Council of Governors biographies

Click on the profiles below to see more about our Council of Governors

Imran Khan

Bradford West

I was born at the BRI and raised here in Bradford, as were my children. I see the great service and work Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust does on a daily basis. I also see the varying challenges faced in the way of how each area is set up and the diversity of each areas residents and service users. This is challenging to say the least and does affect delivery of services and requirements or needs. There is also the aspect of culture and lifestyle which indirectly affects and impacts the Trust and its resources.

I am an ex civil servant for HM Revenue & Customs, have almost a decade of service at a secondary school in Bradford West, and am a qualified Imam and deputy principal at a supplementary school. I believe I have much to offer in this role as I have experience and understanding of the diverse communities that represent the service users of the trust.

A lot of invaluable work is done behind the scenes which helps deliver essential services and awareness to the community. I would be grateful and honoured to be able to be a part of this process.
Trevor Ramsey

Bradford West

I was a non-executive director/service user rep from 2002 until 2006. I have been involved with the Care Trust as an involvement friend/partner for more than 20 years taking part in user led research and audit, interview panels and representing service users, Governance Committees, Mental Health Modernisation Partnership, Bradford & Airedale Community Health Council; Patient & Public Involvement Forums, and currently represent BDCFT at Bradford District Council Health and Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

I am a Trustee of user led mental health advocacy group Vital, and need advocacy support myself with DWP and another mental health charity in Bradford and was a Trustee of Mind in Bradford until they stopped being user led.

I attend BDCFT Trust Wide Involvement Group (TWIG) and am currently taking part in a Foundation Course in Patient Experience run by the Point of Care Foundation.

I am a carer for someone who has mental health issues and have ongoing depression myself.

I am a member of the Bradford Disabled People’s Forum and was part of the Strategic Disability Partnership, until their funding stopped.

I have a proven history of representing service users/ carers, and feeding information back to them, and I would represent Bradford West to the best of my ability.
Emmerson Walgrove

Bradford West

I have been involved with the Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust (BDCFT) as an involvement Partner for more than 15 years and sit on the Ligature Environment Risk and Safety (LERS) Group, the Care Trust Way Guiding Group and take part in the Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment (PLACE).

I attend BDCFT Trust Wide Involvement Group (TWIG) and have ongoing depression myself. I was Chair of Bradford District Care Patient & Public Involvement Forums until 2006 and Chair of Bradford Disabled People’s Forum until 2021

I am a Director/ Trustee of Bradford Cyrenians, which was formed in 1972 in direct response to the lack of services for homeless people, including a growing concern around rough sleeping in the Bradford district. It is our aim to provide flexible, preventative support services to vulnerable communities who present with a wide range of multiple and complex health issues including mental health.

I am a Director/Trustee of Sight Airedale, which is a local independent sight loss charity supporting people who live in the Airedale area (Barnoldswick, Bingley, Cross Hills, Ilkley, Keighley, Settle, Silsden, Skipton). Who help anyone who is (or is eligible to be) registered Blind or Partially sighted or anyone who has a sight problem that means they are unable to read text at N12 size even if they are wearing glasses.

I have a proven history of representing service users / carers, and feeding information back to them, and I would represent Bradford West to the best of my ability.
Jimmy Vaughan

Keighley

Hi I’m Jimmy.

As a sufferer of mental health issues, I understand what it’s like to live with the problems surrounding the illness and the trauma that it can cause. I have been diagnosed with PTSD, BPD, depression and anxiety.

By becoming a governor I would like to use this opportunity alongside my experience to help and my aim is to be a voice to those who feel they don’t have one.

I’ve worked for Bradford council as a refuse wagon driver for 26 years and in my spare time I volunteer for Missing Peace Wellbeing and Support in Keighley helping to run two peer support groups. I also help west Yorkshire police in Wakefield and at the University of Bradford, giving talks about my experiences.
Connor Brett

Keighley

My name is Connor and I have worked and lived in Keighley all my life. I have always worked as part of management in the health care sector from Care Homes, General practice and now Dentistry. I spent 4 years volunteering with the local youth service across Bradford Distinct on saving the youth service’s funding and bring new ideas to the District.

