Governors

Margaret Jackson

City of York

Margaret worked in the NHS as a nurse, midwife and senior manager for a total of 43 years before retiring in 2011.  She gained invaluable experience in the delivery of healthcare and in seeking and responding to the views of staff, patients and their families/carers and in working with a range of people from many different organisations. 

Since her election to the position of Governor in October 2012, she has worked with her governor colleagues to ensure that the Trust continues to hold the patient at the centre of all it does.  In April 2014, Margaret was elected Lead Governor by her colleagues.  By attending meetings and being involved in various committees and groups she has been able to see how the directors and non-executive directors fulfil their roles and how strategic plans are developed and put into action. 

Following re-election, Margaret has welcomed the opportunity to develop and take forward the role of both governor and lead governor in the Trust representing members and the community.  She ensures that the views of patients and their families/carers continue to be sought, considered and taken account of when discussing services.  She is fully committed to the role of Governor working with the Trust and its staff, willing to both congratulate and challenge the Trust on actions being considered or taken when delivering healthcare.

Helen Fields

City of York

From the age of 18 until retirement, Helen’s career has been firmly rooted in the NHS.  A registered nurse, nurse teacher with a master’s degree in education, she spent many years working in a clinical and teaching capacity.  For thirteen years she worked as a Senior Civil Servant in the Department of Health and was responsible for over 40 staff and a multi-million pound budget. 

Helen is very familiar with the work required of a governor having sat on the Board of the UK Sector Skills Council for Health and she was subsequently appointed as a Director of Strategy and Planning with the same body.  It is these skills plus those of communication that she brings to the position.  Helen’s links with York Hospital are predominantly through patient experience both personally following a mild stroke and also through caring for her elderly mum who has since passed away.   

Helen believes that giving time and commitment to the role of governor can bring real benefits to promoting excellence in patient care. She believes the governor community is highly valued and able to draw on a variety of experience and contributions.

Rukmal Abeysekera

City of York

Rukmal is passionate about equality, diversity and equal healthcare for all.

Working with colleagues her aim would be to help improve confidence in NHS provision across society as well as in specific communities.

Alongside partners, she would seek to help enhance and extend communications so that all communities served by the Trust feel confident in the care provided.

Michael Reakes

City of York

Michael brings a unique global experience of healthcare services, having lived, worked and received medical treatment in the UK, USA, and Middle East.  His career has focused on the development of e-learning and training technology to improve job performance and safety, including projects in the medical field.  He has managed large projects, budgets, and supervised multidisciplinary professionals from a variety of nationalities.

Michael has good leadership, listening and communication skills, and a record of creative, cost-effective solutions. He can see the big picture and both sides of an issue. Michael states he is detail-oriented, organised and motivated and has led community organisations, and has experience of focus groups and feedback surveys.

Through his expereince, Michael is confident that he can effectively represent members of York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, hold the non-executive directors to account, and help guide the development and delivery of safe, cost-effective, and sustainable healthcare in York.

Sally Light

City of York

Sally’s connection to the Trust dates back to 2001 when she worked with York and Scarborough hospitals on improving access to outpatient services.  Sally is currently the Chief Executive of the MND Association, a charity and membership organisation serving people living with motor neurone disease.

In addition to the charity sector, Sally has 25 years clinical and managerial experience in the NHS including serving on the Board of Barnsley Hospital Trust.  Most of her NHS career was spent working with clinical teams to improve patient experience and the way services were delivered.

Angela Walker

Bridlington

Angela is well known at Bridlington Hospital and worked on Lloyd Ward until her retirement in 2015. She enjoyed every aspect of her nursing career and considers herself privileged to help make a difference to the lives of many people from all walks of life.

Following her retirement, she has worked for Age UK as a Volunteer, a Committee Member / Volunteer Fundraiser for the charity Friends of Bridlington Hospital, and as a Volunteer Gardener on Johnson Ward at Bridlington helping to transform the area into a peaceful place for the benefit of patients, staff and visitors.

She enjoys meeting people and is fully committed to the role.

