North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust

Ben Richards

Chief Operating Officer

Ben also acts as the Trust’s Accountable Emergency Officer and, furthermore, as the Senior Responsible Officer for Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism across the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care System. Ben holds a Master’s Degree in Healthcare Leadership, issued jointly from the University of Birmingham and the University of Manchester, in addition to holding Fellowships in a number of learned societies, including the Royal Society of Medicine, the Royal Society of Public Health and the Royal Society of Arts. Ben is a Chartered Manager and Chartered Fellow with the Chartered Management Institute, the highest status that can be achieved in the management and leadership profession and is a qualified Executive Coach and Mentor. The senior operational team at Combined featured as a case study for the Chartered Management Institute as recognition of the professionalism of its managers. Ben is currently undertaking a Professional Doctorate in Health and Social Care with The Open University researching the impact of staff redeployment on both staff, teams and wider service delivery, aiming to improve how services respond both effectively and with compassion in the future.

Dr Dennis Okolo

Chief Medical Officer

In addition, Dennis has a passion for Medical Education and has been the lead for coordinating all Undergraduate psychiatry teaching and placements at North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare for over 8 years. He is currently one of the Hospital Deans at Keele University Medical School and Honorary Senior Lecturer. His clinical interests are in assessments and treatment of bipolar disorder which was the subject of his Master’s thesis and Attention deficit Hyperactivity disorder. You can watch Dr Okolo’s video message to staff on his appointment as Interim Medical Director below:

Elizabeth Mellor

Chief Operating Officer

Eric Gardiner

Chief Finance Officer

He is a keen supporter and advocate of staff development and holds a mentoring qualification with Lancaster University. He was previously Deputy Director of Finance at North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust.

FOR ABSENCE

Elizabeth Mellor, Chief Strategy Officer

Frieza Mahmood

Chief People Officer

Frieza has an undergraduate degree in BSc Human Resource Management from Aston Business School and carried out further postgraduate qualifications in Human Resources, Organisational Development and Healthcare Leadership. Frieza carries out several other regional and national roles outside of her responsibilities at Combined Healthcare. These include a non-executive director role outside of the NHS in the education sector for Washwood Health Multi Academy Trust, (WHMAT) one of the largest academy school trusts in the country. She is committed to education and development and has a number of aligned responsibilities which include working as a careers ambassador for the Midlands and East region, contributing to the development of higher education curriculums for local universities, participating in a range of organisational development transformational change programmes often beyond traditional boundaries to include NHS Scotland’s Leading2change initiative. She is also active in the field of leadership development, for which she speaks and dedicates her time to the organisation of professional development and training in her role as a vice president for the national Healthcare People Management Association (HPMA). Frieza is passionate about widening access to opportunities and facilitating participation for hard-to-reach groups. She is also actively focused on improving staff experience to aid retention and deliver better outcomes for service users. “I believe that outstanding service user experience is directly linked to the creation of cultures in which highly motivated, skilled and well-supported staff, are empowered to work collaboratively to deliver at their absolute best. I am passionate about using my influence and leadership skills to continually strive for improvements in this area.”

Kenny Laing

Chief Nurse

Having initially trained as a Mental Health Nurse at the University of Nottingham, Kenny joined the NHS in 1995 and has worked clinically in a number of innovative teams. Since then, he’s held a range of senior nursing, management and leadership roles, both for the NHS and for private sector organisations throughout the UK. Prior to joining Combined, he was Deputy Chief Nurse at Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and recently led a national project around safe staffing in mental health settings.

Kerry Smith

Chief Operating Officer

Nicola Griffiths

NExT Director Programme

Dr Roger Banks

Associate Non-Executive Director

Roger is a psychiatrist with 35 years of experience working with people with intellectual disabilities, autistic people and their families. From 2020 to 2023 he was National Clinical Director for Learning Disability and Autism in NHS England. He is a previous Vice-President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners and Fellow of the Institute of Psychotherapy and Disability. He was also a President of the European Association for Mental Health in Intellectual Disability and is Vice President of ARFIE (Association for Research and Training on Integration in Europe). Roger will be continuing to work as a consultant to WHO (World Health Organisation) Europe’s QualityRights programme. Additionally, Roger is part of a small team providing training and support in reducing restrictive practices in institutional settings in Slovakia, Bulgaria and other European states, and is a trustee and director of the Association for Psychodynamic Practice and Counselling in Organisational Settings.