I am passionate about the health service’s which we provide across the district but also how we can improve these to not only improve the quality of peoples lives but so that everyone can gain access at all times. We need to ensure we have the adequate services that are able to deliver across the district when people need them.

Being local and always worked and volunteered in the community I bring a new look on how we need to get people more involved in making decisions for service’s which impact us all. The NHS need’s local people to support and embed the decisions which are made. I am a believe in that for anything to succeed we need to come together as a community to support our local NHS services.
Hannah Nutting

Shipley

I have lived in Bradford since I was very young and consider myself a proud Bradfordian. In my former career as a teacher I worked in various local primary schools.

When I left teaching, I worked as a mental health peer support worker and gained my MSc in Psychology from University of Bradford. This has led me to my current position as a Research Fellow for Born in Bradford, based at Bradford Royal Infirmary.

In my role I lead on coproduction and engagement so I work with people of all ages from a variety of backgrounds, listening to their experiences and learning how we can continue to make research matter and improve services in the district. The research explores health inequalities with a focus on children and their families and I love knowing that the research we conduct contributes to making tangible improvements to the lives of the Bradford population. During the Covid pandemic I was redeployed to support clinical services which gave me invaluable experience of life on the front line and the challenges that NHS services are facing.

I have been an Involvement Partner for the care trust for 3 years now; using my own lived experience of using mental health services to promote patient voice within the trust. I would like to use both my personal and professional experiences to represent my local area as a governor and to continue to promote.
Paul Hodgson

Shipley

I am concerned about the current state of the NHS and wish to help to ensure that sustainable improvements are delivered in flexible healthcare for all of our diverse Shipley residents.

There is a need to meet the needs of an aging population by breaking down silo thinking and creating better synergy between social, primary, community and secondary care.

The prime goal needs to be to ensure that people live healthier lives for longer. This can be achieved by ensuring that from an early age people are encouraged to take ownership of their own health and that the organisation supports this by taking a community based approach.

I am committed to ensuring that health inequalities in Shipley are addressed by challenging the organisation in relation to agile service development.

Capacity challenges related to workforce shortages highlight the need for closer links with local education providers to promote health based careers.

I have over 45 years experience in commercial banking. In my current role I have a portfolio of commercial clients who are in financial distress and I assist them in identifying the root causes and developing a turnaround strategy.

My finance and commercial banking background has provided me with the ability to develop successful approaches to:

Challenging group thinking

Strategic thinking

Change implementation

Leadership

Governance

Lifelong learning
Joyce Thackwray

Bradford South

As an ex-nurse, I have a great deal of interest in all matters relating to health and I want, not only my community to be healthier and happy, but all communities. I have been a patient representative for the past 3 years with the Affinity Care Community Partnership. I chair the Patient Council for Affinity Care and I am the Chair for my GP practice’s PPG. I have also been given the task of regenerating Affinity Care’s PPG’s which have all fallen by the wayside due to the pandemic. I have helped set up a ‘pilot’ Wellbeing Cafe, called ‘Happy Healthy Community’ at Thornton Community Centre and I organise and run a Dementia Support Group at Clayton Village Hall, I also organise a Health and Wellbeing allotment for my GP surgery. I have become a governor as I feel I would like to try make a difference.
Aurangzeb Khan

Bradford East

I would like to become a Governor for the Hospital as I would like to help and support the local community. I would like to be the voice of the patients, public and staff members so that I can represent parties between the Trust and the Community.

I am a Member of the IAG (Independent Advisor Group) and a member of the Hate Crime Scrutiny Panel. I have relevant skills by being an active member of these panels and I am capable of transferring my skills over to a Governor.

I have excellent communication skills and I am multi-lingual which will benefit patients where English is not their first language.

I believe with my skills and experience I am the best person for the role and will be a great voice for the people in Bradford.
Mufeed Ansari

Bradford East

I have great motivation and enthusiasm in whatever I do, which has been aptly displayed in my first term as a Governor. I regularly attend meetings, make positive contributions with my knowledge and information, and do not hesitate to point out any shortcomings or errors.

