West Yorkshire Voice staff members
My role involves running the West Yorkshire Voice network. This network supports people’s voices to be fed into decisions being made at a West Yorkshire level about how health and care services are run.
I wanted to do this work to help make sure that everyone has fair access to services and the support they need as an individual.
I try to bring my own experiences of mental health, neurodiversity and being part of the LGBTQIA+ community.
My role involves overseeing the West Yorkshire Voice work and helping to make sure people’s voices are central to decision-making at West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board.
I work closely with the six local Healthwatch organisations that cover West Yorkshire and Craven to share collective feedback on people’s experience of health and care to the various boards and committees of the Integrated Care Board.
West Yorkshire Voice steering group
The aim of the steering group is to help us make sure that West Yorkshire Voice meets the needs of local people of West Yorkshire. The group helps to steer our work by providing helpful challenge, as well as bringing new ideas to our work. They offer advice and ideas from both personal experience and from their voluntary and professional work with local communities.
There are eight steering group members and you can find out more about them below.
Currently CEO (chief executive officer) of Bramley Baths, I have over 42 years of experience in professional leadership, mainly within the third sector. I started by working in textile design/management, which later supported me to lead on research efforts for Bradford's three clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). Through this research, I championed 'realising community assets' as an important part of developing integrated care systems in 2016/17.
I am dedicated to leading community-led projects that advocate for underserved communities and provide people with a platform to shape statutory services. I have experience and knowledge in areas such as welfare debt and advice, and health advocacy. And empowering individuals to take charge of their own wellbeing. In all my work, I strive to address health inequalities and ensure that all individuals have equal access to quality healthcare services.
I joined the West Yorkshire Voice steering group as I am passionate about improving the NHS and public health system. I believe in the importance of projects that prioritise community involvement through a bottom-up, co-design approach.
I have a background in social science, urban planning and research. Prior to starting my nursing degree, I worked as a research assistant at London School of Economics and Queen Mary University of London, as well as Shelter, the homelessness charity. It was this that sparked my interest in health as I was working on several projects that related to housing, health inequalities and homelessness.
Since qualifying as a nurse, I have worked in numerous different clinical and educational roles in Leeds and Bradford. I am currently Director of Practice in the School of Healthcare, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Leeds. With an interest in inclusion health, my PhD is in public health and focused on street sex worker health inequalities.
I was an outreach volunteer with street sex workers for many years in Holbeck. I believe in activist pedagogy. This is using my role and platform as an educator to push for social change, inspiring healthcare workers of the future. I am passionate in highlighting all forms of racism, inequity and exclusion experienced by students, staff and patients in healthcare and beyond. This includes ensuring where possible those with lived experience have their voices amplified, especially those who are seldom heard.
I currently work as a team leader for Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust. I am also a fellow on the Health Service Journal (HSJ) award-winning fellowship programme with the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership. I currently support the West Yorkshire ICB’s Children and Young People’s service as a project manager for SEND (special educational needs and disability).
I enjoy travelling, reading, writing and getting to know people from different walks of life. I consider myself a Yorkshireman and a people’s person at heart.
I am on the West Yorkshire Voice steering group. The opportunity has enabled me to contribute to meaningful change by sharing my own story and lived experiences on public health matters within West Yorkshire.