Josie Walker

Bridlington

Josie has more than 25 years’ experience within the NHS, working at hospitals in Bridlington, Grantham, Oldham and Scarborough.

Josie is keen to champion the patient experience and understands the need for the best quality local services which are also the right services for the community.

Retiring some seven years ago, Josie has volunteered for community projects including fundraising for the Bridlington Branch of the Motor Neurone Disease Association and now believes that the time is right to bring her experience and community responsibilities together in serving as a Public Governor for the Trust’s Bridlington area.

Catherine Thompson

Hambleton District

Catherine lives in Sutton on the Forest in the South of Hambleton District with her husband and young son, and has lived there since 2009 when she moved from York. Catherine worked as a physiotherapist at York Hospital for over 10 years, before leaving in 2008 to teach physiotherapy and other health related subjects at York St John University. She now works in healthcare management at NHS England, based in Leeds, and her role is to improve patient and carer experience of health services across England.

Catherine takes a keen interest in the health services that are provided locally, and would like to be a Governor for York Hospital so that she can influence and support the services to be the best that they can be for the people in this area. In her work she has the privilege of visiting hospitals and healthcare staff across England. She gets to see many different ways of delivering care and supporting patients, and sees what is possible and what can be achieved. She is used to working alongside hospital managers, patients,

carers, and patient organisations and so she feels comfortable challenging and asking questions of others to ensure that decisions are made in the interests of patients.

Jeanette Anness

Ryedale and East Yorkshire

Jeanette had a career as a nurse in the NHS, latterly as a Diabetes Specialist. She is committed to obtaining the best health care services for the people of Ryedale and East Yorkshire. Since her election as a Governor in 2012, she has worked to ensure the Trust fulfils its commitment to put patients at the centre of all it does.  Jeanette finds the role of Public Governor very rewarding.

By attending meetings and various groups Jeanette has been able to see how the Board of Directors make strategic plans and implements them.  The quarterly Council of Governors meeting provides an opportunity to receive reports and to question the Chief Executive and other senior staff. 

Jeanette is a member of the Governors Community Services Group, which reviews the service delivery particularly the new developments. These become ever more significant with the pressing need for collaborative working between Health and Social care.  Jeanette is also a member of the Nominations and Remunerations Committee, which were responsible for appointing the current Trust Chair.

Jeanette chairs the Derwent  Surgery Patient Group meetings in Ryedale and attends the Scarborough & Ryedale CCG Patient Group, where there is an opportunity to present the views and concerns of patients and their families. 

Sheila Miller

Ryedale and East Yorkshire

Sheila has been a Governor for the Ryedale area since September 2012 and has experience of over 20 years working within the community on various patient groups, hospices and inspections which helps her to fulfil her role.  She monitors any plans for Malton Hospital and Community Services in Ryedale.  

As a Trust Governor she has been invited to sit on various groups, including the Patient Experience Group which is responsible for setting the strategic direction of patient experience across the Trust, and the Constitution Review Group, which discusses and approves amendments forwarded from the Board to the Trust’s constitution. 

Sheila has also taken part in 'PLACE' inspections which help to ensure the environment, cleanliness and food offered to patients in all the hospitals within the Trust is the best possible standard. 

In the community, Sheila sits on the Derwent Surgery Patient Group which offers feedback to the Trust from various residents in Ryedale. She also sits on the Transport Group which involves ensuring patients and families know of the various concessions available for long term illnesses and finding ways of helping patients access all our hospitals in a more efficient way. She also drives for the Community Transport team in Ryedale which has become extremely busy since the change in the Ambulance Transport Services.

Andrew Butler

Ryedale and East Yorkshire

For the past four years Andrew has served as a public governor at York Teaching Hospitals representing the Selby constituency. He has recently moved to Malton and is looking forward to representing the Ryedale constituency.

During His time as Governor he took a special interest in scrutinising the trust’s finances and annual reports to Parliament. He was the chairman of the Trust’s Constitutional Review Committee, which ensured the trust’s constitution remained compliant with new legislation. He was also a member of the appointment panels for the Trust’s Medical Director and Chairperson.