I feel I have the understanding and connections within the local community to contribute to the wellbeing of our health systems. I understand the Trust must go through change if it is to serve the public in the years to come and to be free at the point of use however it is also important that any changes must be introduced in a careful, responsible and sensitive way, to benefit patients and staff.

As a Governor, I would welcome the opportunity to continue to influence future healthcare in Bradford, hold the Trust to account and ensure transparency. My aim would be to represent people’s opinions about the Trust, identify their needs and ensure quality care; how they want their needs to be fulfilled.

I desire to embody people’s feelings, thoughts, ideas, and will advocate for dignity, privacy, confidentiality, inclusion, respect and individuality. I will also ensure that views and opinions of young persons are given importance.

I would also like to encourage more young people to join the governors. I hope that I can continue being a governor to carry on supporting the great work that the Trust is doing.
Mike Frazer

Bradford East

I have previously served as governor for Bradford East constituency for last 3 years and have tried my best to represent patients interests during this time and have gained invaluable experience in how the trust is governed.

I would like to serve another term and request people vote for me based on my previous experience and contribution to ensuring patients have a voice and influence on the Trusts strategies and policies.

I am a grandfather of 4 children and widower and acted as Carer for my wife Anna before her death in 2016 and in that capacity experienced at first hand the medical services provided by the trust especially in mental health provision.
Michael Lodge

Rest of England

I’m 66 years old and have worked in local government since 1979 in social services at Bradford Council between 1979 and 1999. I then had a change of career and have worked supporting Councillors on scrutiny committees at Bradford Council, Craven Council and Calderdale Council. I retire in April 2024.

This has included a great deal of work with NHS colleagues in the health and care system, giving me a good knowledge of how the system works. My scrutiny work requires challenge in a “critical friend” way, with the objective of improving outcomes for people who use our services and the wider community. My approach has always favoured the “friend” aspect. Building good relationships makes it easier to provide constructive challenge – and praise – which is frequently deserved and often forgotten! I will bring the same approach to my work as a governor.

One of my (grown-up) children is mentally ill and has spent time recently in hospital in the south. This gives me a personal commitment to mental health services and an understanding of the challenges of living a long way away from a relative in need of support. If elected I will:

Work hard and try to always make my best contribution

Make myself available to service users, their families and the wider community

In particular, focus on how we provide service for people in the rest of England and how people who live away from Bradford need to interact with BDCT.
Linzi Maybin

Clinical Staff

Working as a Dentist has given me the opportunity to liaise with many teams across the Trust and has furthered my interest in ensuring that all voices are heard at board level including any hidden voices.

My passion for the Bradford/Craven District is evident as shown in the 10 years I have volunteered as a youth-worker, mentoring and supporting local young people as well as setting up voluntary outreach projects to help the homeless and children with disabilities across Bradford and Leeds access a dentist.

As a governor, I am keen to encourage compassionate leadership, staff wellbeing and equality, diversity and inclusion in the Trust at all levels.

Contact

Tel: 01274 363552

Email: staffgovernor@bdct.nhs.uk
Arshad Ali

Clinical Staff

As someone who has lived and worked in Bradford for most of my life, I’m very much interested in the physical and mental well-being of everyone living within Bradford.

As someone who has also worked in health care within the community and within the NHS for many years, I know there is some great work being done by everyone from Drs, Nurses, Healthcare Support Workers, Domestic Staff, Admin Staff as well as so many others who make the NHS what it is.

I also know that when things go wrong, there has to be some checks and balances in the system where the ordinary hard working staff have a voice where their grievances can be heard and dealt with appropriately to bring about positive change where needed.

I’m Arshad Ali and currently work at Bradford District Care Trust as a senior mental health worker as well as working for the trust as a Basic Life Support Instructor based in Saltaire.

I have a great deal of experience working within, and serving on various governing bodies of schools, charities, and community campaigns.

My reason for becoming a member of the trust governing body is primarily to make sure that all those making decisions are properly scrutinised and held to account, and that every member of staff working within the trust has a voice through my advocacy.

