referral triage, self management support, care coordination, case management and care planning. He supports commissioners and providers to develop new programmes of care such as Musculoskeletal and Frail Elderly Programmes.

His clinical interests include primary care, frail elderly, care planning, self care support, GP access, patient leadership and shared decision making.

Andrea Lake

Andrea qualified as a nurse in 2008 after working as a healthcare assistant from the age of 18. Andrea’s first role as a staff nurse was on a high dependency unit. She has worked within a split clinical and research role in the speciality of diabetes at Cambridge University Hospitals Foundation Trust for nine years. Clinically, Andrea is a senior Diabetes Specialist Nurse primarily working within the inpatient setting. She also has experience with insulin pump therapy, DAFNE and all aspects of inpatient and outpatient adult diabetes services. Within Andrea’s research role, she is the lead diabetes research nurse and supports commercial and academic research, as required, through all stages of the process from development of an idea through to dissemination.

Andrea has an MSc in clinical research and several publications. She is also the vice chair of the Diabetes UK clinical study group 4 in acute care. Andrea’s personal areas of interest are inpatient diabetes management and how research can improve this, translating research into clinical practice and clinical academic careers for nurses, midwives and allied health care professionals.

Andrea loves to use twitter as platform to share good practice and experience and believe it is important to listen and learn from each other. You can follow her at @AndreaLake1984.

Angela Lane

Angela Lane trained as a contemporary dancer and choreographer.

Her career in dance took her to Eastbourne where her second daughter Cherry was born and eventually diagnosed with Rett Syndrome

While her daughter was at school, Angela joined the SEN Forum for East Sussex Education Authority and through her Transition to Adult Services she worked with researchers and consultants to help inform policy in this area, eventually becoming one of the parent carer representatives on ESCC Learning Disabilities Partnership Board (LDPB).

Angela went on to lead projects in Intensive Interaction (Interact Now) with Sussex Partnership NHS Trust, and Person Centered Approaches projects for the LDPB. As creative director of these projects, Angela worked with a team whose aim was to discover the conditions and contexts in which person centered approaches, Total Communication and other contemporary methodologies can be successfully used to complement the inherent ability of individuals and their supporters to have the life they want.

Following completion of a creative writing certificate at Sussex University, Angela went on to become an associate tutor in the service user and carer network at the university, teaching and supporting the development of the social work undergraduate and master’s degrees.

During this time she worked to establish her daughter’s Independent Living Trust and has experience of both the social care direct payments scheme and the new NHS Personal Health Budgets scheme.

With the progression of her father’s Parkinson’s disease and dementia, Angela is interested in developing her skills to support families and people encountering dementia in their lives.

Angela continues to have a deep interest in dance and writing and considers everything in her life to be connected. Now a grandmother to two beautiful grandsons, she feels she is enjoying the rewards of a long life.

Stuart Lane

Stuart Lane qualified as a chartered physiotherapist in 1998 and quickly developed a specific interest in long term neurological conditions, which has seen him work in a variety of settings across the NHS.

Over the last seven years, Stuart has dedicated his time to supporting the development of personal health budgets and person centred care in the NHS.

In 2014 Stuart created lanes4change limited, working with leading organisations committed to developing new approaches to supporting those with long-term support needs.

Martha Lane Fox

Martha Lane Fox is the founder of Doteveryone.org.uk. Martha was asked by the Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, to recommend practical proposals for the National Information Board on how to ensure increased take-up of new digital innovations in health.

Dr Peter Lanyon

Dr Peter Lanyon is a Consultant Rheumatologist at Nottingham University Hospitals, where he provides clinical care integrated with research, including specialised rheumatology services for rarer autoimmune diseases across the East Midlands.

Peter’s career path is unique for a secondary care doctor, having started training and working in General Practice. In this setting he rapidly became aware of the challenges faced by people living with Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases and saw him pursue a new career in Rheumatology. It also led to him undertaking research demonstrating a significant unmet educational need among doctors training in Primary Care.

Since 2013 he has chaired the NHS England Clinical Reference Group for Specialised Rheumatology. This team has worked tirelessly to raise the national profile of the needs of people living with rare rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases, their access to high-cost treatments, and the delivery of their care in coordinated networks.

He brings this experience, and his unique understanding and perspective of Primary Care, to his current role as President of the British Society for Rheumatology.

Emma Latimer

Emma Latimer is the Chief Officer for NHS Hull CCG.

She has worked in the NHS for 25 years in a range of settings which include the ambulance service, hospitals and health authority, but predominantly as a commissioner.

Emma has led NHS Hull CCG for three years and is passionate about improving local health outcomes by working with patients and other partners to create a healthier Hull.

She is Programme Sponsor for the Hull 2020 programme – a partnership of nine organisations committed to transforming the way public services work to enable the people of Hull to improve their own health and wellbeing and to achieve their aspirations for the future.

Chris Layfield

Chris Layfield has a BA (Hons) in Youth and Community Studies and is a Teenage Cancer Trust funded Youth Support Coordinator at the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Jennifer Layton

Jennifer Layton is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and also a Fellow of the National Institute of Mental Health.

She works with the Derbyshire Autism Partnership Board as a member with lived experience, to help shape the work being done locally for people on the spectrum.

Jennifer also works with Derbyshire Healthcare Foundation Trust to train and raise awareness of Autism amongst their staff and is beginning a MSc of Mental Health Recovery and Social Inclusion in September 2017.

She also volunteers for Derby Museums Trust as a co-producer. As well as training to be a Peer Leader, she is also a member of the Derbyshire Personal Health Budget Peer Network and is working towards becoming a member of the NHS England’s Co-production Group.

Peers Leaders play a vital role in helping to co-produce key NHS personalisation programmes, such as Integrated Personal Commissioning and Personal Health Budgets, by providing the essential ‘lived experience’ perspective.

GP Dr Hein Le Roux

Hein is a GP Partner at Churchdown Practice in Gloucester and has recently taken up a role as Deputy Medical Director for NHS England South West as well as being the One Gloucestershire ICS Quality Improvement Clinical Lead. Previously he was the Deputy Clinical Chair for Gloucestershire CCG where he led on ageing well, dementia and end of life amongst other things. He also had a role as the Population Health Management Champion for Gloucester City where he also co-chaired the Gloucester City Integrated Locality Partnership and previously sat on the Gloucestershire Health and Wellbeing Board.

Hein has developed a passion for improving the quality of healthcare experienced by service users and achieved through collaborative working. He has benefited from his experiences of working in several different health care systems including Australia.

Sarah Leach

Sarah Leach is the Personal Health Budget Implementation Manager for Warrington Clinical Commissioning Group.

She is responsible for ensuring the personalisation agenda is delivered as one of the key ambitions of the Five Year Forward View – transforming the way in which the NHS empowers patients. This includes leading the expansion of personal health budgets, the delivery of the individualised commissioning, and developing and implementing new models of delivering patient choice and control including in end of life care, mental health and wheelchair services.

Dr Jonathan Leach

Dr (Colonel Retired) Jonathan Leach is a GP in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, and chair of the NHS England Armed Forces and their Families Clinical Reference Group.

Dr Leach served for 25 years in the Army including 17 years overseas.

Caroline Lecko

Caroline Lecko is Patient Safety Lead at NHS England.

Caroline has led on nutrition and patient safety since joining the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) in 2006 and has subsequently transferred to the patient safety team within the NHS England. Caroline currently leads on projects related to nutrition and hydration, pressure ulcer prevention and primary care.

Since 2006, Caroline has worked on a range of national and international projects to raise awareness of the importance of good nutritional care to prevent avoidable harm to patients and service users.

These projects have included the development of the Hydration Best Practice Tool for Healthcare, the 10 Key Characteristics of Nutritional Care Factsheets and the Dysphagia Diet Food Descriptors.

Caroline has used her interest in social movement methodology to design and deliver two national Nutrition and Hydration Patient Safety focused weeks and is currently working the National Association of Care Catering and Hospital Caterers Association on the plans for Nutrition and Hydration Week 2014.

Caroline has also been involved in many national policy and advisory groups including the development of the Care Quality Commissions Outcome 5 ‘Meeting Nutritional Needs’ standards, Department of Health Nutrition Action Plan, Parliamentary Hydration Forum and recently the Malnutrition Task Force.

Lynnette Lee

Lynnette supports the NHS England Sustainable Improvement teams, with their social media campaigns and digital communications.

Recently she has promoted the Improvement Fundamentals, and the Developing Effective Networks for Change and Improvement; both are online courses. In previous roles, she has supported the Long Term Conditions and Learning Disabilities programmes.

Ruth Lee

Ruth Lee is a community learning disability nurse for Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust.

She has worked with adults with a learning disability, autism or both who present with behaviours that are considered challenging for six years.

Ruth works with people and their circle of support to use positive behaviour support (PBS). PBS helps us to understand the reasons behind a person’s behaviour.

Her overall aim is to help improve the quality of life of people with a learning disability, autism or both.

Helen Lee

Helen Lee is a qualified nurse with experience of working in both acute and community settings.

She is currently on secondment with NHS England and NHS Improvement leading the #AlwaysEvents ® programme.

Always Events are those aspects of care that are so important to people using services, their families and carers that they should always occur at every interaction with healthcare professionals and the health care delivery system.

Helen is passionate about people being at the heart of everything we do, quality improvement and co-producing improvements and Always Events are a fantastic way to bring these three things to life.

Follow Helen on Twitter: @helenlee321_lee

Lucille Legiewicz

Lucille is the national lead for the Workforce, Learning Disability and Autism Team.

Having worked in the NHS for over 24 years Lucille has held a wide variety of roles across the health sector most recently within NHS England and Improvement as the National Workforce Lead for the Learning Disability and Autism Programme. Lucille has worked in collaboration with autistic people and people with a learning disability, their families and carers in addition to a variety of health and care partners to agree and progress our workforce priorities. Lucille is passionate about fair, diverse and inclusive workforce approaches and actively promotes and encourages coproduction.

Siobhan Lendzionowksi

Siobhan Lendzionowksi is a Leadership Support Manager for Patient Experience within the National Patient Experience Team, which is part of the Nursing Directorate.

She has previously worked for Leeds Community Health NHS Trust; Yorkshire and Humber SHA, Leeds PCT; ran a community health development charity in Leeds for five years; worked in local government homelessness hostels; a domestic violence department and the private sector.

Siobhan left nursing in 1991.

Her career highlights include setting up a new domestic violence organisation that still runs today.

She has also implemented a patient experience and engagement assurance framework across 65 services.

Other highlights include successfully managing a £500,000 friends and family pathfinder programme of work in a region and successfully producing a nutrition and hydration commissioning guidance document with a group of national experts, CCG commissioners and NHS Colleagues whom were a fragmented group with different opinions and are now working successfully together to make major changes to commissioning.

Belinda Lennox

Belinda Lennox is Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford and Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist in the Early Intervention in Psychosis service for Oxford Health NHS FT. She has been a consultant in EIP services for 10 years. Her interests are in discovering the causes of, and developing more effective treatments for, those with psychosis and in implementing those discoveries into clinical practice. She is Deputy Director for the National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research for Oxford, and Clinical Director for NIHR Clinical Research Network: Thames Valley and South Midlands.

Dr Helen Leonard

Dr Helen Leonard is a Consultant in Paediatric Neurodisability at Great North Children’s Hospital.

She is also an Associate Lecturer at Newcastle University, a member of NHS England’s Strategic Coproduction Group and a mother of three, one of whom, Matthew, is a young adult with severe, complex disabilities.

Helen has worked in the NHS since 1993 and has received services from health or social care since Matthew was born in 2000.

The experience with Matthew has influenced her life personally and professionally, including spending two years setting up a paediatric services overseas, as well as being a passionate advocate for families with disabled children.

Vaughan Lewis

Dr Vaughan Lewis FRCPCH: Regional Medical Director, higher level Responsible Officer and Chief Clinical Information Officer | NHS England (South East).

Vaughan trained in Oxford, Bristol and Australia. He was a consultant paediatrician in Exeter from 2002 to 2015 during which time he held clinical management roles including Trust Medical Director and Chair of the South West Clinical Senate. In 2015, he was appointed as the NHS South Regional Medical Director for Specialised Commissioning.

As South East Regional Medical Director his roles include providing clinical leadership and support to NHS organisations and system leaders across the South East including Cancer Alliances, Academic Health Science Networks, Integrated Care Systems, Clinical Networks and Senates as well all NHS provider organisations.

The Regional Medical Director is also the higher level Responsible Officer. This is an important assurance role, ensuring, on behalf of NHS England, that doctors working in any setting in the region are supported to comply with GMC requirements for medical revalidation.

Vaughan is also the Chief Clinical Information Officer (CCIO) and will be working with the regional digital team to deliver a wide-ranging programme to upgrade technology and digitally enabled care across the NHS as set out in the Long Term Plan

Geraint Lewis

Geraint Lewis is the Chief Data Officer at NHS England and an Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer at University College London. He trained in medicine at the University of Cambridge and holds a Masters degree in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Geraint began his career in acute and emergency medicine, working at hospitals in the UK and Australia over an 11-year period.

After completing his higher specialist training in public health medicine, he was appointed Senior Fellow of the Nuffield Trust (an independent health policy think-tank), then as Senior Director for Clinical Outcomes and Analytics at Walgreens in Chicago, before returning to the UK to take up his current post.

A fellow of both the Royal College of Physicians of London and the UK Faculty of Public Health, Geraint is the lead author of the postgraduate textbook Mastering Public Health and has published over 40 peer-reviewed articles in journals in including Health Affairs, JAMA, Milbank Quarterly and the BMJ. Geraint was a 2007 Harkness Fellow in New York, during which time he received the National Directors’ Award at the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs. In 2008 he was the “overall winner” of the Guardian Newspaper’s public service awards. In 2011, he was awarded the Bradshaw Lectureship of the Royal College of Physicians of London. Previous recipients include Sir Liam Donaldson, Dame Sheila Sherlock, and Sir Magdi Yacoub. More recently, he has served as an external adviser to the World Bank, and he leads the Care Model Design work-stream of NHS England’s New Care Models Programme.

Dawn Liburd

Dawn Liburd works for NHS England.

Tom Lindley

Interim Deputy Director – Strategy and Business Development Airedale NHS Foundation Trust.
Tom launched his NHS career with a number of roles as a mental health nurse, before joining the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme. After roles working for Rotherham, Doncaster & South Humber NHS Foundation Trust; NHS England; and the Yorkshire and Humber Academic Health Science Network, he joined Airedale NHS Foundation Trust earlier this year and is closely involved in advancing the potential of its expanding range of telemedicine services.

The Foundation Trust has the lead role in the Airedale and Partners vanguard, which is using telemedicine in more than 200 care homes to help reduce GP call-outs and unnecessary hospital admissions for a cohort of more than 7,000 residents.

Professor Nick Linker

Professor Nick Linker was the National Clinical Director for Heart Disease for NHS England (2019-2024). He led on the implementation of the NHS Long Term Plan for heart disease, the development of heart disease policy for Specialised Commissioning, and was Chair of the Cardiac Services Clinical Reference Group. He was Clinical lead for the Cardiac Transformation Programme and has responsibility for the national cardiac registries.

He trained in Manchester Royal Infirmary and St George’s Hospital, London and was appointed as a consultant cardiologist with an interest in cardiac electrophysiology at South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in 1998 and Honorary Professor at Teesside University in 2021. His clinical practice focused on arrhythmia and syncope management and cardiac implantable electronic devices.

Professor Linker was President of the British Heart Rhythm Society and Honorary Secretary of the British Cardiovascular Society. He was integral in developing UK standards for cardiac implantable electronic devices, electrophysiology and lead extraction and developed guidelines on MR scanning in patients with cardiac devices, peri-operative management of cardiac devices and end of life care pathways for cardiac device patients.

Liz Fenton

Liz Fenton (MSc, BSC (Hons), RN, QN) joined Health Education England in July 2015 and become HEE’s Deputy Chief Nurse in October 2017.

Having completed nurse training at Kings College Hospital, London, Liz qualified as a Registered Nurse in 1981 and subsequently held a number of clinical and leadership roles in both acute and community settings including at board level. Liz was awarded the title Queens Nurse in 2017. Passionate about quality improvement Liz works with the Care Quality Commission as a Specialist Advisor and is an elected member of the Community Hospitals Association leadership team.

Liz also acts as a surveyor for national and international peer accreditation, benchmarking services against best practice. Liz has chaired the Leading Change, Adding Value (LCAV) Capacity and Capability Task and Finish Group on behalf of the LCAV Partnership Board, to develop this learning tool which aims to support all nursing, midwifery and care staff to identify and address unwarranted variation in practice.

Carmel Lloyd

Head of Education and Learning, The Royal College of Midwives.

Carmel’s remit is to shape and support the delivery of the RCM strategy and professional activity for education and learning for members of the College. She also takes the lead on advising internal and external stakeholders on regulatory matters and midwifery regulation. She has been working with all four UK countries on the development of their employer-led models of supervision for midwives and co-ordinating the development of the key principles for the education and training of those undertaking the role that will replace the supervisor of midwives.

Carmel joined the RCM in February 2014 from the Nursing and Midwifery Council where she was the Standards Development Manager, in this capacity she led the review of the Midwives Rules and Standards published in 2012. Previously she was the Acting Head of Midwifery at the NMC and prior to that Lecturer, Programme & Curriculum Development Lead, Midwifery & Women’s Heath Studies at Kings College, University of London.

She has extensive experience in healthcare policy and regulation, standards development, education and curriculum development, midwifery practice and the supervision of midwives. She is frequently invited to speak at regional and national conferences.

Dr Steve Lloyd

Dr Steve Lloyd sponsors the NHS England Task and Finish group on CCG Governance. He has been a GP principal in north east Derbyshire for 15 years and prior to this was a maxillofacial surgeon. He is Chair of NHS Hardwick CCG, regional clinical lead on the EMAS urgent and emergency ambulance contract and clinical lead for the National Ambulance Commissioners Group. He is also a sessional operational clinical lead for Derbyshire Health United OOH provider and in the EMAS operations centre and a council member for East Midlands Clinical Senate.

Steve Lloyd is a member of the NHS Commissioning Assembly and has been involved in a number of Working Groups, including on direct commissioning and Urgent and Emergency Care.

Outside of medicine, he was until recently a senior RAF reserve officer. He is a trustee, medical adviser and a chief expeditions leader for British Exploring Society at the Royal Geographical Society.

He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society and Member of the Royal College of GPs.

Dr Jill Loader

Jill Loader has recently been appointed as Assistant Head of Primary Care Commissioning (Pharmacy) for NHS England from her post as Regional Pharmacist, NHS England South.

She has been leading work nationally on making the best use of pharmacy to support pressure on the urgent and emergency care system and has published materials to support local commissioners to use pharmacy more effectively.

Jill worked previously with the NHS Commissioning Board Transition Team as Strategic Adviser – Pharmacy Commissioning to develop proposals with stakeholders for the commissioning of pharmaceutical services in England.

Previously, Jill was Associate Director for Medicines Management in NHS South West for six years and also held posts in Strategic Health Authorities in the Midlands and South West.

Jill has worked on many national groups, including the Steering Group of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society to develop Principles for Medicines Optimisation and the Pharmacy and Public Health Forum Task Group, looking at identifying how and where community pharmacies sit in the emerging primary, community, and secondary care and public health systems.

She is particularly interested in patient safety and has worked on local projects with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and on patient safety in partnership with the pharmaceutical industry. Jill has worked in strategic roles in the NHS for the past 15 years and has a background working in professional leadership roles, performance management, commissioning organisations, community services, general practice and hospital pharmacy.

Dr José Garcia Lobera

Dr José Garcia Lobera moved from Spain in 2003 and has worked as qualified GP in Southend for the last 15 years at the Pall Mall Surgery in Leigh –on-sea. José is the Chairman for NHS Southend Clinical Commissioning Group CCG and Clinical Lead for Prescribing and GP Clinical Lead for Mental Health and Learning Disability.

Amy Lochtie

Amy Lochtie has been an NHS Assembly member since January 2019 and is West Yorkshire Innovation Hub Director for the Yorkshire and Humber Academic Health Science Network and West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board.

Vanessa Lodge

Vanessa Lodge RGN, BSc (Hons), MA is NHS England’s Director of Nursing for North Central and East London.

Vanessa qualified in 1983 as a general nurse, and worked for 15 years clinically in acute hospital settings, with particular interest and training in cardiac nursing.

This was followed by roles in Senior Nurse Management, general management and commissioning roles; including a period of time working for the NHS modernisation agency as part of the national team to embed redesign principles in health services.

Vanessa moved to London in 2009 to work for Tower Hamlets PCT in quality and clinical governance. Over the following years the role broadened and the PCT worked in a cluster arrangement with inner and outer North East London PCTs until the reorganisation of health service commissioning arrangements in March 2013.

Her current role of includes within its portfolio adult and child safeguarding as well as continuing health care across London.

Vanessa represents London on the national forum for NHS England and has a particular interest in Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), where she represents health services on the Metropolitan Police Steering Group, and chairs the London and NHS England groups.

Caroline Lomax

Caroline is a General Practice Nurse, working at Castleton Health Centre in Rochdale, Lancashire.

She is currently in the process of completing a leadership programme with GP excellence with the NHS England and NHS Improvement CARE (Connected, Authentic, Resilient, Empowered) Leadership and Resilience Programme, as well as undertaking a Quality Improvement Project to evolve and improve population health.

Rosie Lovett

Rosie Lovett is the Head of the Medicines Repurposing Programme> at NHS England. She completed a PhD in Psychology at the University of York and post-doctoral research at University College London, before joining the Technology Appraisals and Science Policy and Research teams at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

Dr Anna Lowe

Dr Anna Lowe is Cancer Implementation Manager for the Allied Health Professions (AHPs) at NHS England. This involves supporting the role of AHPs in helping to deliver the national cancer strategy and raising the profile of the contribution of AHPs to cancer care.

Alongside this, Anna is a Physical Activity Clinical Champion at Public Health England.

Anna is a physiotherapist and has had previous roles in higher education, research and clinical practice.

Dr Finola Lynch

Dr Finola Lynch is a Shropshire GP and the Clinical Vice Chair of Shropshire CCG. She leads on frailty and Shropshire’s transformation programme, Shropshire Care Closer to Home.

Vicky Lyons

Vicky Lyons is Head of Workforce Development, Health Education North West London (HEENWL).

Vicky has 18 years’ experience working in a variety of roles within the NHS and currently works as the Head of Workforce Development at HEENWL responsible for a wide portfolio of workforce planning activities and transformation initiatives. She has also lead the pan London workforce planning team for Health Education England as part of a shared service providing support to the planning and commissioning responsibilities of London’s LETB’s.

Prior to this, Vicky worked for 14 years working in senior HR roles at East London NHS Foundation Trust. More recently she worked as the Assistant Director of Workforce and Development with responsibility for the ESR/Workforce functions, Recruitment, bank and Training and Development teams.

Yoryos (Georgios) Lyratzopoulos

Yoryos (Georgios) Lyratzopoulos is Reader in Cancer Epidemiology at UCL, and Cancer Research UK Advanced Clinician Scientist Fellow. Beyond studying variation in cancer diagnosis and other outcomes, he has a substantive research interest in population studies of cancer patient experience. He has acted as an academic adviser to NHS England for the CPES surveys.

Iain Macbeath

Iain MacBeath is Strategic Director of Health and Wellbeing at Bradford Metropolitan District Council.

Previously Iain was Director of Health and Community Services for Hertfordshire County Council with responsibility for adult social care, integration with NHS services and adult learning.

Iain started work as a civil servant for the Benefits Agency (as was). He then worked for social services in his home town of Barnsley in both children’s and adult’s services. After moving to Hertfordshire in 1999, he spent five years working for the Probation Service, returned to social services for London Borough of Barnet and became Assistant Director of Adult Care Services for Hertfordshire in 2008. He became director in 2013.

Iain sits on the national Executive Committee of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and is secretary and vice-chair of the eastern region branch. He has served as a governor for West Herts College and volunteers with the Samaritans.

Follow Iain on Twitter: @IainMacbeath.

Henry Mace

Henry Mace is Professional Development Lead at the National Osteoporosis Society.

He is responsible for the implementation and project management of various clinical projects which primarily support health professionals working in the field of osteoporosis and fragility fractures.

Before joining the National Osteoporosis Society, Henry worked for NHS Bristol as a Health Promotion Specialist, and was responsible for contributing to the development, implementation and evaluation of Public Health work programmes on particular topics such as smoking cessation, obesity, physical activity and sexual health.

Henry has worked in the private leisure industry, specifically focusing on the commissioning and delivery of NHS and local authority health services.

Professor Caroline MacEwen

Professor Caroline MacEwen, MD, FRCOphth, FRCS
Chair, Academy of Medical Royal Colleges
Caroline (Carrie) MacEwen is Chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and immediate past President of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists.

She is ophthalmology clinical co-lead for the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) project, a member of the Right Care Clinical Advisory Group and chaired the Elective Care Transformation Ophthalmology Working Group.

She is Ophthalmology Specialty Adviser to the Scottish Government and leads the National Ophthalmology Workstream in Scotland and is a member of the Scottish National Access Collaborative.

She has published more than 150 papers, written or edited 3 textbooks and written 17 book chapters. Carrie is an Associate Postgraduate Dean in the East of Scotland.

Dr Stephanie Machin

Dr Stephanie Machin is a GP at the Robin Hood Health Centre in Sutton.

She is originally from Newcastle upon Tyne, where she graduated medical school in 2010. After completing her foundation training posts at Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust and then London North West Healthcare NHS Trust, she joined the St Helier GP Vocational Training Scheme in 2012.

Stephanie qualified as a GP in 2015 and stayed on at her training GP practice in Sutton, where she is now a salaried GP. She has a special interest in care of the elderly and mental health, and is the practice lead for palliative care.

Ann Mackay MBE

Ann Mackay MBE is Director of Policy, for the Care England charity.

Ann has worked in the independent social care sector for over 25 years having started her career as a manager in the NHS.

Care England is a registered charity which represents charitable and commercial care providers meeting a wide range of care and support needs for adults in care home, homecare, housing and community-based settings.

Care England members also deliver specialist care home services such as rehabilitation, respite, palliative care and mental health services.

Ann’s work aims to ensure members have up to date information and that their views are represented in the development and implementation of health and social care policy.

Ann was awarded the MBE for services to social care in 2010.

Dr Arvind Madan

Dr Arvind Madan was appointed as NHS England’s Director of Primary Care in October 2015 with view to him providing clinical leadership for the transformation of primary care provision.

Arvind is a practicing GP based at the Hurley Group, a large multi-site general practice and urgent care provider. He retains this regular clinical commitment looking after patients in East London.

Arvind has a strong track record of using new technology and redesigned ways of working across care boundaries to improve outcomes and deliver better value for money.

Chris Mair

Chris Mair is a former regional newspaper editor. He joined the ‘Better Together’ initiative launched by NHS South Worcestershire Clinical Commissioning Group to see if his background in journalism could be of benefit. Retired, he has relocated back to the UK, having lived in France for five years and is acutely aware of the range of pressures the NHS is under; A&E in particular, but also the need to better integrate local health services. A volunteer within the media team at the 2012 Paralympic Games, he currently runs a weekly drop-in for people looking for support with job hunting and also co-hosts a computer course for beginners.

Dr Vincent Mak

Dr Vincent Mak was a Consultant Physician in Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine and Clinical Director for Emergency Services at North West London Hospitals Trust from 1994 to 2013. He was also the Clinical Director of the Outer North West London Integrated Care Programme, and then the Whole Systems Integrated Care Programme Board for North West London, the largest Integrated Care project in the UK.

He took up his current role as a Consultant Physician in Respiratory Integrated Care at Imperial College Healthcare Trust so that he could dedicate more time to developing new models of person centred collaborative care. He now leads a multidisciplinary team bridging many care providers to manage chronic respiratory disease from early diagnosis and prevention, through to advanced care. He is also the NW London Regional Advisor for the Royal College of Physicians.

Oli Mansell

Oli Mansell (far right) is Policy Coordinator in the Policy Support Unit team, based in the Commissioning Strategy Directorate.

He serves as the inaugural co-chair of the LGBT+ Staff Network alongside Siobhán Clibbens.

Prior to joining NHS England, he spent seven years as a higher education administrator and manager for the University of Leeds. Oli has been a volunteer member of a patient assurance group at Leeds North CCG, and is currently volunteering once a week at the A&E of St James’s Hospital in Leeds.

Gisele Marinho

Gisele Marinho is a clinical psychologist with the Redbridge IAPT service in North East London where she has worked since 2011.

She hails from Portugal, but was born in Beira, Mozambique and is of Indian Goan descent, coming to the UK in 1994 and living in London ever since.

Gisele started working in mental health in the NHS as a Nursing Assistant in an acute psychiatric ward in 2003. From 2003 – 2004 she was an assistant psychologist in a rehabilitation unit for people with severe and enduring mental health problems, before becoming a graduate primary care mental health worker. From 2007 she worked for three years as a trainee clinical psychologist before becoming a clinical psychologist. She worked as a clinical psychologist in 2010-11 in two community recovery teams in Redbridge providing psychological assessments and therapy to clients with severe and complex mental health difficulties and working in a multidisciplinary team.

Helen Mariott

Helen Marriott has been the Allied Health Professions (AHP) Medicines Project Lead at NHS England since October 2013, leading the extension of non-medical prescribing and access to medicines for several allied health professions.

Since joining NHS England, Helen has also acted into the position of Deputy Chief Allied Health Profession Officer for seven months.

Before joining NHS England, Helen was the Allied Health Professions Lead and Strategic Workforce Development Manager for Health Education East Midlands, providing professional advice and strategic leadership to the 12 allied health professions. Prior to this role, Helen was the East Midlands Strategic Health Authority AHP lead and a physiotherapy clinical specialist within Rheumatology.

Helen is a member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, and sits on the Education Committee. She is also a Health and Care Professions Council Partner and physiotherapy panel member at fitness-to-practice hearings.

Helen graduated in Physiotherapy from Sheffield Hallam University and also has a Master’s Degree in Healthcare Leadership.

Donal Markey

Donal Markey is the new Regional Lead for Dentistry, Optometry and Pharmacy for NHS England (London). He has responsibility for the strategic commissioning of NHS services across all community pharmacies, dental practices and community optometry practices in the capital.

He also leads on the commissioning of all acute, community and urgent care dental services within the London region.

In addition, Donal works within the London NHS transformation programme, the Healthy London Partnership as the Pharmaceutical Advisor supporting the Children and Young People programme.

He is also part of the Asthma Clinical Leadership Group Donal still practices as a community pharmacist in Berkshire.

Fiona Marley

Fiona Marley heads up the Highly Specialised Commissioning Team in NHS England and has worked for the NHS since 1991 in a number of roles, including in primary care and health improvement.

Fiona’s team commissions over 80 highly specialised services, which are typically delivered in small numbers of expert centres. The portfolio includes a number of transplant services, services for patients with rare cancers and services for patients who have rare diseases. Commissioning services in this way ensures that patients have: excellent clinical outcomes; equitable access to services regardless of where they live; and access to clinical trials. In 2021, Fiona commissioned the service to deliver onasemnogene abeparvovec for Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

Daniel Marsden

Daniel Marsden is currently a Practice Development Nurse for people with learning disabilities at East Kent Hospitals University Foundation NHS Trust.

He supports staff with developing their skills at providing their expertise to people with learning disabilities. This includes delivering training, policy development, project management, clinical leadership, facilitation, research and audit.

Daniel is a keen runner, and joint treasurer of a football team, husband and father of two.