Over the past four years as a governor he feels one thing has been utterly clear – Our NHS is financially strained and will be for years to come. Governments, commissioners, regulators and NHS England will push to centralise services. It will be down to local Governors to work with the Trust to push back and show that a good NHS is one that invests in local community services to help people avoid unnecessary inpatient stays.

One of the best developments he has seen at the Trust has been the development of moving elective orthopaedic services from Scarborough to Bridlington hospital. By utilizing the Trust’s estate in this way, more bed space is available at Scarborough and Bridlington has a new, high quality service running from it. Andrew will be pushing to see how the Malton Hospital estate could be better used to improve services.

Liz Black

Scarborough

Liz became interested in being a governor because she felt that the NHS, and especially Scarborough Hospital, was under represented and, like many people, wishes to do what she can to support the establishment in future developments.

Liz is a psychology graduate with an MBA in Business Administration.  Having come from India she has sound understanding that a health service is vital in any society and that it has to be supported and nurtured in order to progress.  Liz has lived in the area for around fourteen years and is a member of the local parish council and the North Yorkshire Police ‘Incidents Advisory Group’.

Liz is on the board of trustees for the Newby and Scalby Parish Hall and the Patient Panel for the Prospect Road Surgery.  As a governor she will endeavour to preserve our services at Scarborough Hospital and support upcoming projects that are beneficial to local people.

Ian Mackay Holland

Scarborough

Having worked for the NHS for over 50yrs, finishing as Medical Director at Scarborough Hospital, Ian would like to use the experience gained for the benefit of the Scarborough community. He is very aware of the issues currently facing the NHS and the need to deliver a modern safe service.

More recently he has worked with local charities, Rotary, Bridlington Health Forum and is Vice Chairman of Bridlington Hospital League of Friends thus maintaining an important link with the Trust. This work has given him considerable insight into the needs of the community, which he would be honoured to champion at the Council of Governors.

Keith Dawson

Selby

Information coming soon.

Doug Calvert

Selby

Doug has been a Selby resident for over 20 years. As a local resident and patient of the trust he appreciates the clinical care provided by the trust and now he has retired wants to give something back by playing an active part in the needs of patients and staff, trust policies, procedures, decisions, and trust performance.

He is not afraid to ask difficult or challenging questions to ensure the work of the trust is in the best interests of staff, patients and the local community.

Stephen Hinchliffe

Whitby

Stephen has been the Governor for Whitby and Esk Valley for 5 years. During that time he has endeavoured to work with the Trust after the merger, to enhance community and hospital services both at Whitby and Scarborough.

Significant improvements have taken place at Scarborough Hospital with a new modern ward, department upgrades and car parking. He feels York Trust have worked very hard to develop the efficiency of community services in Whitby and the Esk Valley before the transfer to NHS Humber trust.

Stephen worked initially in printing technology, post university in Liverpool , he did physiological research into hormonal control of gastric secretion.

He was then in teaching for 35 years and has the National Head Teacher qualification. After retiring he became a partner in a gardening business for 4 years, before moving back to  Whitby.  Stephen is a Local Authority Governor for 2 schools, as well as his role with the Trust.

Stephen continues to work hard as a Public Governor within the Trust to further the development of Scarborough Hospital, to provide high quality services to Whitby and Esk Valley residents when they make their choices for treatment. He is committed to working with the Trust to offer local consultant clinics across a range of services in Scarborough and Whitby.

Stephen has involved himself in many of the Trusts vital committees and this has been very important in developing his understanding of the structure and management of one of the largest geographical Health Trusts in England.

Whitby and the Esk Valley has an unusual position in terms of health provision with its geographical position linking it to South Tees and Hambleton/Richmondshire, as well as York/Scarborough.

Gerry Richardson

University of York

Dr Gerry Richardson is a Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Health Economics (CHE) at the University of York in the UK. CHE has a leading international reputation, and is one of the world’s largest health economics research centres. 

Gerry has over 20 years’ experience as a health economist concentrating on applied and methodological issues in cost-effectiveness analysis. 

Topics of interest  include optimal skill mix for health professionals, the cost-effectiveness of self-management interventions, and the cost-effectiveness of childhood and parenting interventions. 

