Meet your governor

Good healthcare, particularly at a time of unprecedented change, is vital to the health and success of every community. Timely access to local high-quality NHS services that meet the needs of our communities is what we should expect. I come from an NHS family and I’ve worked in Mental Health since 1983. I have developed a strong understanding of complex services, changing health landscapes and the multiplicity of people’s requirements. I live in Amber Valley and enjoy being part of a vibrant community. I will work hard to represent the views of the community and support Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Trust in the development and continuous improvement of services for residents in Amber Valley and across Derbyshire.

Angela has lived in Amber Valley most of her life and brings a wealth of experience on mental health to the governor role. She has worked in the local voluntary sector for 35 years, the last 20 years in mental health. Angela recently retired and is looking forward to using the skills she developed during her working life to benefit people who use mental health services, their carers and the organisations that deliver care. She is passionate that all communities should be included in developing services that make it easier for everyone to access and benefit from care that is tailored to individuals’ needs. Angela was previously an appointed governor on the Council of Governors representing the voluntary sector.

Rob is a retired Primary School Head teacher with experience as a school governor for over 30 years. Rob thoroughly enjoyed his years in teaching both as a classroom teacher and as a school leader. He has lived in Derbyshire since 1977. Rob is passionate about the NHS and sees his role as public governor as an ideal opportunity to give something back to support our public services. As public governor Rob hopes to champion the needs of the local population. He feels strongly about our healthcare service and believes the NHS is at a critical stage in its history and the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the enormous debt owe to NHS and its workforce. Rob believes that we must protect the future of the NHS, ensuring it is fit for purpose and resourced appropriately. The NHS needs to be regenerated putting the health of patients above all other interests and challenging inequalities so that all of us get the healthcare we need and deserve. This will be Rob’s second term of office on the Council of Governors.

Ivan is a life-long resident of Bolsover District and is passionate about representing people with mental health issues. Ivan has experience of mental health illness in his family and in his work life he supports people with hidden disabilities in order to improve peoples’ day to day lives. He supports individuals, families and carers to cope with and manage life changes. Ivan is keen to help improve services for people who are unable to represent themselves.

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Ruth brings a wealth of skills and knowledge of mental health to the governor role. Her patient involvement started with Mencap Chesterfield followed by employment with Derbyshire County Council working with people with learning difficulties. As a disabled person herself she became the national chairperson of Leonard Cheshire Disability visiting day and residential units. Ruth served for nine years as a governor for Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, which gave her insight of challenges of NHS healthcare provision. Currently she volunteers for Healthwatch Mental Health Together, attending conferences on urgent care provision, mental health needs for older people, veterans needs and those with autism. Ruth feels that the isolating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic mean that we need to reach out to even more people with urgent mental health issues to reduce the risk of suicide. Her personal goal is always to see lives empowered whether that be staff, management, service users and their family members, and those who care for them. She is part of the enter and view team at the Hartington Unit, the Trust’s Patient Experience Committee and the Patient Liaison Group. All these experiences have taught Ruth a great deal about mental health concerns and challenges. She is passionate about equality and person centred care within the NHS.

Graeme has lived and worked in Derby since 2011, prior to this he was in the Royal Navy for nearly 20 years. Graeme has lived experience as a carer for his daughter who sadly took her own life. Since then he has become a passionate advocate for mental health. He is determined to help others and support the NHS any way he can. Graeme is involved with the National Suicide Prevention Alliance where he uses his lived experience to help develop awareness of and improvements in suicide prevention. Becoming a Trust Governor has been an aspiration of Graeme’s for some time now as he sees it as a way of giving something back, supporting others and being actively involved in improving mental health services.

I would relish the opportunity to give something back to my local community which I value being part of. My mother spent most of her working career as a nurse, as a father I watched my son being born in NHS care and personally I have been a patient before so feel I have a connection with the system. I want to ensure that patients are the first priority ensuring that they receive effective care from caring, compassionate and committed staff. I will question and hold the Board of Directors to account ensuring openness, transparency and honesty throughout the system, about matters of concern and effectively represent the interests of the members. This is a role which I feel I would thrive in and really push to make a difference. I believe that the NHS is a pillar of our society and an integral part of our everyday lives. I firmly believe it is an institution worth protecting and making sure it is in a constant state of evolution and improvement, and although the financial constraints of the NHS are well known, I want to be a part of the process to help ensure its changes are managed with the best intentions.

Ogechi arrived in Derby in 2014 where she trained to become a GP; and where she now works and lives. She believes in sustaining the NHS and increasing its effectiveness in providing healthcare. She also believes that the NHS can do more to support people with mental health issues. Ogechi has lived experience of mental ill health and understands the issues that people face. She is passionate about the NHS providing better support to people with mental health issues. Ogechi is looking forward to working together with the people of Derby City West, sharing in our stories and ensuring proper representation.