Dr Rachel Marsden

Dr Rachel Marsden is a first five GP from Sheffield working as a salaried GP near the Derbyshire border. She is also involved in undergraduate teaching and out of hours provision and has been the clinical support fellow for sepsis at the Royal College of General Practitioners since April 2017.

Shelley Marsh

Shelley Marsh is an educator and parent with an interest in making care accessible.

Sarah-Jane Marsh

Sarah-Jane Marsh is National Director of Urgent and Emergency Care and Deputy Chief Operating Officer for NHS Engalnd.

Sarah-Jane joined NHS England in January 2023. Previously she was Chief Executive of Birmingham Children’s Hospital for over 13 years, achieving an Outstanding CQC rating, before integrating with Birmingham Women’s in 2017 to create Birmingham Women’s and Children’s, the first such organisation in Europe.

In 2020, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Sarah-Jane was asked to become Director of Testing at the newly formed NHS Test and Trace and during 2021 she Chaired the National Health and Social Care Discharge Taskforce. Sarah-Jane has also led the NHS England Maternity Transformation Programme, the NHS England Children and Young People’s Transformation Programme, and the Genomics England New-born Screening Programme.

In 2022 Sarah-Jane received a CBE for her services to leadership in the NHS and an honorary professorship from the University of Birmingham in recognition of her contribution to science and research.

Her passions are exceeding the expectations of patients and citizens, while supporting leaders from all backgrounds to achieve their full potential.

Claire Marshall

Claire Marshall is Experience of Care Lead in the Patient Experience Team at NHS England. She is responsible for leading the experience of care work for people living with frailty, the NHS Cancer Programme and other workstreams.

Claire joined NHS England in August 2017 on a secondment when she led the national Always Events programme. Before that she was Head of Patient Experience at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust. She has spent her 25-year career as a Physiotherapist.

Alison Marshall

Alison Marshall has worked for NHS East Lancashire CCG as a medicines management care home technician for the last 10 years. She is currently participating in NHS England’s Medicines Optimisation in Care Homes programme.

Qualifying as a pharmacy technician in 1987, Alison’s early career started in community pharmacy. In 1992 she began working in secondary care, where she undertook technical responsibilities at ward level, gaining experience in the different specialities on the wards. She qualified as a prescription accuracy checker in 2008. In 2011 Alison graduated with a FdSc degree in Medicines Management and Pharmacy Services at Huddersfield University with a distinction and was winner of the Chancellor’s Prize.

Jeremy Martin

Jeremy is the Programme Director for the Symphony Programme, which is introducing new integrated models of care for the 150,000 population of South Somerset through collaboration between primary care, NHS organisations, the local authority and voluntary sector. In the four years of the programme’s life it has expanded from a project focused on people with the most complex needs, to include the health and social care needs of the whole population. It is one of the nine PACS Vanguard sites.

Prior to becoming Programme Director, Jeremy was Director of Planning and Performance at Yeovil Hospital, where he led on strategy, planning, performance, communications, IT and corporate governance.

Through his career Jeremy has held a wide variety of roles in NHS organisations and the Department of Health in Somerset and London, including policy development, commissioning, operational management, business development, service improvement and performance management.

Mahiben Maruthappu

Dr Mahiben Maruthappu is a practicing doctor and Senior Fellow to the CEO of NHS England. He advises on NHS England’s innovation, technology and prevention portfolio, co-founding the NHS Innovation Accelerator and the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme.

He has advised a range of organisations, from start-ups to multilaterals, including the Swiss government and the Experiment Fund and the WHO.

Mahiben has a strong interest in research with over 80 peer-reviewed publications and 50 academic awards. His work has been featured by BBC News and the international press.

He is Chairman of the UK Medical Students’ Association (UKMSA), and has written three medical books. Mahiben was educated at Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard universities and was the first person from British healthcare to be included in Forbes’ 30 under 30.

Alex Massey

Alex Massey is Senior policy and campaigns adviser at the Neurological Alliance. He has previously worked as a policy adviser at ACEVO, the charity leaders’ network, and as a Research Fellow for education at the think-tank Policy Exchange.

John Matthews

Dr John Matthews is Senior Partner and a GP Trainer in Park Road Medical Practice, Wallsend, Tyne and Wear where he has worked for the past twenty two years.

He led the setting up of CareFirst which is a co-operative of 18 GP practices in North Tyneside that work together to improve the care of patients, which has now gone on to merge with another group of practices to form a larger federation.

John is currently Chair of NHS North Tyneside Clinical Commissioning Group which was authorised without conditions.

In this role he sits on the North Tyneside Health and Wellbeing Board which existed in shadow form for two years prior to April 2013. In these two years he chaired the Alternatives to Hospital Admission Partnership Board which focused on promoting integrated care and successfully reducing in-hospital admissions through improved community based urgent care.

Gabrielle Mathews

Gabrielle is a member of the NHS Youth Forum and has consulted on the NHS Long Term Plan, with the APPG on Young People’s Health and various other system transformation projects. She also works as a Young Technical Advisor at the WHO Collaborating Centre for Public Health Nursing and Midwifery, which has a focus on maternal and child health.

She is the former Chair of the Young Persons’ Advisory Group at Birmingham Children’s Hospital (2015-2019) and has recently become a member of my NHS Assembly, advising the NHS England and Improvement board on their implementation of the Long Term Plan.

Through these roles and her own healthcare journey, she has developed a keen interest in children and young people’s experiences of care; particularly when transitioning between services, giving consent, receiving difficult news and in safeguarding proceedings.

Gabrielle is a third year medical student at Imperial College School of Medicine (ICSM), which affords her another perspective on the NHS. She sits on the ICSM student Union as Vice-Chair of Welfare. Through this and other volunteer roles, she became a #iwill Ambassador at StepUpToServe in 2018.

Pete Matuszowicz

Pete Matuszowicz has a background in engineering, education and training.

In 1983, at the age of thirty, he suffered a traumatic upper limb amputation while living in the Bahamas. As a result he lost his job and had to rebuild his life. Instead of returning to England he moved to the United States, continued to travel with his work and pursued a master’s degree in Educational Leadership

Pete has presented internationally at various professional development conferences and taught in higher education where his work has been well received. He has a successful leadership record in education and SME business management.

After losing his arm, Pete followed early advice that… “From now on he must work with his head, not his hands”, successfully developing and delivering leadership, life skills and self-management training for corporate, manufacturing, academic, correctional and rehabilitation environments.

Pete has developed self-management for the UK public and private corporate sectors in the form of Manage-Able™, a programme that synthesises these past successes, including that of personal experience.

Paul Maubach

Paul Maubach is Chief Executive of Dudley Clinical Commissioning Group and has overall responsibility for ensuring it meet the needs of Dudley patients, CCG employees, the taxpayer, the wider CCG membership and partnerships, and the law and statute within which the CCG operates.

He has worked in the NHS for over 25 years and is a qualified accountant, with a degree in mathematics from Warwick University and a master’s degree in leadership and organisational development from Birmingham University.

Gail Maund

Gail Maund is a mum of two young children who she describes as ” the most important people in my life”.

She lives in Hampshire with her partner Jason. They enjoy family outings and holidays. Gail and Jason enjoy socialising and eating out when they can.

Dr Elaine Maxwell

Dr Elaine Maxwell is Clinical Adviser at the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Dissemination Centre, working to provide clear, accessible, actionable summaries of research that helps decision making in health and social care.

Elaine has previously worked as an Associate Professor and prior to that as an executive director of Nursing and a non-executive director of a number of NHS Trusts in England.

Dame Ruth May

Ruth enjoyed national appointments with NHS Improvement and Monitor, as well as regional and trust leadership roles, before becoming the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) for England in January 2019.

In June 2022, as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Honours, Ruth was awarded a DBE for her services to nursing, midwifery and the NHS since she started her nurse training in 1985. Upon receiving her Damehood, Ruth recognised the expertise of nursing and midwifery colleagues in caring for people at every stage of their lives and the vital role that the professions and care staff played during the pandemic. Ruth has led the nursing, midwifery and care professions’ response to COVID-19 in England and led collaborative work with UK CNO colleagues, the NMC and trade unions to ensure agreement and consistent messaging on key issues.

She is passionate about nurturing the next generation of NHS nursing and midwifery leaders and encouraging professional development opportunities. This includes advocating for improved mental health awareness, championing volunteer activity to support the frontline workforce, and she is a vocal supporter of the WRES agenda and increased diversity across the NHS.

Proud mum to her wonderful daughter, Ruth is a great believer in a healthy professional and home life balance for all.

Find Ruth on Twitter @CNOEngland / #teamCNO.

Peter McCabe

Peter McCabe has been the Chief Executive of Headway – the brain injury association since November 2001. He has 36 years’ experience in the voluntary sector; Chief Executive of QUIT (the smoking cessation charity), held a variety of posts at SCOPE, Relate (the marriage guidance charity) and the YMCA. He has 30 years’ experience as a local councillor. Has served as a Cabinet Member for Adult Social Services, Mayor of Merton, Chair of the Health Scrutiny Committee, Chair of the Standards and General Purposes Committee and in a variety of other posts.

Hugh McCaughey

Hugh McCaughey is National Director of Improvement in the new NHS Executive group.

Hugh helps ensure NHS providers and local systems are equipped to deliver world-class universal healthcare on a sustainable basis.

He oversees the delivery of high impact support to the NHS to help reduce unwarranted clinical variation, improve quality and access, and ensure the most effective and efficient use of resources.

Hugh started in this role on 1 April 2019; previously, he was the Chief Executive of South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland from 2009, where he made quality improvement a key strategy.

He is a member of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and is a founding member of the Health Improvement Alliance Europe and the UK Improvement Alliance. He is Chair of the Ulster Rugby Academy and a former coach, player and manager.

Joe McCrea

During 2013-14, Joe McCrea combined roles as Social Media Lead for NHS Change Day – the single largest improvement event in the NHS – and Head of Engagement for Tameside Listens, the biggest patient and stakeholder listening exercise in Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s history.

This gave him a unique insight into current contrasting challenges and priorities from frontline and national perspectives.

He is a course tutor for the NHS Leadership Academy’s ‘Nye Bevan Leadership Programme’ and has designed social media strategies for the NHS Confederation and a leading UK local authority.

He has Board level experience in Non-Executive, Cabinet Ministerial Adviser, Parliamentary, Top 5 Consultancy and Senior Civil Service roles. He is a former Special Adviser at the Department of Health, Prime Minister’s Adviser in 10 Downing Street and a member of Cabinet Office Senior Management Team.

A communications pioneer for over two decades, he won numerous innovation awards in 1999 for designing and leading implementation of the world’s first Government-wide integrated policy, strategy and online communities network – the Knowledge Network – years before social media became pervasive.

One of his proudest moments came in 2001, when a word he first coined in 1994 while inventing the Labour Party’s Rapid Rebuttal operation officially entered the English language in the new edition of the Oxford English Dictionary: “Pre-buttal” (noun) – a pre-emptive response to an anticipated attack.

David McCullough

Royal Voluntary Service Chief Executive.

Dr Ian McDermott

Ian Qualified in Leeds in 1989 and started work as a GP in Leeds in 1997.

Ian Developed an interest in diabetes and started working for specialist diabetes service in Leeds from 2003.

Ian now works for both for the hospital trust and community trust in a specialist diabetes service role and he is currently Leeds CCG clinical Lead for Diabetes, and before that worked for previous CCGs and PCTs in Leeds since 2003.

Dr Andrew McDonald

Dr Andrew McDonald is a writer and a campaigner. He was born in 1962 and spent most of his career as a civil servant, initially working in the National Archives and, subsequently, in the Cabinet Office and Ministry of Justice. His last executive role was as Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, the regulator established to tackle MPs’ expenses crisis. He took medical retirement in 2014. Andrew’s work as a campaigner has primarily concerned the rights of patients and of disabled people. This work has been sparked by his own diagnosis with Parkinson’s (2007) and prostate cancer (2010). Andrew was chair of the pan-disability charity Scope from 2014 to 2019, overseeing the development of its radical new strategy and reforming its governance. He has spoken publicly about his experience of disability, including the shortcomings of the benefits system. Andrew has chaired the patient advocacy group Chapter 2 since 2015. This has concerned itself with improving the quality of communications with patients. This has been an important theme for Andrew for the last decade. He lectured on this in 2014 and 2016, writing the report The Long and Winding Road, which argued that investment in the communication skills of healthcare professionals was likely to save costs and improve the patient experience. Since 2017 he has been working with NHS England on implementation of these ideas. He is convenor of the Chapter Two Group.

Sarah McDonald

Sarah McDonald is Sarcoma UK’s Director of Research and Policy.

With more than twenty years of experience working within the NHS, research, and health sectors, she works actively alongside partner organisations including the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC), The National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI), National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (NCRAS).

Joanne McDonnell

A published writer and book reviewer with a Masters in Research in Health Sciences, Joanne is Senior Nurse for Mental Health in the Nursing and Midwifery Team at NHS England.

She has won several national awards including Health Writer of the Year and Dementia Care Manager of the Year. She has also starred in numerous promotional nursing films and has been a regular contributor to various national media such as Radio 4.

A member of the Expert Advisory Board for RCN Mental Health Practice, Joanne has extensive experience of presenting at local, national and international conferences. She is currently undertaking a second Masters degree in Healthcare Leadership.

Danny McDonnell

Danny McDonnell is a Strategy Programme Manager with NHS England and leads on engagement and spread for the Healthy New Towns programme.

He has a background in Public Health but also spent four years at the Royal College of Physicians in improving stroke services. Prior to NHS England, Danny worked for two years in Malawi, Southern Africa on a number of international development projects.

Frank McGhee

Frank McGhee has worked for over 30 years in children’s services, with senior management roles in the NHS and Local Government.

He is currently Director of Integrated Commissioning for children and young people working across Southern Derbyshire CCG and Derby City Council. This includes leading the Future in Mind programme and is seconded to NHS England on a part-time basis as the National Transformation Advisor.

He started his career working directly with young people and remains focused on wanting to see significant impact from the Future in Mind programme.

Paula McGowan

Paula McGowan grew up in Liverpool and is married to Tom McGowan who is a squadron leader in the Royal Air Force.

She has three children.

Following the untimely death of her youngest child Oliver, Paula has dedicated her life to campaigning for better health care for people who have autism and learning disabilities.

She is passionate that all doctors and nurses should receive mandatory training in autism and learning disability awareness.

Paula has recently moved to Australia with her husband but her campaigning continues to go from strength to strength. She attends health care conferences and has done several talks about what happened to Oliver.

Follow Paula on Twitter: @PaulaMc007

Kirsty McHugh

Kirsty McHugh is Chief Executive Officer of the Carer’s Trust. She joined the trust in February 2022.

With extensive experience of working in the voluntary sector in a variety of public affairs and delivery roles, Kirsty has a deep commitment to improving the life opportunities of those from disadvantaged communities.

Before joining Carers Trust, she had 11 years’ experience as Chief Executive Officer of the Mayor’s Fund for London and the Employment Related Services Association. Before that Kirsty served as a director at Business in the Community, where she led community programmes across England and Wales.

She is a non-executive director of Gateway Housing Association in East London and has served as a panel member for the National Lottery’s Building Better Opportunities Fund.

Kirsty also has first-hand experience of what it means to be an unpaid carer. She has cared for a close family member approaching end of life, and for another with a long-term disability.

Omari McKoy

Omari McKoy is a Site Delivery Lead in the National Elective Care Transformation Programme, and Programme Lead for EyesWise.

Omari has worked across the NHS in both providers and in commissioning in range of roles delivering strategic and transformational change programmes. Omari is an alumnus of the Ready Now Programme and the NHS graduate management training scheme.

Sean McLaughlin

Sean McLaughlin has been Director of Housing and Adult Social Services, Islington Council since 2008. His main interests are delivering new homes and maximum choice and control to customers through effective partnership working, particularly with housing providers, emergency services and the NHS. He leads on Transforming Care for London Directors of Adult Social Services, and is joint chair of the national ADASS Learning Disability network.

Joe McManners

Joe is a GP partner at a large practice in Oxford. He was Clinical Chair of Oxfordshire CCG 2014-2018, focusing on Primary Care sustainability, health inequalities and out of hospital integration.

Was previously Locality Clinical Director for Oxford City. He was vice chair of Oxfordshire Health and Wellbeing Board during the term as CCG Chair.

He also was a Councillor on Oxford City Council 2006-2013, and again from May 2018. He was executive board member for housing 2009-2012.

David McNally

David McNally has been Head of Experience of Care with NHS England’s Patient Experience Team since 2013 and is a member of the Co-production Model Steering Group. He worked previously in an SHA, a PCT, Adult Social Care and the voluntary sector.

Last year he led a project to find out what impact patient leaders can have on improving experience of care and has been invited by the French National Authority for Health to talk about the project at a seminar in Paris in November with along with Steve Sharples who is a Patient Leader.

In April David co-designed and co-led a round table on Patient Leadership with patient leaders, the King’s Fund and the Leadership Academy and next year will be running a session on ‘Patients as partners in the business of improving experience’ at The Beryl Institute Patient Experience Conference in Denver with Mark Doughty from The King’s Fund.

He is a member of the Researcher-Led Panel, National Institute for Health Research, Health Services and Delivery Research programme and an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Manchester, Medical School.

Rupert McShane

Rupert McShane is a consultant old age psychiatrist at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust. He works with the Academic Health Science Network to help get dementia-related innovations into practice, with the NIHR Clinical Research Network to help get the evidence about what works, and with the Cochrane collaboration to help assess and combine all the evidence that is gathered.

Martin McShane

Dr Martin McShane was previously National Clinical Director for Long Term Conditions, since the publication of these blogs he has left NHS England.

Naomi McVey

Naomi McVey is Head of Programmes for the Chief Allied Health Professions (AHP) Officer at NHS England.

She is responsible for overseeing the national programme on implementing AHPs into Action, the framework for the 14 allied health professions in England; working closely with other arm’s length bodies and a range of national and local stakeholders.

She is also a NICE Fellow, focusing on supporting AHPs to understand, engage with and implement NICE guidance.

As a physiotherapist, Naomi specialised in rehabilitation for older people, and worked in range of clinical and managerial roles in the NHS before moving to improvement and transformation in roles at NICE and Health Education England.

Paul Mears

Paul Mears joined Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust as Chief Executive in May 2012. Paul was previously Chief Operating Officer at South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust where he was responsible for leading operational services in Torbay Hospital. He also has considerable experience of working in community services having been Director of Operations at Torbay Care Trust where he was responsible for integrating community health and social care services in one of the leading examples of integrated care in the UK.

Professor Graham Medley

Professor Graham Medley is Professor of Infectious Disease Modelling at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

He joined the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in April 2015. He is a member of the Neglected Tropical Disease Modelling Consortium and the SPEAK India Consortium, and is currently the director of CMMID.

Graham’s overall interest is the transmission dynamics of infectious disease, and he has published on many different pathogens and hosts. He is particularly interested in understanding how interventions are and should be designed to control infectious disease, and how models relate to policy development. The interaction of transmission with societal and political processes is of particular interest to me, and the focus of my work on HIV/AIDS.

He is on the Board of Reviewing Editors for Science, on an expert group in the Infected Blood Inquiry, and chair of SPI-M, and currently attending SAGE as part of the UK COVID-19 response.

Pritti Mehta

Pritti Mehta is Head of Personalised Care for the North region, working with Integrated Care Systems and Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships to support the delivery of personalised care, empowering people and communities to take greater responsibility and control of their own health and wellbeing.

Pritti is passionate about systems leadership, self-care, diversity and inclusion. She believes in walking the walk!

Pritti joined NHS England in 2013 and has worked across strategy and delivery. She supported the development of the Five Year Froward View and led the commissioning of the Realising the Value programme, setting the national agenda and context for self-care. More recently, she led the Empowering People and Communities Workstream of the New Care Models programme, where her team worked intensively with 15 new care models to support the implementation and spread of self-care.

Pritti’s also a recent graduate of the Nye Bevan leadership programme for aspiring directors and is part of the NHS England’s Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Group talent management programme.

Pritti has 12 years’ experience in the voluntary sector, across RNIB, Action on Hearing Loss and Genetic Alliance UK, where she led and supported the development and delivery of national strategies to improve health and care services and support for a range of groups.

Pritti is a scientist by background, holding a Ph.D. and post-doctoral training in Developmental and Molecular Genetics.

Follow Pritti @pritti_mehta

Sonal Mehta

Sonal Mehta is a primary care pharmacist with NHS Milton Keynes CCG.

She started her professional life as a community pharmacist where she gained a breadth of experience across different populations, providing advice and delivering public health services.

Since starting at Milton Keynes CCG in 2012, her main role has been to provide medicines and prescribing support to several GP surgeries. She has also been involved in a number of local initiatives such as updating and rebranding the community pharmacy minor ailments scheme, MK Pharmacy First, contributed to pathway design in order to bring children’s care close to home and been involved in the development of primary care multidisciplinary teams.

Sonal is a passionate advocate for self-care and the benefits it can bring to individuals and communities.

Michelle Mello

Michelle Mello, RN, BSc (Hons), MSc, PGCE is Senior Nurse Advisor, Team Chief Nursing Officer, NHS England

Michelle is a nurse with over 38 years’ experience of working in the NHS in a variety of roles. This has included clinical, management, commissioning, strategic and executive level posts. Clinical roles included working in hospitals and in the community as a health visitor and diabetes specialist nurse. Michelle also worked in a senior academic post at Warwick Diabetes Care, University of Warwick.

Since 2012 Michelle has held national roles in NHS England working with the Chief Nursing Officer, Right Care Team and latterly the Personalised Care Group. From November 2020 to March 2021 Michelle was seconded to the London regional team as Clinical Quality Director. In 2022 Michelle retired and returned part-time to NHS England.

She is a Florence Nightingale Foundation Scholar and Queens Nursing Institute Fellow.

Follow Michelle on Twitter: @MSHMello

Dr Peter Melton

Dr Peter Melton is Clinical Chief Officer of North East Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group as well as Co-Chair of the NHS Commissioning Assembly.

He led the establishment of North East Lincolnshire PCT in April 2000 and was appointed PEC Chair. He chaired the National PEC Chair networks hosted by NATPACT and NHS Networks.

He was appointed Chief Executive in 2010 to North East Lincolnshire CTP and appointed CCO for North East Lincolnshire CCG in April 2012.

Dr Gail Miflin

Dr Gail Miflin is Medical and Research Director at NHS Blood and Transplant. She joined the organisation in 2010 and became a Director in 2016. Previously she was a Consultant Haematologist at hospitals and NHS Trusts, specialising in treating patients with red cell disorders.

Andrew Millar

Andrew Millar is a Consultant Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist at the North Middlesex University Hospital where he is the Lead Clinician for Upper GI Cancer, Viral Hepatitis Service and Endoscopy Training.

Andrew led the development the use of Multidisciplinary Diagnostic Centres whilst in post as the London Cancer Hepato-biliary and Pancreatic Pathway Director and has since been appointed as Clinical Lead for Multidisciplinary Diagnostic Centres for the UCLH Cancer Collaborative.

Adam Millican-Slater

Adam started his career as a statistician in the Department of Health working on a range of areas including patient experience, workforce and the 18 week target. He has since moved into more general roles in NHS England and Improvement, though maintains an interest in the role of analytics in driving improvement in the health and care system. He currently works in the Population Health Management Support team in NHS England and Improvement.

Matthew Mills

Matthew Mills is Lead Specialist Speech and Language Therapist at the Gender Identity Clinic, London where he has worked since 2009.

He is a National Advisor in Transgender Voice for the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

He originally trained as a professional actor and singer at Guildhall School of Music & Drama and worked in theatre, film and television for 15 years.

He is a lecturer in voice at Royal Central School of Speech & Drama and in speech and language therapy at the University of Greenwich. He is also a council member of the British Association of Gender Identity Specialists.

Trudy Mills

Trudy Mills began her career as a nurse/midwife in 1988 and her roles within the NHS have included several commissioning posts across local authorities, clinical commissioning groups and NHS England.

She provides overall leadership for Children and Family Health Surrey and is overseeing the ongoing transformation of its services, which are delivered by partners CSH Surrey, Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and First Community Health.

Trudy is also the executive strategy lead for women and children’s services within Surrey Heartlands STP, providing executive and strategic support to change management programmes including a single system midwifery management structure across three acute trusts and the standardisation of care pathways for paediatric services.

Kate Milton

Kate Milton is the Experience of Care Lead for Staff Experience at NHS England.

Kate has over 30 years’ experience in HR, equality and human rights, and staff experience, predominantly in the public sector.

She was appointed to NHS England as part of the equality and health inequalities team in May 2013, moving into her current role as Experience of Care Lead for Staff Experience in May last year. She leads a programme to drive improved outcomes and experiences for patients through improving staff experiences of care.

Outside of work Kate is member of the Local Governing Board at Callington Community College in Cornwall. She has been a governor since October 2012, and was appointed Chair in January 2017

Ed Mitchell

Ed Mitchell is a junior doctor training in psychiatry, and currently one of Sir Bruce Keogh’s clinical fellows, working in Domain 2 (Enhancing the quality of life for people with long term conditions). He has a particular interest in integrating physical and mental health. Before studying medicine on the graduate entry course at Oxford, he was a Fulbright fellow at Harvard University and a junior research fellow at Pembroke College, Oxford.

Dr Sarah Mitchell

Dr Sarah Mitchell is the West Midlands Generalist Clinical Lead for Palliative and End of Life Care at NHS England. In this role and as a Birmingham GP, Sarah is committed to working with all to support the local action challenge of the ‘Ambitions’ framework. A champion of excellent palliative and end of life care for people of all ages, Sarah also co-chairs the West Midlands Paediatric Palliative Care Network and is exploring palliative care for children as her PhD at Warwick.

Dr Andy Mitchell

Dr Mitchell qualified from Guys Hospital in 1980 and was appointed to his first consultant post as a general paediatrician in 1990.

His early years were spent in the Armed Services. As Joint Service Clinical Director he was responsible for widely distributed paediatric services, and for world wide intensive care retrieval of sick children. He remains a civilian adviser to the Defence Medical Services. In 1995 he was appointed as consultant paediatrician and clinical director in Basingstoke, and continued in clinical management roles for ten years.

He contributed to the development of an integrated service for children with expansion of specialist care into the community and consultant delivered ambulatory services, recognised by the Modernisation Agency as the ‘Total Approach’. In 1997 he established the Central South Coast Paediatric Intensive Care network and subsequently chaired through seven years of development. He has been clinical lead for the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Maternity and Children’s Network, worked with the DH on collaborative policy development, and both the MA and CSIP as a national clinical network lead offering advice to SHAs and PCTs on network development. He has undertaken many service reviews, and has been appointed as a member of the National Clinical Advisory Team. In 2006 he accepted a new challenge as Associate Medical Director at Great Ormond Street, during which time he facilitated the London children’s pathway group as part of the NHS Next Steps review. He has co-chaired the London Clinical Advisory Group, and co-directed the Healthcare for London Children’s project.

In April 2009 he was appointed Medical Director, NHS London. He has been closely involved with the reconfiguration of stroke, trauma, cardiovascular pathology and specialist paediatric services, and has recently launched a programme of change designed to introduce seven day and 24/7 services. He leads on service quality across London, and has significant experience of supporting failing organizations. He established and chairs London’s Clinical Senate. In September 2012, The National Commissioning Board appointed Dr Mitchell to be the Regional Medical Director for London. He also continues with his part time general paediatric practice.

Richard Mitchell

Richard Mitchell is Chief Executive of University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, having been appointed to this role in October 2021. In October 2023 he was also appointed Chief Executive of the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group.

Richard chairs the East Midlands Acute Providers Network, where the 8 acute providers across the East Midlands come together to improve clinical services and to strengthen recruitment and retention. He is also Chair of the East Midlands Cancer Alliance and the Midlands Regional Talent and Leadership Board.

Richard is proud to work in his local hospitals, and he and his family live in Leicestershire.

Dr Raj Mitra

Dr Raj Mitra has been a GP in Lambeth since 1995 and is a clinical member of the Governing Body at NHS Lambeth CCG.

His specialist interests are mental health, dementia, cancer and end of life care, and patient engagement.

Joanne Mohammed

Joanne is the Ward Manager on an Acute Respiratory Ward at East Lancashire Hospitals and has been in post for 8 years

She qualified as a nurse in 1998, starting her career in orthopaedics and general medicine, working in hospitals across Lancashire.

She has spent most of her time in secondary care and prior to her current role has specialised in acute medicine, respiratory, diabetes and medicine for older people.

Emma Moir

Emma Moir is the Greener NHS Deputy Director for Operations and Delivery. She works in partnership with the Greener NHS Team and Workstream leads including Estates and Facilities, Travel and Transport, Supply Chain, Medicines and Food to focus on the commitment to deliver a world-class net zero emission health service.

Emma joined NHS England in 2021, with over twenty years’ experience of high profile project delivery across government departments including BEIS, DEFRA, HMRC and Ministry of Justice. She is a qualified lawyer, having spent the earlier part of her career working in the court service.

Peter Molyneux

Peter Molyneux is Chair of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

He has a particular interest in the importance of diversity to good decision making.

Peter is a Visiting Fellow at the John Madejski Centre for Reputation Management at Henley Business School, a Board Member of Recovery Focus and a Stonewall Ambassador. He is writing in a personal capacity.

Dr Dawn Moody

Associate National Clinical Director for Older People and Integrated Person-Centred Care for NHS England.

Dr Dawn Moody is a GP in Derbyshire who has a special interest in frailty and person-centred systems of care. She has worked with commissioners, providers and in research in this area and holds an MSc in Geriatric Medicine. Dawn’s current portfolio includes her directorship of Fusion48 being the Clinical Director for Health Education England (East Midlands) Nottinghamshire Frailty Toolkit and Training Programme. She is also Frailty Lead for the West Midlands Primary Care Workforce and Improved Patient Access Plan, Prime Minister’s GP Access Fund Wave 2 Scheme.

Dawn’s previous roles have included Clinical Associate (Frailty and Complex Care) at North Staffordshire CCG and Medical Director North Staffordshire Community Healthcare. She has been a Partner in General Practice for 16 years and GPSI Geriatric Medicine and intermediate care.

Sam Moody

Sam Moody is a student nurse and St John Ambulance volunteer.

Professor Ramani Moonesinghe

Professor Ramani Moonesinghe is Professor of peri-operative medicine at University College London. She trained in medicine, anaesthesia and critical care in London and works clinically at University College Hospital. She is Director of the national Health Services Research Centre at the Royal College of Anaesthetists and head of her research department at UCL; her research focuses on health services research, improvement based research and clinical trials in perioperative and critical care in the UK and overseas.

Dr Phil Moore

Dr Phil Moore, Deputy Chair (Clinical) at NHS Kingston CCG, is a long-standing GP, a GP trainer and honorary teaching fellow at Imperial College.

Locally he is CCG lead on education and training, appraisal, cardiovascular services and mental health. He is leading on the development of mental health services in primary care across London as a member of the London Specialist Clinical Network for mental health.

Nationally he is on the Board of NHS Clinical Commissioners and chairs the Mental Health Commissioners’ Network.

Phil is a trustee and chair of a variety of charities and voluntary organisations, a GP trainer and honorary teaching fellow at Imperial College and a Visiting Fellow in Healthcare Management at the University of Surrey. He frequently speaks and chairs at national conferences.

Lisa Moore

Lisa Moore, 43, is a South African born mother of twins Georgia and Harrison, aged 12. She has lived in London for the past 20 years and works in communications.

Dr Jim Moore FRCP Edin

Dr Moore is currently President of the Primary Care Cardiovascular Society.