Recently he has led public health evaluations that involve decision making across sectors (primarily health and education) and over time. 

Chris Pearson

North Yorkshire County Council

Chris has been appointed as a stakeholder governor on behalf of North Yorkshire County Council. 

As part of his Council portfolio, Chris sits on the Care and Independence Overview and Scrutiny Committee, the Joint Sub-Committee for Transport, Economy and Environment and Scrutiny of Health Committees together with the Selby Area Committee. 

Chris was appointed as a stakeholder governor in October 2015 and as part of his responsibilities also attends the Trust’s Transport Group. 

Paul Johnson

YTHFM LLP

I have been appointed as a stakeholder governor on behalf of YTHFM LLP.

I have worked over 7 years for York Teaching Hospital Trust and the LLP and have gained valuable experience in this. Having spent 16 years in the Armed Forces I have been to all parts of the world and experienced a lot of different diverse cultures and people. I then spent 5 years working throughout the country on construction projects, mainly Healthcare and finally I worked as a staff member at the University of York, prior to working at York Hospital.

As Assistant Head of Estates already involves my interaction between many different stakeholders, internal and externally, thus acting as an existing link between the LLP and the Trust.

My current role within the LLP offers a unique opportunity of working and interfacing with our other stakeholder partners, such as the City of York Council, University of York, York Against Cancer and others.

Following the Trust values, I have always strived to place the needs of the patients at the heart of everything we do.

I believe that given my skillset and experience, I will be a fully active and inclusive member of the council in representing the LLP.

Dawn Clements

Hospice Movement

Dawn has come on board as an appointed governor representing the hospice movement, specifically St Leonards Hospice in York, and St Catherine’s in Scarborough as the Trust felt it important that End of Life care is represented at governor level.

Dawn is currently Director Of Fundraising at St Leonards Hospice in York, and so has direct experience of the service provided by this sector within the area.  Dawn has been working in the charity sector for 3 years, prior to this she help a number of senior roles at ASDA Head office in Leeds covering both community, brand management and customer experience, and so brings a wealth of experience in these areas acquired in a commercial business environment, as well as operating within a lowest cost to operate environment.

Dawn has held trustee roles in charities, and is an active Dementia Champion – having created 400 Dementia Friends over the last 2 years. Dawn stated that she ‘wanted to do this role for a number of reasons, she lives in York and is a regular user of the services at York District Hospital.  It will also give a deeper insight into how the CCG, NHS and the wider system works together, and hopefully her experience in the private sector will add value as she can bring both a different view and approach to areas such as patient experience, membership etc.  Dawn has said that ‘It is so important that the end of life experience in York and surrounding areas is the best it can be and she wants to be part in making sure that happens’

Jo Holloway-Green

York MIND

Jo has joined the Council of Governors as an appointed governor representing issues around mental health and accessing health and social care services for vulnerable adults, using her work in the voluntary sector as a basis for gathering issues and being able to represent patient’s interests.

Jo is Head of Service at York Mind and part of the senior management team there. She oversees statutory advocacy services delivered within the City of York area, many of which involve working with services and staff within York District Hospital, as well as being responsible for a service supporting people with mental health issues into employment. Jo’s background comes from the social care and voluntary sectors: with spells in the public sector in social care management and adult social care contracting and over 10 years’ experience of delivering services to people in the voluntary sector both locally and nationally. Jo has also worked alongside community care organisations such as care homes and care agencies to improve the quality and delivery of care across York.

Jo’s motivation for undertaking this role is to make sure that services across the health and social care system, including the voluntary sector, link better together. Alongside this she is passionate about ensuring health services are accessible for people with mental health issues and those who would require a statutory advocate such as people who lack capacity.

Helen Noble

Scarborough and Bridlington

Helen was successfully appointed as a governor for the staff constituency at Scarborough Hospital (including Bridlington) in October 2012.  She thoroughly enjoyed her first term as a staff governor and felt she had been able to contribute and support staff through the acquisition of Scarborough and York Hospitals Foundation Trust.  This is an extremely important role which involves making sure that Scarborough and Bridlington based staff feel involved in the strategic direction of their organisation, something that she feels very passionate about. 

