Meet our Governors

I am a very proud nurse who has worked at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals for 25 years in varying roles.

My journey began at the age of 13 when I commenced work in a residential home washing dishes after school. This ignited my passion for caring and it was clear then what path I was to take.

On leaving school, I began working full time at the residential home before taking a position in a nursing home for further experience. While I enjoyed this greatly, I wanted more - I wanted to train to be a nurse.

I applied to Blackpool Teaching Hospitals as an auxiliary nurse (now a HCA) and was successful. I was a HCA for nine years before being accepted for a nurse secondment.

Since I qualified, I have worked in a number of medical specialities adding value and supporting the services we provide.

My current role is a clinical matron within tertiary services. Throughout my 25 year career, I have always retained my passion for nursing and caring in general.

I appreciate the opportunity, now I am elected onto the Council of Governors, to represent the people of the trust including the patients we serve and the staff we support. I welcome the opportunity to help reshape the future of healthcare within the trust for now and our future. 

Biography to follow

As a lifelong resident of Blackpool, I am deeply connected to the local community through family, friends, and professional ties. I have always valued the exceptional work carried out by Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, and I am proud to support its continued success in my role as Staff Governor. With the current economic climate being turbulent and decisions being scrutinised at all levels, it’s important that all decisions that impact the professions and roles within Clinical Support are held to account.

I began my career within the Trust ten years ago as a Medical Laboratory Assistant. With the support of my colleagues, I progressed academically by converting my BSc in Biology into an IBMS-accredited degree, followed by successful HCPC registration. I have since gained extensive experience in Blood Transfusion and Haematology, and have contributed to quality and management aspects within Pathology. I was fortunate to observe open-heart surgery alongside the cardiac department, an experience that reinforced the critical role of all clinical support services. It also highlighted the value of national initiatives such as NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme in driving quality and efficiency across healthcare.

My career development has included completion of the IBMS Specialist Portfolio and, more recently, the Higher Specialist Diploma (results pending), which will help me attain my fellowship within the IBMS. My personal development has been significantly supported by the leadership within Clinical Support Services, ultimately enabling my progression to the role of Senior Biomedical Scientist. In this position, I have been able to share my knowledge and experience with others while gaining valuable exposure to management responsibilities. To further enhance my leadership capabilities, I have enrolled in the CMI Level 7 qualification in management.

I am passionate about ensuring that decisions affecting Clinical Support services are made transparently and with accountability. I remain committed to representing staff voices and want to help deliver high-quality care through collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.

I started working with the Trust in 2002 in HR, moving to the role of Equality and Diversity Lead in 2008.

Originally from Liverpool, my adult life has been spent on the Fylde coast.  All three of my children were born at Blackpool Victoria Hospital and attended local schools, which meant we had the need to access a number of services provided by the Trust.

I worked in IT until the early 1990s then changed career attaining a BA in Management and Organisations with HRM and MSc in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations at the University of Manchester Business School in 2002.

I am Councillor Pam Brookes.

I was elected to represent Victoria Ward in 2023, and since then, I have been the Appointed Governor from Blackpool Council.

Living in Blackpool since the early 70s, this has been my family’s hospital through joyful times and sad ones.

As a family, we have experienced many of the services provided here, so I know how important local medical care is.

Biography to follow.

I have lived in Blackpool for over 30 years and seen many changes.  I realise that the NHS has suffered badly from Government cuts and feel that the staff have not received enough praise from the public for their efforts during the recent pandemic.

This needs to change and staff should be supported and appreciated for the work they put in.  I am enthusiastic about change, but only if it is for the benefit of patients and staff, and I am committed to robustly supporting staff views.

I have spent most of my working life in accountancy and am a qualified Association of Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA).  Since retiring I have been keeping myself busy and understand finance in all its forms. As money needs to be used more efficiently, I would oppose any changes which mean that patients and staff suffer in any way. I am passionate about improving the health and care of our patients, across community and acute services, whilst holding our leaders responsible.