He studied medicine in Edinburgh before moving to Gloucestershire to work as a GP principal. He has an interest in cardiology and cardiovascular disease, particularly those aspects that are relevant to primary care.

Dr Moore was involved in the development of the community-based Gloucestershire Heart Failure service where he continues to work as a GP with a special interest (GPwSI).

He was a member of The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Chronic Heart Failure Guideline committee (2018), was on the Board of the British Society for Heart Failure (from 2008 until recently) and is a member of the National Heart Failure Audit Domain Expert Group.

He has provided cardiovascular clinical support to local commissioning organisations over two decades and more recently to emerging cardiac networks in the South-West. He is a Clinical Lead for the National Cardiac Pathways Implementation Programme and provides support for the National Cardiovascular Prevention Programme.

Dr Moore is the Primary Care Lead for the West of England Integrated Cardiac Clinical Network.

Mike Morgan

Mike Morgan is the National Clinical Director for Respiratory Services in England.

He is a consultant respiratory physician at the Department of Respiratory Medicine, Allergy and Thoracic Surgery at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust at Glenfield Hospital and Honorary Professor at the University of Leicester.

His career interests have included the assessment and management of respiratory disability, particularly in COPD and he has over 20 years’ experience of clinical management in developing and leading the respiratory services in Leicester.

Mike is a past President and Chairman of the British Thoracic Society and editor of Chronic Respiratory Disease.

Dame Clare Moriarty

Dame Clare Moriarty, Chief Executive, Citizens Advice.

Clare was appointed Chief Executive of Citizens Advice in April 2021. She leads the national charity and network of local Citizens Advice charities across England & Wales. Through 1:1 advice, online support and advocacy, Citizens Advice gives individuals the knowledge and confidence they need to find their way forward and speaks up on their behalf to bring about wider change.

Clare was previously a civil servant for nearly 35 years, latterly as Permanent Secretary of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2015 to 2019, and of the Department for Exiting the EU until its closure in January 2020. Her early career was spent mainly in the Department of Health and the NHS, with senior roles in the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Transport.

After leaving the Civil Service, Clare chaired the Health Foundation’s Covid-19 impact inquiry and worked with organisations including Transport for London and the Bank of England. She is a trustee of the History of Parliament Trust and chairs the South Downs Partnership. Clare was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 2020 Birthday Honours.

Rob Moriarty

Rob lives in Leeds and has over two decades lived experience with a high-level spinal cord injury, self-managing his 24-hour care through a range of personalisation schemes. Rob actively participates in service user involvement at a number of local universities, sharing his experiences of working with and receiving support from the health and social care sector. He’s been a member of the NHS England Personalised Care Strategic Co-production Group and Lived Experience team since September 2017.

Jess Morley

Jess Morley is a tech adviser to the Department of Health and Social Care specifically focused on policy relating to the use of data-driven health and care technology. She is also an MSc student at the Oxford Internet Institute and a Research Assistant at the Digital Ethics Lab.

Carolyn Morrice

Carolyn Morrice trained at Glasgow Royal Infirmary before moving south and specialising in vascular and surgical nursing.

She was Deputy Director of Nursing for Mid-Essex Hospitals before joining Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust in 2013 as Assistant Chief Nurse in the Critical Care Division, becoming the Trust’s Chief Nurse in 2014.

Carolyn is passionate about patient safety and providing integrated care, putting the individual at the heart of healthcare. The Trust was one of the first integrated hospital and community care providers, and is one of eight vanguard Integrated Care Systems in the country.

Carolyn is the professional lead for nursing, midwifery and Allied Health Professionals and is the Executive Lead for quality, patient safety and safeguarding.

Shelagh Morris

Shelagh Morris is Deputy Chief Allied Health Professions Officer for NHS England.

She is responsible for a number of workstreams including improving adult rehabilitation services, extending prescribing/supply, and administration medicines mechanisms to a wider range of healthcare professions to support improved clinical outcomes and service redesign.

Shelagh trained as an occupational therapist at The Liverpool School of Occupational Therapy. As part of her continuing professional development she gained a BA and an MBA from the Open University

Her first posts were in mental health as the move to community based services was gathering momentum and then in social services as part of team establishing a community rehabilitation centre.

Shelagh joined the Department of Health on 1 April 2003. She was previously Director of Allied Health Professions within an acute trust and prior to that, Rehabilitation co-ordinator within a community trust.

Shelagh joined NHS England as Deputy Chief Allied Health Professions Officer on 1 April 2013.

She was awarded the OBE in the 2012 New Year’s Honours.

Helen Morrison

Helen Morrison took on the role of National VTE Prevention Programme Manager in January 2012 having previously been involved in the implementation of the South West Strategic Health Authority VTE prevention initiative as project manager.

Helen graduated from the University of Wales College Cardiff with a degree in Biochemistry and worked in industry for ten years before moving into healthcare consultancy. She has worked at director level supporting the delivery of a number of programmes for NHS South of England and has now moved to NHS England, who host the National VTE Prevention Programme under the leadership of Dr Mike Durkin, Director of Patient Safety.

Robin Morrison

Robin Morrison is Chair of Engaging Communities Staffordshire. Before this he was Chief Executive of Blanenau Gwent County Borough Council in South Wales, where he led the transformation of social care and worked closely with health colleagues on improving a wide range of services to facilitate the council’s Independent Living Strategy.

Danny Mortimer

Danny Mortimer is the chief executive of NHS Employers, a post he has held since November 2014.

NHS Employers is the voice of employers across the English NHS, and leads work relating to workforce policy and practice.
Danny also serves as deputy chief executive of the NHS Confederation, of which NHS Employers is part.

He first worked in healthcare as a porter and a CSV care assistant before becoming a management trainee in Stoke-on-Trent. He worked for the NHS in Bath and Brighton before taking up his first director post in West Sussex. He then worked in executive roles in hospitals in Hertfordshire and Nottingham before joining NHS Employers.

Danny is a chartered fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, a trustee of the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion and the NHS Retirement Fellowship, and chairs the Cavendish Coalition of social care and health organisations.

Twitter: @NHSE_Danny

Lauren Mosely

Lauren Mosely joined the NHS England Patient Safety Domain in 2013 where she works as Patient Safety Systems and Liaison Manager, contributing to a wide variety of programmes.

She is also responsible for the development of national policy associated with the management of Serious Incidents and, more recently, working with the NHS England Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) team to support the development of the NHS England Strategy and work plan to address UK AMR priority areas.

Lauren has a Masters in pharmaceutical science and previously worked as a medicines safety coordinator at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust, where she worked to deliver projects to improve the safe prescribing and administration of medicines.

Dr Anthea Mowat

Dr Anthea Mowat is Chair of the BMA Representative Body, one of three elected Chief Officers, and is the lead for Equality and Inclusion, as well as for Education, Training and Workforce.

She is an associate specialist in anaesthesia and chronic pain management at Pilgrim Hospital, Boston, which is part of United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (ULHT).
Born in Newcastle, she completed her medical training in Aberdeen, and her anaesthetic training in Aberdeen and Inverness.

Anthea has been Involved in SAS Grade representation locally since 1993 and nationally since 2002.
She was Chair of the Trust Local Negotiating Committee 2007-2014 and Trust SAS Clinical Tutor since 2009, looking after 190 SAS staff.

She is a member of the AAGBI SAS committee and was honoured to be awarded AAGBI Pask Certificate in 2009, and BMA Association Medal in 2010.
Anthea lectures nationally on appraisal, on job planning and on SAS issues.

Tapas Mukherjee

Tapas Mukherjee, 35, studied at Manchester University. He initially trained as an acute medicine and icu registrar at East Midlands (Acute) and UCLH (Icu).

It was on rotation at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester that he rewrote asthma guidelines and was awarded British Thoracic Society Prize for Respiratory Education as his work doubled the numbers of staff using guidelines.
Tapas received funding from NHS England Regional Innovation Fund to develop ‘The Inhaler Song’. In 2015, he was awarded the NHS England Innovation Acorn Award.

This year he was awarded the role Clinical Entrepreneur at NHS England.

Rowan Munson

Rowan is committed to making sure young people are heard in healthcare issues. For six years he has represented young people, locally at the district and county councils, Patient Participation Groups & his Clinical Commissioning Group, including founding Surrey’s youth representation platform.

He says his interest in health issues started after he was ping-ponged through several departments, in several organisations.

After the publication of the Chief Medical Officer’s “Prevention Pays – Our Children Deserve Better” report, he took up the mandate to ensure that services meet the needs of young people.

He is looking forward to helping put young patients at the heart of services for children and young people.

Carol Munt

In 1982 Carol Munt was a passenger involved in a road traffic accident in France, resulting in a fractured skull, brain haemorrhage and coma. On return to the UK she was diagnosed with Narcolepsy & Cataplexy as a result of the trauma.

She is passionate about Co-Production and Patient & Public Involvement.

She is an Honorary Lecturer & Doubleday Affiliate at Manchester Medical School.

Carol was recently adopted onto the NHS Always Events Advisory Group; is an active member of HQIP Service User Network, NIHR-NHSE Patient Experience Team, Kent & Medway STP Patient & Public Advisory Group and Workforce programme, DeepMind Health Users Group, Rosamund Snow community and also a member of the Q community.

A qualified nurse, Carol has also been a successful business woman, and a Parish Council Chair. She has been a reader for the Talking Newspaper for the Blind since the 1970s.

She lives in Tunbridge Wells and lists travel and photography among her hobbies.

Her regular tweets about health-related news are @muntma.

Claire Murdoch

Claire Murdoch is NHS England’s National Mental Health Director.

She has been a registered mental health nurse for 34 years, and joined NHS England in April 2016.

She is also Chief Executive of Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust. With a wealth of clinical and leadership experience she is leading delivery of the national mental health programme.

Rachel Murphy

Rachel leads the transformation programme of all patient facing, self-care and prevention activities within the Paperless 2020 Programme in the NHS, a £270m digital transformation of all patient facing services across the NHS. She is a confident and dynamic leader with technical prowess, proven business acumen, and an exceptional record defining and executing strategy at top level to deliver change, improve performance and ensure first-class digital/technology services and solutions for blue-chip organisations across multiple sectors.

Alistair Murray

Alistair Murray, Chief Pharmacist at Echo, is a seasoned healthcare professional with over 20 years’ experience with community and digital pharmacy, third-level education and the NHS. He completed his pharmacy training at Boots and spent 15 years as a pharmacist working in community pharmacies and GP surgeries before joining the founding team of Echo in 2015. He is an honorary lecturer at UCL and the University of Nottingham, the latter where he received his masters in pharmacy.

Rob Music

Rob Music is Chief Executive of Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust.

He joined the organisation in September 2008. The charity has seen positive change including income increasing by over 600%, developing new support services and a wide range of popular health information.

It has also implemented a major rebrand and run high profile awareness campaigns. Additionally the charity has built positive relationships with key funders, media, policy and health influencers and Rob sits on a number of influential committees.

This year the charity was named a winner of a GSK Impact Award, run in partnership with The King’s Fund that recognises outstanding work of health care charities.

Lucie Mussett

Lucie leads the project to develop the new Patient Safety Incident Management System, and acts as the Product Owner on the digital agile team. She has a background in health policy, and has been part of the national patient safety team since 2013.

Martin Myers

Martin Myers, Consultant Clinical Scientist and Laboratory Director of Clinical Biochemistry, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Dr Yasara Naheed

Dr Yasara Naheed is a GP partner at Thursby Surgery, Burnley, and Clinical Director for Burnley East Primary Care Network. She has practiced at Thursby Surgery since 2004 following her GP training.

Yas has lived in Nelson for over 40 years. Living and working in the area means she has a strong connection and understanding of the needs and challenges facing her patients. She recognises the value and importance of community and community assets and networks and this has influenced both her practice and her development of Population Health Management which she has led for the Burnley East Primary Care Network in partnership with her GP colleagues and other partners.

Prior to this Yas co-led a groundbreaking partnership between the local GP practices, primary schools, police and local youth theatre to help build resilience and confidence for young people. Her particular interests are mental health, women’s health and diabetes. She has also been involved in training of medical students and foundation doctors at the practice. In her spare time she enjoys playing badminton and watching football.

Dr Habib Naqvi

Dr Habib Naqvi has a background in equality and diversity policy, public health, and health psychology. Habib is the Policy Lead for the NHS Workforce Race Equality Standard and is leading on the inclusion of the WRES within national policy levers.

Before joining NHS England in 2013, Habib worked on the development of national equality and diversity policy at the Department of Health, where he led on the development of the Equality Delivery System for the NHS and took the lead for coordinating the health sector’s response to the Ministerial review of the Equality Duty.

Habib has experience in academia and research, including holding a strong portfolio of healthcare research.

Forzana Nasir

Founder of patient organisation Can Do, Forzana Nasir is a global award-winning advocate and final year health science student who champions working collaboratively to improve patient experience and the system for all who use it.

Matt Neligan

Matt Neligan is Director of System Transformation at NHS England.

Matt leads the national team supporting the development of Integrated Care Systems, working alongside regional directors and wider teams to help transform how local services can join up care and deliver improved population health outcomes. He and his teams help to ensure that integrated care systems enable NHS organisations to work in partnership with local councils and others, to take collective responsibility for managing resources, delivering the Long Term Plan, and improving the health of the population they serve.

Matt has over twenty-five years of experience in leading teams across the NHS to make a difference to services and to improve outcomes for patients and communities. He has worked in local NHS organisations across Yorkshire, London and the South East, principally in commissioning and also in acute hospital management, primary care and integrated roles across the NHS and local government. Before joining NHS England he led data and analytical teams in NHS Digital to transform the way in which data is harnessed for improving health.

Viccie Nelson

Viccie Nelson, Programme Director, Sutton Homes of Care.

Originally from Australia, Viccie worked as a Physiotherapist before moving to the UK in 1996. She worked clinically as a physiotherapist predominantly in older people’s rehabilitation in acute and community settings, as well as developing expertise as a moving and handling adviser. She went on to manage clinical teams before working at a senior manager level within acute and community service organisations in London, moving across into commissioning as Assistant Director of Commissioning at Sutton and Merton PCT.

Following the birth of her second child, Viccie undertook a number of project roles within CCGs, Local Authorities and the Royal Marsden Hospital – Community Services Division. More recently, she worked for NHS England – London region on a pan-London programme to transform community services. She’s also been involved with the Healthy London Partnership.

As a local resident she is aware of the various challenges facing Sutton, and her clinical background ensures that she remains patient focused whilst working to meet national and local strategic challenges.

Yvonne Newbold MBE

Yvonne Newbold is a founding member of the NHS Assembly, and a learning disability champion, who earned the National Learning Disabilities/Autism Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.

Tom Newbound

Tom Newbound is Deputy Programme Director for NHS England’s Diabetes Programme.

He has worked on the NHS Diabetes Programme, a partnership between NHS England, Diabetes UK and Public Health England, since 2014.

The first years on the programme were spent leading implementation of the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme across England, which is now the first Type 2 diabetes prevention programme in the world to have full national coverage.

Previously Tom worked in the National Institute for Health Research, initially in Guys and St Thomas’ and then nationally in workforce development.

Dr Penny Newman

Dr Penny Newman is an NHS England NHS Innovation Accelerator Fellow (NIA) and former community Trust Medical Director, Director of Public Health and GP.

Her work on health coach training was first developed in Suffolk with psychologist and coach, Dr Andrew McDowell, initially funded by a Regional Innovation Fund and Health Education England, and subsequently selected onto the NIA programme.

The NIA is an NHS England initiative delivered in partnership with the country’s 15 Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs), hosted by UCLPartners. It supports delivery of the Five Year Forward View by accelerating uptake of high impact innovations for patient, population and NHS staff benefit, and providing real time practical insights on spread to inform national strategy. For more information visit www.nhsaccelerator.com

Penny has worked across the NHS and all sectors on pathway redesign, workforce and new models of care, is an executive coach and has published seminal reports on gender equality, most recently with UN Women.

Mary Newsome

Mary Newsome has three sons and lives on the South Pennines and is a country girl at heart.

She has brought up her boys on her own for almost 17 years and throughout that time has worked for the Department of Health, NHS Employers, and the DWP, as well as for herself.

She currently temps for NHS England but is applying for permanent jobs with the service.

She has a busy life and likes to get out and about, meet friends for a meal or go to the theatre, music, art exhibitions or whatever’s on.

She is passionate about her charity work with Journeys of Hope.

She has a passion for writing, likes doing yoga and going for walks. Her ambition is to live by the sea writing.

Lenka Novakova

Lenka Novakova is a Deaf advisor working for a national Deaf mental health service based in South West London and St. George’s Mental Health NHS Trust.

Lenka previously worked in deaf education and then went on to work as a child mental health worker at the National Deaf CAMHS Corner House inpatient unit.

In her current role, she focuses on promoting the importance of deaf culturally and linguistically affirmative provision across the NHS and other mental health care providers.

A strong believer in empowerment and positive thinking, Lenka encourages Deaf service users to be actively involved in ongoing service development through quality improvement and innovation projects.

The field of mental health drives her to continuously develop her current role so that she can achieve the maximum impact and influence on provision for both service users and other medical and non-medical professionals.

Carol Nutkins

Carol Nutkins became a Community Navigator in October 2014 when the service was first introduced in West Herts. She is employed by POhWER, a partner of the Hospital and Community Navigator Service, and currently seconded to Herts Valleys CCG High Intensity Users service.

Kalu Nwaka

Kalu Nwaka is a Senior Policy and Implementation manager in the National Elective Care Transformation Programme, High Impact Intervention team, where he is the FCP workstream lead.

Kalu has worked in a range of roles across different NHS organisations.

He worked as a Programme Manager in a pathology service consolidation across two of the biggest NHS Trusts, realising significant cost savings from streamlined processes and reducing waste in the system.

Luke O’Shea

Luke O’Shea is Head of Integrated Personal Commissioning and Person Centred Care for NHS England.

He has previously worked in national policy and strategy roles at the Department of Health and as a commissioner in a local authority and the NHS.

Prior to that he worked in a range of government departments including leading work on early year services at the Prime Minister’s strategy unit, as a private secretary to a children’s minister and leading cross government working on ageing.

He describes as his proudest achievements his “modest role at the inception of Family Nurse Partnership in the UK and of my work on ageing”.

Joe O’Grady

Joe O’Grady began his 32-year career in Health and Social Care as a nursing auxiliary and completed his training as an RMN in 1989.

He is currently on secondment for 2018-19 to formulate an equality governance framework and service for the Cheshire and Merseyside region, and has been the Equality and Diversity Manager at the Countess of Chester Hospital since 2011.

Joe increased recruitment of stakeholders from across the protected characteristics into equality sub groups, the equality governance framework and joint working initiatives. He implemented a robust equality analysis toolkit and recruited over 40 Equality Local Champions, who received accredited E&D training. In addition, Joe co-facilitated International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT), Chester PRIDE and other events in partnership with third sector organisations.

He launched the Trust’s inaugural Carers Strategy to support Patients and Staff who are Carers. Joe has also helped the Trust to achieve one of the highest equality performance ratings under both the Equality Delivery System 2 and Workforce Race Equality Standard frameworks and to meet the Accessible Information Standard, Disability Confident Employer and NAVAJO LGBTI Charter Marks.

His Trust has been a pilot site for both the Workforce Disability Equality Standard and the NHS Sexual Orientation Monitoring Standard and is a Partner Alumni for Diversity and Inclusion with NHS Employers.

Joe won the national NHS Leadership Academy Award for Inclusive Leadership in 2015 and national Diversity Champion award for Public Sector in 2017, in the Excellence In Diversity Awards.

Peter O’Reilly

Peter O’Reilly originally joined Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) on 1 March 2011 as Director of Prevention and Protection after serving for 21 years with Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service. On 1 April 2015 he was appointed to the role of County Fire Officer and Chief Executive and in June 2016 was awarded the Queens Fire Service Medal (QFSM).

He served in Belfast for most of his career as a Firefighter, Junior Officer and District Commander, before moving to Ballymena as an Assistant Area Commander. He became the Area Commander for Northern Area Command in 2009.

Currently Peter holds the Strategic Lead role for Health within the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA). Successes include the agreement and signing of a Joint Consensus Statement with NHS, PHE, LGA, and Age UK which has resulted in UK Fire Services delivering Safe and Well visits to those most vulnerable in communities. Separately, with the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE), he has signed a similar statement aligning the strategic intent for support to emergency medical incidents.

Since joining Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service Peter has overseen the complete restructuring of the Prevention and Protection Directorate and aligned the Service with the Public Service Reform agenda in Greater Manchester. On 15 September 2015 Peter lead GMFRS to become the first Fire Service in the United Kingdom to assist its local ambulance service, by making available all of its firefighters, in responding to cardiac arrests.

Dr Shelagh O’Riordan

Dr Shelagh O’Riordan is a Consultant Community Geriatrician at Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust and Professional Adviser to the Community Services team at NHS England. She is also Clinical Director for Frailty in East Kent.

She was a Consultant Geriatrician in East Kent Hospitals NHS University Trust for fourteen years before moving into community services. She was the Chair of the Community Geriatrics Special Interest group at the British Geriatrics Society between 2019 and 2022.

During the pandemic Shelagh developed a ‘hospital at home’ service, working with the urgent community response teams to allow real alternatives to hospital admission for people at home and in care homes. In her role as Professional Adviser to NHS England, Shelagh is supporting the work building on the commitments in the NHS Long Term Plan to support older people to stay well and live independently as long as possible and to provide care closer to home, reducing avoidable hospital admissions.

@jupiterhouse1 @NHSEnglandCHS

Alison O’Sullivan

Alison began her career as a social worker assistant in inner-city Derby in 1973, trained at Bradford University, qualifying in 1978 and then worked in Bradford for many years. She was fortunate to have experience working with all groups of people and in many different parts of this diverse district. As she moved into senior roles in social services, partnership working became a strong feature and she was seconded as joint commissioner for older people with the Area Health Authority as well as holding assistant director roles for adults. Alison was director of social services for Bradford for four years and left in 2006 to go as director for children and young people to Kirklees. She retired from this role in April 2016.

Alison was active in the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) from its inception supporting regional work to share best practice and drive improvement. She represented Yorkshire and Humberside on the National Council for ADCS and was elected vice president in 2014 becoming president for the year from April 2015. This was a huge privilege and enabled her to engage in national policy shaping and give advice on behalf of directors of children’s services to government departments and others. She has a long track record of engagement in national policy work from the Marmot Review in 2008 to Future in Mind in 2016.

Alison has acted as a champion for children at a local and national level with particular emphasis on empowering children to directly influence policy and practice. Alison pressed for better support for care leavers and mental health of young people as specific issues during her Presidential year. Since retirement Alison has been a member of the advisory board for the Children’s Commissioner, Co-Chair and support to the Expert Group improving mental health for children in care, together with advice and consultancy roles.

Tyler O’Sullivan

Tyler O’Sullivan is a Strategy analyst within the Strategy Group at NHS England, leading work on the Learning Disability Employment programme.

Nene Obibi-Mordi

Nene Obibi-Mordi, RGN, is workstream lead for the EyesWise – 100 Voices Campaign, part of the Elective Care Transformation Programme. Nene has years of practical experience of personalised care and system leadership, working in integrated teams across health and social care systems.

Nene’s passion for improved health outcomes in the community is well established and includes organising and executing medical missions for diabetes and high blood pressure in underserved communities in Africa; regular participation in Race For Life Cancer Research UK, and going bald for Meningitis UK, as a Meningitis survivor.

Today, she pioneers as a creative writer and a social blogger writing on health improvement, life encounters, fitness and wellbeing. PRINCE2 certified, experienced in coaching and facilitating local health teams to enact change which impact on patient experience and outcomes. She is a well-honed public speaker, skilled in Change Management, Clinical Operations and a registered Nurse.

Jane Obonyo

Jane Obonyo is a volunteer with Black Health Agency Skyline.

Vicky Ogretmen

Social Prescribing Link Worker. Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Council for Voluntary Service on behalf of Burnley East Primary Care Network.

Sir John Oldham

Adj Professor Institute of Global Health Imperial College.

Sir John Oldham qualified at Manchester Medical School in 1978 and worked in various teaching hospitals, culminating as a GP trainee in inner city Manchester, before becoming a partner in a general practice.

Until recently he was National Clinical Lead for Quality and Productivity at the Department of Health He is also a member of the National Quality Board for the NHS in England, which sets the strategic direction for quality and safety in the NHS and the priorities for NICE. He has recently been appointed as Chair of an Independent Commission on Whole Person Care.

Deborah Olubiyi

Deborah is a Global Health graduate from King’s College London and recently featured on the new BBC2 Documentary series ‘The Big Hospital Experiment’ as a Clinical Volunteer.

A passionate social action advocate, she founded an Alumni Association for her former secondary school that has connected over 500 current pupils to the school’s Alumni community.

Aside from her interests in social action and education, Deborah has a strong desire to engage in global social justice issues which she has further explored through roles at The Commonwealth, Houses of Parliament, Public Health England and the Department of International Development UK.

In 2018, she was featured in Future Leaders, an annual publication which profiles 100 of the UK’s most outstanding African and African Caribbean students and new graduates.

Dr Kilali Ominu-Evbota

Dr Kilali Ominu-Evbota is Consultant paediatrician with special interest in haematology, Oncology and Allergy. She did her specialist training at Royal London Hospital, Great Ormond Street hospital and other hospitals across London. She has over 15 years of paediatric experience.
She is an expert in paediatric conditions with a special interest in ‘lumps and bumps’, haematology – Sickle cell anaemia, Oncology and Allergy. She has a keen interest in medical law and recently completed a masters degree in medical law and ethics.

She is the Paediatric governance lead at Basildon hospital, Mid and South Essex NHS trust and the Co-lead of the Paediatric Haematology Oncology service. She is also a Medical examiner for the trust. Apart from looking after patients she is passionate about teaching.

She loves a morning jog, enjoys singing and is part of a gospel choir. She is a loving mother to a twin boy and girl.

Andrzei (Andi) Orlowski

Andi Orlowski is a health economist and leads the business intelligence function at Imperial College Health Partners which supports the North West London Sustainability and Transformation Partnership.

He is particularly interested in population health analytics especially the concept of impactibility modelling and finding those people most amenable to an intervention.

Andi is also a Senior Advisor for NHS England on Population Health Management in the Operations and Information Directorate. He works with STPs and ICSs across the country advising and working with them on population health management.

Dr Gillian Orrow

Dr Orrow graduated from Guy’s, King’s and St Thomas’ school of medicine in 2006. She was an NIHR academic clinical fellow in general practice at the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Public Health from 2008-2012, undertaking research and gaining an MPhil with distinction in the area of prevention. She subsequently acted as advisor to NICE Public Health Advisory Committees alongside her clinical work as a GP in Surrey. She is the founding director of Growing Health Together, a place-based approach to prevention and health creation commissioned by NHS Surrey Heartlands and embedded across East Surrey Place.

Dr Nnenna Osuji

Dr Nnenna Osuji is Chief Executive Officer of North Middlesex University Hospital Trust.

With more than 20 years’ experience within the NHS, Nnenna joined the Trust as Chief Executive in 2021, having previously worked as Deputy Chief Executive and Medical Director at Croydon Health Services NHS Trust.

She has held many other roles within Croydon since she started there in 2005. She was Joint Clinical Lead for the South West London Sustainability and Transformation Partnership and a member of key groups including the London Clinical Advisory Group and the London Clinical Senate.

Dr Osuji has a pedigree in academia and teaching, is an experienced Haematology Consultant and continues to practice. Nnenna is currently Co-Chair of the London People Board and Chair of the London Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group. She also co-chairs the Best Value Medicines Steering Group for London.

Marina Otley

Marina Otley is the Clinical Audit Specialist at Nottingham CityCare Partnership, a Social Enterprise provider of NHS Community Services. Her role is to support staff in undertaking projects to improve quality of care and support NICE guidance implementation. She is also the Joint Chair of the East Midlands Clinical Audit Support Network, one of 15 regional networks that bring together people in clinical audit, effectiveness and quality improvement roles to share learning and good practice. Marina has worked for the NHS for 15 years in roles relating to clinical audit, effectiveness, governance and quality in primary, community and acute care organisations.

Ruth Owen, OBE

Ruth Owen OBE is Chief Executive of Whizz-Kidz, the national charity for disabled children and young people. Since 2004, she has led the charity to become the biggest provider of powered and lightweight manual wheelchairs for disabled children outside the NHS. A wheelchair user from the age of seven, Ruth believes passionately in the importance of independent mobility in a child’s life.

Professor Bola Owolabi

Professor Bola Owolabi (MRCGP, MFPH Hon, FRSPH) is Director of the National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme at NHS England. She works as a General Practitioner in the Midlands.

Bola has particular interest in reducing healthcare inequalities through integrated care models, service transformation, and using data insights for quality improvement. She has spearheaded NHS England’s Core20PLUS5 approach to narrowing healthcare inequalities.

Internationally, Bola was a member of the Danish Ambassador’s Tour De Health – a ten nation healthcare policy leaders’ summit. Additionally, she was the UK representative on the Commonwealth Fund/Academy Health Tour 2023, exploring equity in national health policy across the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.

She was previously National Speciality Advisor for Older People and Integrated Person-Centred Care at NHS England, where she led the Anticipatory Care workstream of the National Ageing Well Programme. She collaborated with teams across NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care as part of the Covid-19 pandemic response.

Bola is an alumna of Ashridge Executive Education/Hult International Business School and holds a Masters degree with distinction in Leadership (Quality Improvement). She also received an NHS Leadership Academy Award in Executive Healthcare Leadership for Clinicians.

Bola is an Honorary Professor at the Institute of Applied Health Research, College of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham. She is also a Vice President of the Royal Society of Public Health (RSPH).

Aaron Oxford

Aaron Oxford is a Learning Disability Network Manager in the engagement team with NHS England, a job he started in August 2015. Aaron was born with a rare genetic mild disability called Kabuki Syndrome that affects one in 32,000 births worldwide and is autistic.

Dr Rupert Page

Rupert trained in London and has worked across the South and South West. His research area was the application of MRI to neurological disease. He was appointed as a consultant neurologist to setup an epilepsy service for Dorset in 2008. He has been involved in computing and technology for a long time and his first “Hello World” experience was in 1982. He is part of Cohort 1 of the NHS Digital Academy.

Dr Jason Page

Dr Jason Page has worked as a general practitioner in Rotherham for the last 23 years.

In September 2019 he started work as Clinical Director of South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw targeted lung health checks, which has so far found over 350 cancers. He is also the Medical Director of Rotherham Place within South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board.

Jason is married to Nic, a paediatric oncologist, and has three children. On Saturdays he’s most likely found watching Rotherham United.

Cally Palmer

Cally Palmer is NHS England’s National Cancer Director leading the implementation of the NHS Cancer Taskforce’s five year strategy for cancer care improvement, as well as new cancer Vanguards using outcomes-based commissioning to redesign care and the patient experience.

She is also Chief Executive of The Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and retains this role while seconded to NHS England.

James Palmer

James Palmer has been Medical Director for Specialised Services since NHS England’s inception in 2013. He is a member of NHS England’s Specialised Commissioning National Team. He is a Consultant Neurosurgeon at Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust.

Sunita Pandya

Sunita Pandya is currently Director of Arts Administration at the Southbank Centre, a role she took up in 2018.

Having read history at the University of Bristol, Sunita set up her own production company which produced work regularly with Bristol Old Vic, in Edinburgh and across the Southwest for six years.

After university, Sunita worked at the Orange Tree Theatre ahead of attending Drama School London to study theatre and TV directing. Upon graduating, Sunita joined the National Theatre before moving to Battersea Arts Centre where she programmed and delivered festivals such as the ground-breaking One-on-One Festival, the annual Scratch Festival and a UK tour with Blind Summit Puppet company.

