Public Governors

North and East Birmingham

Joanne Benjamin-Lewis
Joanne brings a wealth of personal and professional experience to the role of public governor. Joanne has been on many different sides of the NHS, from patient to carer and, professionally, has experience as a governor for a local nursery school, a teacher and an Ofsted inspector.

This expertise has given Joanne a thirst for volunteering so that she can use her experience for the benefit of others.

Joanne’s passion for the NHS and to making a difference means that she is well suited to the Governor role and will have lots to offer during her three-year term.

 

Roger Leek
Roger has worked in the West Midlands all his life and has been a nurse, a patient and a carer. Since losing his wife to motor neurone disease, Roger has been an ambassador for people with Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s and many other long-term conditions presenting similar issues and concerns for patients, families, friends and carers.

Roger became involved with the MND Association and has been instrumental in establishing groups across the region and raising funds across the globe. Roger is heavily involved in healthcare research and this combined knowledge and experience prompted his decision to become a governor. Roger hopes to be of service to people within the community he represents and will use his experience to be a voice for the people. 

 

 

Chris Barber
Originally from Southend, Chris has lived in Birmingham for more than three decades. A registered nurse for people with a learning disability and proudly autistic himself, Chris served on the National Autistic Society council from 2012-2016. He is an active member of the Royal College of Nursing and a full-time carer for his wife from 2010 until her death in January 2021, having spent her life caring for others.

Chris was an active member of various carer groups throughout the city and enjoys giving something back to society in the form of voluntary work. He is a published author of three books, one on autism and two on learning disabilities as well as numerous articles and papers, mainly on health and nursing issues. He is currently working on a part-time PhD at Aberdeen University focusing on non-visible disabilities in ordained church ministers.

This is Chris’ second term of office as a publicly elected NHS Trust governor for Birmingham Community Healthcare and he has also served as a school governor, from 2008-2014. As a nurse, a carer and an autistic, Chris is passionate about the NHS and as a governor, champions disability and neurodiversity issues within the governing council. 

 

 

Errol Oliver
Errol began his career as a software engineer developing remote supervisory systems, before moving into healthcare.  Retired with over 30 years of healthcare experience in the UK and California, he became a senior civil servant and director of information for the West Midlands NHS Executive.

Errol has also been a chartered engineer, a member of the Institute of Engineering and Technology, a project management professional and an associate member of the Institute of Physics. While in California, he chaired a group for parents of children on the autistic spectrum. 

As a Pentecostal minister and former pastor, Errol has extensive experience in pastoral care. Passionate about the future of the NHS, he is committed to equitable access to healthcare for all members of the community.   

 

 

South Birmingham

Dr Peter Mayer

Peter retired in 2007 as a consultant physician and honorary senior lecturer in geriatric and stroke medicine in Birmingham. His was also elderly service director and director of research and development in the community trust. He is now a community representative on the partnership board of BSOL ICB and a Senior Adviser to the Birmingham Lunar Society

Other professional roles included medical staff representation and stroke research network chair regionally. Peter is serving honorary president and treasurer of the West Midlands Institute of Ageing and Health, and Chair of the West Midlands branch of the Socialist Health Association. He has been involved in the voluntary sector throughout his career, setting up the local Crossroads in 1984 and was previously a national trustee of Carers Trust and Creator and Chair of Age UK Birmingham.

Peter draws on his personal experience as a patient with a number of services and his professional background gives him a good understanding of how to improve quality for the benefit of patients and service users.

 

 

Greg Scott-Cook
Greg has gained experience of governance through being a school governor and chairing the patient participation group at a local GP practice.

His professional background is in the energy industry, mainly in finance and commercial roles, and he looks forward to using his skills and experience to support the council of governors in gaining assurance about the work of the Trust and how it is making progress towards its objectives.

 

 

 

Yashpal Singh Dehele
After working for the NHS and the PHE as a Health care professional for 41 years, Yashpal retired in July 2016 but returned to the NHS to support staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yashpal has held the position of school governor for three years and has also served as chair of Stirchley residents association. Yashpal is passionate about the NHS and proud to work for it.

