Term of office: 01.03.2022 – 28.02.2025 2nd term  

Nick has worked in varying roles within the ambulance service for nearly 17 years. He is a Critical Care Paramedic Team Leader and also works within our Kent Emergency Operations Centre on the Critical Care Desk. This is his second term of office as a Staff Governor.

Nick is keen to see wider staff voices included in decision making and is particularly interested in the improvement of staff welfare.

Declared interests: none.

Term of office: 01/03/2023 – 28.02.2026

Sam started as an Emergency Care Support Worker and progressed internally to a Paramedic and worked through the scopes of practice and understanding in each role. Sam wants to represent the true values of the staff and take forward any concerns, suggestions and improvements that staff may have. He is passionate about his profession and wants to strive for improvements that will allow for the best care of our patients, so that SECAmb can be the best it can be. Sam wants to promote positive, healthy change for the workforce while representing the views and problems that are faced daily.

Declared interests: none.

Term of office: 01.03.2022 – 28.02.2025

Kirsty is the Business Support Manager for the Medical Directorate and has worked for the Trust in a variety of roles for over 20 years.

Kirsty notes that non-Operational staff provide a vital service to the Trust and are often the forgotten workforce as without these staff, our operational workforce would not be able to deliver the care they do for our patients.

Kirsty is particularly interested in improving systems and processes and supporting the wellbeing of all our staff.

Declared interests: Bank contract for NATS and caseworker for SSAFA

Term of office: 01/03/2023 – 28.02.2026

Leigh’s first term as Governor was in 2020 and he has recently been appointed as Lead Governor. Alongside his work as a Governor Leigh has served as a volunteer Community First Responder (CFR) for ten years. During this time he has served as CFR Team Lead in Crowborough and has received the Queens Award for Voluntary Service. He currently holds the position of Senior CFR Team Leader for the Paddock Wood Operating Unit overseeing and working to develop all CFR teams in the area and their respective communities.

Declared interests:

Senior CFR Team Leader – SECAmb Volunteer Responder from Nov 2011 to present.

Chair of Trustees – Crowborough Community First Responders from Nov 2016 to Present

Term of office: 01/04/24 – 31/03/27

I am from Brighton in East Sussex, and I am at the beginning of my career in the vast
healthcare world. In addition to studying Health and Social care, I work as a Lifeguard and volunteer for St John Ambulance. From a young age, I have admired the Ambulance Service and all who are a part of it with my future goal to join them as a Paramedic. I have lived in the Brighton area all my life and I am excited to work with others and represent the local community with SECAmb.

Related Interests: Healthcare and Constructive Planning & Paramedicine

Declared Interests: none.

Term of office: 01/03/2023 – 28.02.2026 – 3rd Term

Colin has been re-elected as Governor for the Upper East area and is looking forward to meeting members both old and new, as his previous tenure was during the COVID pandemic meaning he couldn’t get out and about to met people as much as he would have liked. Colin worked for Kent Ambulance Service for 15 years in the 1970s and 1980s and went on to work with London Ambulance Service 999 call centre. Prior to retiring Colin worked in the 111 call centre in Ashford. Colin has also worked as an electrical consultant in an Engineering Consultancy Practice as Senior Contracts Engineer with the largest electrical contractors in the country.

Declared interests: none.

Term of office: 01.03.2022 – 28.02.2025

Linda lives in Gillingham Kent and has worked in a variety of NHS roles and organisations across Kent and Medway over a period of 26 years.

Linda’s main areas of work are in managing and developing services and quality improvement with a particular interest in involving stakeholders in project development.

She currently works for an NHS Integrated Care System where the main emphasis is still to continue to achieve the best of services for the population of Kent and Medway. With more system working she is keen to bring her experience to SECAmb via the Governor role.

Declared interests: The Interests of NHS Kent & Medway in my role as Associate Director for Elective Recovery Programme. I work closely with local Trusts across Kent & Medway towards meeting national targets for elective recovery.

I chair local steering groups which engage with clinical and non-clinical employees across local Trusts within Kent & Medway.

Term of office: 01.03.2022 – 29.02.2024

Martin has been a resident of Surrey for 26 years. From 2004 to 2019 he worked for the London Ambulance Service as a Service Development Manager then as a programme/project manager. Prior to this he had a career in the Post Office then Royal Mail.

He has user experience of ambulance services, and believes this two-sided perspective, as an NHS worker and as a patient/relative, gives him a broad perspective on the challenges to the ambulance service.

He is particularly interested in the Trusts recruitment and retention work and is keen for the council to embrace the ‘critical friend’ role while acting as the voice of the public in a constructive way.

Declared interests: none

Term of office: 01.03.2022 – 28.02.2025

Ann lives in Guildford and has been a member of our Trust for 10 years and a member of the Trusts Inclusion Hub Advisory Group for a similar period.

She notes that being involved with the ambulance service as a volunteer has been a steep learning curve, but one she has enjoyed and she is now keen to take that knowledge with her into the Governor role.

Her background is as a programme and systems IT analyst for 20 years and then the education sector for a further 25 years as a lecturer in Computer Science.