From there, Sunita worked at Sadler’s Wells as Project Manager before moving to WildWorks as Executive Director. Here Sunita produced WildWorks’ projects for two years.

Jill Parker

Jill Parker is the senior policy advisor for the Voluntary Organisations Disability Group and leads on STOMP in social care.

Much of her work involves supporting social care providers to implement STOMP in a way that makes sense in their organisation and achieves the best possible outcomes for the people they support.

Jess Parkhouse

Jess is a third year student Nurse, Kingston University.

Lydia Parkhurst

Lydia Parkhurst is a geography student at Hull University.

Kevin Parry

Kevin Parry is a Programme Director at NHS Digital and specialises in portfolio risk and assurance on digital transformation and data programmes.

He has worked in both private and public sector roles leading teams to deliver or advise on transformation at scale. He is a fellow of APM, the chartered body for project professionals, an Oxford University Business Alumnus and a guest lecturer at the University of Manchester on the MSc course in Management of Projects.

Kevin is passionate about NHS technology making a positive difference to social care and health outcomes, as well as improving the working lives of health and care professionals through better information and data.

Emma Pascale Blakey

Emma Pascale Blakey is a registered nurse working in the Endoscopy department at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. In addition, she is a Chief Sustainability Officer’s Clinical Fellow.

The Chief Sustainability Officer’s Clinical Fellow scheme offers clinicians with a passion for sustainability a unique opportunity to develop their leadership skills and positively impact the healthcare system’s green agenda.

Joseph Pascoe

Joseph Pascoe is currently studying A-level maths, physics, chemistry, and English literature at sixth form.

He is using his personal experiences with mental health issues to help the North East London Foundation Trust (NELFT) Youth Council and working with the Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Service.

Sonny Patnaik

Sonny Patnaik is a member of the New Care Models team working within the Harnessing Technology workstream as a project manager. He has a specific interest in supporting vanguards to understand and deliver the interoperability and information sharing agenda that will enable the delivery of better care services. This includes working with organisations who are looking to ensure that the end-of-life preferences of an individual are visible to those who are involved in their care via the IT systems that they use.

Louise Patten

Louise Patten is a registered nurse and Chief Officer for Aylesbury Vale CCG in Buckinghamshire.
She moved from District Nursing into management, initially as Assistant Director of Nursing then as commissioner for Primary Care and later Deputy Chief Executive & Board Nurse of a PCT.

After a year’s sabbatical doing an MBA, she worked as Director of Service Design for a commercial healthcare organisation then as CEO of the PBC group United Commissioning LLP, overseeing the transition to Aylesbury Vale CCG.

Liam Paul

Liam Paul is a Policy Manager in the System Transformation Group, now helping Accountable Care Systems (ACS) to design, test and implement system control totals and new payment mechanisms.

Prior to this he co-authored the Enhanced Health in Care Homes framework and worked with vanguards, STPs and accountable care systems to help them implement it.

Before joining the NHS, Liam supported councils to implement the Care Act 2014 and worked on health and social care improvement for the Local Government Association.

Nicola Payne

Nicola Payne worked as a carer before joining the NHS in 2013 as a community nurse with Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. She started in the role of senior staff nurse for care homes in January 2016 and joined NEMS in May 2017.

She is involved in a number of projects across Nottinghamshire and works in collaboration with the local authority.

In her current post of independent care sector programme lead, her role is to scope the Midlands and East area to understand what the workforce development needs are in relation to the implementation of the Enhanced Health in Care Homes framework.

Dr David Paynton

David Paynton qualified in 1975 going into General Practice in 1981. He was a full time GP in Bath Lodge Practice, Southampton before stepping into the corporate world of the PCT in 2005.

As a full time principle, he was a past chair of the Wessex Faculty of the RCGP, chaired a local Multifund, an Out of Hours Cooperative as well as being a founder member of the GP Wessex Educational Trust and was a past GP tutor.

Moving into the PCT as Chair of the Professional Executive, he became interim director of provider (community) services before moving into a Commissioning role before leaving in 2010.

He has continued in part time clinical practice and is still working in an inner city practice in Southampton.

He was appointed as National Clinical Lead for the RCGP Centre for Commissioning in 2012 and is also the clinical lead for Out of Hospital care for Southampton CCG piloting self-management.

He was nominated as a Fellow of the RCGP in 1994, took a business degree in 2005 at Solent University and was awarded an MBE in 2009 for services to health care.

Luke Peachey

Luke Peachey is the Emergency Planning Manager for University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust. He is responsible for developing and maintaining strategic plans for preventing and responding to a vast number of emergencies. Luke is also responsible for reducing the impact of patients and the overall Trust during the response and recovery from emergencies.

His initial career was spent working as a Senior Charge Nurse for 12 years in the Emergency Department, alongside ten years with West Midlands Ambulance Service and two years with West Midlands Care Team.

Luke is fortunate to be able to utilise his clinical experience within his current role and uses this to understand how different services operates while planning for emergencies and the impact this could potentially cause.

Susie Peachey

Susie Peachey is Improvement Manager for NHS England’s Sustainable Improvement Team (Transforming Care).
Susie is currently working in the team supporting 48 Transforming Care Partnerships to deliver their plans for changing how care and support is delivered, to help people with a learning disability, autism or both, live the lives they want.
Susie worked as part of the long term conditions team last year delivering bespoke service improvement support to CCG teams to enable them to transform services. She is also an accredited trainer for large scale change improvement methodology and has presented at numerous conferences and delivered coaching in quality improvement techniques to NHS consultants and managers.

David Pearson CBE

David has been the Director of Social Services/ Director of Adult Social Care in Nottinghamshire since 2005.

During David’s time as Director the Adult Social Care Department has one of the best performing authorities in the country with a number of services and initiatives recognised for their innovation and excellence. These include the national Audit Office report on support available to adults with Asperger’s and the development of micro providers to provide adult social care.

David has overseen the successful introduction of personal budgets to all service users in receipt of community based services. The County Council is one of the top performing authorities in the country on provision of personal budgets and direct payments.

David also has responsibility for Public Health and the County Council Trading Standards, Community safety, the Registration service and Emergency Planning. He has been the Deputy Chief Executive since 2008.

David was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s birthday honours list in June 2016 for services to adult social care.

Dr Gale Pearson

Dr Gale Pearson has been an intensive care consultant at Birmingham Children’s Hospital since 1995 and was involved in the preparation of the policy document on paediatric intensive care ‘A Framework for the Future’. He is a former chairperson of the Paediatric Intensive Care Society and was involved in setting up the national audit PICANet. He was also a former National Director of Confidential Enquiries in Children at The Centre for Maternal and Child Enquiries (CMACE). Dr Pearson is the current Chair of the National Clinical Reference Group on Paediatric Intensive Care at NHS England.

Dr Ben Pearson

Following a zoology degree at Durham University Ben qualified in medicine at Kings College London in 1993. He worked in London, Lincoln and Nottingham, training in geriatric and general (internal) medicine, taking up his consultant post at Derby in 2004. For ten years Ben led the development of acute medical services, introducing consultant led front door assessment and ambulatory care services from 2006. He now works in community geriatrics and as Divisional Medical Director for Integrated Care. Ben has over six years of Board level experience with the Mansfield & Ashfield and Newark & Sherwood CCG Governing Body as their secondary care doctor and in August 2013 was appointed to the East Midlands Clinical Senate Council.

Dr Nina Pearson

Dr Nina Pearson has been a GP for 31 years and is currently a part-time partner with Lea Vale Medical Group, a practice of 24,000 patients over three sites in Luton.

Nina has held a number of clinical leadership roles throughout her career and has been Chair of Luton Clinical Commissioning Group since April 2013. During this time she has led Luton CCG to a position of maturity with a health and social care economy which is meeting the NHS constitutional standards but still facing a significant financial sustainability challenge.

Since June 2017 she has been the GP Lead for the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Shadow Integrated Care System, developing primary care as the cornerstone of population health using the primary care home model.

Jess Peck

Jess Peck is a patient safety specialist in NHS England’s London region team. They support NHS organisations across London to implement the NHS patient safety strategy.

Mark Perkins

Mark became Head of Strategic Category Management at NHS England and NHS Improvement in April 2020, as part of the Commercial Medicines Directorate’s Medicines Value Team. He has 15 years’ experience within the NHS of working collaboratively with industry to design and deliver innovative, world class and award-winning, commercial deals to help improve clinical outcomes and value for the NHS. Prior to joining the NHS, Mark held executive level commercial and operational roles within the private sector.

Karen Perring

Karen Perring is the Lead Nurse for the Yorkshire and Humber Paediatric Critical Care Operational Delivery Network (Y&H PCCODN). She qualified as a general nurse in 1992 and subsequently specialised in paediatrics gaining her RN (Child) in 1994. Karen has spent the majority of her career working in the field of Paediatric Intensive Care in both Newcastle and Leeds. She also spent 4 years working as a Senior Transport Nurse with the Yorkshire and Humber Infant and Children’s Transport Service (Embrace).

Karen spent a two year secondment as Network educator for the Y&H PCCODN prior to being appointed as Lead Nurse in August 2015. She is an instructor for APLS and is involved in the Network multi-professional simulation days offered to all hospitals within her region.

She is a member of the Paediatric Intensive Care Society (PICS) and regularly attends the PICS Managers Group Meetings.

Karen’s role as Lead Nurse involves projects including Surge & Escalation, guideline development, Long Term Ventilation, High Dependency Audit and Service Evaluation. She works closely with other networks including adult critical care, trauma, neonates, children’s congenital cardiac and paediatric neurosciences.

Throughout her time in the network she has worked hard to develop effective working relationships with provider units and to give professional support and advice, promoting best practice in the care of the critically ill child.

Pauline Philip

National Director for Emergency and Elective Care.

Pauline has been the National Director of Urgent and Emergency Care since December 2015, acting on behalf of both NHS England and NHS Improvement. Prior to this she was Chief Executive of Luton and Dunstable University Hospital Foundation Trust.

A nurse by background, Pauline has previously also worked for the World Health Organisation, has an international track record in patient safety, and has led the successful performance of Luton’s hospital services for a number of years.

Penny Phillips

Penny Phillips has been a national patient safety partner since April 2022, and has also supported the national Patient Safety team on a number of previous occasions as a patient representative. Penny is part of the ongoing Involving Patients in Patient Safety co-design group.

Eddy Phillips

Eddy Phillips is a network manager in the Learning Disability and Autism Engagement Team at NHS England and NHS Improvement. His pronouns are he/him or they/them.

Outside of their day job, Eddy is the trans and nonbinary lead for the NHS England and NHS Improvement LGBT+ staff network and they also work as an engagement officer for TransLeeds. They are also a Trans Pride Leeds committee member.

Eddy campaigns for trans rights and for autistic rights.

Kelly Phizacklea

Kelly Phizacklea is the 200th peer leader to complete the Peer Leadership Development programme. Kelly has helped to improve and develop neonatal and maternity services through her lived experience of using neonatal intensive care following a complex pregnancy with her daughter.

Kelly is now embarking on completing the peer leader facilitator role, to continue to champion the voice of lived experience and expert by experience.

Carolyn Piper

Carolyn Piper is North Central London STP’s Programme Manager for Dementia.

Over the past few months she has been working with NHS England to identify, evaluate and share best practice in dementia and older people’s mental health care in North Central London.

Carolyn works with providers, commissioners, clinicians, people living with dementia, carers and the voluntary sector across the STP.

Sally Plumb

Sally Plumb is a Case Manager in Complex Rehabilitation in the South West.

She is a Registered Nurse with 27 years’ experience of working with complex neurological and long term conditions ranging through critical care, rehabilitation, community and neuro- palliative care.

This breadth of experience has been invaluable in achieving collegiate and networking pathways across multiple care providers in all case management posts that she has previously held.

She has a Masters in Health Policy, has published papers within stroke rehabilitation journals and MS Society publications, and has lectured throughout the South West Peninsula and South East London in previous regional posts. Sally is committed to ensuring the patient receives good quality, effective rehabilitation to optimise their potential.

Chris Pointon

Chris Pointon is the widower of the inspiring Dr Kate Granger MBE and Co-founder of the #hellomynameis campaign of which he remains the Global Campaign Ambassador

‘Play the cards in life you’ve been dealt’ were words that Kate and I lived by and we certainly lived life to the full every day, even before her terminal cancer diagnosis.

Our lives were turned upside down around 6 and a half years ago when Kate was diagnosed with terminal cancer whilst we were holidaying in California.

From that point we crammed a huge amount into Kate’s time on this planet. Along the way we raised over £340,000 for good causes, travelled the world, met many celebrities and royalty and started a global campaign that improves patient care through the basic message of introductions entitled #hellomynameis. Kate’s legacy is huge and her name will live on forever through her legacy and various awards named in her honour.

Caroline Pollington

Caroline is Lead Nurse for Sutton Homes of Care.

Caroline graduated from Southampton University as a nurse in 2001, following undergraduate study in anatomy and biology. Her career to date has been within acute neurosciences, both neurology and neurosurgery, having performed a variety of roles, including ward-based junior, senior nurse, clinical nurse specialist and departmental staff educational lead.

Caroline’s joint passions for neurosciences and education led to post-graduate qualifications in these areas, and she is a NMC-registered nurse teacher. She recently completed a Darzi fellowship, which has enhanced her leadership capabilities.

Caroline believes in individual empowerment to achieve greatness and that, by giving health professionals the right skills, knowledge and support, they can have a huge impact on both individuals and systems.

Caroline Poole

Caroline Poole is the Deputy Clinical Director and Professional Head of Allied Health Professions.

Over 20 years Caroline has developed a broad portfolio of experience within healthcare, having held clinical, managerial and strategic leadership positions across community and acute services and in commissioning.

Her passion is for improving the experience and outcomes for patients, carers, staff and systems.

She joined NHS Improvement in 2017, firstly leading a portfolio to develop AHP Leadership and more recently working with NHS Trusts to improve care whilst building improvement capacity and capability.

Caroline is a registered speech and language therapist and qualified coach.

Follow Caroline on Twitter: @CarolineNhs

Martyn Porter

Mr Martyn Porter is the National Joint Registry’s medical director and vice-chairman, appointed by the Department for Health from 1 February 2014.

Mr Porter is a practicing consultant orthopaedic surgeon based at Wrightington Hospital, Lancashire, a past-President of the British Orthopaedic Association (BOA) and immediate past-President of the International Society of Arthroplasty Registers (ISAR).

Martyn has published many papers on the outcomes of various different types of joint replacement and techniques. He is a keen teacher and has lectured on many courses and conference, both in the United Kingdom and abroad.

Jeremy Porteus

Until 2011, Jeremy was the National Programme Lead for Housing at the Department of Health (DH) and responsible for its £227 million Extra Care Housing capital investment fund.

Since leaving the DH, Jeremy has established the highly-respected Housing LIN. He is a member of the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia Health and Social Care Champion’s Group and is also Chair of the Homes and Communities Agency’s Vulnerable and Older People’s Advisory Group (the government social housing investment body in England). He is the author of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Housing and Care for Older People’s inquiry reports, ‘Living Well at Home’ and ‘Housing our Ageing Population: Plan for Implementation (HAPPI2)’. He was recently engaged again by the APPG as Secretariat to write the new HAPPI3 inquiry report, Housing our Ageing Population: Positive Ideas, which looked into the future use of technology to support independent living. This was launched in June 2016.

Jeremy is also a Fellow of the NIHR Social Services Care Research team and a member of their Impact Working Group.

Twitter: @HousingLIN

John Powell

John Powell MBE, Associate of the Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) .

A social worker by profession, John worked in local authority children and adult social care for 36 years before retiring from his Corporate Director role in August 2016.
John’s lived experience as a carer and a social care professional was honoured in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2018, when he was awarded an MBE for his services to vulnerable people.

National ADASS Policy Lead for End of Life Care means that his Champion role is an active one and compliments his passion for ensuring that Dignity in Care underpins a quality service delivery and positive outcomes for all. John has been representing ADASS on the NHSE/I Programme Board for EOLC since its inception. John has also been chairing the ADASS EOLC leads network meeting since 2014.

Rachel Power

Rachel became Chief Executive of the Patients Association in 2017, bringing with her over 20 years’ experience of health and social care in the not-for-profit sector.

She has overseen a significant period of change at the Association. Rachel is a member of the NHS Assembly and also a member of several national health bodies.

Professor Stephen H Powis

Stephen Powis is the National Medical Director of NHS England and Professor of Renal Medicine at University College London.

Previously he was Medical Director (and latterly Group Chief Medical Officer) of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust from 2006 to 2018. Professor Powis was also a member of the governing body of Merton Clinical Commissioning Group for five years and a Director of Healthcare Services Laboratories LLP.

He is a past Chairman of the Association of UK Universities (AUKUH) Medical Directors Group and has been a member of numerous national committees and working groups, including the Department of Health Strategic Education Funding Expert Group. He is a past non-executive director of the North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust, including a period of eight months as acting chairman.

He is a past chairman of the Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board (JRCPTB) Specialty Advisory Committee (SAC) for Renal Medicine and a former board member of Medical Education England. He was Director of Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education for UCLPartners from 2010-13. He is a past treasurer and trustee of the British Transplantation Society and a former member of the UK Transplant Kidney Pancreas Advisory Group.

He has also served as a member of the Renal Association Executive Committee. He was Editor of the journal Nephron Clinical Practice from 2003 to 2008. In 2017 he became the inaugural Editor-in-Chief of the journal BMJ Leader. He has been a trustee of several charities, including the Royal Free Charity and the Healthcare Management Trust.

Peter Pratt

Peter Pratt has worked as a specialist pharmacist in psychiatry for over 35 years.

Prior to joining NHS England and NHS Improvement, he was the Chief Pharmacist at Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust. He has extensive experience of psychopharmacology and pharmacy practice in mental health throughout the UK.

He is a former Chairman and a Fellow of The College of Mental Health Pharmacists, a Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, and a former executive board member of the National Association of Psychiatric Units.

In addition to his national role, Peter has helped shape the national guidance for medicines use in mental health through his membership of several NICE clinical guideline development groups including schizophrenia, the management of violence and psychosis with substance misuse.

Dr Mike Prentice

Dr Mike Prentice is interim Medical Director (North) in NHS England.

He trained as a GP in the North East and was a partner in a large practice in Gateshead for 15 years before moving into full time medical management. He has a wide range of experience including in public health; as director of a GP co-operative; a governor of a Foundation Trust and has held a range of NHS board level positions since 1999.

Mike is interested in leadership, informatics, commissioning, and quality improvement. He is the current chair of the North East Leadership Academy and independent vice Chair of the Scottish NHS Pension Board.

Graham Prestwich

Graham Prestwich is Lay Member NHS England Allied Health Professions (AHP) Medicines Project Board.

David Probert

David took up the position of chief executive at Moorfields in April 2016. He was the former director of strategic development at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. David is a past fellow of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) in Boston, USA and holds an MBA from the University of Leicester.

Joe Pusey

Joe Pusey is an alumni member of the NHS Youth Forum.

Gillian Radcliffe

Gillian Radcliffe leads communications and engagement work within the Insight and Feedback Team at NHS England, supporting work primarily on the Friends and Family Test but also around national surveys and related projects.

Gillian has been a senior communications professional in the public sector for almost 30 years, with experience in the health, education and criminal justice sectors.

Professor Mark Radford, BSc (Hons) RGN, PGDip (ANP), MA (Med Ed), PhD, FHEA, DSc (Hon)

Mark Radford is currently Chief Nurse of Health Education England and Deputy Chief Nursing Officer for England. Mark led the national NHS vaccine workforce programme, ensuring success in phase one, with the delivery of 15 million vaccinations. The programme recruited and trained over 250,000 people including 90,000 clinicians and 70,000 volunteers, in a few months, to launch one of world’s fastest programmes. He also led the deployment of student nurses in the wave one and two pandemic response, with 71 universities in England.

Mark has led other major NHS, workforce policy and delivery programmes as National Senior Responsible Officer for domestic supply for the government’s 50,000 nurses manifesto commitment, led the expansion of 5,400 additional places at universities and 7,700 additional placements in the NHS to support expansion.

Mark qualified as a nurse in 1994 and has previously worked in anaesthetics, preoperative assessment, perioperative care, critical care and A&E in the UK and Europe. He was a Consultant Nurse in Perioperative Emergency Care and worked as an advisor to the Department of Health, the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on a range of areas including perioperative hypothermia, emergency management and nurse prescribing.

He is also a Professor of Nursing at Birmingham City University and Coventry University, with research covering emergency care models, advanced practice, staffing, risk modelling, clinical decision-making, expertise and sociological issues in healthcare.

He has published widely on advanced practice nursing and perioperative care. 

Ayesha Rahim

Ayesha Rahim is a perinatal psychiatrist and CCIO in Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust. She is interested in Quality Improvement, clinical leadership, and data literacy to inform service development and delivery. She is currently overseeing the roll out of a major transformation project in her organisation in the form of a replacement Electronic Patient Record. You can find her on Twitter @AyeshaRahimCCIO

Dr Anne Rainsberry

Dr Anne Rainsberry is the NHS England, Regional Director for London.
She leads the region in its work to improve health across the capital, ensuring high quality care for every Londoner and working to make London the healthiest global city in the world.

She oversees £16bn health spend across the capital.

Anne joined NHS England from NHS London where she was Deputy Chief Executive and an executive member of the Board for 6 years. She has worked in the NHS for 30 years. During this time she has undertaken senior leadership roles at local, regional and national levels.

Anne has operated at Board level since 1995. She joined the Department of Health in 2001 as Director of Development for the South East Regional Office and then moving to lead this agenda across the South of England.

Jane Ramsay

Jane Ramsay is Chair of the Children and Young People Steering Group at NHS England and also Chair of the Young Epilepsy Charity, which is a national body working to support 112,000 children and young people with epilepsy.

She is also a member of the Committee on Standards in Public Life which advises the Prime Minister on ethical standards across the whole of public life in the UK.

Jane has a wealth of experience from both the NHS, including Chair of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, a primary care trust and local government where she was a senior lawyer for many years.

Shahana Ramsden

Shahana Ramsden is Senior Co-Production Lead NHS England and the Coalition for Collaborative Care (C4CC).

Her 29-year career includes supporting co-production with people who use services and carers and leading equalities programmes. Prior to her role with NHS England and C4CC, Shahana worked as a Patient and Public Voice Manager for NHS England’s Patient Online programme.

Shahana has held roles at director and deputy director level across a number of national programmes including the Delivering Race Equality in Mental Health programme and NHS Employer’s Positively Diverse programme.

In the past 12 months, she has graduated from the NHS Leadership Academy’s Nye Bevan programme with a certificate in Executive Healthcare Leadership, has been recognised by the Health Service Journal as a BME pioneer and was highlighted as one of 100 virtual change activists for health and social care through NHS Improving Quality (The Edge).

Follow Shahana on Twitter @ShahanaRamsden

Steve Ramsey

Steve Ramsey was born in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1966. He’s part of a large close family; he’s a lifelong Newcastle United fan, and he’s a compulsive gambler.
Steve moved away from his native Geordieland at 18 to work in London. He landed a job in finance and became quite successful. He got his qualifications and was promoted to Business Support Manager looking after a £270million company. Steve then moved to the Midlands and worked for Warwickshire County Council until July 2017 when he had his last bet – and had to face a number of harsh realities.

Lisa Ramsey

Lisa is the Service User Voice Policy Manager for Maternity at NHS England. This currently involves engaging and facilitating local women, providers and commissioners to form Maternity Voice Partnerships (MVPs) within their Local Maternity Systems. MVPs are multi-disciplinary teams that work together to review and co-produce services with women and their families. Lisa is developing a toolkit for MVPs to use called 15 Steps for Maternity, which will is a simple took for listening to women and seeing services through their eyes.

Lisa also chairs Reading MVP and is a founding committee member of National Maternity Voices. This committee supports MVPs nationally to listen well to women and their families about their maternity care experiences, especially seldom heard women, so that future services can be shaped around them: www.nationalmaternityvoices.org.uk.

Professor Suzanne Rastrick OBE

Suzanne qualified as an Occupational Therapist from Oxford. Suzanne was the first Allied Health Professional (AHP) to hold a substantive Director of Nursing post in both provider and commissioning organisations. She became the Chief Executive of a Primary Care Trust, where a particular highlight was having leadership responsibility for delivering health resilience and health ‘blue light’ services during the Olympic sailing events held in Dorset in 2012. She subsequently gained authorisation for a large Clinical Commissioning Group, before moving to her current post with NHS England. She was appointed as Chief Allied Health Professions Officer for England in September 2014.

In 2017 Suzanne launched the first AHP strategy for England which has been recognised as ground-breaking in policy development from its use of crowdsourcing. Building on this, Suzanne published the second AHP strategy – ‘AHPs Deliver’ in June 2022. This iteration had a greater emphasis on patient, public voice and specifically the inclusion of those who may be digitally excluded along with communities who may find it difficult to connect with traditional consultation methods. The result is a national strategy crowdsourced from diverse populations for people and communities AHPs serve.

For over three decades, Suzanne has held non-executive portfolios outside of the NHS, including audit committee chair roles, predominantly in the housing and charitable sector. Suzanne was recognised as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the Queen’s birthday honours list 2019. In 2023 Suzanne was awarded a Visiting Professor role at St George’s, University of London and at Oxford Brookes University.

Follow Suzanne on Twitter/X @SuzanneRastrick or Instagram @chief_ahp_officer_england

Katie Ratcliffe

Katie Ratcliffe is a health policy and programme manager, with 12 years’ experience in central government roles in the UK, South East Asia, and the Middle East.

Completing her Masters in Health Policy from Imperial College in 2012, she has brought to the Maternity and Women’s’ Health team in NHS England a combination of programme management skills and broad policy knowledge which is supporting the transformation of maternity services across England.

In her spare time, Katie is a keen traveller, follows politics and social affairs and enjoys swimming and Pilates.

Professor Simon Ray

Professor Simon Ray, President of the British Cardiovascular Society, 2018-2021.

Simon graduated from Bristol University in Pharmacology in 1980 and in Medicine in 1983. After HO jobs in Bristol and medical SHO and registrar jobs in Glasgow and Edinburgh he completed his MD as a BHF funded research fellow with Prof Henry Dargie in Glasgow.

He continued cardiology training at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle before moving to CTC Liverpool as a senior registrar in 1992. From 1994-95 Simon was an interventional cardiology fellow in Vancouver BC with Ian Penn, Chris Buller and Donald Ricci before appointment as consultant cardiologist at Wythenshawe Hospital in 1995.

His clinical and research interests have focussed around valve disease, PFO, cardiac involvement in neuromuscular disease and more recently cardio-oncology. Simon was clinical director of cardiology at UHSM from 2006-2009, President of the British Society of Echocardiography 2007-2009, Vice President of the British Cardiovascular Society for clinical standards from 2010-2013 and President of the British Heart Valve Society from 2013-2016.

Currently he is joint national lead for Cardiology GIRFT.

Simon was appointed Honorary Professor of Cardiology in 2011.

Dr James Ray

Dr James Ray is Emergency Medicine Consultant at Oxford University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Clinical Governance Lead for NHS 111 in Oxfordshire.

His main current interest is to improve the urgent care pathway by making it as accessible as possible without compromising safety and effectiveness to improve the patient experience. Also, to spread out the workload across services, encourage team working throughout providers and continue to develop the workforce needed for the ever increasing demand.

James is an advocate of all doctors and nurses, from all backgrounds, whether primary or secondary care, working together with the sole aim of providing the same goal, to put the patient first. Such idealism, he says, is the key to success of the National Health Service.

Don Redding

Don Redding is Director of Policy for National Voices, the coalition of charities that stands for people being in control of their health and care.

He has led National Voices’ work on integrated care, including the production of five ‘narratives’ demonstrating what people themselves want from ‘person-centred coordinated care’. More recently Don was part of the Realising the Value programme working with NHS England to develop a new articulation of value in health and care, based on what matters most to people and communities.

A former social care journalist, Don has worked for leading national voluntary organisations since 1991, and was previously head of policy and communications for Picker Institute Europe.

Zoë Reed

Zoë is Director of Organisation and Community and Freedom to Speak Up Guardian at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.

Lorna Reeve

Lorna is a YoungMinds activisit.

John Reeve

John Reeve is a Public and Patient Voice member (PPV) of the East of England Cancer Alliance Board.

The Cancer Alliance board members, represent over six million people with many different interests within health care. It seeks to collaborate and work together to transform cancer outcomes and services.

John’s view is that an inclusive patient voice will help inform the development of future services.

Jen Rhodes

Jen Rhodes is a principal clinical psychologist working for Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust.

She has worked in the learning disability community treatment team in Sunderland for the past eight years.

Jen’s role involves working with people with a learning disability, autism or both, their families, and carers, to implement positive behavioural support.

She provides training and supervision for direct care staff, families, and other professionals, and is responsible for making sure the work of the team is high quality, and is doing the best for the people being served.

Paul Rice

Paul Rice is the Head of Technology Strategy in the Digital Health team in NHS England. He leads the team that is instrumental in delivering a digitally enabled and “paperless” NHS.

For the past two years he has overseen delivery of four major capital funds worth in excess of £300million that help the NHS build the capability to introduce integrated digital care records and enable nurses to transform practice, enabled by technology, to “release time to care”.

Paul was a major contributor to the National Information Board’s roadmap document, Personalised Health and Care 2020 – published last November – the first articulation by the health and care system of its commitment to release the benefits of digital technology, data and intelligence.

He is currently leading one of the key delivery work streams.

Paul was formerly the Director of the Long Term Conditions programme in Yorkshire and Humber with a particular focus on Telehealth. He has been a Primary Care Trust Director, a transformation director in the NHS Modernisation Agency and a policy lead in the Department of Health.

He has published and spoken widely on the challenges and opportunities to deliver high quality, efficient and effective service models utilising assistive technology/telehealth/information technology.

Paul holds a first degree in Law and Accounting and a Doctorate in Medical Law and Bioethics.

Sir Mike Richards

Professor Sir Mike Richards was a hospital physician for more than 20 years. After a variety of training posts he was a consultant medical oncologist between 1986 and 1995, and Professor of Palliative Medicine at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Hospitals between 1995 and 1999.

In 1999 Sir Mike was appointed as the first National Cancer Director at the Department of Health. In 2007, his role was extended to include end of life care. He led the development and implementation of the NHS Cancer Plan in 2000, the Cancer Reform Strategy in 2008 and Improving Outcomes: A strategy for cancer in 2011.

In July 2012 he was appointed as Director for Reducing Premature Mortality on the NHS Commissioning Board (now NHS England). In this role he led the development of a cardiovascular outcomes strategy.

He became CQC’s first Chief Inspector of Hospitals in July 2013 and led the development and implementation of a new approach to hospital inspection which assessed services on whether they are safe, caring, effective, responsive and well-led. Sir Mike will be retiring from this role at the end of July.

Sir Mike was awarded a CBE in 2001 and appointed a Knight Bachelor in 2010

Yvonne Richards

Yvonne Richards is a National Senior Manager for Multispecialty Community Providers.

She has over 20 years’ experience in the NHS during which she has worked in a number of commissioning and provider organisations in roles spanning both strategic and operational management.

These have included Senior Programme Manager, leading a CCG’s authorisation, Commissioning Manager in a Primary Care Trust, working with a range of specialist clinicians to develop and redesign services for patients with long term conditions and Emergency Systems Manager in an Ambulance Service managing city-wide emergency activity.

Yvonne’s most recent role was Programme Manager for Health & Social Care Integration in the Birmingham Better Care programme.

She has a particular interest in system redesign and integrated working.

