Constituency two

Professor Philip Home is a retired Trust physician with a special interest in diabetes, held clinical lead roles in national reimbursement and guideline activities. He was also President and Vice-President of European and global federations of patient associations in diabetes.

Philip continues with an honorary University appointment, publishes and lectures regularly internationally.

Alex Holloway joined the health sector in October 2020 following a 16 year career serving as an Officer with the Royal Tank Regiment. During his career in the British Army he deployed to Iraq in 2006, Afghanistan in 2010 and again in 2016. He also has served in a number of roles in Europe, the United States and Canada.

In 2020 he joined the Trust to support the planning, delivery and implementation of the COVID-19 Programme for the North East and North Cumbria. As part of the programmes journey to a business as usual model, he now leads the programme on behalf of the ICB. As part of the wider NHS recovery from the impacts of the pandemic he also collaborates with a variety of programme that include, National Vaccination Service, UEC recovery, Waiting Well, Virtual Wards and Population Health Management. He is passionate about addressing health inequalities and closing the health gap in some of our most deprived communities.

His interest include mountaineering, walking, history and discovering the beauty of Northumberland and Tyne and Wear.

Mrs Catherine Heslop worked as a nurse in the NHS for 43 years and retired in 2015. She is involved with the Royal College of Nursing and remains passionate about the care give to patients, ensuring it is of the highest standard.

Mrs Heslop also believes that it is important to look after the staff no matter what they do.

Mr John McDonald has worked in health care for over 20 years as a Healthcare Assistant working in specialised areas, including palliative and end of life care, high dependency and critical care.

Mr McDonald also has managerial and strategic planning experience within different care organisations and have contributed to significant improvements.

Bob Waddell has recently retired after a career in the NHS as a Procurement Manager which lasted just short of 43 years. During that time, he has gained experience in all aspects of Public Sector Procurement and has also trained Procurement Staff in the NHS. Bob is professionally qualified as a Chartered Procurement & Supply Professional and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply.

Bob has retained an active interest in NHS Procurement following his retirement as he is a Trustee of the Healthcare Supply Association which is the Professional Body for Procurement staff the in NHS throughout the whole of the UK. Bob is also a Magistrate, serving as a Presiding Justice on the North Northumbria Bench for over 10 years.

Bob has a passion for ensuring that patients are at the heart of whatever we do in the NHS and also that the staff who look after them are just as important.

Bob has been a Staff Governor in the NHS for 9 years previously in the Mental Health Trust in which he was employed. During that time, he has gained experience in all of the various committees which Governor’s support.

Bob firmly believes in equality for all and is a Past Chairman and proud member of the Newcastle Ravens RFC who are the only LGBT+ and Inclusive Rugby Team in the North East, promoting access to the sport for all.

Claire Watson is the mother of 12-year-old twins with profound medical needs and physical disabilities. She has extensive lived experience of some of the most complex NHS Services, from the Special Care Baby Unit, Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, and other multiple paediatric departments at the Newcastle RVI, to Community Paediatricians and Nursing Teams within Gateshead through to Personal Health Budgets with the CCG.

Claire has completed the NHS England Personalised Care: Peer Leadership Foundation Courses, Steps One and Two which explored the changing demands on the NHS, what personalised care is, where it came from, the difference it can make and how it enables culture change in the NHS. This included shared decision-making, social prescribing, patient choice, supported self-management, personalised care and how to help others to benefit from personalised care, along with support planning and personal health budgets.

Claire’s interests include playing guitar, reading, hiking, keeping fit, and she has recently qualified as a Nutrition and Lifestyle Coach.

Claire wishes to use her lived experience in her Governor role to ensure the interests and needs of all service users within her community are represented and met.

Linda trained as a Psychiatric Nurse and a social worker, has a wide experience of patient and public involvement in healthcare. She was chair of a Liverpool Community Health Council (CHC), and Chief Officer for Trafford CHC until 2003. For the last 12 years Linda has been a Public Governor for neighbouring Foundation Trust Northumbria.

Living in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Linda is the most northern representative of the public governors, and with many patients in Berwick using the services of Newcastle NHS Trust she will be a contact for them. Whilst public governors in NHS Foundation Trusts have a generic role description, all Foundation trusts operate independently and as a new governor Linda is looking forward to understanding how Newcastle Trust operates which will differ from her experience as a public governor in Northumbria Trust.