I am trained as an interventional cardiologist, having spent the majority of my training in Kent, Surrey, and Sussex.  I was appointed as a Consultant in Hampshire Hospitals Foundation Trust and started my post in September 2021.  It became immediately apparent, the extreme importance of cardiac rehab and secondary prevention optimization of cardiac patients and how much more this is emphasized in Hampshire.  

Our local team place a huge emphasis on rehab and secondary prevention.  Having had direct feedback from both cardiac and non-cardiac patients using the Alton facility, I feel that it is a critically important part of patient care and is having a big impact on their wellbeing and cardiac prognosis.  

As someone who treats cardiovascular disease, both during sociable and unsociable hours, I firmly believe that prevention is better.  For those that have already suffered with cardiac problem, or other ailment which restricts their mobility/independence, being able to push themselves in a supervised and non-threatening environment.  It is often clear that those who maintain a poor lifestyle and noncompliance with secondary preventative measures, are those who suffer ongoing cardiac events more frequently than those who choose to turn their life around.  It is our role as professionals to encourage this change and I would be delighted to promote this through my involvement.   

I am currently spending my time between Farnborough where I live and Plymouth where I work. I have a passion for positive living and enjoy many physical pursuits including going to the gym, horse riding, skiing, mountain biking and walking. When I am not doing that and working, I enjoy cooking and drinking wine.

I am fortunate to have benefited from a long and successful career as a project manager with financial companies as well as oil and gas, helping them modernise by adapting to change and working more efficiently. Like many of us who reach a certain age, I decided that I needed a change and a different purpose, which included giving something back into the community.  I took a job in the public sector, taking a leadership role with the MoD as a crown servant, an organisation that actively encourages and supports participation in local charities.

My passion for positive living also includes wellbeing, especially mental health and the ability to embrace life, there are many of us that have been affected by a close family member who has suffered from mental health issues as well as other serious medical conditions, including myself!  So, when the opportunity came along to join the Cardiac Health board came along, I thought it would be a great match to work with a group of passionate and inspiring leaders to make a life changing difference to people’s lives.

Having been part of the board for about eight months now, you do get a real sense of purpose by working together with a friendly team to develop and implement strategies that will not only make a huge difference to people’s lives now but allowing the unit to adapt and provide vital services in the future.

I am a freelance communications professional who works with businesses, charities and social impact organisations to help them tell their unique stories.  I’m passionate about the importance of exercise, keeping fit and getting outside to help maintain good health and well-being.  The opportunity to join Cardiac Health board was a great fit – not only to help promote heart health, but to help support the work they do in providing access to specialised exercise programmes to those who need it.

The best part about being a trustee for Cardiac Health is the sense of community it brings.  I’ve learned so much from other board members – many of whom have a different skillset to my own.  Being involved also connects me to the local community where I live and work. Not only is the charity well-connected to the Alton area, but by bringing exercisers together through their programmes, Cardiac Health acts as a support network for them – helping to make a scary diagnosis or heart incident a little less frightening and isolating. 

I am a Trustee and a founder member of Cardiac Health.

I have a doctorate in Medical Education from The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and The University of Warwick and an MSc in Social and Behavioural Health Studies from City University, London.

I worked for over 40 years in the field of cardiac rehabilitation, having trained as a Physiotherapist, specialising in Intensive Care at Great Ormond St Hospital and in Cardiology at the Hampshire Hospitals. I was involved nationally and internationally with the development of cardiac rehab as a recognised and valuable adjunct to the care of people diagnosed with cardiac diseases, through lecturing, teaching, presenting research, co-authoring textbooks and writing a chapter on cardiac rehab in the National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease.  I was selected to liaise directly with The Department of Health during this period.

I have been employed clinically by the NHS for most of my life working mainly across all the Hampshire Hospitals; Winchester, Basingstoke, Alton and Andover and between 2014 & 2016 at The Royal Surrey Hospital.  Most recently, until 2021, I was the Clinical Manager of the Exercise Instructors at the centre and  an employee of the Basingstoke & Alton Cardiac Rehabilitation Charity.