Our Governors

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Our Governors

NHS Foundation Trusts have a responsibility to their members and have a Council of Governors to represent the views of patients, public, staff and partners.

The Council of Governors plays an active role in building relationships with members and represent their views to the Board of Directors, which has the responsibility of running the organisation and preparing the Trust’s strategy.

Governors provide an ‘ear and a voice’ for members, ensuring that their views are heard and that their opinions on the future delivery and development of services influence the Board of Directors’ decisions.

Governors take part in discussions regarding new service developments and membership recruitment and involvement.

They also receive the Trust’s annual report and accounts.

Governors do not deal with patient complaints, staff grievances or concerns on an individual basis.

The Trust works within the normal NHS complaints and Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) framework and all individual issues must be raised via these routes.

At the Trust we have a dedicated Council of Governors who are committed to helping to shape the development and delivery of services, for the benefit of staff and patients.

Governors Register of Interests – April 2023

Alan Yates – Bolton South East

Alan has always lived in Bolton and he is proud of the town, especially the hospital and health services within the borough. He appreciates the hard work and dedication of the staff within the Foundation Trust. With a career that involves working with different people every day especially those local to Bolton he feels that he can bring this experience into his role of public elected governor.

Champak Mistry – Bolton South East

Champak is the Managing Director of a local printing company and also holds a number of voluntary directorships in social enterprises and is the treasurer in a charitable organisation. He says “I believe in a positive approach, as a Governor I see my role as a community champion and not that of a critic. I will defend to keep the NHS as a national treasure.”

Dalton Thompson – Bolton North East

Dalton Thompson

Dalton has a Higher National Diploma in Business and Finance and was self-employed for over 30 years.

He has been retired for four years and feels he now has the time to serve as a Governor for the Trust.  Dalton states he is honest, reliable and is very enthusiastic about the role as Governor and feels his experiences will ensure he has a lot to offer in this role.

David Barnes – Bolton West

David has been a professional social worker for 32 years and has worked in a range of settings, mainly in children’s services. He has lived in Bolton since 1991 and experienced several hospital and primary care services in that time. David is an active volunteer in wildlife conservation and also takes part in many running events as a member of Horwich RMI Harriers, including reporting on them for the Bolton News. He recently completed a Masters (Health Research) on the topic of Green Exercise.

David Thomas – Bolton West

David and his family all live and work within Bolton and have all worked in the NHS and therefore he understands the complexities of providing services.  He believes for services to be considered outstanding patient experiences must be heard, represented and supported; even when things go wrong.

David feels patients also have a role in creating a positive and courteous atmosphere in which NHS staff want to thrive.  He states that every Trust has services that could improve and patient experiences and feedback can help Bolton do it.

Deborah Parker – Bolton South East

Deborah has been a resident in Bolton for 35 years.  She has worked in and alongside the NHS for over 40 years, and feels the experience she has gained professionally and personally has provided her with a unique set of skills and breadth of knowledge which she is keen to use for the benefit of others.  Deborah is passionate about healthcare, equality and the local community.

Dorothy Kenworthy – Bolton North East

Dorothy has recently retired after being a lollypop lady for 25 years, she has also been a volunteer in the community visiting older people at home and taking them out for day trips and meals.  Dorothy is looking forward to her retirement and spending more time with her family, but also wants to continue giving back to the community in her role as a Governor.

Edward Gorman – Bolton North East

Edward is a fulltime wheelchair user and carer for his 22 year old Autistic son. He is therefore a regular user of NHS services and feels his experiences will bring an insight into the challenges, which are faced by people within the community when accessing services.

Edward feels a common sense approach is required to decision making for NHS Trusts to be able to plan and offer the services, which are needed on a local level in an effective manner.

Elaine Catterall – Bolton West

Elaine Catterall

Elaine has many years’ experience working within the public sector and at four universities. She is currently employed at the University of Bolton.

Elaine is passionate about helping the community and getting them to help themselves by being involved in their local area. She states the new medical school is key to the health and wellbeing of the Bolton community as well as providing and training the workforce for the future that will look after the local community.

Gary Burke – Bolton South East

Gary is a Chartered Engineer who has managed a number of large engineering and operational departments across a wide range of industrial sectors.  Prior to becoming a Chartered Engineer, Gary was a fifth generation Coal Miner.  He is extremely proud to be from Bolton, and feels a deep connection with Bolton NHS Foundation Trust due to his mother working in the Laundry Department until she retired; something he is very proud of.  Gary is enthusiastic about his role as a Governor and sharing his skills and knowledge with the organisation.