I have been a governor and volunteer at the Trust for twelve years. I know how hard it has been for the whole community over the last two years and you will be feeling overwhelmed and lonely and feel as though you have no voice. The next few years will be crucial in getting back to normality and members and patients will be looking for answers on how the system is moving forward. Governors play a very important role in the Trust, ensuring that there is a strong connection with the community served by the Trust and with the staff who work for it. I have always been committed to the values and behaviours of the Trust and support its goals and objectives. I want stand as a governor at DHCFT I am driven to continue to influence and improve the care and treatment of mental health service users and to represent my constituents of Derby City West. The last twelve years I have taken on additional roles sitting on the Panel of Living With and Beyond Cancer, also the EQUAL group relating to patient experience and being a voice for the patients and members I have the experience and the time to commit to a broader role as a public governor. People need to know what services are available for them. You will need a strong voice to go to the Board and Directors on your behalf. Let me be your voice.

This is Andrew’s second term as public governor for Erewash. Prior to retiring Andrew worked for nearly six years for Queen’s Medical Centre covering hospital wide IT support. Prior to this Andrew worked in statistics having graduated in Maths and Statistics followed by a masters in Operational Research which enables him to analyse data. Andrew has also taught at night school and has undertaken a variety of care-orientated voluntary roles. Andrew is passionate about improving care for those with mental health issues. On a personal level Andrew has lived experience of suffering with depression.

I have a long standing involvement in health policy and management and with patient safety in particular. My latest book is an international review of health events that went wrong and the lessons that can be learned from these experiences. This contrasts with much of my earlier research which was focused on the future and the opportunities presented by the amazing developments in medical science. I am an Emeritus Professor of Health Care Development at the University of Sheffield where I was Dean of the School for Health and Related Research. I was for four years President of the European Healthcare Federation. I was Chairman of the predecessor organisation to the Health Professions Council which deepened my interest and respect for the professions we regulated. It is now some years since I played an active role in health affairs but these are tough times for the NHS and I still might have something to contribute to my local Community Trust. I now have a very personal , interest in innovative and sensitive services for the elderly!

Chris is a very experienced ex social care professional having been a Social Worker and manager for more than 40 years. Chris retired from his role during the pandemic, when services were paused, to become a family carer for his non-verbal 22-year-old son who has Down's Syndrome and Autism. Over his career Chris concentrated on work supporting and safeguarding vulnerable adults with Learning Disabilities, autism or mental health difficulties from young adolescents upwards. The overlap between people's social and healthcare needs has meant that Chris has always worked in multi-disciplinary teams alongside healthcare professionals, from community nurses to psychiatrists. As a result of years of frontline work and being the parent of a 'service user' himself, he has both experience and support skills to offer the Trust's members as a governor. He is familiar with services and what they should be providing and is also personally familiar with what being in need of healthcare services really feels like for individuals, their families, supporters and caring staff. Chris believes that the demands placed by the pandemic on a stretched NHS and its overworked staff has made life extra tough for people who are dependent on it for their treatment. He believes that his background will enable him to help fully represent patients, especially those who may be finding it difficult to find their way around services. He is committed to try and ensure everyone gets the highest quality of clinical treatment.

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Jan is an Occupational Therapist working within a childrens team and is looking forward to representing colleagues and the service in the governor role. She has nearly 40 years clinical and managerial experience working for the NHS. Although her career has mainly been in pediatrics she has previously worked in mental health, and learning disabilities services enabling her to have some understanding of the needs of staff and service users outside her own specialty. She understands and values the positive contribution fellow Allied Health Professionals (AHP's) such as dietitians, pharmacists, physiotherapists, speech therapists and psychologists can make to service users lives. As a participant of the Trust AHP Leads meetings she is able to keep in touch with what matters to all AHP's and ensure their views are represented on the Council of Governors.

During my first term as a governor, I learnt so much about the workings of the Trust and representing the admin and allied support staff in holding the Board to account. I think the Council of Governors plays such an important role and I am delighted to continue supporting them in my role as staff governor for another three years. I have worked in the NHS for over 28 years and am passionate about the role admin and allied support staff can play in improving patient care. I have worked in libraries in different types of NHS organisations and in this role I have come into contact with all types of staff from across each of these organisations. I think I have a good idea of the types of issues they have, but also how they can make a difference. My job is to help all our staff use evidence in their everyday practice and I think this can be transferred to the governor role in helping the Trust become more evidence based.

This is Kel’s third term of office as a staff governor. She strongly believes that it is vital that the staff voice is heard. She feels that it is an absolute honour to represent her constituency, which includes admin, clerical, Estates & Facilities Management and corporate staff. She is looking forward to continuing to represent the views of her constituency and take any issues raised with her to the Council of Governors, with an aim to improve working lives and to improve our patients’ experience. Kel is fully committed to the role and the duties it entails, such as holding the Non-Executive Directors to account and attending and contributing to the Council of Governor meetings and Governance Committee. Kel believes that she is in a position to really do the role of staff governor justice and is readily available for staff to approach her with any issues that concern them. She feels confident in representing the views of others.

