Introducing Your Public Governors

Bio to follow

Photo and Biography to come soon

I was originally elected in December 2018, and I was recently re-elected in December 2021. I became a Governor because my knowledge and experience of the Chesterfield community area will assist to represent the community, bring effective change and required benefits for patients and the community.

I have lived in Chesterfield all my life and I worked in the engineering and manufacturing industries for 40 years in the local area.

Before retiring in 2004, I spent 20 years as Chief Executive of NLT Training Services. The services we provided included apprenticeships, Health and Safety Management and Supervisory training for 300 companies in Derbyshire, Nottingham and Lincoln.

I have previously volunteered at a local school; I am also a past chair and committee member of National Training Federation and a trustee of NLT training services.

My own personal goal is to maintain and continue to improve patient experiences. My priorities are ensuring that the patient experience is the best possible, through ward visits and staff development.

My specialised area of interest is staff development and recruitment, business and financial planning and meeting budgets.

​​​​​​I have been a governor for six years and I am now in my final term.

I am a retired General and Paediatric nurse with 40 years’ experience. My main work was in Primary Care as Practice Nurse in a GP surgery. I also spent several years as a Nurse Adviser for NHSDirect.

During retirement, I decided I would like to learn more about Secondary Care and my local Chesterfield Royal Hospital. I felt my Nursing career, with my knowledge and experience of working with patients, would be valuable as a Governor.

I have learnt over the years how important the Governor role is within the Trust. We are able to meet with staff, patients and their families and listen to their views and experiences.

We meet regularly with Executives and Non-Executives and are able to pass on the comments we receive from our community, patients and colleagues, and any questions we ask are answered.

During my time as a Governor, I have seen Royal Primary Care expand. Primary Care has been important to me, and I will continue to take an interest in how it continues to develop.

Our priority as Governors must be to ensure that care is carried out to the highest of standards.

I have been a public Governor since January 2014.

Before my retirement, I worked for almost 40 years in the NHS, as a hospital pharmacist. I felt that I still had something to offer, but in a different role, and I wanted to help my local hospital Trust to be the best it could be.

My NHS experience helps me to understand the organisation and to have an insight into how a Trust works. It also enables me to feel very comfortable in the hospital environment, engaging with staff, patients and visitors. 

My aims are to support the Trust and to represent the interests of the public to the best of my ability. I also endeavour to hold the Trust Board to account for the decisions they make and to seek assurance that a quality service is being offered to our patients.

Because of my professional background, I have a particular interest in pharmacy issues, and in the safe and effective use of medications across the organisation. Beyond that, my major concern is ensuring that all aspects of the patient experience are the best that they can be.

I have been a public Governor for more than four years, and I am the deputy lead Governor at Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS FT Trust.

I became a governor because I am very community minded, and following a long illness, my wife was cared for at our hospital and I wanted to give something back on a voluntary basis. This seemed to be the perfect pathway for doing this, and it has proved to be that way.

I started work as most young men did in my time at a coal mine. That lasted three years when then I decided I wanted to see the world, so I joined the Royal Navy for nine years. I left there and joined the Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service and served with them for 36 years, gaining many skills including Health and Safety, Fire Safety and much more.

I am a Justice of the Peace and served for 14 years at Chesterfield; I was a vaccination volunteer in Derby and Chesterfield for over two years during the pandemic.

As you can see from the potted version of my career, one thing I have is experience of working with people; both in a friendly/formal way and also in emergency situations.

What do I hope to achieve as a Governor? The Trust’s objective is to reach ‘exceptional care delivered by exceptional people’ and I believe Governors can help in that goal.

Our job is to represent the public; we hold the Non-Executive Directors to account with looking into any issues we raise on your behalf, along with the Board members. My priority as a Governor is to make sure the public have a voice at the Trust.

I am a retired University Lecturer and Local Councillor, with experience and responsibilities for the support of two young adults on the Autism Spectrum.

Having used services at the Trust, I felt I would like to give back to others and the Trust, and ensure that the service is maintained to a high level of quality and effectiveness.

I would like to provide support through my previous experiences in the fields of Autism and education, and contribute to the development of the mental health departments in the Trust.

I have historically supported North East Derbyshire in this area by being involved in the Sheffield Health and Social Care Trust as the Lead Governor, under Professor Allan Walker.

I am currently a member on the Sheffield Autism Partnership Board and have close links with the Sheffield Clinical Commisioning Group. I have experience of many working groups within my former Trust, including the selection and appointment of Executives and Non-Executive members of the Board.

I am currently a volunteer in the final stages of SHARL (Sheffield University Health Research) project in the benefit of patient involvement in health research, and I have contributed to a number of previous projects, including the REQOL mental health assessment tool.

I would like to support the development of the services provided through the Trust and feel I provide a useful addition to the Council of Governors.

I have been a public Governor representing citizens of Dales and North Amber Valley for more than seven years following 32 years as a consultant physician at Chesterfield Royal Hospital.

Four years after retirement, I applied to be a governor, hoping I could use my experience to contribute positively to the Trust, its patients, and staff.

As a former colleagues, I have a slightly different perspective compared to governors who do not have a clinical background. Working together with Governors from different backgrounds, with different interests and careers support what we are all here for – to represent our members and patients, to support our staff and the Board.