Yvonne began her NHS career working as a GP Receptionist, before moving onto an acute hospital. She holds a Masters in Healthcare Leadership along with other post graduate change management qualifications.

Dr Keith Ridge

Dr Keith Ridge is Chief Pharmaceutical Officer at NHS England where he is head of profession for the pharmacy professions and the principal advisor on pharmacy and medicines use.

His role supports the Department of Health, broader Government and Health Education England.

Keith is the Senior Responsible Officer for reducing inappropriate prescribing of antimicrobial in the UK AMR Strategy, and leads on issues such as medicines optimisation, digital medicines, pharmacy educational reform and transforming pharmacy practice in line with the NHS’s Five Year Forward View.

He is a visiting professor at the Imperial College Medical School.

Ann Marie Riley

Ann-Marie Riley is a registered general nurse who has a background in intensive care nursing, both general and specialty including major injuries, cardiac and burns. She has held a range of leadership roles including matron for trauma and orthopaedics, Head Nurse across a wide range of specialties and senior project nurse for safe staffing. She is currently the Deputy Chief Nurse at Nottingham University Hospitals and is one of the four people behind the hugely successful international #EndPJParalysis campaign.

She is currently the Deputy Chief Nurse (strategy) at Nottingham University Hospital.

Dr Christine Rivers

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.

William Roberts

William Roberts is National Lead, Enhanced Health in Care Homes, New Care Models Programme.

William is an experienced NHS director with a clinical background. As a trained nurse, he has worked in both hospital and community services and was a Nurse Specialist in Tuberculosis and HIV.

William’s first management role was running a clinical network and he held a variety of commissioning and senior leadership roles in the NHS, including roles in Public Health, Strategy, Corporate Affairs and Planning.

For a number of years, William was a visiting lecturer at City University. Before joining the New Care Models Team, he was Director for Strategy and Planning at NHS Camden Clinical Commissioning Group.

Aimee Robson

Aimee Robson is the Deputy Director of Personalised Care (clinical, workforce & quality) in NHS England and Improvement.

A physiotherapist by profession, Aimee has held clinical, non-clinical, local and national roles.

Throughout her career, Aimee has championed the use of evidence-based medicine and quality improvement to deliver and continuously improve optimal and equitable healthcare for people, populations and systems. Recent work includes within a national role as Allied Health Profession (AHP) Clinical Advisor at NHS Improvement and regional implementation role in Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) national programme. A data geek at heart and with a love for improvement science, Aimee is passionate about supporting the healthcare workforce to demonstrate its transformative value and potential, to patients, services and organisations.

Jacqui Rock

Jacqui Rock, Chief Commercial Officer, NHS England.

Jacqui was previously Chief Commercial Officer, Head of Corporate Services and Transition Director at the UK Health Security Agency. As a member of the NHS Test and Trace Executive Team, she was a driving force behind dynamic and rapid innovation and technology development in the supply chain. Jacqui was formerly director for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation at the Ministry of Defence and was a member of the Cabinet Office Commercial Function. She joined the UK government after 30 years in the financial services industry where she held multiple executive positions in companies including Credit Suisse, JP Morgan, Barclays and Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Dr Damien Roland

Dr Damien Roland is Consultant and Lecturer Paediatric Emergency Medicine, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust.

He is one of the core team for NHS Change Day, which used social media to share thousands of pledges of action.

It was the biggest day of collective action for improvement in the history of the NHS and won a global challenge for management innovation prize from Harvard Business Review and McKinsey.

He was also named a top 50 innovator by the HSJ in 2013 and a rising star earlier this year.

Dr Roland is co-director of QuackApps, which produces bespoke mobile and website enabled products. These include the Paediatric Observation Priority Score, a checklist that demonstrates an acuity score (0-16) of acutely ill children using data that is easy to collect.

Dr Roland is also operational director of the Paediatric Emergency Medicine Leicester Academic Group, a social enterprise dedicated to improving the care of ill or injured children.

He also founded Running Horse Group, a network of paediatricians who are interested in learning the skills required to improve and develop services for children and young people.

Professor Martin Rossor

Martin Rossor is the NIHR National Director for Dementia Research, Professor Emeritus, and Principal Research Associate at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology. He has been a leading figure in the field of dementia for over twenty years.

Following his training in clinical neurology at the National Hospital, Queen Square, Martin undertook primary research on the neurochemistry of degenerative dementia at the MRC Neurochemical Pharmacology Unit, Cambridge, before being appointed as Consultant Neurologist at St. Mary’s Hospital London and the National Hospital in 1986. Martin was appointed as the Chairman of the Division of Neurology in 2002, after becoming Professor of Clinical Neurology. He established a specialist cognitive disorders clinic, which acts as a tertiary referral service for young onset and rare dementias.

Martin’s clinical research interests are in the degenerative dementias, particularly familial disease, and more recently in general cognitive impairment in systemic disease and multimorbidity. He established the Queen Square Dementia Research Centre and has served as the editor of the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, President of the Association of British Neurologists, Director of the NIHR Clinical Research Network for Dementia and Neurodegenerative diseases (DeNDRoN), and Director of the NIHR Queen Square Dementia Biomedical Research Unit. As part of the activities of DeNDRoN he established Join Dementia Research (JDR), a national system for linking patients and public to research studies.

He has served on numerous advisory boards and is currently a member of the NIHR Strategy Board, associate member of the World Dementia Council, member of the 2020 Dementia Programme Board, and Chairman of the Senate for the German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE).

Martin has authored and co-authored numerous articles and textbooks in dementia and general neurology. You can find a complete list of his publications using the following link: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8215-3120

Rosamond Roughton

Rosamond Roughton is Director of NHS Commissioning at NHS England.

Jon Rouse

Jon Rouse is Chief Officer for Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership. Prior to this Jon was Director General for social care, local government and care partnerships at the Department of Health.

Martin Routledge

Martin Routledge is NHS England’s Director of the Coalition of Collaborative Care.

He has worked in public services for 33 years, twenty of them spent working mostly for and with local government – often leading integrated social care and health teams and initiatives and incorporating periods of academic work and teaching in higher education.

From 2002-11, at the Department of Health, Martin played a leading role in the development of the personalisation agenda initially in social care and then extending to health.

From 2008-11 he led the national Department of Health Putting People First initiative.

After leaving the Department Martin led the establishment and was first manager of the Think Local Act Personal national leadership partnership for personalisation and was Head of Operations for the charity In Control – which pioneered personalisation across public services.

Julie Roye

Julie Roye is an advanced nurse practitioner at Amersham Vale Training Practice, Primary Care Nurse Consultant Lewisham and national BME GPN joint lead nurse.

Colin Royle

Colin is a co-founder of Peoplehub CIC – a not for profit organisation made up of people with lived experience of receiving a personal health budget. Peoplehub are a strategic partner to NHS England in the implementation of personal health budgets and Integrated Personal Commissioning and also work with Clinical Commissioning Groups in setting up local peer networks that enable genuine collaborative working.

Colin was previously a carer for his father Malcolm for seven years until he passed away in April last year. Malcolm suffered from a rare form of dementia and started receiving a personal health budget in 2009.

Mandy Rudczenko

Mandy Rudczenko’s varied experience includes 15 years working as a mental health nurse, adult education tutor, and tutor trainer.

She has been a carer for her son who has Cystic Fibrosis and Immune Deficiency for 14 years and, as a carer, has become actively involved in:

  • Patient/Public Voice Representative on the Clinical Reference Group for Cystic Fibrosis, since June 2013.
  • Member of the People’s Panel for the Future of Health Conference 2014 – as a Citizen Journalist and Commentator.
  • Member of the Co-Production Group – The Coalition for Collaborative Care, since January 2015.
  • Expert by Experience on the People and Communities Board; one of the ‘Five Year Forward View’ boards, since June 2015.
  • Member of the People’s Panel for Expo 2015.

Mandy is a keen writer since a very early age, her portfolio includes: poetry, plays, published articles about her son’s condition, tweeting, and a blog about Expo.

Mandy passionately believes in the vision of people having more control over managing their own health alongside more collaborative equal relationships between people and health professionals.

Anthony Rudd

Tony Rudd is Professor of Stroke Medicine at Kings College London, Consultant stroke physician at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital and the National Clinical Director for Stroke for NHS England and NHS Improvement.

He has run the stroke programme producing national stroke guidelines and the national stroke audit since 1995.

His research interests are stroke rehabilitation, organisation of care and quality improvement with over 300 peer reviewed publications.

He was made a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2013.

Dr Kate Ryan

Dr Kate Ryan is presently a Consultant Haematologist at Manchester Royal Infirmary and has specialist interests in haemoglobinopathies (sickle cell and thalassaemia), other red cell disorders and general haematology.

Other roles include Chair of the Clinical Reference Group for Haemoglobinopathy Specialist Commissioning and Chair of NEQAS General Haematology Steering Group. She was Chair of the General Haematology Task Force of the British Committee for Standards in Haematology from 2006-2012.

She is interested in the standardisation of care though guidelines and quality standards and was national joint lead for the adult haemoglobinopathy peer review programme 2012-2013. She has contributed to UK guidelines in sickle cell and thalassaemia as well as other haematological disorders

Liz Ryburn

Liz has been Support Team Manager at Spinal Muscular Atrophy UK (SMA UK) since May 2011. She has a long professional background in social work and disability rights/services in both the voluntary and statutory sector in the UK and New Zealand. She now works on Information Coordination at SMA UK – a patient group/charity that has been providing information and support and funding and supporting research-related initiatives since 1985. The charity actively advocates tor access to treatments and better health and social care with and for the SMA community.

Joan Saddler OBE

Joan Saddler is Associate Director of Patients and Communities at the NHS Confederation.

She was formerly National Director of Patient and Public Affairs based within the Patient and Public Engagement and Experience Division at the Department of Health. Areas of responsibility included NHS and 3rd sector liaison, complaints, local involvement networks (LINks) and transition to Healthwatch.

As a former PCT Chair and Mental Health trust Non Executive Joan also brings a governance lens to her work along with her experience as a Chief Executive within the community and voluntary sector.

Joan was awarded an OBE for services to Health and Diversity in 2007. Her experience informs her role working with the Chief Executive of NHS England as Co-Chairs of the NHS Equality and Diversity Council.

Dr Azhar Saleem

Dr Azhar Saleem is a London GP with an interest in respiratory medicine. He is a member of the Lambeth CCG Governing Body, responsible for commissioning of respiratory and long term conditions. He is a founding member of the Integrated Respiratory Team for Lambeth and Southwark. He is Clinical Lead for the RightBreathe inhaler resource.

Dr Heather Salt

Dr Heather Salt (pictured on the right) is Consultant Clinical and Health Psychologist at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and NHS England’s National Clinical Adviser for IAPT-LTC. Heather has worked for over 25 years in primary and secondary care services with patients with LTCs. She is accredited by the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies as a cognitive behavioural therapist, supervisor and trainer, and was the IAPT PWP course director and HI academic supervisor at the University of Reading for the first three years of the set-up and running of IAPT training courses. More recently, Heather has been leading the IAPT-LTC team in Oxfordshire which is a wave 1 Early Implementer site. Heather (right) is pictured with Marion Elliot, Cardiology Liaison Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Oxford University Hospitals Trust.

Isaac Samuels

Isaac is a member of National Co-production Advisory group, Think Local Act Personal (TLAP).

He is a co-chair of the working group of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Adult Social Care and is a committed community-minded individual working within the third sector for many years. He works closely with local government and national charities, the Department of Health and Social Care, and TLAP. His primary focus is supporting a systematic approach to improve services for the people who need to access them and ensuring they meet the needs of the population by embedding communities’ voices at every level.

Isaac’s achievements include:
• Considerable influence and success in terms of reducing the barriers that people who have impairments, and other seldom heard groups, face by ensuring that these barriers are explored in an open, honest, reflective way that supports people to retell their narratives in a way that makes them stronger.
• Sharing his own personal narrative and drawing on the narratives of others to support this life mission of ensuring that everyone has the same opportunities regardless of impairment, age and socio-economic backgrounds.
• Supporting a number of important social changes over the years from LGBT+ rights to choice and control and co-production.
• He is currently involved in numerous projects including research, lecturing, charity work, trusteeship, management and steering group leadership roles with a number of organisations.

All of this is achievable for Isaac as he receives support from a personal assistant (PA) through a direct payment, Isaac is passionate about self-directing his own support and the role that PAs play within the social care sector.

Toby Sanders

Toby Sanders Managing Director (Accountable Officer) – West Leicestershire Clinical Commissioning Group

Toby Sanders leads the management support team and all aspects of the corporate running of West Leicestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). Toby also has a collaborative role with the two neighbouring CCGs as the lead director for East Midlands Ambulance Service, NHS 111, Out-of Hours Services, Arriva, Any Qualified Provider and Urgent Care Centres. Toby is also the Joint Chair for Better Care Together – the 5-year transformation strategy for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR) and also chairs the LLR System Resilience Group and Urgent Care Board.

An experienced Board Director, Toby previously held Deputy Chief Executive roles with the LLR Primary Care Trust (PCT) Cluster, and Leicester City PCT. Toby has also worked elsewhere in the NHS in acute hospital and strategic health authority roles and, before joining the NHS in 2003, worked in local government and management consultancy.

James Sanderson

James Sanderson is the Director of Personalised Care at NHS England where he leads on a range of programmes that are supporting people to have greater choice and control over their health and wellbeing. James also became the CEO to the National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP) in 2019 where James leads on creating partnerships, across the arts, health, sports, leisure, and the natural environment, alongside other aspects of our lives, to promote health and wellbeing at a national and local level. View the NASP strategy.

James joined NHS England in November 2015 and was formerly the Chief Executive and Accounting Officer for the Independent Living Fund (ILF). The ILF was an arm’s length body of the DWP and supported disabled people across the whole of the UK to live independent lives through the provision of direct payments enabling the purchase of personal assistance support.

Prior to joining the ILF in 2002, James had a career in the motor industry within a number of sales and marketing roles, in both corporate and retail environments. James is a performing arts graduate with a background in community theatre.

Dr Rajiv Sankaranarayanan

Dr Rajiv Sankaranarayanan is a consultant cardiologist and Heart Failure Virtual Ward Lead at Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board.

Wendy Saviour

Wendy Saviour is Managing Director for Nottinghamshire Health and Care Integrated Care System.

Before this Wendy was the Area Director for Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country Area Team and between 2010 and 2012 was the Director of Commissioning Development for the NHS East Midlands, where she was responsible for ensuring the development and implementation of new commissioning arrangements across the East Midlands.

Wendy continues to deliver the NHSE regulatory function for the commissioning system in Nottinghamshire as part of her role as Managing Director.

Vicky Scott

Vicky Scott is Chief Operating Officer at South East London Integrated Care System supporting the development of integrated working as the SEL system works towards ICS maturity.
Having started her career in local government, she has held a range of roles in the NHS working both as a commissioner and a provider, at the regional level with NHS London and NHS TDA, and nationally in the New Care Models Team.

Danny Sculthorpe

Danny Sculthorpe played almost 300 professional rugby league games for Rochdale, Wigan, Castleford, Wakefield, Huddersfield and Bradford, as well as captaining England, before a serious spine injury forced him into retirement. Danny suffered from acute depression but courageously fought back and is now a trustee of the State of Mind Sport charity.

Richard Seal

Richard Seal is Regional Pharmacist (Midlands and East), for NHS England and NHS Improvement.

His role includes advising on pharmacy and medicines use, the implementation of national policy on pharmacy and medicines issues, providing senior professional leadership for medicines optimisation across the region and working as part of the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer’s wider pharmacy leadership team.

He is a member of Public Health England’s English Surveillance Programme for Antimicrobial Utilisation and Resistance (ESPAUR) and is responsible for the Midlands and East Regional Medicines Optimisation Committee’s lead role on antimicrobial resistance.

Richard is a Fellow of The Royal Pharmaceutical Society and recently completed his two-year tenure as a Fellow of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

Duncan Selbie

Duncan Selbie is Chief Executive, Public Health England

Prior to joining PHE on its formation in 2013, he was Chief Executive of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals, the regional teaching hospital for the south east of England. From 2003 to 2007 he was the Director General of Programmes and Performance for the NHS and subsequently the first Director General of Commissioning. Prior to this, he was Chief Executive of South East London Strategic Health Authority and before that Chief Executive of the South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust. He joined the NHS on 1 January 1980.

Emma Selby

Emma Selby is a Clinical Nurse Specialist and Digital Lead for North East London Foundation Trust’s Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Services (EWMHS) in Essex

She has five years’ experience as a CAMHS, working in services for children across the North London and Essex area.

Her career highlights include winning the Nursing Times Rising Star Nurse of the Year in 2014 and creating the My Mind app.

Jonathan Senker

Jonathan Senker is Chief Executive of VoiceAbility, a leading national provider of independent advocacy and peer-led support services.

VoiceAbility supports disabled people and people who face disadvantage to have a stronger voice, to have their rights respected and to have greater control over their lives.

Jonathan was the chair of the NICE guideline committee on service design for people with a learning disability and behaviour that challenges. The committee published its guidelines earlier this year.

Dr Niklas Serning

Dr Niklas Serning is Clinical Director of Off The Record Bristol, is a counselling psychologist and child psychotherapist. He has worked with children and young people for several years and in many roles as a counsellor, supervisor and manager. He teaches psychotherapy, ethics and sexuality at doctoral level, and also brings extensive experience from managing several United Nations operations in complex international emergencies.

Professor Laura Serrant

Professor Laura Serrant is Professor of Nursing in the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing at Sheffield Hallam University, one of only 6 black Professors of Nursing (out of 262) in the UK. She was also one of the first to qualify as a nurse with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

She has frequently found herself as the sole voice representing nurses and minority communities; a position which she has striven to challenge throughout her career by empowering others to come forward to join her, in a unique call to ‘lift as you climb’. She is one of the 2017 BBC Expert women, Chair of the Chief Nursing Officer for England’s BME Strategic Advisory group and a 2017 Florence Nightingale Scholar. She is an ambassador of the Mary Seacole Memorial Statue and the Equality Challenge Unit Race Equality Charter for Higher Education.

Her work has been recognised with numbers awards and prizes, including Queens Nurse status and Fellowship of the Queens Nursing Institute to those who have shown leadership in community nursing. In 2014, she was named as one of the top 50 leaders in the UK by The Health Services Journal in three separate categories: Inspirational Women in Healthcare, BME Pioneers and Clinical Leader awards.

Professor Serrant has an extensive experience in national and international health policy development with particular specialist input on racial and ethnic inequalities and cultural safety.

In 2010, she was appointed to the UK Prime Minister’s commission for the review of Nursing and Midwifery by the Department of Health. As a member of the Independent Advisory Group to the UK government on Black and minority ethnic issues, she was a key influencer in the development of the first national strategy for sexual health and HIV for England 2001. In 2015, she lead the work at NHS England, Nursing Directorate as Head of Evidence and Strategy, evaluating the three year national nursing strategy and informing development of the new national approach to work for nurses midwives and care staff in England which was launched in April 2016.

She is visiting professor at The University of the West Indies, The Faculty of Health Sciences at Dominica State College and Universidade Federal do Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil and the Warsaw Medical University, Poland.

She holds an Honorary Doctorate in Education from the University of Abertay, Dundee, Scotland. She has also served as a Non-executive Director at Heart of England Foundation Trust and Skills for Health Academy, England.

Follow Professor Laura Serrant on Twitter – @lauraserrant

Dr Amar Shah

National Clinical Director for NHS Improvement, NHS England.

Dr Amar Shah is Consultant forensic psychiatrist and Chief Quality Officer at East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT). He leads at executive and Board level at ELFT on quality, performance, strategy, planning and business intelligence. Amar has led the approach to quality at ELFT for the past 10 years, and has embedded a large-scale quality improvement infrastructure and quality management system, with demonstrable results across key areas of organisational performance.

Amar is the first National Clinical Director for NHS Improvement at NHS England, leading the application of improvement across England’s health and care system.
He is the national improvement lead for mental health at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, leading a number of large-scale improvement collaboratives on topics such as restrictive practice, workforce wellbeing and equalities.

Jane Shanahan

Jane Shanahan has worked for NHS East Lancashire CCG as a medicines management care home technician for the last five years. She is currently participating in NHS England’s Medicines Optimisation in Care Homes programme.

Qualifying as a pharmacy technician in 1986, Jane’s early career began in community pharmacy. She made the transition to secondary care in 1994, gaining experience in multiple acute hospitals and specialities, qualifying as a prescription accuracy checker in 2006. Jane became an NVQ assessor in 2013, supporting pre-registration technicians.

Shanthi Shanmugalingam

Shanthi Shanmugalingam is a neonatal consultant with a passion for improving maternal and neonatal care.

She joined the Starlight neonatal team at Barnet Hospital, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust in 2014.

Shanthi is the neonatal representative for the Royal Free Maternity and Neonatal Health Safety Collaborative team implementing cross-site maternity huddles. She has been involved in several successful quality improvement initiatives including the East of England Neuroprotection project and the Royal Free Keeping Mothers and Babies Together clinical pathway (@MumBaby2gether).

She lives in North London with her husband and two children and believes that the best thing about 2008 was the return of Cadbury’s Wispa bar.

Carl Shaw

Carl Shaw is one of three learning disability advisers and two learning disability network advisors working on the learning disability programme and has been with NHS England for 18 months.

He previously worked as a quality auditor at Dimensions – a charity which provides personalised social care services for people with learning disabilities and autism.

Phil Shelley

Philip Shelley – Senior Operational & Policy Manager
Philip was the Chair of the NHS Review of Hospital Food that was announced by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. His role at NHS England covers a range of topics within Soft Facilities Management, including the leadership of the Food Review recommendations, cleanliness and linen management. Having served as National Chair of the Hospital Catering Association, he proactively drives collaboration between fellow organisations such as the British Dietetic Association, Health Estates and Facilities Management Association and Malnutrition Task Force, with the aim to strengthen a holistic approach to catering services for patients, staff and visitors in healthcare. He has been acknowledged with the Public Sector Catering Award in 2018 and the Outstanding Service Award in 2020 by the Hospital Catering Association. He is also an ambassador for Love British Food, Guardians of Grub, and the Spearmark Hydration Droplet.

Kevin Shergold

Kevin Shergold has had a long and varied career working in nursing, education and IT, and still keeps busy in Worcestershire as a disability consultant.

He has the degenerative condition Cervical Myelopathy, which means he is now quadriplegic and requires permanent ventilation. He passionately believes that life can still be lived to the full, despite his disability.

Jo Shill

Jo Shill is a Quality Assurance Lead Nurse within NEW Devon CCG. Her current role focusses on the redesign and implementation of sustainable change in relation to the application of the NHS Continuing Healthcare Framework locally, and in the quality assurance of local care home and personal care providers delivering care to eligible individuals within the CCG footprint.

Jo’s previous roles have included acute service pathway developments and redesign of community rapid response services. Working jointly with local partner organisations, Jo has a passion for delivery of equitable services, and thrives on the challenge of asking ‘why wouldn’t we’ when it comes to embracing and implementing change.

The project described in this blog was delivered jointly by Jo, her colleague Chris Morley, the CCG’s Market Development Manager, and Gail Wilson, Deputy Director of Clinical Services at St Luke’s Hospice. Supported by the wider Personal Health Budget Team at NHS England and the St Luke’s Clinical Nurse Specialists, the project explored the particular challenges of delivery of end of life care in rural areas.

The personalisation agenda is embraced in full within the CCG, who now have well-established processes for set up and evaluation of individualised support plans. Working closely with their counterpart local authorities, NEW Devon have embraced the opportunity of delivery of care in this way, and relish in asking people ‘what matters to you?’ rather than, ‘what’s the matter with you?’

John Short

John Short has been the Chief Executive of Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (BSMHFT) since April 2013. He has been at the forefront of the Trust’s work to improve staff, service user and carer engagement and demonstrate a real Trustwide focus on service quality.

He began his career as a mental health social worker with local authorities and worked in a number of different settings, before moving onto mental health services management in the NHS over twenty years ago. John has worked in a number of Trusts providing services ranging from inner city to rural services. He has held a number of posts including Senior Manager Mental Health Services at the West Midlands Regional Office, Director of Mental Health and Learning Disability Services in Shropshire, Chief Operating Officer at Cheshire and Wirral Partnership Foundation Trust and Director Change Programmes and Chief Operating Officer in Leicestershire. His first CEO post was as interim Chief Executive of Leicestershire Partnership Trust from 2011 until his appointment in Birmingham and Solihull.

John has led numerous service and organisational changes in his career, including steering many mental health services in their move from care in impersonal large asylums to care that is increasingly community and person centred and compassionate.

David Short

David Short RN, RNMS, MSc, BSc (Hons), Pg Dip (App.Psych) is Nurse Specialist/Lead Nurse at the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which is the principal treatment centre for teenage and young adults’ cancer services within the Northern Strategic Clinical Network.

Dr Kashif Siddiqui

Following his graduation from The Royal Free & University College Medical School in 2005, Kashif’s current position is as GP Principal within a Benfleet medical practice. In addition, he is also the Chairman and Clinical Lead for Patient and Public Involvement for NHS Castle Point and Rochford CCG and a GP trainer.

Dr Bal Sidhu

Dr Bal Sidhu has been working in General Practice in Nuneaton, Warwickshire since 1988. He specialises in care for the elderly and owns care homes in local areas. He has been involved in charity work within the South Asian communities, including a campaign about drug awareness and the Gujarat Earthquake appeals.

He has a passion for Punjabi music and has written over 80 songs, including ‘Rail Gaddi’ which has been played at Asian parties and events for the last 35 years and featured in the Bend it Like Beckham soundtrack.

Jonathan Silverman

Jonathan Silverman is Honorary Professor of Academic General Practice at Deakin University, Australia and was previously Associate Clinical Dean at the School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge. He has been actively involved in teaching communication skills since 1988 and in 1999 became Director of Communication Studies for the undergraduate curriculum in the University of Cambridge, which involves over 1000 half day small group sessions per year.

He is best known as one of the authors of the Calgary-Cambridge Guides to the Medical Interview, which provide a framework for describing the medical interview and establishing a comprehensive set of skills referenced to the current evidence. He has also co-authored two companion books with Suzanne Kurtz and Julie Draper, “Teaching and Learning Communication Skills in Medicine” (Radcliffe Publishing Second Edition 2005) and “Skills for Communicating with Patients” (Radcliffe Publishing Third Edition 2013). In 2005, he founded the UK Council for Communication Skills Teaching for all 33 UK medical schools and is a Past-President of EACH: International Association for Communication in Healthcare. In 2015, he was awarded the Lynn Payer award ‘for outstanding contributions to the literature on the theory, practice and teaching of effective health care communication and related skills’ from the American Academy of Communication in Healthcare.

Dr Natalie Silvey

Dr Natalie Silvey is a National Medical Director’s Fellow at NHS England.

Natalie graduated from Warwick Medical School in 2010. After undertaking foundation training in the West Midlands she completed ACCS core training in anaesthetics.

Natalie is a passionate advocate of the use of social media in medical education and quality improvement. She co-founded a successful journal club on Twitter, has been part of the #wedocs leadership team, and has been heavily involved in NHS Change Day.

Suzanne Simpson

Suzanne Simpson qualified as an occupational therapist in 2004 from Salford University having completed a Psychology degree at the University of Central Lancashire prior to this, and completed an MRes at Edge Hill University in 2018.

She has worked predominantly in neurosciences for the past eleven years in a variety of settings.

Suzanne is employed by The Walton Centre a Neuro Specialist Hospital based in Liverpool, in a unique role funded by the MND Association aimed at improving the psychological wellbeing of people living with MND.

She splits her time between this role, acting as the trust lead for Making Every Contact Count and carrying out her research.

Suzanne was a finalist at the 2018 North West Coast Research and Innovation Awards in the category ‘Research Student of the Year’ and was recently awarded an NHS R & D North West HEE/NIHR Pre-Doctoral Bridging Scheme.

Anu Singh

Anu is Director of Patient & Public Participation and Insight at NHS England. She takes the lead for NHS England in ensuring that the voice of patients, service users, carers and the public is at the heart of the way NHS England works. Central to implementing the Five Year Forward View vision, she is responsible for taking forward national programmes of work that not only embed patient and public voice, feedback and insight in the NHS commissioning system, but also actively promote patient-centred care and approaches to care that make the most of community and patient participation.

Anu has a long history of leading Personalisation, empowerment, and placing communities at the heart of decision making. Anu was previously Head of Business Improvement for Staffordshire County Council where she was responsible for the commissioning of mental health, social care, community safety and education. For 12 years prior to that she was Head of Development and Improvement at the London Borough of Harrow and at Birmingham City Council, taking the lead on Place Shaping, Localisation of services, Community Empowerment and Business Transformation.

Anu is passionate about the integration of public services around the customer. She has commissioned the largest integrated Health and Social Care Trust in the country, and is also a Non-Executive Director and Quality Chair of Whittington Hospital Integrated Care Trust.

Inderjit Singh

Inderjit Singh is Head of Architecture and Cyber Security at NHS England. He spent seven years with a global management consultancy delivering technology innovation across financial services, telecoms and retail sectors and the last 13 years in Healthcare firstly as a supplier and now as part of the NHS.

Inderjit is now working on a number of strategic themes at a national level. This includes leading up the Local Health and Care Records programme in establishing interoperable local longitudinal care records at circa 2-5m level populations across England to enable joined up care, population health and planning of services.

He also works across the national portfolio leading up design authority for interoperability as well as leading on cyber security for NHS England.

He previously led a portfolio of strategic informatics programmes/ initiatives including the digital stream of the £20bn Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) challenge.

Gurinder Singh

Gurinder Singh is an Independent Pharmacist Prescriber based in Swindon. He also works as a Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice at University of Reading. In his spare time, he volunteers with Nishkam SWAT and raises awareness about issues affecting the Sikh community.

Dr Jennifer Singh

Having completed a diploma in Obstetrics and Gynaecology she has a specialist interest in women’s health and runs a menopause clinic in Buckinghamshire.

She also enjoys and has a special interest in lifestyle medicine as it offers a more holistic approach to patient care.

Jennifer Skillen

Until recently Jennifer Skillen was the chair of her GP surgery’s patient participation group in Gloucester, getting involved not just with the surgery, but in local commissioning.

She is passionate about the NHS and reflecting the patient voice to develop effective patient-centred planning.

Jennifer enjoys applying the knowledge she gains from studying part-time for a PhD to a variety of situations, from dealing with her disabled son’s ’therapy’ chickens to helping with the patient views in quality improvement.

She has recently had a paper published by Sage Journals about the kind of simple analysis techniques that can be used to make sense of FFT feedback. It is entitled ‘The Friends and Family Test: From card sorts to control charts’.

Rosie Skrypak

Rosie Skrypak is clinical lead occupational therapist and therapy service lead for the health services for elderly people and rapid response therapy team at the Royal Free Hospital in London.

Rosie qualified as an occupational therapist 14 years ago, starting her career at the Royal Free Hospital before working elsewhere in palliative care.

She returned to take up her current role in 2012.

Rosie’s interests are frailty and patient flow and the role that quality improvement can play in these areas.

Ann Slee

Ann Slee is NHS England’s Associate Chief Clinical Information Officer (Medicines).

She is a hospital pharmacist by background and has led various local and national initiatives around digital medicines and ePrescribing with experience in the development and deployment of digital technologies. She holds several honorary academic appointments and was a member of the advisory board for the Wachter review.

Ann is a Founding Fellow of the Faculty of Clinical Informatics.

Dr. Richard Sloan

Dr. Richard Sloan MBE, MB, BS, BSc, PGC, PhD, FRCGP was a GP in Cheltenham and then in Airedale, Castleford until he retired in 2005.