Declared interests: none

Term of office: 01/03/2023 – 28.02.2026

Peter served as a Public Governor at the Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in East Grinstead for the maximum term of six years, including five years on the Appointments Committee, two years as Governor Representative on the Finance and Performance Committee, and the last three years as Lead Governor. Prior to his retirement Peter performed several senior employed and consultancy roles in the field of Human Resources in the NHS, in both hospital and primary care sectors. He also has wide experience working with local communities in both a professional and voluntary capacity and is currently chair of two community-based charities in the theatre arts. Peter is looking forward to contributing to the effective Governance of SECAmb.

Declared interests:

Public Governor – Member of GP Practice Patient Participation Group from 2022 to present

Term of office: 01/04/24 – 31/03/27

Ray was  for 12 years a  Governor at the Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust until his term of office recently came to an end. For 3 years he was Deputy Lead Governor. During that time he experienced the value of the involvement of the public in a Trust’s affairs through its Governors. He also saw first hand the importance of the ambulance service and the skills of its staff. Consequently he decided to put his name forward to be a Governor at SECamb and was delighted to be elected.

As for his background he was

• first a medical physicist;
• then Director of UK body responsible for all medical devices except medicines;
• finally Director, Department of Health, responsible for information management and IT in the NHS.

Declared Interests: none.

Term of office: 01.03.2022 – 28.02.2025      

Andrew lives in Crawley and leads the Crawley Community First responder scheme which he set up in that area.

Previously he had a successful business career as Chief Executive of three companies.

His involvement with the Trust goes back for over thirty years as he has been a St John Ambulance volunteer for decades. In that role, he assisted the Trust by providing emergency ambulance support in peak times. Throughout the pandemic he has continued to support the Trust on a St John Ambulance weekly attending mainly C3 calls.

Andrew is keen to work constructively and support, question, challenge and help the Trust to move ahead and improve where needed.

Declared interests: none

Term of office: 01/03/2023 – 28.02.2026

Harvey has previously been a Governor for SECAmb so knows what the role involves. He has also worked alongside SECAmb providing first aid and event management with St John’s Ambulance. Harvey says “I firmly believe that only through the people can SECAmb deliver the services you rightly expect, and that will be my main focus as Governor. For me, meeting and engaging with SECAmb people, members and patients is a crucial part of this role”.

Declared interests: none.

Term of office 7 July 2022 – 7 July 2025

This branch of Age UK supports those aged over 50 living in Thanet to remain independent. They also work to reduce loneliness and isolation. Vanessa has worked in the Health and Social Care Sector for over 30 years. She has been a Registered Manager both in the UK and in South Australia. She worked with the South Australian Government and set up the first Supported Residential Facility for Adults with Mental Health Issues, offering rehabilitation, inclusion and independence. She has also worked with the British Red Cross and supported Asylum Seekers, Unaccompanied Minors and Refugees to find their loved ones when contact had been lost through war, conflict or natural disaster. She has also worked for Social Services supporting adults over 65 with Mental Health Issues and has been an Investigating Officer in Safeguarding alerts.

Declared interests: none

Term of office: 15 July 2022 – 14 July 2025

Angela is the Dean of the School of Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Brighton and is the Education representative Governor. She works closely with other Higher Education Providers, NHS colleagues and other Health and Social care providers across the region on the training and development of Nurses, Midwives and Allied Health Professionals in order to meet workforce needs.

In her Governor role she is particularly focused on developing and retaining the paramedic workforce, and supporting our qualified paramedics to work with students in the field. This role will enable her to gain further insight into the Trust and enhance collaborative working.

Angela lives in Mid Sussex, and was a Public Governor for The Queen Victoria NHS Foundation Trust for 6 years. She is a Physiotherapist by background and worked for NHS Trusts in Sussex, Kent, London and Bristol before moving into academia.

Declared interests: none.

Term of office: 08 March 2024 – 08 March 2027.

Ellie is a Governance Officer at Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Working as part of the corporate governance team she provides support to the Trusts assurance committees, ensuring information flow from ward to board and sound decision-making. She believes that robust governance systems and practices are fundamental in the provision of high quality patient care.

Ellie joined QVH in August 2022 from East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service and has spent much of her career working in governance roles within local authorities. She is currently studying with the Chartered Governance Institute for her Advanced Certificate in Health Service Governance.

Declared interests: none.

Term of office: 19 March 2024 – 19 March 2027

Stephen is the Hospital Director for Worthing and Southlands Hospitals, part of University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust. Appointed in March 2023 he is responsible and accountable for the management and leadership of the Hospitals, including delivery of safe and high-quality clinical care and the best possible patient experience. He delivers hospital performance and effective day-to-day flow whilst working with the clinical leadership teams to deliver local and national performance targets and standards. Prior to joining the Trust, Stephen was a Captain in the Royal Navy where he served for 33 years as a Logistics Officer.

Declared interests: none.

Term of office: 25.04.24 – 24.04.27  

Andy is a qualified social worker who has held a variety of leadership roles within health and social care for almost 30 years. He is currently the Deputy Chief Operating Officer at Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. Within his roles he has supported the development of a Single Point of Access (connecting with 111) for people who have poor mental health and Safe Havens within Surrey (drop-in services for people that reduce presentations to Emergency Departments). He has a keen interest in how all of the public sectors can work together to support marginalised and vulnerable groups of people.

Andy is a Surrey resident and away from work has a keen interest in watching sports and enjoys time attempting to keep fit!

Declared interests: Deputy Chief Operating Officer for Surrey and Boarders NHS Foundation Trust.