Despite COVID-19 and its restrictions, I feel that I have been able to contribute to several significant issues, such as getting Patient Flow further up the Trust’s agenda. 

I’ve also been able use to my experience as a gastroenterologist to represent the governing body on the project board for the excellent new endoscopy unit.  At present, I am similarly involved with our new Urgent and Emergency Care Development – set to open in summer 2023.

Photo and Biography to come soon

I was recently elected as Public Governor for High Peak after I decided that I want to offer to support my local NHS Trust.

I have an extensive background in property construction and estates and facilities management. I hope to be of some assistance during the continuing important decisions and changes that affect Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, its colleagues and patients.

As a former (now fully recovered) cancer patient, I have experience of some of the issues that are important to patients, and how the impact of change can affect expectations and outcomes for both patients, and the hospital.

Recent surveys show that there is a positive recognition of the public good that Chesterfield Royal Hospital provides, and I intend to help build that trust and awareness where I can.

I have been a public governor representing North East Derbyshire since January 2020. I joined before the COVID-19 pandemic and have seen first-hand the extraordinary and selfless work all colleagues at the Trust.

For the last decade, I have worked in governance in education. I wanted to become a governor at Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS FT so that I could learn about governance in the health sector.

As a national leader of governance, designated by the Department of Education, I have worked with dozens of schools and multiple academy trusts to improve their governance; I wanted to see if I could offer my expertise and experience of best practice in the education sector to my local Trust and hospital.

As a local member of the public, I want to see how the hospital serves the community and to ensure that this critical service, often operating in very difficult circumstances, is the best it can be.

I was elected as a public Governor around 18 months ago. Prior to putting my name forward for Governorship, I had already spent nearly 25 years in Chesterfield Royal Hospital.

I moved to Chesterfield with my young family in 1996 to take up the post of Consultant Physician. I semi-retired in 2016 and fully retired in September 2020.

In my time at the Trust I had been Clinical Director of Medicine and Chairman of the Medical Staff Committee.

My knowledge and experience has given me a unique opportunity as a member of the council of governors to plan safe, effective, efficient and yet affordable services. I am pleased to see council of governors working hand in hand with the chair, board of directors and clinicians to move to a more patient-centred approach, which respects patients’ values, beliefs, dignity, privacy and right of choice.

As a physician, I played a significant role in understanding mortality, and I am continuing my interest in reducing avoidable deaths.

I became a Public Governor in January 2022, after a successful career as a Sales and Marketing Director for several large companies in the private sector.  After the NHS cared for and treated myself and my daughter several times, over a great many years, I decided that it was time to give something back.  Becoming a trust governor seemed the ideal way.

I hope that the skills that I have learnt in commercial and strategic matters will be found useful to the Trust. It is my aim to assist the Trust in delivering the best possible care, whilst delivering the best possible use of public money.

I believe that the Trust must be transparent in all of its dealings and able to communicate with the public in a clear, concise manner. The last few years has proved extremely challenging, and this is likely to continue. However, the solution is not just about increased funding without also looking at the structure and efficiency of our hospital. 

First and foremost, we care for and treat patients whilst also offering support to their family.  We must always ensure that we have staff and management that can support that mission.

As a sufferer of Crohn’s Disease for nearly 50 years, together with its associated complications, I hope that I will have the opportunity to offer support and advice to others just setting off on this difficult journey.

I was elected eight years ago, after having to retire from a voluntary community. I had time and wanted to work on behalf of my locality, in a hospital I have worked in and frequented (rarely) since 1984. I am also a member of two subcommittees.

My working life was people centred; from Baptist ministry to psychiatric and adult nursing, involving practice and supervision. During Covid I was a telephone support worker with Red Cross/NHS.

I completed 30+ years in NHS and Higher Education, working as a Lecturer at three universities. I have been able to use these experiences, working alongside board and governors, to improve care and community services for those who need our local hospital, and its community services. I have experienced other service provisions and know how fortunate we are to have to this service in Chesterfield and Derbyshire. We’re not always perfect but striving to improve and develop.

I would like to finish my term knowing there is an effective integrated care system. I hope in this area communication is at the forefront of caring, that staff feel safe to communicate concerns, and success equally. I remain interested in the mental health component of care, having in the past researched, taught and practiced in the area of response to trauma and illness, both physical and psychological.

Before retirement, I worked in the Department of Education for 10 years, and also held a role at the Department of Health; so I have seen lots of work within the civil services, with a slight insight into the health industry.

I have three children, who have brought me four grandchildren - so it's safe to say my retirement hasn't been quiet! 

I wanted to take on something outwardly useful: to give something back. One of my first jobs was working in the Artificial Limb and Appliance Centre at Freeman Hospital, so with my knowledge of how hospitals used to work, I decided to put myself forward for the Council of Governors at Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS FT.

I've done lots of different jobs, and worked with contractors in different sectors, so I believe I bring lots to the table in terms of different perspectives. I've only been cared for by the NHS directly twice; after an accident and a triple heart bypass, so I'm glad I get the chance to help this Trust be the best it can be, and represent the views of the people, like myself, who use it.