Jo trained as a RMN trained on the old 1974 syllabus in Nottingham, and since qualifying she has worked for the Trust in both parts of the county. Jo currently works as a Ward Manager/Senior Nurse on one of the acute wards on Hartington Unit. Jo is passionate about working on the frontline in acute wards. Jo holds the Trust values very much to her heart and completely believes that by putting colleagues first, we can achieve a more positive, happy and productive place, which can only positively impact on our care delivery to our patients. In her staff governor role Jo is looking forward to representing staff at forums at a higher level and ensuring that their views are made known. As a governor she is committed to representing both the interests and views of her colleagues. This is Jo’s second term of office on the Council of Governors having been recently re-elected. Jo is looking forward to continue to commit representing the interests and views of her colleagues and contribute to the Trust’s decision making process.

I am a Lead CPN working in the Chesterfield Older Adults CMHT. I feel grateful for another opportunity to serve as a Staff Governor. It has been a real privilege to engage in this space and to be a part of the important conversations around innovations to enhance patients’ safety and staff engagement in such critical times as these, given the current climate of uncertainty in the NHS and economic downturn. I am passionate about these issues and how they are affecting nurses, in particular the impact on staff morale and patient’s care. I am able to make a difference by raising these issues and to seek assurances from the Board to bring about positive changes that address these concerns. Since joining the Council of Governors, I have become more aware of my professional accountability and responsibility of working with people from diverse backgrounds which promotes dignity, inclusion, maintaining good professional relationships with colleagues to build a stronger and cohesive team. This role has also allowed me to see the net benefit of engaging in this space and having first-hand knowledge of the key changes taking place in the Trust to enhance patient’s care and staff well-being. I flourish in patient contact and working with student nurses in the area of mentorship and leadership.

Stephen has recently taken up the post of Head of School for Nursing and Professional Practice at the University of Derby, and is Professor of Health Professions Education. Prior to his most recent appointment he has held a number of leadership roles in Higher and Further Education, leading on various portfolios including; learning and teaching, student experience, international partnerships and business development. He originally qualified as an Operating Department Practitioner (ODP) and worked in the NHS and independent health care sector before moving into a full-time teaching role. Stephen is heavily involved in working professional and regulatory roles, initially with the College of Operating Department Practitioners, during which time he authored a number of national policy and curriculum documents and in making the case for statutory regulation. Stephen has also held various roles with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), and is currently a registrant Council Member acting in the capacity of the Non-Executive Director. He also chairs the Education and Training Panels and Committee meetings. After completing his Doctorate Stephen has continued to pursue his research interests which centre on Higher Education policy, practice and participation, and is particularly interested in exploring marginalised groups access to health services, and student choice and access to careers in healthcare Stephen has presented at national and international conferences on a broad range of topics, including healthcare regulation and professionalism.

Jodie is one of the appointed governors for the voluntary sector. Jodie is employed by Erewash Voluntary Action as the Mental Health Policy Officer for Derbyshire Mental Health Forum. Prior to this role she worked as the Volunteer and Training Manager for People Potential, Possibilities. She has worked in the voluntary sector for eight years and has been involved as a trustee and chair of a community centre. In her current role she supports a variety of mental health providers and groups across Derby City and Southern Derbyshire and it is her role to represent their interests to commissioners and other services. Jodie is a member of the Joined-Up Care Derbyshire’s STP mental health programme group and sits on the Derby and Derbyshire Self Harm and Suicide Prevention Partnership Forum. Jodie has lived in Derbyshire for 13 years and is dedicated to representing the mental health voluntary sector in Derby City and Southern Derbyshire.

Rachel works as the Community Engagement Worker for Derbyshire Voluntary Action. Within the last year she has taken over managing the Mental Health Liaison Service. Her role is to represent and support voluntary sector organisations and community groups across the north of Derbyshire. She is dedicated to building strong relationships across the voluntary, public and private sector, and believes that the most meaningful work comes through innovation and collaboration. Rachel also sits on the Chesterfield Mental Health Partnership Group, a sub-group of the Health and Wellbeing Board, as well as the multi-agency Suicide Prevention Partnership Group. She is pleased to have been appointed as a Derbyshire Healthcare governor and is keen to begin working closely with the other governors.

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Dr David Charnock qualified as a learning disabilities nurse in 1986 at the Royal Earlswood Hospital in East Surrey. Since qualifying, David has worked for health services in Surrey and Nottinghamshire. David first worked as a staff nurse in a community nursing team, and then progressed to senior management roles including Community Service Manager for a specialist mental health and learning disability trust. In 2002, David moved to the School of Health Sciences at the University of Nottingham to take up post as an Assistant Professor in Nursing. The role involves course and module leadership, teaching and assessment of undergraduate and postgraduate student nurses. In 2013 David was awarded a PhD from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. The doctoral research focused on the construction of masculinity and the lived experience of boys and men with learning disabilities. This has led to international collaborations with academics in Australia. Postdoctoral research interests also include the mental wellbeing of caregivers who have a child with a learning disability, the needs of young people with learning disabilities at risk of entering the criminal justice system and the needs of fathers of children with learning disabilities. David has recently been appointed as the Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion for the School of Health Sciences and is looking forward to the new challenges this role will bring.

Roy Webb is a Councillor for Derby City Council and has represented Allestree Ward in Derby City since 1985 as both county and city councillor.