Helen qualified as a Registered General Nurse in 1988 and went onto train as a Midwife, qualifying in 1991.  She has worked in a number of different roles within the maternity services and after almost 20 years, with a passion for governance and a strong interest in the quality and safety agenda she applied for a role within the Governance Team taking on the role of lead for safety and quality.  Her current role following the acquisition with York Hospital Foundation Trust has been as the Head of Patient Safety across the Scarborough and Bridlington sites.  Over the past several years she feels she has contributed and raised the profile of Patient Safety amongst her colleagues. 

Maya Liversidge

Scarborough & Bridlington

Maya Liversidge has worked for the Trust for eight years as a Community Fundraiser for York Teaching Hospital Charity and is deeply passionate about our NHS, our hospitals and the work she does. 

She is a Mum to eight-year-old twins and has had the joy of living on the East coast for most of her life. Her role allows her to work across all sites and in the community with the different staff groups that make up our Trust.  She also works closely with local groups and businesses to build partnerships which has given her the confidence to talk to audiences.

Over the years she has created excellent working relationships with staff and this has had a positive impact on her work which in turn would be a strength in a Governor role.   As a Governor she wants to support the work of our local hospitals and the staff that make them what they are. Her drive to see improvements, positive change and successes motivates her to  listen to views, share your concerns and be a voice for Scarborough and Bridlington staff.

Gerry Robins

York

Gerry has been a Consultant Gastroenterologist at the Trust for 12 years and have lived in the area for over 23 years. Throughout his time at the Trust, he has actively been (and continue to be) involved in Acute Care, In-Patient and Out-Patient care and he has had a number of managerial roles – including most recently Clinical Director of Medicine.

He sits on Health Advisory Committees for national charities, been part of a NICE guidelines development group and prepare expert reports for the GMC. This means he has worked in many multi-disciplinary teams and with many people across many specialities both within the Trust and in the broader local and national NHS.

He believes that there needs to be a strong advocate for the clinical services in the Trust that has direct access to the Board of Directors, so they fully understand the challenges that our patients and community face. Governance, patient safety and sustainability of services are key to what we deliver.

Where appropriate, he is prepared to challenge and scrutinise if he believes it is in the best interests of the patients and the staff, particularly if there are specific local concerns. He acknowledges the Trust has numerous responsibilities, including financial, that must also be considered. Over the years he has built many links with many colleagues and he would be a strong voice for our patients and all Trust staff.

Vanessa Muna

York

Vanessa has worked in York hospital as a bank clinical pharmacist since late 2017. She is very dedicated to her job and colleagues. It’s the privilege of her life to work in York. Her colleagues are very supportive and her work environment is very friendly.

She enjoys looking after patients and learns so much from them and colleagues. Throughout her time at the Trust she has always been treated fairly with dignity and respect and she would like to continue to convey those values to patients and staff in her role as governor.

Her clinical skills as well as her passion and dedication to York hospital, will stand her in good stead to serve the local community and sees it as an absolute privilege.

Sharon Hurst

Community

Sharon has worked for the Trust for approximately 28 years.  She trained as a registered nurse at York and has held various nursing posts including staff nurse, ward sister and matron. Sharon has also been a deputy directorate manager and worked corporately in healthcare governance and risk and legal services and last year she learnt about integrated working in the community.

Review papers described colleagues re-shaping health and social care and working in partnership with patients. She decided then that she would like to be part of the community team. So, when a position as a Locality Manager for Selby and South York was advertised, she applied and was appointed in January 2015.

Sharon joined the NHS to make a difference and appreciates the impact that her community colleagues have on patients’ lives. When she talks about colleagues she includes those directly and indirectly involved in patient care e.g. therapists, community and specialist nurses, human resource managers/advisors, administrators and colleagues working in estates.

She is committed to patients receiving quality services they require and desire by appropriately trained staff. It is also important that staff are supported by the organisation’s leaders to deliver services in the 21^st Century.