By consulting with all stakeholders, I hope to make positive contributions towards making Bradford a better place for better health outcomes for everyone.
Tabaro Rwegema

Clinical Staff

I am passionate about the care with offer to patient but more over I would like to see us working on prevention and improving life’s rather than being reactive. Having worked as a nurse for the Trust over 7 years, I felt the need to enroll to a Public Health course with personal founding and obtained my Master’s degree. The course has shaped my vision on how to bridge health disparities, how integrated care and a holistic view can improve staff moral and better outcome for patient.

My ambition to become a Governor matured over years thought experience in private and NHS but also with work experience in the UK and outside the UK in other European countries as well as in less privilege health and social care sector in Africa.
Sue Francis

Non-clinical staff

I have shown that when non-clinical staff have a voice, feel cared about and that they matter, in line with Trust values, the quality-of-service delivery improves. Ensuring equal access to compassionate, restorative, reciprocal, safe leadership, and self-care are key components of our quest to become a Trauma Informed Organisation.

After a period in acute clinical care, I embarked on a mental health practice educator journey, delivering innovative, award-winning, co-designed training and education programmes, leading to my current role as Workforce Development Lead for Trauma-Informed Care.

As a staff governor, I will use the natural curiosity, humility, empathy, and compassion that has served me well in engaging with thousands of non-clinical staff, giving voice to their needs. I am comfortable with not knowing and eager to work in collaboration with staff at all levels to share best practice and address their needs. I aim to work with my staff governor colleagues, Trust leaders and external partners, to promote a parity of esteem between clinical and non-clinical practice.
Terry Henry

Non-Clinical Staff

I joined BDCT as an Organisation Development Facilitator in January 2023, and have had the enormous privilege of working with many clinical and non-clinical teams. We have an immensely talented workforce that are key to helping us deliver our vision of ‘Better Lives, Together,’ through our 4 strategic priorities of being the best place to work, delivering the best quality services, making the best use of resources, and being the best partner; for the benefit of all our diverse residents.

My Reason for standing as a Non-Clinical Staff Governor is to use my experiences of living within the Bradford Metropolitan District for many years, and my skill set gained from working in the private, voluntary and public sectors both as an employee and on a management consultancy basis. I’m an alumni of the University of Bradford, where I did my Masters in Business Administration. I got married in Bradford and all 3 of my children went to schools in Bradford. I have been a School governor in Bradford and currently sit as a trustee of two local community based organisations as well as being a Lay Canon of Bradford Cathedral.

My vision and passion is to see the working together of our great staff, our organisational capability with its potential for improvement and innovation, to align thoroughly with the real needs and challenges within our local communities. Doing this in challenging and supportive ways, with both staff wellbeing and the needs of the population we serve, at the centre.
Cllr Sabiya Khan

Appointed Governors

Councillor Sabiya Khan has lived in Bradford for most of her life. Her professional background has been primarily working in the Health and Social Care sector at a local, regional and national level.

Sabiya Khan was elected as a district councillor in May 2018, she serves the Wibsey ward. Cllr Khan is also chair of British Muslim Women Forum established over ten years ago. This charity’s primary focus is to enable young women to gain leadership skills through fundraising activities.
Deborah Buxton

Appointed Governors

I am currently the Assistant Director of Barnardo’s in Bradford, Wakefield and Rotherham, I have extensive experience of managing practitioners with a wide range of skills and experiences. I have an extensive diverse portfolio, having initially trained and spent many years working in the field of early years, I have developed my skill set since moving to Barnardo’s 7 years ago to include: high level and specialist exploitation services, mental health related contracts and adult services removal of babies at birth.

Previous to this I have spent my time developing children’s centres in Bradford, working coherently to ensure children, young people and families could access local services to meet their ever-challenging needs.

My interests outside of work are walking, yoga, cooking and spending time with my family.
Cllr Andy Brown

Appointed Governors

Andy is rooted in this constituency having lived here for 29 years. He is a former lecturer in Economics and Communication Skills and became Head of a large College and then Director of Young People’s learning for Yorkshire.

He writes a weekly column for the Yorkshire Post and has also written for the Guardian, the Times Educational Supplement, the Independent and Yorkshire Bylines.

He is currently a North Yorkshire Councillor having won the seat of Aire Valley with 79% of the votes which is the largest majority held by anyone on that council.
Cllr Allison Coates

Appointed Governors