He says his experience has helped her understand the challenges facing the NHS in providing healthcare services to a diverse society. Outside the NHS, Yashpal has been involved as a complementary therapist in a focus group on ‘healthy living’ project run by the Council of Sikh Gurudwaras UK. 

 

 

Dr Peter Rookes
Peter started out in healthcare as an 18-year-old student nurse. A career in nursing saw many roles across community health and acute services, with 10 years as chief nursing officer for Central Birmingham, the last five also as director of nursing at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

Peter has significant international experience, working in healthcare in developing countries including The Maldives, Papua New Guinea, Malawi, Uganda, Kenya and India.

Peter was chair of Birmingham Cross-City CCG public involvement committee and is serving chair of the governance committee at Birmingham Voluntary Services Council.  Other interests include secretary of Birmingham Council of Faiths, faith advisor to West Midlands Police,  Crown Prosecution Service hate crime scrutiny panelist and a non-executive director of Healthwatch NED.

 

 

Central and West Birmingham

Graham Green
Graham served as an elected member of Birmingham City Council for 12 years, during which time he obtained a great deal of experience across social services and public health.

Graham also works as an energy debt consultant and is currently a governor of a local secondary school in Birmingham. A family man, his passion for the NHS stems from first-hand experience following his daughter's involvement in a road accident and her subsequent healthcare requirements.

Graham is keen to use all his experience to fully engage in his role as governor and make a positive contribution.
 
 

Tim O'Hanlon

Tim has lived in Birmingham since the late 1950s and knows the City and wider region well.  Having worked in more than 50 countries, Tim has a great appreciation of the value that diversity brings to conversations. 

Tim is a cancer survivor and continues to manage epilepsy and asthma on a daily basis.  In 1988, after 10 years in manufacturing companies (including Lucas and Thorn EMI, in Birmingham) Tim became a management consultant and worked in many sectors and in 2005.

He began to focus on healthcare and in particular, urgent and emergency care and elective care and has worked with many healthcare teams in the UK and internationally. Tim was part of the advisory team that helped to introduce the “Your Care Connected” patient record system in Birmingham and supported a national Covid-19 response in the Middle East.

Over the years, Tim has helped healthcare organisations gain recognition for their work by celebrating success stories in international awards programs, including the International Project of the Year in 2018 and is an executive lecturer with the Frankfurt Business School.

Tim wanted to share this experience of working with healthcare professionals as a way of helping BCHC realise its vision and strategic objectives.

 

Chris Vaughan

Always active in his local community, Christopher has sat on a wide range of boards such as Birmingham Environmental Partnership and Urban Living. Christopher served as a patient representative for Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG, chairing the Ladywood and Winson Green patient network and sits on the local commissioning group board.

He has served a member of the CCG’s patient and partner advisory group and as a member of the Urgent Care Programme Board and the 111 Governance Board. This broad experience gives Christopher an excellent understanding of the structure of the NHS and clear views of what needs to be done to improve both performance and patient experience.

 

Paula Williams

Paula describes herself as a mother, grandmother and great grandmother, recently retired after 36 years with Birmingham City Council.

A carer for some time, she would love to raise the profile for carers of all ages. Paula feels that important skills for the position of governors are communication, listening, empathy and lots of common sense, of course! Paula hopes she can represent people of all backgrounds and ages.

 

 

West Midlands Region

Lorna Lanbari

Lorna is an experienced health and fitness professional and has worked in and around the West Midlands on numerous health and wellness projects.

Lorna has devised and delivered physical activity projects to numerous community groups and supported individuals and communities to live a healthier lifestyle. She has experience in the East of Birmingham as a social prescriber and, most recently, has managed a children's weight management project throughout Birmingham.  

Lorna enjoys empowering those around her to believe in themselves and celebrate their accomplishments. Lorna previously served as a public governor for North and East Birmingham but, following relocation ,was re-elected to serve the wider West Midlands.