Head of West Kent Health and Care Partnership Joint Programme Management Office, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust 

When Caroline Tsatsaklas established the West Kent Health and Care Partnership Joint Programme Management Office in 2017, it was a team of two. Today it has grown to 21 people, led by a director, supporting transformation across NHS, local authority, and voluntary sector partners — a testament to the collaborative, people-centred vision Caroline has championed from the start.

Her leadership has helped shape one of the earliest place-based health collaborations in the country. What began as an Aligned Incentive Contract in 2017 has evolved into the West Kent Health and Care Partnership, now bringing together more than ten organisations and supporting over 30 active programmes spanning urgent care, mental health, neighbourhood health, and population health management.

What distinguishes Caroline is her approach to leadership as much as her strategic achievements. She creates environments where colleagues feel psychologically safe, valued, and able to thrive — actively supporting flexible working, neurodiversity, mental health, and caring responsibilities. Her inclusive leadership has been recognised through an MTW Excellence in Disability Support acknowledgement, and the Head of Employee Experience describes her as “a shining example of compassionate and inclusive management.”

Inclusion extends beyond her team. Caroline co-designed the award-winning West Kent Residents’ Charter and established a multi-agency Stakeholder Engagement and Advisory Group, ensuring lived experience shapes programme design from the outset across the partnership.

“Real transformation happens when people feel safe, valued and heard — whether that’s the colleagues delivering change or the communities we serve,” she says. “Building that trust, across organisations and with local residents, is what makes lasting improvement possible.”