Our Board

Nikki is a former NHS Clinician, Executive and Non Executive Director.  She also formed a consultancy providing advice and project management on HR related issues.  Throughout her extensive and wide-ranging career, she worked with people who use health and social care services, to better understand their expectations and needs, while gaining valuable insight into their priorities and how they believe services could improve.

Nikki firmly believes services are better when these views are listened to an acted upon.  She said: “Working with Healthwatch Gloucestershire puts the public at the heart of developing and improving local services and provides the opportunity to ensure their voice is heard.  My passion is that services should consistently be of the highest quality possible, provided by caring staff who work in partnership with the individual and their family.”

Retired Actuary, International Advisor and civil servant, Nigel from Cheltenham has a knowledge of how the NHS works in respect of cancer and genetics, following his own diagnosis with prostate cancer in 2010.  He is interested in NHS finances and how new initiatives are implemented.

As an active member and trustee with other local and regional voluntary organisations, he said: “I’m frustrated by NHS IT which is often a barrier to good patient experience.  I have had many contacts with the NHS, both good and bad.  I’d like to help improve the experience of other patients.”

Before joining the Healthwatch Gloucestershire Local Board, former project manager John volunteered with us, taking part in regular community engagements, visiting local health and care organisations, and is currently a lay member representing Healthwatch in the Gloucestershire NHS Hospitals Trust ‘Fit for the Future’ programme.  He said: “I’ve seen the real difference we can make to the quality of services by listening and reporting on people’s experiences, and this has reinforced my understanding of the importance of lay representation at a senior level in Gloucestershire.”

John is a regular user of local health services due to a number of chronic conditions. He added: “My care has been excellent, and I literally owe my life to the cardiac team at Cheltenham General Hospital who treated me after a couple of separate cardiac incidents.”