Grace Hopps – Bolton West

Grace Hopps

Grace has a lifetime of NHS service as a Nurse, Midwife, Senior Manager and Associate Director. She also worked across the North West Region as Link Supervisor of Midwives, inspecting and auditing maternity services and for a period of time held responsibility for health care services at Styal Prison. Following her retirement, she joined the Board of Trustees at Bolton Hospice and is now Vice Chair and Nurse on the Board in a voluntary capacity which she finds very fulfilling and rewarding.

Grace is a member of the Family Care Divisional Board.

Imteyaz Ali – Bolton North East

Due to the volunteering work Imteyaz undertakes alongside his professional career he feels he has a good understanding of the needs of both the Foundation Trust and the wider community, and possesses the skills required to add value to the Council of Governors with positive contributions.

Jack Ramsay – Bolton North East

Jack is a former company director who has lived in Bolton for over 50 years. As a previous Governor who has been re-elected Jack played an active role in helping the Trust to maintain high standards of care and in successfully integrating community services. Jack believes that as a local resident and user of the NHS he fully understands the needs facing the health of the community and how to balance them against the challenges facing the NHS.

Jack is a member of the Diagnostics and Support Services Divisional Board.

Kayonda Ngamaba – Bolton South East

Kayonda is a pastor at the Ephrata Church Community in Bolton and an academic researcher at the University of York. He has a background in health psychology and mental health research. Kayonda has been actively involved in supporting people with long-term mental health conditions within the NHS Community Mental Health Teams.  As a church community leader, Kayonda is a local voice for the BAME communities in Bolton and has been leading a loneliness project that plans visits with the elderly at the rehabilitation, care homes, and hospital dementia ward to tackle social isolation and loneliness.

Malcolm Bristow – Bolton West

Malcolm Bristow

Malcolm feels his experience will serve the Trust well.  He has served as a magistrate for over 20 years and worked in Bolton Adult Services.

Malcolm was also a Director of St. Bede CofE Academy and served on the Board of Bolton Hospital Saturday Council.  He is now retired but still serves as an Associate Minister in the Parish of St. Bede.

Malcolm has a keen interest in people’s health and welfare, and also in the provision and maintenance of the best possible health care in all areas.  He sees voluntary public service as part of the backbone of maintaining the quality of all public services and serving the needs of the population of the UK.

Oboh Achioyamen – Bolton North East

Oboh is the founder and Vice Chair for the African Council UK, a group for the African community leaders in GM looking at issues affecting the African community including health. He is also the initiator and Chairman of the Pentecostal ministers across GM and the founder of Precious Gems Charity, Bolton.

Oboh is a member of the Acute Adult Divisional Board.

Pauline Lee – Bolton West

Pauline Lee

Pauline has 48 years of NHS service as a Registered Nurse and has also held positions in general, community & specialist nursing, as well as management of an out-patient service and as a Nurse Advisor in Diabetes care to the Board of three pharmaceutical companies, lecturing in the UK, Europe and the USA.

She is passionate about the availability of health services to meet the needs of the public and says, “I want to be actively involved in developing changes in both the hospital and community setting, ensuring that future health care needs for patients and families are met.”

Sumirna Cusick – Rest of England

Sumirna Cusick

Sumirna currently volunteers at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, and regularly comes into contact with patients, visitors and health workers which has allowed her to interact with the community and those who serve the community.

She feels that it is important to understand, engage and know the diverse community in which we live and that everyone deserves respect and dignity , when coming into contact with the Trust.

Cara Burns – AHPs and Scientists

Cara Burns

Cara is an Optometrist and Healthcare Scientist who has worked at the Trust since 2003. She has also worked extensively in primary care across diverse areas of GM. Cara has gained additional qualifications and is one of four Optometrists at the Trust with Independent Prescribing rights.

Cara has witnessed the role of AHPs and Healthcare Scientists evolve and is committed about continuing to raise the profile of this staff group, bringing the voice of her colleagues to the wider organisation, towards the goal of improving professional wellbeing and healthcare across Bolton.

Cara feels well placed to be able to engage with staff through objective and constructive conversations and to communicate with patients openly and honestly about their experiences.

Catherine Binns – All other staff

Catherine Binns

Catherine has worked within the NHS for 33 years, starting as an Auxiliary Nurse before becoming a Neonatal Surgical Nurse.  The knowledge and experience she gained as a Nurse influenced her to be the Chaplain she is today.  Catherine has been ordained as a Church of England Minister for 15 years and she has a wide range of experiences through this ministry. She has recently taken up the role of the Chair of Disability and Health Conditions Staff network and is passionate about supporting staff when needed.