He was a trainer, GP tutor, course organiser and Associate Director of Postgraduate General Practice Education (Yorkshire Deanery).

He worked as education advisor and appraisal lead for the Pontefract and Castleford and then the Wakefield District NHS Primary Care Trusts from 2004 to 2010. Since retirement he has worked for various organisations and is presently chair of Healthwatch Wakefield Ltd.

Dominic Slowie

Dominic Slowie is the National Clinical Director for Learning Disability for NHS England.

He established and has chaired the North East and Cumbria Learning Disability Network which was established in 2010 and continues as part of the networks and senate hosted by Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Area Team. The network has been responsible for a number of improvements in the care that people with learning disability receive in a number of healthcare settings.

He is passionate about improving the experiences of health for people with learning disability and is convinced this can only be done effectively through health and social care working seamlessly for the people who need their help.

Dominic is a GP by clinical background, qualifying from Newcastle University in 1991, and continues his clinical work three sessions a week.

He was a senior medical tutor at Newcastle University Medical School and continues to provide a small number of lectures annually using the innovative approach of ‘Operating Theatre’ a professional theatre company that uses stories to challenge and change perspectives on health.

Will Smart

Will Smart is Chief Information Officer (CIO) Health and Care in England.

A joint appointment between NHS England and NHS Improvement, Will is responsible for providing strategic leadership across the whole of the NHS to ensure that the opportunities that digital technologies offer are fully exploited to improve the experience of patients and carers in their interactions with health and social care; the outcomes for patients; and improved efficiencies in how care is delivered.

Prior to taking up this role, Will was Chief Information Officer at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust for six years and. He first worked in the NHS in Wales and Northern Ireland during his placement year from university, before taking up an analytics role at St. Mary’s NHS Trust in London on graduation.

In addition to senior roles in the NHS, Will has worked as a management consultant with major assignments focussing on IT strategy, service transformation, major IT service and contract reviews and outsourcing.

Melinda Smith

Melinda Smith is an Insight Support Manager in the NHS Insight and Feedback team which oversees major NHS surveys, feedback tools and other social research to understand patient and staff experience in ways that can be used to drive continuous improvement in services.

Jackie Smith

Jackie Smith was appointed the NMC’s Chief Executive and Registrar in October 2012, having been appointed as acting Chief Executive and Registrar in December 2011.
Jackie joined the NMC as the director of Fitness to Practise (FtP) in August 2010, driving forward improvements to meet the NMC’s goal of safeguarding the health and wellbeing of the public.
Jackie’s background is in law and she spent many years working for the Crown Prosecution Service at the Old Bailey and in the Director of Public Prosecutions Office. Jackie has a Law degree from Wolverhampton University, a qualification in Six Sigma and a diploma in Psychotherapy and Hypnotherapy.
Jackie has extensive experience in healthcare regulation, working for the General Medical Council (GMC) for over 10 years as an assistant director and heading up their investigation unit for six years.
Jackie sat on the West Midlands Pathfinder Steering Group, and was a member of Revalidation Project Group for the London SHA.

Delia Smith

Following a background in administration and running a training business with her late husband, Delia Smith is now a Mencap support worker caring for six people with a learning disability in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

David Smith

Following an early career in finance David entered the voluntary sector in 1995 working in housing and advice before later specialising in mental health services. Developing a strong vision for good mental healthcare has allowed David to lead service redesign and develop lasting relationships with public sector partners that clearly demonstrates the positive impact partnership working can have.

Holding a Master’s in Charities Resource Management David regularly engages in public debate on issues such as mental health, charities and leadership.

@david3012

Felicity Smith

Felicity Smith is the National Co-ordinator for FaithAction – a national network of faith-based and community organisations.

She has a strong input into strategic development and oversees programmes and contracts delivered by the FaithAction network.

Felicity has worked on FaithAction’s Health and Social Care work since 2009, and as representative for the VCSE Health and Wellbeing Alliance.

She has been a member of the Steering Group for Health and Care Innovation Expo for the last two years, ensuring the voluntary sector has representation across all the different elements of the event.

Ruby Smith

Ruby Smith is Head of Co-design and Improvement.

Ruby Smith is an experienced senior leader in housing, health and social care. Ruby joined South Yorkshire Housing Association (SYHA) as Head of Co-design and Improvement in 2013. SYHA is a social landlord with approximately 6,000 homes across Sheffield. The LiveWell department combines housing, health and care expertise to provide person-centred, integrated health and housing solutions. Ruby is part of the senior leadership team at SYHA, leading the Co-Design and Improvement team to deliver a range of co-designed health integration projects, including Over2You, Co:Create and Ageing Better. She also works with a range of organisations, including Sheffield Teaching Hospitals and Sheffield Universities, to facilitate patient and customer involvement in their work.

Toni-Marie Smith

Toni-Marie Smith is the Programme Operational Co-ordinator worker for Young Carers in Focus (YCiF) at The Children’s Society Include Programme.

She works to increase national awareness and support for young carers and their families and promote whole family working.

During her time with The Children’s Society she has also worked to build professional partnerships that will lead to early interventions for families to prevent a child taking on an inappropriate caring role; supported the running of the National Young Carers Festival and, through consultation with them and other young carers, helped to ensure young carers’ voices remain central to delivery.

Toni-Marie currently works on the Young Carers in Focus Programme, working with partners to provide Young Carers Champions with resilience, skills and knowledge to support them to raise awareness and advocate for change on a National and Local level. She is also working with the Champions to run a safe social network for all young carers and to roll out and monitor the Young Carers in Schools Programme.

Prior to this Toni-Marie gained a BSc (Hons) Psychology with Criminology from the University of Portsmouth.

Dr Pete Smith

Dr Pete Smith OBE has been a GP for over 20 years in Kingston upon Thames and in 2019 he retired from the practice he set up which has been exemplary in addressing health inequalities in a deprived area.
Peter was previously Vice Chair of the Association of Independent Multifunds, helped set up one of the first multifunds and with other colleagues set up Thamesdoc, the first night rota co-operative in the London area.

He previously edited Guide to the Guidelines, the first collection of national disease management guidelines, has co-authored guidelines on inflammatory bowel disease and learning disabilities and has recently edited ‘The Handbook of Primary Care Trusts’.

He was co-chair of the Self Care Forum between 2016-2019 when he stepped down for health reasons although he remains on the board.

Paul Smith

Paul Smith is director of Foundations, the Department for Communities and Local Government-funded national body for home improvement agencies and Disabled Facilities Grants.

Paul joined Foundations in 2015 having previously worked as a senior housing and care commissioner for Staffordshire County Council.

Prior to this he managed two award-winning home improvement agencies for Telford & Wrekin Council and Cannock Chase Council. In these roles he set up home safety, handyperson and health through warmth services as well as a national HIA means-testing model for disabled facilities grant applicants.

Paul is a qualified building surveyor and member of the Chartered Institute of Building. His first job was designing and contract-managing adaptations, including hundreds of level access showers.

Ed Smith

Ed Smith is the Chairman of NHS Improvement, Non-Executive Director for NHS Property Services, and the Lead Non-Executive Director for the Department for Transport.

Ed is also the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council at the University of Birmingham, a Member of the Competition and Markets Authority panel and is a Member of Council and Treasurer of Chatham House.

He was the former Global Assurance Chief Operating Officer and Strategy Chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Before retiring he had a successful 30-year career with PwC, holding many leading board and top client roles in the UK and globally as a Senior Partner.

Sally Smith

Sally has worked in occupational therapy for over 40 years in both acute mental health settings and paediatrics. She qualified as an Occupational Therapist in 2002, going on to work in adult social care, including as a team leader and manager.

Two years ago, Sally took up the role as Clinical Commissioner in the Transforming Community Team at East Riding CCG, with a specific remit for equipment and wheelchair services. Personalisation, especially personal wheelchair budgets, are a perfect match for Sally’s background as she has the clinical skills to understand the issues and the networks to raise the profile.

Sally lives in Beverley, East Yorkshire with her partner and dog Bradley Wiggins; who, as both her partner and grown-up sons will tell you, comes first in any pecking order.

Dominic Smithies

Dom is a member of the NHS Youth Forum. He has a passion about addressing health inequalities and about embedding health literacy into education.

Dom works for Student Minds, the UK’s student mental health charity, as the Programmes Manager (Health Inequalities) and also volunteers with Pride in London in the Community Engagement team.

Prior to his role at Student Minds, Dom was the Community & Wellbeing Sabbatical Officer at the University of York’s Students’ Union where he represented 18,000 students on all things health & happiness. He prioritised improving mental health and supporting the liberation networks.

Dr Andy Snell

Dr Andy Snell is a Public Health Consultant at Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, a joint appointment with the Local Authority. Andy also works as an A&E doctor, maintaining his clinical practice in the hospital which provides very useful insight, whilst maintaining a wider role in global noncommunicable diseases control, working with WHO in relation to tobacco.

Andrew Snowball

Andrew Snowball is head of engagement at HSJ.

Harpreet Sood

Dr Harpreet Sood is currently a Clinical Advisor for the COVID-19 Vaccine programme, a GP and a board member at Health Education England. Previously he was Associate Chief Clinical Information Officer and Senior Fellow to the CEO of NHS England.

In his previous roles Harpreet led on the NHS Digital Academy and worked on the Global Digital Exemplar programme.

Harpreet trained as a clinical doctor at King’s College London and Imperial College Business School and practiced as a doctor in East London.

Following this he did a masters degree in public health (MPH) at Harvard University where he focused on international health policy and co-founded a digital health start-up.

Post MPH, Harpreet was a Deland Fellow in health policy and management at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a large academic medical centre in Boston.

Professor Jane South

Jane South is Professor of Healthy Communities at the Institute for Health & Wellbeing at Leeds Beckett University, where she leads a research programme on active citizens, volunteering and community health.

She is currently on secondment as the national adviser on communities working within the Health Equity and Mental Health team of Public Health England.

Her current programme of work is looking at dissemination and application of evidence on community engagement, asset-based approaches and social action in public health.

In her university role, Jane was Director of the Centre for Health Promotion Research at Leeds Metropolitan University (now Leeds Beckett University) from 2013-16 and has led two National Institute for Health Research studies on lay and peer interventions.

Ali Sparke

Ali Sparke, Director for Pharmacy, Optometry, Dentistry and the NHS Standard Contract, NHS England

Ali has worked with the NHS for over 10 years. He has been the director responsible for Dental services, alongside Community Pharmacy and Optometry since August 2021. Prior to he led the wider primary care team’s incident response to Covid-19 and his work in NHS England has included wider contracting reform supporting integrated care, and leading development of quality improvement incentives for community, mental health and secondary care services through the CQUIN scheme.

Nicola Spencer

Nicola Spencer joined NHS England in April 2013 and is currently a Programme Support Manager in the Long Term Conditions (children and adults) Unit.

The unit works to improve the quality of life and end of life care for people with long term conditions and their carers.

Nicola has a degree in Business and Event Management and a Post Graduate qualification in Healthcare Leadership. Prior to joining NHS England, she started her NHS career in an Acute Trust working as a phlebotomist, before moving into a commissioning role where she worked for over four years within a service improvement team in Calderdale PCT.

Caroline Sprake

Dr Caroline Sprake has been a GP for 26 years at Lane End Surgery and is now GP lead for diabetes for the clinical network for northern England. She has always had an interest in diabetes and is delighted to see the diabetes prevention programme be opened up to the whole of the UK.

Dr Joan St John

Dr Joan St John works with the Law Medical Group Practice, Wembley and Willesden, within NHS Brent CCG

Joan has been a GP with special interest in diabetes since 2003.

She is the lead for diabetes in a practice in Brent which serves approximately 15,000 people and has around 1,000 patients with diabetes.

Danielle Stacey

Danielle Stacey is the current Chief Pharmaceutical Officer’s Clinical Fellow at NHS England where she has led on the Integrating NHS Pharmacy and Medicines Optimisation into STPs/ICSs project.

Prior to this Danielle worked as a hospital pharmacist in the West Midlands and she is an independent prescriber specialising in infections.

She has recently been appointed Deputy Chief Pharmacist for Medicines Optimisation at Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust.

Jason Stamp

Jason Stamp is the independent Chair of the Patient and Public Voice Assurance Group for Specialised Commissioning. He is a lay member and Vice Chair of NHS Hull Clinical Commissioning Group and is currently Chief Officer of a voluntary sector support and development charity, working across Yorkshire and the Humber. Jason has a long history of supporting patient and public involvement on both a national and local level, with a particular focus on improving outcomes and patient experience.

David Stenson

David Stenson is a member of Dudley Patient Participation Group (PPG) and took part in the new care models site visit as a patient representative.

Richard Stewart

Richard Stewart is President British Association of Paediatric Surgeons – a role he has held since July 2018.

He was appointed Consultant Paediatric Surgeon, Queen’s Medical Centre in 1992 having trained in The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne and Queen’s University, Belfast.

Previous roles have included Assistant Medical Director Queens Medical Centre 2001-2005 and Regional Professional Advisor to the Royal College of Surgeons for Paediatric Surgery 2010-2014. He was also Clinical advisor & GPS lead, East Midlands Specialist Commissioning Group 2010-1012, and the lead for General Paediatric Surgery, East Midlands Strategic Clinical Network 2013-2015

He was a steering group member and Surgical Lead for NHS England’s ‘Specialised Surgery in Children Review’ held from December 2016-19.

John Stewart

John Stewart is the Acting Director of Specialised Commissioning at NHS England. Immediately prior to that he was Director of Clinical Policy and Strategy, working for Professor Sir Bruce Keogh. Before joining NHS England, John held various senior roles within the Department of Health and the Cabinet Office for over twelve years.

Dr Melrose Stewart MBE

Dr Melrose Stewart MBE was born in Jamaica in 1954, arrived in the UK in 1965 and qualified as a Chartered Physiotherapist at Bristol Royal Infirmary School of Physiotherapy in 1975. She was a lecturer at the University of Birmingham for many years and is now an Honorary Lecturer. Mel was instrumental in setting up the first AHP BAME Network at the CSP. Her work in fighting for equity and justice over the years has been extensive. Based on her keen interest in health promotion and ageing, she was also a featured expert in the Channel 4 multi-award-winning documentary ‘Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds’. Mel now sits as a panel member in His Majesty’s Court and Tribunal Service on Employment and Disability Appeals.

@melrosestewart1

Verena Stocker, Director of Innovation, Research, Life Sciences and Strategy, NHS England

Verena leads a suite of programmes to improve patient outcomes and reduce health inequalities through research and innovation.

Prior to this, she held a number of senior roles at NHS England, including leading the Laura Wade-Gery review into how the NHS should undertake digital transformation; led the Transformation Strategy team; and led work on developing Integrated Care Systems.

Previously Verena was a management consultant in healthcare in Australia and the UK, after beginning her career as a healthcare advisor in the Australian Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Helen Jayne Stokes-Lampard

Professor Helen Jayne Stokes-Lampard PhD FRCGP is a British medical academic and a general practitioner.

She is Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, the UK’s largest Medical Royal College, representing over 52,000 family doctors across the UK. She has an interest in women’s health.

Heather Stonebank

Heather Stonebank is Lead Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner for Sheffield Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Service (IAPT), a role in which she provides clinical leadership for the PWP workforce.

Heather has 11 years’ experience of working in mental health services within Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust, working as part of Sheffield’s drug and alcohol team and on an acute mental health ward.

In October 2016 she was recruited into the Yorkshire and the Humber Clinical Network, NHS England, on secondment as a Lead PWP Clinical Advisor.

She is also co-chair of the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies Low Intensity Special Interest Group.

Heather has a keen interest in research to inform guidelines and clinical practice, is a member of the Northern Practice Research Network and has been involved in several research studies which have reached publication.

Petula Storey

Petula Storey is Head of Volunteering at one of London’s largest and busiest hospitals, Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and has been in this role since 2015.

The award winning volunteer programme has over 700 volunteers which support services at multiple sites across South East London and Kent.

Prior to joining the NHS, Petula worked in the voluntary sector for over 15 years, both here and in the USA. There has been an element of volunteering in all the roles Petula has held during her career, either developing and managing volunteer-delivered services, or in a strategic capacity, developing and delivering an organisation’s volunteer strategy.

Kirstie Stott

Kirstie Stott is an NHS Graduate Management Trainee (GMTS) 2012 Cohort. She originally trained as a registered nurse in 1998 and worked in a nursing capacity for 14 years.

She started NHS life as an Accident and Emergency nurse in 2001 and went on to be the youngest national Emergency Care Practitioner for Yorkshire Ambulance Service working to a senior clinical level.

She is a certified Neuro Linguistic Practitioner after successfully gaining a place on the INNOV8 Accelerate Programme.

In 2011 she beat off 12,350 applicants to gain a place on the prestigious NHS GMTS. Her first placement was at Sheffield Teaching Hospital as an Assistant General Manager working on the integration of two directorates. She then spent 9 weeks working at The Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management developing business cases and strategy planning where she is now regional lead for the FMLM steering group in the north.

Her final placement is at South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS FT as a strategic planner leading on the Integrated Business Plan.

Her passions are in equality and diversity in the NHS and understanding and working towards removing the barriers that stop women and BME staff achieving senior leadership positions.

She also is currently regional lead for NHS Change Day 2014 Yorkshire and Humber.

She lives in Sheffield with her partner and 2 children. Outside of work she enjoys music, and being the best mum and having fun with her 2 boys.

Dr Geraldine Strathdee OBE

Dr Geraldine Strathdee, OBE, MRCPsych, is the National Clinical Director for Mental Health, NHS England, a consultant psychiatrist in Oxleas NHS FT, and Visiting Professor, Integrated mental health education programme at UCL Partners.

For over 20 years she has held senior roles in mental health policy, regulation and clinical management, at national and London regional levels, and advises internationally on mental health service design and quality improvement, while working as a practising clinician. She has been involved in transformational large scale service development programmes, moving services from hospital based, to 24/7 home care and primary care models, in roles which have included: the Trust Director of Clinical services in Oxleas NHS FT (2005-2007), Director of Service development at the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health and Senior Lecturer, UMDS ( 1995-1998). She was the National Professional Adviser in mental health to the Healthcare Commission and the Care Quality Commission (2005-2012).

Her particular commitment is to the translation of policy and best practice evidence into front line routine clinical practice, empowering service users to reach their potential, and staff to maximise their time to care. She is passionate about the development of leadership competencies and using information to enable informed decision-making.

As London SHA Associate Medical Director (2009-2013), with responsibility for mental health, she led transformational change through the development of clinical networks for dementia and primary care mental health CCG leaders, developed ground breaking commissioning support care pathway profiling informatics tools, and high impact educational programmes. She was awarded the prestigious RCpsych Psychiatrist of the Year award in 2012.

Clinically, she has worked in a wide range of primary care, inpatient and community services, and latterly with people with complex and multiple needs, as a Consultant Psychiatrist for the Bromley Assertive Community Treatment team in Oxleas. She is committed to providing services which enable services users to live in their own homes, develop their own personalised care plans and self management expertise to achieve recovery, while at the same time working with community agencies to deliver coordinated, responsive, care pathways.

Service evaluation and research interests: Her teams have won awards for their use of technology in improving care, using patients as experts in staff training and leadership awards for new Ways of Working, the redesign of roles. Her research interests have included the fields of primary care mental health, evaluation of community services and dual diagnosis. Current research interests include the evaluation of competency based leadership programmes and clinical networks to drive transformational improvements, and high impact educational programmes.

Tim Straughan

Tim is the Head of Patient Choice which is part of the Personalisation and Choice Group at NHS England, working within the Commissioning Strategy Directorate and leading on the development and implementation of new models of delivering Patient Choice.

Tim joined the team in November 2016, and was formerly Chief Executive and Accounting Officer for the Health and Social Care Information Centre (now NHS Digital). Tim is also qualified dentist and chartered accountant and has also held a number of other national and local senior leadership roles within health and social care.

You can follow Tim on Twitter @timstraughan.

Ken Strong

Ken is 79 and retired in 1996 after almost 30 years of working with young people.

With his wife, Elizabeth, Ken moved back to Bristol to care for his mother-in-law, who lived until she was 96. By this time Elizabeth had suffered many years of back pain as a result of an accident, and was registered as disabled. Her health has deteriorated over the years and Ken is now her main carer.

Richard Stubbs

Richard Stubbs is Chief Executive of the Yorkshire and Humber Academic Health Science Network (AHSN) and Vice-Chair of the AHSN Network; he has been an NHS Assembly member since March 2019.

Ciaran Sundstrem

Ciaran Sundstrem is the Care Model Lead for the Urgent and Emergency Care Vanguards, and Programme Lead for Urgent and Emergency Care within NHS England.

He has worked in a range of roles within the NHS since starting on the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme in 2002, with particular experience in urgent and emergency care, health protection, health and justice, and substance misuse.

Ruth Sutherland

Ruth was appointed Chief Executive of Samaritans in August 2015. She initially trained as a Registered General Nurse but has spent the majority of her career in public health roles, following a degree in Social Policy from the University of Warwick and a Master’s degree in Health Promotion from the University of Ulster. Ruth was the founding Director of the Community Development and Health Network, a charitable membership network committed to addressing inequalities in health and wellbeing in Northern Ireland. Prior to joining Samaritans, she was CEO of Relate and previously held senior executive leadership roles at Rethink, Alzheimer’s Society and Scope. Ruth is also Co-Chair of the National Suicide Prevention Alliance, and a volunteer at the Bexley and Dartford branch of Samaritans. She has been a Trustee of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts since November 2015.

Seb Swain

Seb is 22 yrs old and lives in Chesterfield in Derbyshire, he has an older brother who is also autistic. Seb enjoys going to his social group, bowling, playing badminton, listening to K pop music, watching films and spending time with family.

Anthony Swan

Anthony is inpatient unit (IPU) Charge Nurse at St Catherine’s Hospice Preston.

Grace Sweeney

Grace Sweeney is the Senior Manager for Impact, Research and Evaluation within NHS England’s Sustainable Improvement team and links closely with the Operational Research and Evaluation (OR&E) team.

She leads a small group of researchers and measurement analysts and has led the development and operationalisation of an ‘Impact Framework’, the purpose of which is to capture the full and true value of improvement work in complex environments like the NHS.

Grace is a health services researcher by background and for the last 10 years has worked with numerous improvement organisations in a research capacity; she has a particular interest in using evidence generated from formative evaluation to improve and refine improvement programmes, so that organisations become genuinely evidence-based and learning-focussed.

Matthew Swindells

Matthew Swindells is NHS England’s National Director: Operations and Information.

He joined NHS England in May 2016 from the Cerner Group and his role as Senior Vice President for Population Health and Global Strategy.

Matthew is responsible for national performance of the NHS against the NHS Constitution Standards, assurance of Clinical Commissioning Groups, achieving a paperless NHS, information and technology programmes and investment in data.

He has over 25 years’ experience in health care services and has worked in the Department of Health as a Chief Information Officer and as a Senior Policy Advisor to the Secretary of State for Health. Prior to this he served as a Principal Adviser in the Prime Minister’s Office of Public Service Reform.

Matthew began his career at Guys and St Thomas’ Hospital in the early 1990s, and went on to become Director of Clinical Services of Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospital and later Chief Executive of the Royal Surrey County Hospital, in the early 2000s.

He is visiting professor and chair of the advisory committee in the School of Health Management at the University of Surrey and Member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Population Health Management.

Steve Sylvester

Steve Sylvester is Head of Specialised Commissioning (NHS England: Bristol, North Somerset, Somerset and South Gloucestershire Area Team).

As the head of NHS England’s specialised commissioning team for the South West Steve is responsible for ensuring all specialised services across the region are of the highest quality no matter where people receive their care, and that people will have rapid access to these specialist services when they need them. However, the team aims to ensure people only spend as much time at a specialised centre as is necessary by linking well with local services to support as much care being provided as close to home as possible.

The team also hopes to prevent people from needing specialised care by working with a variety of partners to promote healthy lifestyle choices and support people with long term conditions to manage these in ways that reduce avoidable hospital admissions. In this way Steve and his team aim to commission the right kind of care at the right time to give people the best chance of great care and good outcomes.

Steve has a wealth of NHS experience, starting as a volunteer substance misuse support worker in 1993 and a six year career supporting the rehabilitation of people with a range of addictions as part of the community mental health team.

Between 2000 and 2003 he worked in a local district hospital supporting service improvement through service redesign, clinical audit, waiting list management and patient access. After this he spent six years leading on contracting and commissioning for a local Primary Care Trust until he joined the South West’s previous Specialised Commissioning Team as an Associate Director of Commissioning in 2009 where he supported and guided the team through the NHS’ transition until NHS England came into effect in April 2013.

During this transition period Steve represented the South West on several of the national Clinical Reference Groups that were tasked with developing the national services specifications and commissioning policies that are currently being implemented across England and continues to support NHS England’s development and success. However, he is keen to ensure that decisions taken by specialised commissioners in the South West reflect the needs and wishes of local people, with ‘collaboration and communication’ words that not only reflect what the team does, but how it does it.

Matt Tagney

Matt Tagney is NHS England’s Programme Director for the Maternity Transformation Programme.

In this role Matt is responsible for bringing together delivery partners and stakeholders at national, regional and local level to build and deliver a programme of work that will see the NHS implement The National Maternity Review: Better Births by 2020/21 making maternity services in England kinder, safer and more personal.

Matt has led the development and implementation of major health policies at a national and local level in England and internationally.

He is also a trustee of the Rangoon General Hospital Reinvigoration Charitable Trust which is supporting the renewal and development of hospitals in Rangoon and Rakhine, Myanmar.

Charles Tallack

Charles is Head of the NHS Operational Research and Evaluation Unit, part of NHS England’s Analytical Services.

The team he leads is responsible for the evaluation and wider analysis of a range of national transformation programmes, including New Care Models, Integrated Personal Commissioning and Right Care.

The Operational Research and Evaluation Unit applies a mixture of analytical approaches to national policy and operational issues.

Ming Tang

Ming Tang, Chief Data and Analytics Officer, NHS England.

Ming has over 20 years’ experience in managing and delivering large scale change involving implementation of new operating models in complex and challenging environments.

She joined the NHS in October 2009, initially leading commissioning support services in the West Midlands as the Managing Director for Healthcare Commissioning Services and then as the Managing Director for South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Commissioning Support Unit.

Ming is currently the Chief Data and Analytics Officer for NHS England and is responsible for strategic development of data and analytics capability across NHS.

Jeremy Taylor

Jeremy Taylor is chief executive of National Voices, the national coalition of health and care charities for England.

Jeremy acts as a representative, expert advisor, writer, commentator and speaker on issues that National Voices champions, especially person centred care, and patient and public engagement.

Steve Taylor

Steve Taylor is Chief Officer of One Rochdale Health and Care and Managing Director/Chief Officer of Bury & Rochdale Care Organisation (Hospital and Integrated Care Services), Northern Care Alliance.
He has worked at clinical and managerial levels within the NHS for over 30 years. He trained in Rochdale as a Registered General Nurse in 1987 and went on to work in A&E departments in Oxford and Manchester. He is also a trained mental health nurse and has worked in a number of acute mental health settings in the Manchester area.

In 1998, Steve gained a degree in nursing and went on to obtain an MSc in strategic leadership in 2002. He has a long-standing interest in healthcare leadership and has lectured and presented on this topic in the UK, Europe and USA.

More recently, Steve has led on the successful integration of health, social and voluntary services within the North Manchester and Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale communities and believes strongly that integrating services provides a better experience for patients and families.

Dr Ros Taylor

Dr Ros Taylor, MBE, is National Director for Hospice Care at Hospice UK the national charity for hospice care, which represents more than 200 hospice care organisations across the country.

Dr Taylor joined Hospice UK as National Director for Hospice Care in October 2014 and prior to that was a Trustee at the charity. Her role involves her driving the clinical agenda for hospice care at a national strategic level and promoting and supporting excellence in the end of life care sector.

Before working at Hospice UK she was Director of The Hospice of St Francis in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, which she joined in 1996.

Dr Taylor has more than 20 years’ experience working in palliative care, including in community, hospital and hospice settings.

She has a special interest in medical education, medical humanities and ‘whole person care’ and has lectured widely, both nationally and internationally.

Roy Taylor

Roy Taylor is Professor of Medicine and Metabolism at Newcastle University and Consultant at Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust. He founded the Newcastle Magnetic Resonance Centre in 2006 to develop innovative research techniques, and by 2011 he was able to show that excess fat within liver and pancreas caused type 2 diabetes.

The low calorie liquid diet was developed as a research tool to show what was causing high sugar levels, but it proved so successful that he then tested it as a treatment for type 2 diabetes. He has written many scientific papers as well as an easy-read book about life without diabetes.

Professor Taylor also developed the system now used throughout the United Kingdom for screening for diabetic eye disease, with major reduction in blindness due to diabetes across the UK.

Steph Taylor

Steph Taylor (she/they) is the Project Lead for the Midlands Menopause Inequalities Programme. Steph has a particular interest in reducing health inequalities for the LGBTQIA+ community and looking at how care pathways can be improved. Before joining the NHS, they worked with NHS trusts across London focusing on improving colleague wellbeing as well as working in digital data for other organisations to support them in offering better experiences for their audiences. Steph is driven by their own experiences as a queer individual accessing healthcare and aims to make healthcare access and experience more positive and understanding for others.

Dr Becki Taylor-Smith

Dr Becki Taylor-Smith has joined the Chief Sustainability Officers’ Clinical Fellow scheme for 2021-2. She is a medical doctor, specialising in anaesthesia. She has an interest in empowering clinicians to make change and engage their policy makers. She founded and continues to chair the Green Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Network in the West Midlands (GAIN-WM).

Becki will be working with the Greener NHS team and transformation directorate to support integrating net zero carbon principles into transformation of care and helping the NHS to reach its ambitious net zero target.

Rebecca Tempest

Rebecca Tempest joined NHS England in October 2015 as a Senior Communications Officer for the Personal Health Budgets and Integrated Personal Commissioning teams. Rebecca works alongside the Communications and Network Manager to provide a range of communications support to the national teams. Rebecca has a background in project management and communications in the NHS and charity sectors, and she has previously worked clinically in both primary and secondary care mental health services.

Neil Francis has over 30 years’ experience working in the public sector. His current role is as a project manager for NHS Brighton and Hove CCG, responsible for coordinating personalisation initiatives within the local Better Care programme. This includes the implementation of Personal Health Budgets.

Michelle Buck has been working for Friends Families and Travellers (FFT) since January 2010. Michelle is of Irish Traveller heritage through marriage. She is a founder member of GAIT (Gypsy and Irish Travellers association South East England) and previously worked as a volunteer caseworker and advocate. Her current role at FFT is as a health engagement worker – a position funded by Brighton and Hove Clinical Commissioning Group.

Geraldine Desmoulins had a successful career in the private sector before moving to Brighton and Hove in the 1970s. Geraldine has worked in the voluntary sector for over 30 years, and in her current role as Chief Officer she has taken The Fed Centre for Independent Living from a small organisation with 5 staff, to one with 66 paid staff, over 80 volunteers, delivering a range of projects and services enabling people to live as independently as possible.

Neil Tester

Neil Tester is Director of Policy and Communications at Healthwatch England.

His working life began in journalism and has since taken in communications, marketing, policy, strategy and public affairs in a range of leadership roles in networked charities such as Girlguiding UK and Relate, membership organisations including the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, and in the public sector.

Healthwatch England has statutory powers to ensure the voice of consumers is strengthened and heard by those who commission, deliver and regulate health and care services. It supports the network of 152 local Healthwatch across England, who provide unique insight into people’s experiences of health and social care issues.

