Who’s who on the HCP Board
Professor Mike Thorne CBE
Independent chair
Mike is the former Vice Chancellor of Anglia Ruskin University, having retired in March 2016 from the post he had served in since 2007.
During his time at Anglia Ruskin University, he founded the Postgraduate Medical Institute which led to the ground breaking and highly successful establishment last year of the Anglia Ruskin University’s Medical School at its Chelmsford campus.
Prior to that Mike was Vice Chancellor at the University of East London for five years and has been a chair and member of a number of government committees
Clare Panniker
CEO Mid and South Essex Hospitals Group and senior responsible officer for hospital changes programme
A former registered nurse, Clare also has a business degree and has worked in the NHS for more than 25 years.
As Chief Executive and Accountable Officer for the trusts Clare carries full responsibility for their performance, forward planning and leadership.
Anthony McKeever
Partnership Executive Lead and Joint Accountable Officer for mid and south Essex CCGs.
Anthony has considerable experience in a variety of very senior NHS and non-NHS roles including as Chief Executive of several hospitals and most recently as Director General of Health & Community Services in the States of Jersey.
Jo Cripps
Programme Director
Jo has been working in the NHS for five years in both commissioning and HCP roles. Previously she worked at the Royal College of Surgeons, leading on work on professional and clinical standards development.
Paul Scott
Executive director EPUT
Paul has extensive experience at board level and across the NHS. Paul worked as Executive Director of Finance, Strategy and Performance at Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust, where his remit included leading on long term partnerships as well as information and IT, before taking up his post at CUHFT as CFO, where he also had leadership responsibility for system development and integration. He previously held senior roles in the East of England Ambulance Service and at Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust.
Paul lives in Essex. Paul is motivated by improving the way our health and care services work in partnership to deliver improvements to the services we provide.
Mark Heasman
Group Chief Executive of Provide.
He took up the position in September 2020 having been Vice Group Chairman of our Board (Non-Executive Director) for six years.
Mark is a highly experienced Chief Executive and has extensive knowledge in leading complex and diverse organisations in the charity, not-for-profit and commercial sectors. Most recently, he was Global Chief Executive for CCI Worldwide, an international network of Christian camp, conference and outdoor activity providers where he worked in over 70 countries helping associations providing facilities for young people to develop and grow.
Stephanie Dawe
Chief Nurse and Executive Director of Integrated Care (NELFT)
Stephanie has over 20 years experience in mental health nursing. Stephanie has also held operational management positions in London Borough of Havering and was the Operational Director for Havering for a number of years. Stephanie is a Registered Mental Nurse and has strategic responsibility for quality and governance as well as Mental Health Services.
As of 11 December 2017 Stephanie was appointed as the Chief Nurse and Chief Operating Officer to Provide. Stephanie works for Provide two days per week. This is alongside her role at NELFT.
Professor Sheila Salmon
Chair, Essex Partnership University Foundation Trust
Prior to her role at EPUT Sheila, was the Chair of Mid Essex Hospitals NHS Trust, North East Essex Primary Care Trust and Essex Ambulance Service before being appointed to the Board of the East of England Ambulance Regional Service. She was the Executive Dean of Health at Anglia Ruskin University where she led the establishment of a Regional Faculty of Health and Social Care and has represented the Nursing and Midwifery Council on numerous quality and standards visit to British Universities and their partner NHS Trusts.
Claire Hankey
HCP Director of communications and engagement
A former journalist, Claire has undertaken a number of communications roles within the NHS spanning both commissioning and provider organisations. She currently provides strategic communications and stakeholder and public engagement support to the Mid and South Essex HCP board, and had a lead role in delivering the public consultation on acute services reconfiguration.
Chris Gasper
Chair, Service User Advisory Group
Chris has spent the majority of his working life working in civil service and with the Health & Safety Executive. Since retiring Chris has been involved in a number of roles around patient representation and is a founding board member of Southend Healthwatch.
Simon Leftley
Deputy Chief Executive Southend Borough Council
Simon first qualified as a social worker in 1984 and worked in a range of settings particularly in the area of mental health, older people and learning disabilities and children services. He has managed a range of services and worked for a number of councils including Essex, Newham, Havering and Bexley Council. He moved to be a Director at Southend on Sea, his home town, in 2007. He is East of England Association of Director of Adult Social Services (ADASS), Lead Director for Disabilities and Association of Directors of Childrens’ Services (ADCS) lead for Health.
Roger Harris
Corporate Director of Adults, Housing and Health, Thurrock Council
Roger has been in his current role for the past 4 years and has worked in Thurrock for over 10 years. Prior to this he was the Director of Commissioning for Newham Primary Care Trust.
Kim James
Chief Operating Officer, Healthwatch Thurrock
Kim has been the Chief Operating officer for Healthwatch Thurrock since its inception in 2012, before that she managed Thurrock LINk since its beginning in 2009.
Kim represents the voices at some high level strategic meetings including the Health and Wellbeing Board, Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Adults and Children’s Safeguarding Boards and Thurrock Clinical Commissioning Group Committees and Board. Healthwatch using their statutory powers have successfully challenged decisions that will affect Residents, Patients and Service Users and have achieved a good outcome for them.
Dr Donald McGeachy
Medical Director, CC Joint Committee
Joint Chair, STP Clinical Cabinet
Donald trained at Glasgow Medical School and became medically qualified just over 40 years ago. He has worked as a GP for the majority of that time both here in the UK and abroad in Tonga (South Pacific) and New Zealand.
David Sollis
Chief Executive, Healthwatch Essex
Jean Broadbent
Chief Office, Healthwatch Southend
Peter Fairley
Director of Partnership, Essex County Council
Dr Brian Balmer
Chief Executive, Local Medical Committee (LMC)