Jean Cummings – Nurses and Midwives

Jean Cummings

Jean has worked in many diverse NHS roles throughout her 59-year career and has previously been a Staff Governor and so feels she is confident she has the skills and insight to fulfil the Governor role.

As Regional RCN Officer and Local Steward, she has supported professionals in difficulty and she continues to work as a Senior Research Nurse and maintains a strong link with many staff in different settings.  Jean understands the pressures faced by staff, and has an insight into how they might be eased.  Jean is confident that together with receptive senior nurses patient care and staff wellbeing can be improved.

Lindiwe Mashangombe – All other staff

Lindiwe Mashangombe

Lindiwe commenced at the Trust in 2019 and is keen to work towards making Bolton a better place and in her role as Staff Governor will be a voice and advocate for all staff.  She is passionate about quality and to be able to help improve quality is something she finds extremely exciting. Lindiwe feels that with her approachable and cheerful personality staff will be able to comfortably confide in her and make suggestions for improvement.

Abdul Atcha – Bolton Council

New governor – awaiting profile.

Adele Nightingale – University of Bolton

Adele Nightingale

Adele is the Associate Dean of the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing at the University of Bolton. During her career Adele has worked for more than 20 years in the NHS in several trusts and variety of roles from being an operating department practitioner to Principal Educator. Adele has also spent more than 15 years working within the university sector across the north west in a number of senior positions.

Adele brings a wealth of experience from across the health care sector.  She was born and bred in Bolton is extremely proud to work in Bolton and play an important role in supporting the trust to achieve the delivery of the best possible care to the people who use our services.

Ann Schenk – Healthwatch

Ann Schenk

Prior to retirement Ann had an almost forty-year career in NHS management. During that time, she had a wide experience in service and project management, business planning, strategy development and service improvement.  Ann has been a Trustee of Healthwatch Bolton since 2014.  The role of a local Healthwatch is to research, represent and inform the voice of patients and public, in the planning and delivery of health and social services.

Ann believes the Council of Governors has an important role to play in shaping and supporting the Trust to achieve the best possible care for the people who use, and the people who need, our services.

Dave Bagley – CVS

Dave is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive of Urban Outreach, Bolton. He established the charity alongside his wife after qualifying as a chef. Dave is passionate about meeting the needs of the disadvantaged and the marginalised and recognises the potential in everyone. He has overseen the development, change and growth of Urban Outreach, as the charity continued to innovate and look at new ways of providing effective support across the Borough.

Dave is committed to building strong partnerships between churches, organisations and individuals in Bolton. He is Chair of the Voluntary Sector and Bolton’s Interagency Forums, and sits on the Active and Connected Board and Bolton Community Homes.

In 2020 Dave was awarded an MBE in recognition of services to the Bolton community.

Dawn Yates – CVS

Dawn is the CEO of Bolton Council for Voluntary Services who contribute to supporting the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector in Bolton to do what they exist to do; as well as they possibly can.

Alongside 20+ years of community centred work across social housing, higher education and local authority sectors; Dawn has facilitated development programmes and supported leaders from VCSE, statutory and private sectors as an EMCC accredited coach.

As a member of senior strategic boards across Bolton, Dawn is passionate about collaborative and inclusive approaches to bringing about positive change with the people of Bolton and Greater Manchester, where the contributions of all cross-sector partners and stakeholders are valued equally.  Dawn is a Director of 10GM, with Bolton CVS being one of the founding partners.

Melanie Rushton – Salford University

Melanie is Head of Adult Nursing at the University of Salford. This role involves leading and managing the team of professionals delivering the adult nursing programme, educating the future nurses. Melanie’s role is key in strategic development of new programmes and strategic planning within the school of health and society in areas such as admissions and recruitment, quality and enterprise.

Melanie has worked at the University for 14 years and during that time has undertaken various roles including clinical skills lead and programme leader developing curriculum and ensuring close links with colleagues in clinical practice. Melanie has a clinical background as a Registered Adult Nurse in cardiology and critical care nursing. Currently Melanie is working towards a PhD and has created a number of projects, in collaboration with colleagues from across the University and hospital trusts, to enhance student nurse education experience through the use of simulation, including virtual reality and augmented reality.

Melanie has published a number of journal papers disseminating the research that has been carried out so far. Melanie is passionate about nursing and strives to ensure the students are prepared to be confident and competent in clinical practice through the use of a variety of educational pedagogies and technologies.

Samantha Connor – Bolton Council

New governor – awaiting profile.

Samir Naseef – Bolton LMC

New governor – awaiting profile.

To contact any of our governors please e-mail Governor@boltonft.nhs.uk

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