Follow Neil Tester on Twitter: @NTtweeting.

Dr Amanda Thompsell

Dr Thompsell was a GP Principal before retraining in psychiatry and becoming an Old Age Psychiatrist. She has been the Consultant for a multidisciplinary team supporting care homes with nursing and then an old age liaison service in an acute hospital before working in inpatient specialist care. She recently completed 4 years as chair of the Faculty of Old Age Psychiatry at the Royal College of Psychiatrists. 

She was vice chair of the NICE Guidelines development of medicines management in care homes and led on the improving care in dementia workstream for the London Dementia Strategic Clinical leadership group. She was also Clinical Lead for the dementia workstream of the Modernisation Initiative to improve end of life care for those with dementia. 

She is also a medical member of the First-Tier tribunal (Mental Health) for the Ministry of Justice.

Catherine Thompson

Catherine Thompson is Head of Patient Experience for Acute Services at NHS England and leads on experience of care in acute trusts, ambulance services, cancer services, and services for frail older people.

She previously worked at NHS Improvement as a national improvement lead for acute respiratory services and pulmonary rehabilitation facilitating the implementation of the COPD and Asthma Outcomes Strategy.

Catherine qualified as a physiotherapist in 1996 and pursued a clinical and academic career in acute respiratory medicine and critical care.

Mike Thompson

Mike Thompson is Chief Executive of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry.

Mike took up the position of CEO of the ABPI in March 2016, joining from GlaxoSmithKline where he was most recently senior vice president of global commercial strategy and platforms leading teams of experts in areas such as multi-channel, market research and analytics as well supporting colleagues in research and development to bring new medicines to launch.

During 20 years with GSK Mike spent seven years as the commercial strategy head for Europe and before that ten years in the UK company in a variety of senior sales and marketing roles.

A graduate of The Queen’s College, Oxford, Mike has worked across multiple sectors including food, drinks, toiletries and Government agencies. He joined Unilever as a trainee in 1981, leaving in 1995 as Marketing Director in the UK, to join GSK.

Lindsay Thompson

Lindsay Thompson is a co-founder, CEO and Service Development and Delivery Manager of B’Me Against Cancer (BMAC).

He led the development and management of various important projects and services including the Check Tings Out community clinic for prostate cancer risk assessment and recently on a Cancer Support Advocacy development project called “Hear for You”.

Lindsay leads a dynamic and innovative team, committed to delivering services for people in particular but not exclusively from BME and low-income communities living with or affected by cancer. B’MAC’s core services are, providing and assisting in the provision of culturally sensitive and appropriate practical advice, information, advocacy and support.

Lindsay is passionate about addressing cancer inequalities and encouraging participation by BME community members to participate in genomic medicine research and clinical trials.

Alex Thompson

Alex is the topic lead in the NHS RightCare pathways programme. He qualified as a physiotherapist in 2001 from the University of Nottingham. He has worked in acute and community trusts in a variety of senior clinical and leadership roles, acquiring an MSc and other post-graduate qualifications. He has developed system strategy to enable activity and prevention pathways for people with chronic MSK pain and led implementation of this strategy. He has led other innovative improvements including virtual clinics and advancing physiotherapy practice. He has led successful programmes to increase research capability and capacity in Allied Health Professionals. He is currently undertaking a PhD Fellowship at Sheffield Hallam University evaluating optimal transitions to activity in people with MSK pain.

Alex Thomson

Alex Thomson is a consultant liaison psychiatrist at Northwick Park Hospital and clinical network lead for psychological medicine at Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust. He was a member of the NHS England Mental Health Crisis Care Subgroup which developed London’s Section 136 Pathway and Health Based Place of Safety Specification and is leading the introduction of the Framework for Routine Outcome Measurement in Liaison Psychiatry at CNWL; James Hughes is a liaison psychiatry team manager at St Mary’s Hospital; Genevieve Holt is a clinical fellow in liaison psychiatry at Northwick Park Hospital.

Dr Emma Tiffin

Dr Emma Tiffin has worked in mental health clinical leadership roles for over 15 years. Most recently she has focused on developing a sustainable integrated community-based service model for planned and unplanned mental health care. The model includes a First Response Crisis Mental Health Service with local sanctuaries and a Primary Service for Mental Health (PRISM) which brings together specialist mental health (including IAPT), primary care and community services. She is a national adviser for the NICE programme of work developing a national community mental health pathway.

Dr Tiffin is a practising GP in Peterborough and has a weekly radio show, Health Matters, on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire. In 2016 she was awarded Health Education England’s East of England Leadership Award for Service Improvement and Innovation. The First Response Service won the Positive Practice Mental Health Award for acute/crisis care last October and in November Dr Tiffin was a runner-up for GP of the Year at the General Practice Awards. She was awarded Healthcare Leader of the Year at the 2017 national GP awards.

Amy Tinker

Amy Tinker works as Senior Commissioning Manager for Salford City Council. She specialises in projects that focus on neuro-diversity and mental health for children, young people and families.

Peter Tinson

Chief Operating Officer NHS Fylde and Wyre Clinical Commissioning Group.

Peter has extensive commissioning experience across Lancashire and Merseyside and, prior to his appointment at the clinical commissioning group (CCG), was a CCG deputy chief officer. He has undertaken a wide range of senior commissioning roles across primary, community, secondary and tertiary services, including the successful negotiation of large and complex contracts, and the development of new primary and community service models and associated capital builds.

Sally, Tobacco Dependency Treatment Adviser

Sally is a Tobacco Dependency Treatment Adviser and has been working at Rotherham General Hospital, South Yorkshire for two years. She began working as a healthcare support worker during the peak of the pandemic and now supports patients and staff to live healthier lives by helping them to stop smoking.

Prof Cheng-Hock Toh

Professor Cheng-Hock Toh is Professor of Haematology at The University of Liverpool and Chair of the National Blood Transfusion Committee.

He has held several esteemed national roles including President of the British Society for Haematology (BSH), Chair of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Haematology Clinical Research Network, Academic Vice President of the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), and Chair of the National Blood Transfusion Committee.

Prof Toh received the Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) Achievement Award in 2021 and was featured as a role model in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) 2021. For services to Haematology and Medicine, he was conferred a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 2022.

Deborah Tomalin

Deborah took up the role of NHS England Director of Public Health Commissioning and Operations in April 2019, having worked previously as the Director of Commissioning in the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Local Office of NHS England (South East Region) which included primary care and public health. Deborah is responsible for the commissioning and operations of the Section 7a services in England – screening (cancer and non-cancer), immunisation and Child Health Information Services. Underpinning successful delivery of all these services is digital technology and Deborah works very closely with NHSX and NHSD.

Deborah started working for NHS England in April 2013 as Associate Director South East Coast Strategic Clinical Networks & Clinical Senate creating 4 strategic clinical networks and a clinical senate for Kent, Surrey and Sussex and then became Director of Commissioning in 2014, which at that time also covered specialised commissioning.

Prior to NHS England, Deborah spent over 16 years setting up and managing “clinical networks” in the NHS starting with the Sussex Cancer Network in 1999 and moving by 2010 to directing one team running 14 networks.

Deborah started working in the NHS over 37 years ago training to be a nurse, completing a BSc in Nursing Studies at St Georges Hospital/Kings College (KQC) as one of the first nurse graduates, and I then held a variety of nursing posts in London, moved into clinical research trials and then honed this interest in research working first at the Royal College of Nursing and then the Nursing Research Unit at Kings College. In 1992, Deborah moved to Brighton Health Care to establish a clinical audit function and then clinical risk management systems with a spell as Assistant Director of Quality.

Dr Alison Tonkin

Dr Alison Tonkin is Head of Higher Education and Access at Stanmore College.

Follow Alison on Twitter: @TonkinAlison.

Laura Tooley

Laura Tooley brings 27 years of healthcare experience to her current NHS England role of Quality Improvement Programme Lead.

Her deep passion for palliative care and the ‘person in the patient’ was ignited during her student nurse training in the 1980’s.

Having held many clinical and healthcare leadership roles, including executive director of a palliative care community interest company, Laura is now relishing the challenge of working with others to consider the needs of the West Midlands population as a whole.

An advocate of the power of ‘human’ leadership and mobilising others for change, Laura is a student of the School for Health and Care Radicals and the Nye Bevan Programme – Leading Care III, NHS Leadership Academy.

Jullie Tran Graham

Jullie Tran Graham is a Senior Programme Manager in NHS England’s Mental Health Team. She is currently leading on the delivery of the NHS Talking Therapies Programme with the aim of achieving the ambitions set out in the NHS Long Term Plan.

She has a particular interest and focus on equalities and she has worked on a number of the programme’s advancing equalities projects.

Jullie has a background in health economics and applied sciences.

Sue Tranka

Sue Tranka is the Deputy Chief Nursing Officer for Patient Safety and Innovation at NHS England and Improvement.

Sue has 28 years of experience in nursing and has spent the last 21 years working in the National Health service. Sue trained as a midwife, registered general nurse, mental heath and community nurse. Sue’s career spans both operational and clinical leadership roles. Her passion for patient safety and quality improvement culminated in her establishing and leading a Critical Care Outreach team in a North London hospital. Sue‘s nurse consultant and leadership roles have predominantly focussed in the safety arena. Sue has a strong interest in quality improvement, human factors and safety systems.

More recently she has held a Board level role as a Chief Nurse in a provider organisation. Sue currently holds an honorary visiting professor role with University of Surrey and has established a link with Staffordshire University as a professional advisor on Human Factors programme.

Victoria Treadway

Victoria Treadway, MA, MCLIP, has worked in NHS library and knowledge services since 2004, working alongside healthcare professionals and teams to understand their knowledge requirements and deliver accessible and responsive library and knowledge services.

She is currently Knowledge Management Facilitator at NHS RightCare. Victoria is undertaking research to explore the role of the embedded librarian in supporting healthcare professionals, patients and families in Critical Care.

Her professional interests include informal networks (such as communities of practice) and demonstrating the impact of library and knowledge services.

Duncan Tree

Duncan Tree is Head of Policy and Performance at Volunteering Matters, the national volunteering charity with more than 52 years’ experience in developing and promoting citizen led volunteering initiatives which improve health and care outcomes.

Volunteers have always been at the heart of person centred, quality health care. Volunteering Matters (formerly CSV), is committed to demonstrating and promoting the importance in improving health and care outcomes. Our work and that of our partners in the volunteer involving sector continues to illustrate the positive impact of (and the need for investment in) volunteering as an essential element of our health and care system.

Dr Andrew Tresidder

Dr Andrew Tresidder is practitioner health south-west clinical lead, a GP educator, Somerset clinical commissioning group GP patient safety lead and GP appraiser.

John Trevains

John Trevains is a Mental Health Nurse who joined the NHS England Learning Disability Programme in July. Prior to this he has held a range of posts across health and social care settings over a 22 year long career.

Mark Trewin

Mark Trewin is the Service Manager for Mental Health at Bradford Metropolitan District Council.

He was co-chair of the local Crisis Care Concordat Implementation Group and represents social care at the West Yorkshire Mental Health Sustainability and Transformation Plans Group.

Mark is NHS England’s Social Care and Social Work Expert Advisor and the Joint Special Interest Group Lead for Social Care and Social Work with the Positive Practice Collaborative for Mental Health. Follow Mark on Twitter at @markybt.

Matt Tull

Matt Tull is a 26 year old with Type 1 diabetes, who was diagnosed just after his twelfth birthday. He works for a social enterprise in Hackney and lives in Brixton in South London.

Karen Turner

Karen Turner was appointed Director of Mental Health for NHS England in July 2015 to provide leadership and oversight of mental health in the NHS – a priority for NHS England. Before this she worked for over 30 years in health: her career has included time in hospitals, health and local authorities, regions and the Department of Health where she worked in the Teenage Pregnancy Unit and on children’s and mental health policy.

Liesje Turner

Liesje Turner is an HR professional with 21 years of experience in the public and private sector, spanning national and international industries including engineering, oil and gas and health, police and local authority.

She joined UHMBT in May 2017 on a two-year secondment as the Assistant Director of Workforce, to enhance professional and leadership development. Her role covers three main areas:

o Inclusion and diversity – leading the Trusts inclusion work from a workforce perspective
o Staff survey – preparing for and appropriately responding to the survey , making improvements to our approach and developing better alignment between staff survey and the people strategy
o Behavioural Standards Framework (BSF) – taking forward the internally developed approach (developed by staff for staff), adopted as the Trust-wide initiative to facilitate cultural transformation journey

Her previous roles have included Equality and Inclusion Lead, Head of HR Business Partnering, Workforce Planning Lead and Expatriate Liaison Advisor.

Recent contributions to the inclusion agenda have included hosting the inaugural NHS Employers Equality Partners Alumni event; the co-ordination of a BME conference in March 2018 headlined by Yvonne Coghill OBE; the achievement of being placed 8th in the UK’s Top 50 most inclusive employers; guest speaker at the 2017/18 NHS Employers Equality Partners Programme; the co-ordination and delivery of a multi-agency conference as part of EQW 2018 which focussed on Homelessness, Dementia and Intersectionality.

Iain Upton

Iain Upton is a Patient Representative on the Integrated Urgent Care Workforce Development Programme.

He served as an Officer in the Royal Navy for 34 years before his medical discharge in 2015 following naso-pharyngeal cancer. Significant radiotherapy-induced nerve damage leaving Iain unable to speak, see, or swallow properly.

He joined the Navy at 17, trained as an engineer and worked across an enviable array of employment fields – systems engineering at sea to workforce and resource planning.

Despite his recent disabilities, Iain injects the patient perspective into all levels of healthcare. Passionate about communication, he has also set up his own business to train presentation skills, as well as speaking himself wherever he can to whoever will listen.

Professor Jonathan Valabhji

Professor Jonathan Valabhji is National Clinical Lead for Multiple Long-Term Conditions at NHS England, having been National Clinical Director for Diabetes and Obesity between 2013 and September 2023. He is Clinical Chair in Medicine at Imperial College London and Honorary Consultant Diabetologist at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

As well as a practising clinician and researcher, over the last decade he established and led the NHS England diabetes and obesity programmes, with a broad portfolio of national workstreams focusing on lifestyle interventions, clinical care, and technological support for diabetes self-management. He has led rapid translation of high-quality research into national policy and practice and has established models for evaluation to assess translational impact.

He successfully made the case for, and led implementation of, the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme, the NHS flagship prevention programme. By 2018 England became the first country to achieve universal population coverage with an evidence-based type 2 diabetes prevention programme, with over 1.3 million people now referred in, and latest evidence suggesting reduced type 2 diabetes incidence in both programme participants and at population level associated with programme implementation.

He qualified in 1990 from St Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical College, London, and in 2019 was awarded OBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours List for services to diabetes and obesity care.

Roland Valori

Roland Valori qualified as a doctor in 1976. He has been a Consultant Gastroenterologist in Gloucestershire since 1993. He has had an interest in achieving better value for money of health care services for 20 years. In 1999 he wrote an MSc thesis on implementing best care across the primary/secondary care interface

Roland was National Clinical Director for Endoscopy from 2003 to 2013. In recognition of impact he was awarded ‘NHS Change Leader of the Year’ in the first National NHS Leadership Awards (2009). He was the National Clinical Advisor to the English Bowel Cancer Screening Programme from 2006 to 2013.

In 2011 Roland was appointed Clinical Director for Service Accreditation in the Royal College of Physicians of London. He currently leads the Clinical Services Accreditation Alliance, a coalition of medical and other health professional organisations developing a strategy for more widespread accreditation of clinical services.

Roland has been a user of MSK services on several occasions during the last 11 years.

Paul Vaughan

Paul works with NHS England as Director of Nursing, Transformation. Currently, the focus of his role is on general practice nursing and the delivery of the GPN Ten Point Plan. Paul also leads a national initiative on the perception of nursing and midwifery.

Paul was a Regional Director with the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). Leading and managing RCN services in the West Midlands, Paul worked with key stakeholders to ensure the needs of RCN members within the region were met and the interests of nurses, HCAs and nursing were promoted and protected.

Engaging members in the work of the RCN was a key focus for Paul. Through his conception and delivery of the Local Learning Event Programme (branch engagement) and the Cultural Ambassadors Programme (addressing concerns of BME members with the disciplinary and grievance process) the region gained a reputation for listening to members and working with them to deliver positive change.

Paul has also been the RCN’s HCA Adviser, offering advice to HCAs, Assistant Practitioners (AP) and employers on issues relating to the employment and development of these roles. He also made a significant contribution to the development of the HCA role in general practice through his role as the National Project Manager with the Working in Partnership Programmes (WiPP), Health Care Assistant Initiative.

Last year, Paul completed a Masters in Management with the University of Liverpool and his dissertation focused on the factors that enable nursing staff to raise concerns in their workplace.

Lucy Verasamy

Lucy Verasamy is a meteorologist and weather presenter.

She started her career at Meteogroup, Europe’s biggest private weather company, where she stayed for five years before joining Sky’s breakfast show Sunrise.

In 2010, Lucy then joined ITV’s Breakfast programme before moving to cover the weather for ITV news and News at Ten where she is a regular on our TV screens.

Professor Martin J Vernon

Professor Martin Vernon was appointed National Clinical Director for Older People and Person Centred Integrated Care at NHS England in 2016.

He qualified in 1988 in Manchester and following training in the North West he moved to East London to train in Geriatric Medicine where he also acquired an MA in Medical Ethics and Law from King’s College. He returned to Manchester in 1999 to take up post as Consultant Geriatrician building community geriatrics services in South Manchester.

Martin was Associate Medical Director for NHS Manchester in 2010 and more recently Clinical Champion for frail older people and integrated care In Greater Manchester. He has been the British Geriatrics Society Champion for End of Life Care for five years and was a standing member of the NICE Indicators Committee.

In 2015 Martin moved to Central Manchester where he is Consultant Geriatrician and Associate Head of Division for Medicine and Community Services. He also holds Honorary Academic Posts at Manchester and Salford Universities and was appointed as Visiting Professor at the University of Chester in 2016.

In 2017 he became Chair of the NHS England Hospital to Home Programme Board and is working on National Frailty Care with NHS Improvement.

Russell Viner

Russell Viner, President of the RCPCH since March 2018, is Professor of Adolescent Health at the UCL Institute of Child Health in London and a paediatrician and adolescent physician working with young people with diabetes at University College Hospital. He directs the Department of Health Obesity Policy Research Unit.

Russell set up the first Adolescent Medicine service in the UK and went on to become the UK’s first Professor of Adolescent Health, helping lead a new focus on adolescent healthcare in the UK and Europe. He has acted as an advisor on adolescent health and obesity for the Departments of Health and for Education in England and for the World Health Organisation and Unicef internationally.

His research focuses on population health, policy and health services for children and young people, with a particular focus on obesity. He has published over 200 peer reviewed papers and is currently named on research grants with a collective value of more than £20 million.

Russell Viner has significant ‘hands-on’ experience within the NHS, having been Clinical Director in a busy teaching hospital and clinical director for children and young people for the NHS across London, responsible for leading healthcare strategy for London’s two million children and young people.

Pardeep Virdi

Pardeep Virdi is a high intensity therapist working in Redbridge Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service in Essex.

He began his career as a teacher in 1992 before starting to train part time in mental health and stress management in 1999.
From 2009 – 2011 he studied part-time for an MSc in Applied Positive psychology, and in 2012 – 2014 for an MSc in Rational Emotive and Cognitive Behavioural therapy.

Pardeep worked voluntarily for mental health charities to gain experience in mental health before in 2015 securing role as high intensity therapist via KSA route at Redbridge IAPT service and started working towards BABCP accreditation which he gained in 2018.

He says his career highlights always include seeing people become the best versions of themselves, whether this is a teacher delivering an outstanding lesson, a student gaining the grades they need for the next stage of their career or a service user who has overcome their emotional challenges.

Emma Wadey

Emma Wadey RN MH, Head of Mental Health Nursing, NHS England and NHS Improvement.

Emma is a mental health nurse with over 20 years’ experience across a wide range of health, emergency care and criminal justice settings. Maintaining clinical practice throughout her career has always been a priority and Emma continues to work as a consultant nurse in a local psychiatric liaison service. With lived experience of the impact of suicide she has focused her clinical work on the treatment of complex trauma, self-harm and suicidality.

An early adopter of recovery-based approaches to suicidal behaviours, Emma co-produced teaching packages on how to support and treat those with suicidality and helped develop the first ever suicide prevention app, StayAlive. More recently she contributed to the development of the competency framework for self-harm and suicide as part of the expert advisory group, is a national clinical adviser for the Mental Health Service Improvement Programme and clinical lead for the National Nurse Retention Programme.

In the throes of a mid-life crisis Emma took up marathon running and is pursing completion of all six of the Abbots World Major Marathon series. With four completed already she is taking 2020 as a year off to build some speed!

Dr Hester Wain

Dr Hester Wain is the Head of Patient Safety Policy for NHS England

Hester has worked in the NHS since 2004, in both the provider and commissioning sectors. She previously had an academic career as a senior postdoctoral research fellow at University College London working on the Human Genome Project.

Her role is to inspire, motivate and influence the NHS to help develop patient safety improvements across healthcare, to reduce harm to patients and staff. With over 10 years’ experience using quality improvement science to implement and embed sustainable changes, Hester leads on patient safety policy within the areas of safety culture, primary care, and inequalities and supports other implementation work with patient safety specialists and partners.

In 2018, Hester graduated with the Nye Bevan award from the NHS Leadership Academy and used this experience to develop her knowledge and understanding of diversity and the impacts of inequalities on both staff and patients and how these can be reduced. Hester is passionate about diversity and is a member/ally supporting several staff networks. As a qualified coach/mentor Hester supports a number of NHS staff to develop their talents.

Jennie Walker

Jennie Walker joined NHS England in March 2016 and is currently the Assistant Head of Patient Choice in the Personalisation and Choice Group.

Jennie is the lead on the Maternity Choice and Personalisation Pioneers who are focused on widening choice across CCG boundaries and deepening choice by providing opportunities for new providers; empowering women to take control through Personal Maternity Care Budgets (PMCBs); and enabling women to make decisions about the care that they receive.

Jennie is a solicitor with experience working with personalisation in social care through her previous role at the Independent Living Fund. She also has a Masters in Public Administration.

Alan Walker

Alan Walker is Professor of Social Policy and Social Gerontology at the University of Sheffield. Previously Director of the 10 year UK research programme The New Dynamics of Ageing and several major European collaborations on ageing.

Sarah Walker

Sarah Walker has worked at the Westongrove Partnership, a forward thinking, three site, Primary Care Home and training practice in Buckinghamshire, for 15 years.

She started out as practice administration manager for Bedgrove Surgery in 2006, before taking on the role of operations manager and becoming Operations and Development Manager in 2017.

Sarah has worked with NHS England on the development of the calculating quality reporting service (CQRS), as well as various projects within the local clinical commissioning group. She is also chair of the local managers’ group, a member of the Bucks CCG Integrated Team steering group and a trustee of the Friends of Bedgrove Surgery.

Katie Walkin

Katie Walkin joined NHS England in April 2014 and is currently a Project Delivery Manager in the Long Term Conditions (children and adults) Unit, working to improve the quality of life and end of life care for people with long term conditions and their carers.

She is taking a lead on healthy ageing and fire health projects. Katie has led on co-producing NHS England’s ‘A practical guide to healthy ageing’ and has been a part of the long term conditions engagement strategy.

The first six years of her working life began in McDonalds where she ran a £1.7 million per annum restaurant for the company.

Katie has a degree in Psychology and a Post Graduate Certificate in Mental Health Law.

She started her NHS career in a Mental Health Trust and worked for four and a half years as a Mental Health Act Manager, having the responsibility for the execution of all duties and acts carried out by the Trust in relation to the Mental Health Act (1983), including ensuring that the grounds for detaining patients were valid and legal in protecting patient rights.

Ed Waller

Ed Waller is the Director for Primary Care Strategy and NHS Contracts, leading for NHS England and NHS Improvement on GP contract arrangements.

Jeremy Walsh

Jeremy Walsh was appointed SLP Director in January 2018, having previously worked at South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust as Head of Service Delivery for forensic, specialist and national services, and CAMHS.

He is a qualified social worker and holds a Doctorate in Social Work, with a research specialism in the relationships between mental health professionals and carers, family and friends.

Jeremy has led a wide range of mental health and social care services within local authorities and the NHS.

As SLP Director he leads work across programmes including Forensic, CAMHS and Complex Care.

Kevin Walsh

Kevin Walsh has been an active Rotarian since 1991 and had the “Journey of a Lifetime” as District Governor for Rotary in Cumbria & Lancashire in 2013/14. One of 530 Governors around the world he was proud to have been given the opportunity to support Rotarians and Clubs doing good in their local and international communities.

Between 2014 and 2017 Kevin project managed a Rotary Foundation Global Grant providing capital investment for First Response activity in Cumbria & Lancashire. Equipment was provided for Mountain Rescue Teams and over 35 Community Public Access Defibrillators were installed.

Community Health Melas were also successfully introduced in Carlisle and Carnforth. It is this personal interest and practical experience that has found him involved in a range of Health & Wellbeing activities in North Cumbria.

Kevin also uses his Vocational skills as a Trustee of Age UK Carlisle and Eden, as Chairman of the Carlisle Dementia Action Alliance and as a Trustee of the Cumbria Community Foundation and Chairman of the Grants panel.

Catherine Walshe

Catherine Walshe is Professor of Palliative Care at the International Observatory on End of Life Care at Lancaster University.

Catherine has a background in palliative care nursing, working in the NHS for many years, including haematology at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, HIV care for Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, and then a number of community roles in District Nursing in Brighton and Hove, and as a Community Macmillan Nurse in Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust.

Her research draws from this practice background, exploring ways of providing palliative care more effectively.

Catherine is Editor-in-Chief of the journal Palliative Medicine, and a board member of the European Association of Palliative Care. She tweets as @cewalshe

Sam Ward

Sam Ward is the Director of Commissioned Services for Royal Voluntary Service, one of the country’s largest volunteering organisations.

She provides the strategic direction for service provision supporting people to age well and for the charity’s work within the NHS, supporting those in critical life events.

Sam is also responsible for our Services Welfare work, a legacy service which provides much needed help to young personnel in Britain’s Armed Forces.
Since joining the charity in 2000, Sam has had a number of roles at the charity from managing projects for community development and change to overseeing portfolios within the charity’s hospital retail estate.

Harriet Ward

Harriet Ward has worked in Trusts across South East England since joining the NHS through the Graduate Management Training Scheme in 2010, and has been in Paediatrics since 2014.

Her role as the South East England Paediatric Network Manager is to work with Dr Marilyn McDougall, Clinical Director, to design and deliver the network programme.

This includes developing the strategy and deciding on the individual work areas the network will focus on. Together they are recruiting the programme team and ensuring patient and parent voices are captured.

Dr Bruce Warner

Dr Bruce Warner, Deputy Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England, works closely with the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer on the strategic and operational development of medicines policy for NHS England.

Prior to this post, Bruce worked as Deputy Director of Patient Safety at the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) and in NHS England where he led on the strategy for patient safety improvement and headed up the patient safety advice and guidance function.

Bruce has worked in most sectors of pharmacy including community, hospital, academia and at a PCG/T. He is also a visiting Professor of Pharmacy Practice at the University of Huddersfield.

Scott Watkin

Scott Watkin works for SeeAbility as a Senior Learning Disabilities Advisor and is a visiting lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire working with the learning disability nurses. Since October 2015 Scott has also been co-chair of the Transforming Care Assurance Board to help reduce the number of people with a learning disability staying in hospital.

Scott won the making a difference award at the national learning disabilities awards in 2017 and represents organisations and professionals on the representative body for Learning Disability England.

Vicki Watson

Vicki Watson is a Specialist Public Health Dietician, with The Nutrition Team, Nottingham CityCare Partnership.

Dr Nigel Watson

Dr Nigel Watson MBBS FRCGP is Managing Partner in a large practice in the New Forest and been a GP for 30 years. Chair of the New Forest MCP and joint CEO of Hampshire MCP, New Forest MCP covers a population of 110,000 and has 11 practices. Hampshire now has 17 localities and covers a population of close to 1,000,000.

Chief Executive Wessex LMCs, the LMC represents 3000 GPs working in 500 practices in Bath & NE Somerset, Dorset, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Swindon and Wiltshire.

Hampshire and Isle of White representative on the BMA’s General Practitioner Committee. Member of the Board of Health Education WESSEX LMCs. Member of the Board of the Wessex Clinical Senate. Member of the National Advisory Committee of the Voluntary MCP Contract.

Christie Watson

Writer Christie Watson was a registered nurse for twenty years. She spent much of her career in paediatric intensive care in large London teaching hospitals before becoming a resuscitation officer, which involved teaching and clinical work on hospital-wide crash teams.

Christie now writes full time. Her first novel, Tiny Sunbirds Far Away, won the Costa First Novel Award and her second novel, Where Women Are Kings was also published to international critical acclaim. Her latest work, The Language Of Kindness is non-fiction and explores her life as a nurse. Christie’s books have been translated into twenty languages. She is based in London and is working on new non-fiction as well as a television series about nursing.

Louise Watson

Louise joined the new care models programme in 2015 as the national lead for the multi-speciality community provider (MCP) care model.

In June 2017, she became the Director of the new care models programme and is leading on the implementation of the new care models outlined in the NHS Five Year Forward View.

Louise has over 20 years’ experience working in the NHS. During that time she has held Board level roles spanning both health commissioners and providers.

Dr Nick Watts

Dr Nick Watts is the Chief Sustainability Officer of the NHS, responsible for its commitment to deliver a world-class net zero emission health service. Based in London, he leads the Greener NHS team across the country, which focuses on improving the health of patients and the public through a robust and accelerated response to climate change and the broader sustainability agenda.

Nick is a medical doctor licensed in Australia and the UK, and has trained population health and public policy. He is a Member by Distinction of the Royal College of Physicians’ Faculty of Public Health, and an Honorary Associate Professor of University College London’s Institute for Global Health.

Prior to the National Health Service, Nick worked internationally as the Executive Director of the Lancet Countdown and the Lancet Commission on Health and Climate Change, a collaboration of UN agencies and academic centres across the world. He has also focused on engaging the health profession on the links between public health and climate change, having founded both the Global Climate and Health Alliance and the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change.

Andy Weaver

Andy is the Assistant Head of Analysis in the Chief Data and Analytics Officer directorate of NHS England.

Andy has worked in analytical roles across various sectors and organisations for over 20 years. He joined NHS England in 2017 undertaking modelling, data development, analytical and evaluation work, much of it aligned to national programmes. This has included supporting initiatives on Diabetes, Cardio Vascular Disease and Respiratory Disease framed by the NHS Long Term Plan, and more recently with the Personalised Care and Healthcare Inequalities Improvement programmes. During COVID – as with many colleagues – his focus turned to the NHS’s pandemic response, leading analysis of the association between diabetes and COVID mortality and establishing the NHS Volunteer Responder scheme

David Webb

David Webb is the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England, having previously been Chief Pharmacist and Clinical Director for Pharmacy and Medicines Optimisation at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. He is a member of NHS England Medical Directorate’s senior management team, the UK Government Chief Medical Officer’s senior clinical group, Head of the Pharmacy Professions in England and the principal advisor on pharmacy and medicines use in the NHS, which includes supporting the Department of Health and Social Care. 

Sam Webb

Sam Webb has shared his experiences of living with Type 1 diabetes to mark World Diabetes Day.

Jo Webster

Jo Webster joined Wakefield Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) as Chief Officer in 2012 when the CCGs were established following the Health and Social Care Act in 2012, replacing Primary Care Trusts. Before then she worked at Doncaster Central PCT fulfilling various leadership roles, including commissioning cancer services. Other leadership roles include working in a senior leadership role for Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority.