Jennie Koo

Non-Executive Director

Whilst specialising in Risk Management, she has pursued voluntary opportunities that enable her to drive change within society more broadly to enable more individuals to benefit from what the sector has to provide. As a result, Jennie volunteers: “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to join Combined and make a real contribution to its ongoing success. “Financial services is pivotal to the ecosystem that enables social stability along with economic and societal growth. I have a strong belief that social inclusion can lead to a more successful integrated society. As such I work hard in making connections through my volunteer work from inspiring children to dream without societal boundaries, supporting disaffected young people to develop confidence to developing adults to be the best versions of themselves. “After 20 years in Financial Services, I would like to make use of my skills in roles that are more meaningful for society and outside of that sector.. Like Financial Services, the NHS plays such a pivotal role in society beyond healthcare, with the knock-on implications of service provision having lasting effects on service users and their families.”

Jenny Harvey

Chair, Staff Side (in attendance)

Initially joining the Trust as a Healthcare Support Worker in Learning Disability Services, Jenny has worked in the NHS since 1988. She is currently also Chair of UNISON West Midlands Regional Health Committee and a Member of the UNISON National Health Service Group Executive. Her chief areas of interest are around staff engagement, equality and inclusion, and she has led on a number of key projects including the implementation of Agenda for Change at local level, as well as developing and delivering Trans-inclusion training. Jenny has also received regional recognition for her achievements in maintaining strong relations between employers and trade unions. She was awarded Stonewall North West Role Model of the Year in 2018, and UNISON West Midlands Representative of the Year in 2019.

Katie Laverty

Associate Non-Executive Director

Katie has worked in Higher Education for over 20 years, beginning her career at Liverpool John Moores University and going on to work at The University of Manchester, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham Trent University and Keele University, where Katie is currently the Director of Student Services and Success. This role requires her to lead on a range of professional student support services at Keele, including counselling and mental health, residence life, disability support and inclusion, chaplaincy and faith, student experience and support, student discipline, accommodation and customer service delivery, student futures, financial support, sexual violence and domestic abuse support, and safeguarding. Katie has been a member of the Executive Committee at Keele University since 2021 and has worked in a range of roles within both academic schools and professional services across her career, but always with a student experience focus. Katie also completed a master’s in International Higher Education while working at the University of Nottingham.

Martin Evans

Non-Executive Director

Martin has worked within the public sector for over 30 years, predominantly within the police service where he served most of his career within Staffordshire. More recently he was an Assistant Chief Constable with West Mercia police and National Police Lead, overseeing fatal and serious collisions. Martin has many years of experience working at an operational and strategic level with other agencies. Since retiring from the force, he has been working as a non-executive director in two NHS trusts as well as supporting the Home Office and Department for Transport in seeking new ways of making our roads safer.

Nicola Bullen

Associate Non - Executive Director

Pauline Walsh

Non-Executive Director / Senior Independent Director

After qualifying as a nurse in 1984, Professor Walsh practiced in a range of acute specialties before moving into education as a nurse tutor at Gloucestershire School of Nursing for a year before going on to do her teaching qualification at Cardiff University. Following this she moved to Wolverhampton University where she developed interests in healthcare ethics and professional practice. Professor Walsh’s experience in curriculum development, placement learning and clinical assessment led to her pioneering the role of placement facilitator to promote learning in clinical practice. She moved to Keele in 2007 as a Senior Lecturer to lead undergraduate programmes prior to taking over as Head of the School of Nursing & Midwifery in 2010. During this time, she developed further research interests in simulated learning and developing resilience in students. In 2018 she took up post as Pro Vice Chancellor and Executive Dean for the Faculty of \Medicine and Health Sciences becoming a member of the university executive team. During this time she led the development of a number of new programmes across the faculty resulting in significant growth in student numbers. Professor Walsh has a strong commitment to excellence and quality which has been integral to the faculty’s success. In 2020 she became an associate NED with the trust to provide academic support and enhance the links with Keele. In December 2023 Professor Walsh retired from her substantive role at Keele and is now an emeritus professor thus giving her more time to undertake her new role as a NED.

Prem Gabbi

Non-Executive Director

Prem is an experienced board member with expertise in governance, strategy and financial oversight across various sectors, particularly in the energy and property industries. Prem has held several board positions including Board Director at National Grid Property, Board Director and Chair of Audit Committee at Victoria Academies Trust, and Trustee at National Grid Sports and Social Club. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and holds a B.A. (Hons) in Accounting and Finance. Prem will bring his strong skills in strategy, risk management, financial oversight, and governance to the Trust Board.

Russell Andrews

Vice Chair

In a career spanning over 40 years Russell has been a nuclear engineer, teacher, school leader and has held senior positions in local and central government. He has also sat on a range of boards covering higher education, health and the third sector. Russell is interested in policy and programmes to support social mobility, particularly for people with learning difficulties and learning disabilities.