In her current role, Jo is responsible for the CCG’s planning and commissioning of health services for Wakefield. In January 2018, she also became Strategic Lead for Health and Care Transformation and Integration for Wakefield Council. This gives her overall responsibility for integrating health and care commissioning for the whole of the district.

Jo is a member of the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership System Executive Leadership Group who work together across all health care sectors to transform and improve services for the 2.6million people living in this large area.

Passionate about delivering quality care closer to home; Jo has initiated award winning programmes of work such as ‘Connecting Care Wakefield’ which has received national recognition for innovative partnership working and piloting new initiatives with care homes.

With a background in front line care services, Jo’s ultimate goal is to make sure everyone in Wakefield, West Yorkshire and Harrogate has a great start in life, and receives the support they need to stay healthy and live longer.

Jo is married, has two grown up daughters and very proud to live and work in Yorkshire.

Rob Webster

Rob joined South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust as Chief Executive in May 2016 and is responsible for leading the organisation and its 4,600 staff. Rob is also the Lead Chief Executive for West Yorkshire & Harrogate Health and Care Partnership; this sees him bringing together West Yorkshire health and care leaders, organisations and communities to develop local plans for improved health, care and finances.

He has worked in healthcare since 1990, taking on national leadership roles in the NHS Confederation and the Department of Health on policy, transformation and delivery. He has also been a Director for both the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit in the Cabinet Office and a national public/private partnership.

Rob has been a successful Chief Executive in the NHS, running commissioning organisations and providers of NHS services. He has chaired formal Cancer, Primary Care, Community Trust and Learning Disability Networks. He has a history of effective partnership working and a strong commitment to system leadership.

Rob is a visiting Professor at Leeds Beckett University and was proud to be made a Fellow of the Queen’s Nursing Institute in 2014. In May 2016, he became an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners. Follow Rob @nhs_robw

Professor Brian J Webster-Henderson

Brian Webster-Henderson is the Pro Vice Chancellor (Health) at the University of Cumbria and a Professor of Nursing. He is the Chair of the Council of Deans of Health UK, the organisation that represents all 85 Universities across the UK who deliver nursing, midwifery and allied health education and research. Brian is both a mental health and an adult nurse and went straight into nursing from leaving school. He is an adjunct Professor at the John Hopkins University Baltimore and a frequent speaker to national and international audiences. Brian holds degrees in politics, advanced practice and education and has worked in several Universities across the UK in a range of leadership positions.

Professor Bee Wee

Professor Bee Wee CBE, National Clinical Director for End of Life Care, NHS England and NHS Improvement.

Bee is a Consultant in Palliative Medicine at Sobell House and Katharine House Hospice, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Associate Professor at University of Oxford, where she is also a Fellow of Harris Manchester College.

Originally from Malaysia, Bee qualified from Trinity College Dublin in 1988, trained in general practice in Dublin, then moved into palliative medicine in Ireland, Hong Kong and the UK. She was Consultant/Senior Lecturer at Countess Mountbatten House, Southampton (1995-2003), where she became Deputy Director of Education, School of Medicine at the University. She was President of the Association for Palliative Medicine of Great Britain and Ireland (2010-13), National Clinical Lead for e-ELCA, a DH-commissioned e-learning programme for end of life care, now hosted by Health Education England, and Chair of the Topic Expert Group for the NICE Quality Standard for End of Life Care (2011). She enjoys cooking and allotment gardening for relaxation.

Bee is Honorary Professor at Sichuan University, China, and holds an Honorary Doctorate of Science at Oxford Brookes University. As NCD, she led the Leadership Alliance for the Care of Dying People and is co-chair of the National Partnership for Palliative and End of Life Care which was responsible for publishing the ‘Ambitions for Palliative and End of Life Care: a national framework for local action’ in 2015. She was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list in 2020 for services to palliative and end of life care.

Karen Weeks

Karen Weeks is the creator ElderWellness.net, a resource for seniors who wish to keep their minds, bodies, and spirits well.

Dan Wellings

Dan Wellings leads NHS England’s Insight and Feedback Team, which oversees how the NHS collects experience and outcome data from patients, including national surveys such as CPES. Prior to joining NHS England, Dan was Head of Public Health Research at Ipsos MORI, working in the Social Research Institute. Dan has a Masters in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and is a Senior Associate of the Nuffield Trust.

Chrissie Wellington

Chrissie Wellington OBE is Global Head of Health and Wellbeing for Parkrun and is also four-time Ironman World Champion.

Chrissie was awarded a first-class degree by the University of Birmingham (BsC Geography) and a Distinction from the University of Manchester (MA Econ Development Studies).

Prior to becoming a professional athlete in 2007, she worked for the British Government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) as a policy adviser on international development and also managed water and sanitation projects in Nepal.

She published her Sunday Times Best Selling autobiography, A Life Without Limits, in 2012, and To the Finish Line: A World Champion Triathlete’s Guide to Your Perfect Race, in 2017.

Chrissie was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2010 Birthday Honours and Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to sport and charity.

Lillie Wenzel

Lillie Wenzel joined The King’s Fund as a Fellow in the policy team in August 2014. Her work at the Fund has included a joint project with the Health Foundation on a transformation fund for the NHS, and the development of integrated commissioning options to build on the work of the Barker Commission on the future of health and social care. Lillie is currently working on a project exploring the impact of financial pressures in the NHS on patients’ access to quality care.

Before joining the Fund Lillie worked in the health team within PricewaterhouseCoopers’ advisory practice, where she supported NHS organisations on a range of assignments including public procurement projects, organisational and commercial change and strategy development projects. While at PwC, Lillie spent 18 months on a secondment to the Department of Health’s NHS Group where she worked on provider policy.

Jacob West

Jacob West is a national lead for NHS England’s New Care Models team. Jacob’s background is in public policy and health management. Prior to joining NHS England, he was strategy director at King’s College Hospital. From 2003 to 2010 Jacob worked in a number of roles at the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, ultimately as acting director. He advised two Prime Ministers on public policy in a range of areas including health, criminal justice, and education. He has also worked as a senior policy advisor to the Premier in Queensland, Australia. Jacob was 2014-15 Harkness Fellow in Health Care Policy and Practice at the Harvard School of Public Health and remains an advisor to the Harvard Global Health Institute.

Dr Jo Whaley

Jo Whaley (she, her, they) is the Senior Public Engagement Manager for Learning Disability and Autism in NHS England and Improvement.

She leads the Learning Disability and Autism Engagement team, in the Public Participation team. They work closely with the Learning Disability and Autism programme. The team aims to support the health system listen to, and work with, people with a learning disability and autistic people in order to reduce health inequalities. Find out more about the work of the Learning Disability and Autism Engagement team: https://www.england.nhs.uk/learning-disabilities/about/get-involved/

Until 2015, Jo worked in the voluntary and community sector, linking policy makers and commissioners with charities in health and social care. She is also a trustee at Skills for People in Newcastle. Jo is passionate about equality and diversity and her career focuses on health equality.

Dr Emma Whicher

Dr Emma Whicher has worked for South West & St George’s Mental Health Trust as a consultant psychiatrist in addictions since 2006 and was appointed as Medical Director in 2012.

She has held a number of specialist roles in the community drug and alcohol teams in Richmond and Kingston, as well as working in the Rowan and Heather patient wards at Springfield University Hospital.

Emma studied medicine at Cambridge University and St Mary’s Imperial College, London.

She worked as a junior doctor in Australia and was a psychiatry trainee in Leeds before moving to the Trust.

As Medical Director her focus is the quality of care delivered to service users and their families, she is also the Trust’s Responsible Officer for the revalidation doctors. Her clinical practice remains within the Trust’s addiction services.

She is also the Clinical Lead for Healthy London Partnership’s Mental Health Crisis Care Programme.

Jacquie White

Jacquie White is NHS England’s Director of System Development for Primary Care and System Transformation.

She has over 15 years’ experience of working in and supporting health and social care teams to improve the quality of services for and with their local population.

Having started her career in fund holding in a small rural general practice, Jacquie has worked across the public sector at a local, regional and national level.

She has significant experience of both commissioning and provider development and of supporting teams to integrate care across organisational boundaries.

Thomas Whitelaw

Thomas Whitelaw is the UK Project Engagement Lead – Dementia Carer Voices.

For five years he was a full-time carer for his late mother, Joan, who had Vascular Dementia, and in 2011 Tommy undertook a walk around Scotland’s towns and cities to collect hundreds of life story letters detailing the experiences of individuals caring for a loved one living with dementia.

Since then, he has engaged with thousands of carers through his ‘Tommy on Tour’ blog and as UK Project Engagement Lead with the Health and Social Care Alliance’s Dementia Carer Voices Project, conducting frequent talks to health and social care professionals and carer organisations across Scotland, to raise awareness of the impact of dementia on families and the importance of empowering carers in carrying out their difficult but vital role.

Tommy’s passion for his work and the Dementia Carer Voices Project has not gone unnoticed. He was the winner of the ‘Age Scotland Jess Barrow Award’ in 2013; Finalist Campaigner of the year 2013 for ‘The Herald Scottish Politician of the Year Awards’, won the NHSGGC Chairman’s Ambassador Award 2013 and in 2015, Tommy was awarded the ‘British Citizen’s Medal for Services to Healthcare’ in recognition of his work to raise awareness of dementia and promote a fuller understanding of the carer journey.

Tommy was shortlisted as a finalist for the Kate Granger awards 2016 and received an Honorary Master of the Open University for Health, Social Care, Education and Policy making influence.

Groups and boards Tommy represents the project and the ALLIANCE on are: Fair for all Board Member North Ayrshire Council, Girvan Community Hospital Dementia Friendly Steering Group Member, Member of Scottish Government Dementia Strategy 2016-2019 Expert Advisory Group and NHS Education Scotland Promoting Excellence Dementia Programme Board Member.

Andy Whitfield

Dr Andy Whitfield is Chair and Clinical Lead of NHS North East Hampshire and Farnham Clinical Commissioning Group.

He has been a GP for 24 years after completing his medical degree at Sheffield University in 1985. Andy was initially a partner in a GP training practice in Surrey before leaving in 2004 to take over a GP practice in Farnborough, Hampshire.

He has been involved in commissioning of one form or another since the existence of primary care groups around 14 years ago.

Andy is passionate about ensuring patients have access to the most appropriate care in the most appropriate place.

Richard Whittington

Richard Whittington joined LOCSU as assistant director, commissioning, in June 2016 from the NHS and was appointed as chief operating officer in November 2016.

He is an experienced CCG director and acute trust director with extensive commissioning and service redesign experience. He led the initial commissioning of primary care ophthalmic service across a range of South East London primary care trusts and clinical commissioning groups.

Richard has worked in and across all healthcare and care sectors and has expertise in service change, organisational change and commissioning service delivery. Throughout his career, Richard has delivered real service change with measurable patient benefits and, as such, has a proven record of delivery across QIPP programmes.

Dr Adrian Whittington

Adrian is the National Clinical Lead for the Psychological Professions at NHS England. In this role, Adrian provides professional leadership and advice across the national NHS teams aimed at maximising the impact of the psychological professions for the public and delivering the ambitions of the NHS Long Term Plan.

He is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist. He is passionate about making the NHS more psychological, including increasing access to evidence-based psychological interventions and therapies.

Adrian also co-chairs the Psychological Professions Network England Board. Adrian is a clinical specialist in psychological therapy for post-traumatic stress Disorder.

He has written and co-edited books on anxiety, cognitive behavioural therapy, and clinical psychology.

LinkedIn – Adrian Whittington

Twitter – @ASWhittington

Matt Whitty

Matt Whitty, Chief Executive of the Accelerated Access Collaborative and Director of Innovation, Research and Life Sciences, NHS England.

Matt Whitty leads the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC), a collaboration committed to getting the best new innovations to patients faster. The AAC set national strategic priorities and co-ordinate work to support the UK to be the best place in the world to discover, develop, test, trial, launch and adopt new treatments and technologies.

Lucy Wilkinson

Lucy leads on equality and human rights for the Care Quality Commission (CQC) including the Human Rights Approach which embeds equality and human rights throughout CQC’s regulation of health and adult social care services.

Lucy also leads on equality and human rights strategy, such as Equality Objectives. Previously, Lucy worked for CQC and Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) leading national reviews of safeguarding, health care in care homes and the CSCI “Equality matters” publications covering race, disability, sexual orientation and gender reassignment. Prior to this, Lucy worked for Oxfam, Refugee Action and Shelter and, more recently, was the chief officer at Leeds Involvement Project – an organisation enabling people using health and social care services to influence service commissioning and development including through reference groups and local and national user-led research.

In a voluntary capacity, Lucy has been active in equality groups and campaigns especially in relation to the rights of women, disabled people and LGB people. Lucy is a practicing Buddhist.

Professor Em Wilkinson-Brice

Professor Em Wilkinson-Brice qualified as a nurse in 1992 in Exeter.

She then worked in Oxford, specialising in cardiology and high dependency care, and a firm interest in facilities management later resulted in Em taking the post of Director of Nursing and Facilities at Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, before coming back to Exeter in July 2010.

During her time at the RD&E, Em has undertaken numerous roles alongside the Chief Nurse role, including leading the Trust’s five year Transformation Programme to deliver a new model of care in partnership with local agencies.

In recognition of the close working partnership between the Trust and Plymouth University, Em was appointed Associate Professor Faculty of Health and Human Sciences. She was in the first cohort of the national NHS Leadership Academy Aspiring Chief Executive programme, completing it in February 2017.

Professor Keith Willett

Professor Keith Willett is the Director for Acute Care to NHS England and is the Professor of Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery at the University of Oxford. An NHS consultant surgeon for 24 years he has extensive experience of trauma care, driving service transformation and healthcare management.  He has taught surgery and leadership extensively across the NHS and internationally.

In 2003 he founded the Kadoorie Centre for Critical Care Research and Education focusing on the treatment of critically ill and injured patients. This year IMPS, a children’s safety charity he launched, celebrated 20 years and over 250,000 children trained in risk awareness, first aid and life support.

He was the co-founder of the unique 24-hour consultant-resident Oxford Trauma Service at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford in 1994. Building on that model, in 2009 he was appointed the first National Clinical Director for Trauma Care to the Department of Health and was charged with developing and implementing government policy across the NHS to radically improve the care of older people with fragility hip fractures and to establish Regional Trauma Networks and Major Trauma Centres. By 2012 both re-organisations and care pathways were successfully in place and are now credited with marked improvement in patient care and survival.

In his current role, he has the national medical oversight of acute NHS services ranging from pre-hospital and ambulance services, emergency departments, urgent surgery, acute medicine, children’s and maternity, armed forces, and health and justice services and national major incidents. He is now leading the transformation of the urgent and emergency care services across the NHS in England.

He was awarded a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the New Years Honour’s List in 2016 for services to the NHS.  On receiving this honour he said “I have been exceptionally privileged to build a career as part of the collective commitment of so many dedicated individuals and friends who are our NHS”.

Dr Mark Williams

Dr Mark Williams is a GP in rural Staffordshire, a New Models of Care Clinical Associate and a Clinical Director for a mental health trust.

He grew up in Staffordshire, studied in Manchester and returned to Staffordshire to complete his studies and training.

Mark, who is married with two children, previously worked for the two Northern Staffordshire CCGs before leaving and then becoming a co-founder of a GP federation of 87 practices serving almost 500,000 patients.

He is driven by a desire to promote patient centred, clinician led and relationship based health care that benefits communities.

Jessica Williams

Jessica Williams joined Tameside and Glossop CCG in September 2015 to drive health and social care integration as Programme Director for Care Together.

In September 2017, she also took on responsibility for the commissioning of health services across Tameside and Glossop. Jessica leads on the design of integrated, place based models of care to drive up healthy life expectancy, reduce inequalities and improve the overall experience of the health and social care system.

Jessica joined the NHS in 1991 and has extensive director experience in acute, mental health and research organisations, as well as the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership where she set up and led the primary care transformation team.

Jessica continues to support the GM Partnership as the Director of Commissioning lead for Primary Care and Chair of the GM Directors of Commissioning group.

Helen Williams

National Specialty Adviser for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at NHS England.

Helen Williams has worked as a CVD specialist pharmacist for the past 25 years in hospital, community and primary care settings. She has spearheaded a wide range of activities across South London and beyond to improve the care of patients with or at risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). She leads on the development and implementation of consensus evidence-based guidance for use across South London’s 12 CCGs and 7 acute trusts, covering a population of 3.6million and supporting local practitioners through education and training, guideline implementation, clinical audit, service development and provision of virtual or face to face clinics. For the past three years she has provided clinical advice to inform the delivery of local and national AF health innovation network programmes to optimise the detection and management of AF with the aim of reducing AF-related stroke. She developed the pharmacist-led virtual clinic model to optimise uptake of anticoagulation in AF in Lambeth and Southwark CCGs, which is now being spreads nationally through the NHSE AF demonstrator programme. Helen has supported the commissioning and delivery of CVD new models of care to address the CVD ABCs, – AF, blood pressure and cholesterol.

Mark Williams

Mark Williams is a keynote speaker, author (Daddy Blues) and international campaigner. He founded International Fathers Mental Health Day and the #Howareyoudad campaign.

Mark has spoken on television and radio stations around the world and works with Dr Jane Hanley, publishing co-authored articles on Fathers Mental Health together.

He was awarded Inspirational father of the year and local hero at the Pride of Britain Awards in 2012 and was invited to meet the Royal Family on World Mental Health Day in 2016.

Twitter: @markwilliamsFMH

Susie Williams

Susie Williams is currently studying her final year of A Levels at Frome College and applying to University to study Medicine.

She is passionate about healthcare being of a high quality everywhere and for everyone, and believes there is a different way to address illness and disease that is based on prevention and living vitally.

She is a lifeguard, swimming instructor, blogger and hospital volunteer and hosts a regular Patient Participation Group at her local medical practice, through which young people can voice their experiences and ideas on their healthcare.

She is a member of the NHS England Youth Forum made up of 25 young people from all over the country, who have a passion for improving health services for young people.

Professor Norman Williams

Consultant colorectal surgeon Professor Norman Williams became College President in July 2011. He is Professor of Surgery and Director of Innovation at the Academic Surgical Unit of Barts and The London, Queen Mary’s School of Medicine and Dentistry and National Centre for Bowel Research and Surgical Innovation.

His main clinical interests are sphincter preservation and reconstructive surgery, and his scientific interests are concentrated on GI motility and anorectal physiology.

Professor Williams was elected as a Council Member and Trustee of the College in 2005; chaired the Research and Academic Board and the Invited Review Mechanism; and was Lead for the National Fellowship Scheme.

Prior to being elected as College President, he was President of the Society of Academic & Research Surgery and President of the Ileostomy & Internal Pouch Support Group, the national patient charity.

Professor Williams has also been Chairman of the UKCCCR committee on Colorectal Cancer, President of European Digestive Surgery, President of The International Surgical Group and Vice Chairman of The British Journal of Surgery.

Professor Williams is joint editor of Bailey and Love’s Short Practice of Surgery, co-author of Surgery of the Anus, Rectum and Colon, and is a founding trustee and Chairman of Bowel & Cancer Research.

He was a Fulbright Scholar (1980-82), and was awarded the Patey Prize of the SRS (1978), the Moynihan Travelling Fellowship (1985), the Society of Authors Prize (Jointly 1995) the Nessim Habif Prize, University of Geneva (1995), the Galen Medal of the Worshipful Company of Apothecaries (2003) and the Cutler’s Surgical Prize (2011).

He is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and the Royal College of Physicians, and is an Honorary Fellow of The American Surgical Association, the German Society of General and Visceral Surgery, the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, the Brazilian College of Surgeons and the Society of General Surgeons of Peru.

In 2011 he gave the prestigious Hunterian Oration at the College, and in 2013 he will become an Honorary Fellow of the American College of Surgery.

Dr Janet Williamson

Dr Janet Williamson is Director of National Improvement Programmes for NHS Improving Quality. NHS Improving Quality brings together the improvement expertise for healthcare, working on large scale change and is part of NHS England, Medical Directorate. Janet works closely with policy leaders, Department of Health, public health England, National Clinical Directors for NHS England, clinical networks, commissioning, and providers of healthcare services.

With over 25 years’ experience of managing both clinical and non-clinical services across the NHS, Janet has also been involved in and led a number of large improvement programmes, including total quality management, business process re-engineering and the Cancer Services Collaborative ‘Improvement Partnership’, which was instrumental in reducing GP referral to cancer treatment waiting times from nine months to two.

Between 2007 and 2013, Janet was National Director, NHS Improvement, a national team renowned for its experience and expertise in practical service improvement which has redesigned clinical pathways in cancer, diagnostics, heart, lung and stroke. It demonstrates some of the most leading edge work in England, helping to improve patient experience and outcomes. Much of its work provides the foundation for NHS Improving Quality.

In 2012, NHS Improvement under Janet’s leadership, was officially recognised as one of The Sunday Times 100 best places to work in the not for profit sector.

In 2007, she was awarded a professional Doctorate, identifying critical factors for spreading whole system change in healthcare. This drew on over four years of learning from change in cancer at a national, network and local team level.

Peter Williamson

Peter Williamson works in the NHS Insight & Feedback team, which oversees major NHS surveys, feedback tools and other social research to understand patient and staff experience in ways that can be used to drive continuous improvement in services.

Manda Williamson

Manda Williamson is the Director of Positive Opportunities for Wellbeing (POW), a Community Interest Company (CIC) based in Devon.

After a long career working as the Chief Executive of a mental health voluntary sector organisation, a few years ago Manda set up a social enterprise which aims to support people to take control of their health and their life.

She is a passionate advocate of personalising care for people with long term health needs, including people living with mental health concerns..

Giles Wilmore

Giles Wilmore is Director for Patient & Public Voice & Information, NHS England.

Dr Peter Wilson

Dr Peter Wilson has been a consultant in paediatric intensive care medicine at the University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust since 2003 and has been involved in delivering critical care for 15 years.

Peter has been Clinical Director of Southampton Children’s Hospital since 2010 and has created a number of regional networks to improve care and efficiency.

He is immediate past President of the Paediatric Intensive Care Society, a position that involved creating national standards, implementing national plans and working with commissioners around issues such as capacity management especially during winter pressures.

In 2015, Peter took up a post with NHS England delivering paediatric and women’s specialist services nationally. He is involved in the national reviews of paediatric intensive care, neonatal intensive care, paediatric surgery and cardiac surgery.

Daisy Wilson McNeal

Daisy Wilson McNeal came into post as the research officer for the autism research team in September 2022. Prior to this, she studied Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of Manchester and then went on to work for NICE after graduating.

Matthew Winn

Matthew Winn is the NHS England and Improvement Director of Community Health and Senior Responsible Officer (SRO) for the implementation of the Ageing Well programme in the NHS Long Term Plan.

He is also the Chief Executive of Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust and has led the organisation since 2007.

Previously he worked in London in roles in Acute Care, local government and Primary Care Trusts.

Jason Wong

Deputy Chief Dental Officer England and Dental Partner.

Michael Wood

Michael Wood has supported NHS organisations to understand the local economic landscape since November 2015, first as Local Growth Advisor and now Head of Health Economic Partnerships.

For part of this period, he combined this role at the NHS Confederation with the post of Deputy Local Growth Consultant for the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). Prior to this he was a senior European policy manager at the NHS European Office for more than seven years. He has also worked at the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman and for a Member of the European Parliament in Brussels.

Graham Woodham

Graham Woodham is Programme Head for Regulated Professional Workforce at Skills for Care. He is personally involved in work involving the nursing, social work and occupational therapy workforce and leads a team which provides support, information, guidance and resources for employers of these professional groups. The team is currently working a range of projects supporting nursing in the care sector including a nurse leader’s programme, return to practice and a statement of role, knowledge and skills. Graham’s work at a national level involves advising, influencing and supporting the implementation of a range of strategic policy initiatives including the development of the Nursing Associate role working closely with the DHSC and HEE.

In 2016 Graham worked in partnership with NCF (National Care Forum) in producing a discussion and good practice paper: Stimulating debate on the distinctive contribution of nurses to adult social care.

Originally trained as a social worker Graham has been involved in a number of aspects of the recent national social work reform process, including the development professional standards and the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) for newly qualified social workers. He was formerly a social worker and team manager in Community Mental Health Teams in Essex, and was also mental health and social care training manager with the same authority. His practice experience included 10 years as an Approved Social Worker (Mental Health Act), and several years working in the voluntary sector at the beginning of his career.

Graham also has experience in practice education and mentoring and action learning facilitation. His management experience includes planning and implementing organizational change. Since joining Skills for Care Graham held roles as Regional Development Manager in the South East and Learning Resource Network Manager in the Eastern region before moving to his current post.

Sarah Woodhouse

Sarah joined NHS England’s Personalised Care Group in December 2017 following a two year career break.

As a Lived Experience Advisor, Sarah’s role involves building awareness of personal health budgets and Integrated Personal Commissioning, and developing the evidence base as well as promoting the benefits of peer support. Sarah supports the management of a personal health budget for her brother Dan, who has a spinal injury and underlying condition called Morquio Syndrome.

Sarah graduated with a degree in Law and Public Policy and her career has focused on inclusion and asset-based community development. Sarah has previously worked for the Department of Work and Pensions and in local government on a variety of policy and partnership roles covering equality, diversity and community cohesion and resilience. Most recently Sarah undertook a number of project management roles, managing a social prescribing project for Groundwork North East and Cumbria, called Green Activity and working for the North of England Commissioning Support Unit to develop Stockton-On-Tees’ Integrated Personal Commissioning demonstrator programme.

Dr Penny Woods

Dr Penny Woods is Chief Executive of the British Lung Foundation.

Penny, a qualified as a doctor with an MA from Cambridge University and MBA from INSEAD, has many years’ experience in the healthcare sector working as a management consultant for clients including governments, multi-national companies, NHS organisations and private healthcare providers.

She spent seven years in a number of senior roles at BTG plc and, before joining the BLF, she was chief executive of the Picker Institute Europe.

Penny is passionate about working on behalf of patients, from personal and family experience of COPD, asthma, obstructive sleep apnoea and motor neurone disease.

You can follow Penny on Twitter: @blfpenny.

Dr Simon Woodworth

Dr Simon Woodworth is a GP at Stockport’s Beech House Medical Practice and prior to that he was based at Chadfield Medical Practice since 2006. In addition to his GP role, he is involved with teaching medical students and has a role in commissioning with Stockport CCG.

Professor Anthony Woolf

Professor Anthony Woolf is Chair of the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA).

He is Honorary Professor of Rheumatology, University of Exeter Medical School, and Plymouth Peninsula Medical and Dental College, and Clinical Director of the NHS National Institute of Health Research Clinical Research Network Southwest Peninsula.

He is involved in various initiatives to raise awareness of the impact of musculoskeletal conditions and priority for education, prevention, treatment and research at a national, European and global level.

Dr James Woollard

Dr James Woollard is a Clinical Leadership Fellow with Dr Geraldine Strathdee, National Clinical Director for Mental Health at NHS England.

During this Fellowship he is also working at Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust on a project to develop a Community Education Network for Looked After Children in Greenwich.

Prior to the Fellowship he was a Specialty Registrar in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry on the St Mary’s Rotation, London.

He will be presenting a review of technology based interventions in Child and Adolescent Mental Health disorders at the 2014 World Congress for the International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions in Durban, South Africa.

Anne Worrall-Davies

Anne Worrall-Davies has worked for 30 years in Children and Young People’s Mental Health as a Consultant Psychiatrist in community, early intervention in psychosis, inpatient and outreach settings. She joined NHS England’s Learning Disability and Autism Programme in 2021, and as Senior Psychiatrist Lead (Children and Young People) brought a clinical perspective and leadership to support the delivery of the NHS Long Term Plan priorities for autistic people and those with a learning disability.

She has six years’ experience of being a non-executive director in the not-for-profit and social housing sector, and currently sits on the board of Future Directions Community Interest Company. Anne continues to have an interest in innovative and person-centred ‘alternative to hospital’ models of delivering care at the specialist end of the pathway for autistic people and those with a learning disability. She also particularly enjoys working across the wider health, education and social care system.

She is passionate about co-production: being a parent to a young autistic adult with a learning disability and epilepsy helps ensure that she always keeps the voice of lived experience at the centre of her work.

Sarah Wright

As Specialist Advisor of Quality Improvement in the Improving Quality team within the national Learning Disability and Autism Programme, Sarah works to improve the way hospital care is provided to people who have a learning disability and autistic people.

The work focuses on fewer people in hospital care but for those that are admitted that the best possible care and treatment is provided, admissions are for the shortest period of time and in the least restrictive setting. All these are aims of the Improving Quality team alongside ensuring the voice of those in hospital is strengthened.

Sarah brings a background of working in operational leadership in NHS providers focusing on using improvement methodology to maximise the outcomes for those who need services.

Professor John Yarnold

Professor John Yarnold studied medicine at Middlesex Hospital Medical School, University of London.

After several years of postgraduate training in general medicine, radiotherapy and oncology, he was appointed Senior Lecturer at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and Honorary Consultant at The Royal Marsden in 1980, where he has remained.

His clinical practice and research interests have concentrated on the role of radiotherapy in breast cancer and he has led 17 randomised clinical trials testing advances in treatment for cancer patients.

The Royal Marsden, together with its academic partner, the ICR, is the largest and most comprehensive cancer centre in Europe and the only National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre dedicated solely to cancer. It’s a centre of excellence with an international reputation for ground-breaking research and pioneering the very latest in cancer treatments and technologies.

Andre Yeung

Andre Yeung works as a Pharmacist Consultant, as a Local Professional Network Chair at NHS England (Cumbria and the North East) and is Senior Specialist Advisor at Newcastle City Council Public Health Department.

John Young

Professor John Young was previously National Clinical Director for Integration and Frail & Elderly Care, since the publication of these blogs he has left NHS England.

Professor Tony Young

Tony is a practicing frontline NHS surgeon, Associate Medical Director at the Mid and South Essex University Hospitals Group, Director of Medical Innovation at Anglia Ruskin University, and has founded 4 Med-Tech start-ups. He has also co-founded the £500 million Anglia Ruskin MedTech Campus.

In 2014 he was appointed as National Clinical Director for Innovation at NHS England and in February 2016 became the first National Clinical Lead for Innovation. In this role he provides clinical leadership and support in delivering improved health outcomes in England and drives the uptake of proven innovations across the NHS, promotes economic growth through innovation and helps make the NHS the go to place on the planet for medical innovation. In 2015 he founded the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur programme. This has become the world’s largest entrepreneurial workforce development programme for clinicians and under the NHS Long Term Plan is set for a major expansion to include intrapreneurs.

In the 2019 New Year’s Honours list Tony was awarded the OBE for services to clinical leadership.

Jacqueline Young

Jacqueline Young qualified as a registered nurse in London in 1988 aged 21.

She enjoyed roles on a surgical ward and on a spinal ward before becoming a District Nurse

At the end of 1996 she took on the challenge of a new role as a community Parkinson’s Specialist Nurse which was a fairly new concept at the time. She thoroughly enjoyed this role and over the year developed the post into a small team of nurses caring for patients locally with Parkinson’s

She stayed in this role for 18 years before moving 2 years ago to her current role as a Parkinson’s Specialist Nurse in a secondary care setting in Cambridge.

Patience Young

Patience Young is a Clinical Commissioning Lead at NHS Hull CCG and originally qualified as an Occupational Therapist 25 years ago.

During those 25 years she has worked in both health and social care, most recently within an acute hospital before she moved into commissioning.