This is my first term as a Governor representing the Blackpool Area. I have worked in the NHS for 42 years. I recently retired from the North West Ambulance Service as the Sector Manager for West Lancashire.

I have a great understanding on how the NHS operates and will endeavour to use that knowledge in obtaining a greater understanding of how I can influence the trust in a positive direction.

I live in Blackpool and have done so for more than 40 years. I know how important our hospital is to our community and I will make sure that the Board stand up to scrutiny and capability and will discharge my duties to the best of my ability.

I am committed to this role and will use all skills and expertise to observe and comment on all relevant issues in this Hospitals Trust to enable them to move to the top of its game.

I will always put the patient’s interest first in all matters and will attempt to represent the views of my local community at all times.

I have lived in Blackpool for over 40 years and enjoyed a successful career in the hospitality and facilities management sectors. I now wish to share my lifetime of Board level experiences to support the Trust face the ongoing challenges it will inevitably face in the future. I will welcome the training I will be offered to fulfil this role and so become an effective participating Governor. I am an active member of a number of organisations locally including the Blackpool Civic Trust, Friends of Stanley Park, a volunteer conductor on the Heritage Trams and a Volunteer Mentor to young people through the Princes Trust. I wish to give more back to the local community by playing an active role in helping the Governors hold the Board of Directors to account for the hospital services they provide to our community. I will proactively support business change and service delivery enhancements, so the Directors are able to provide an ever-improving service to the Fylde community.

I am 60 years of age and have lived in Blackpool most of my life. I am passionate about the NHS, after having received lifesaving treatment for pancreatitis and cancer. The constitution of the NHS, based on need, accessibility to all and being properly accountable to the communities it serves, is paramount.

In my role as a local councillor, I have an innate ability to engage with my constituents when raising their concerns, sometimes supporting their feelings of anguish, despair and frustration, by being a good listener thus making observations to enable a good problem solving outcome. I sit on similar committees taking a constructive approach ensuring all parties have the same unbiased hearing to be fair to all. A recent achievement for my ward is two pelican crossings to be placed in positions long overdue to secure the safety of pedestrians. I have experience managing staff as a facilities manager both here and abroad, thus enhancing my enthusiasm to promote good corporate governance. I have academic practical experience and knowledge after achieving the NEBOSH qualifications to add to my engineering qualifications.

I have the energy and determination to engage with the public to want to get an insight of their opinions of the Trust. I have a full understanding, knowledge, experience and skills of what a high standard of service is expected within strict financial constraints. Therefore, I believe I have the experience, expertise and passion to contribute to Blackpool's NHS FT in moving forward as a Governor.

I was born in Durham City in 1946 and have lived in Blackpool for the last 62 years. After attending Durham School, I built an extensive career in marketing and public relations, working with companies in both the UK and the USA. During this time, I was also appointed as a researcher for Lord Wade in the House of Lords. I spent several years as a professional musician performing internationally. I am married and we have three grown children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

For 16 years, I served as a councillor for Anchorsholme Ward, including eight years as Leader of the Conservative Group on Blackpool Council. Throughout that time, I was committed to representing and supporting local communities, and I now wish to continue that commitment in my role as Governor.

I aim to use my experience in local government, leadership, and community engagement to support the Council of Governors, working as part of a focused team dedicated to the growth and improvement of one of the country’s most important and essential health services. Like many others, I owe my life to Victoria Hospital, its gifted surgeons and nursing staff, and I want to show my appreciation by contributing to its ongoing and future success.

Originally from Manchester, I have lived on the Fylde coast since 1967.

I work for the Blackpool Library Service.

I consider it an honour and a privilege to be a Public Governor for Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and hope to discharge my duties well.

I believe the NHS to be the best care provider in the world, offering unconditional care to all at the point of need.

I have lived on the Fylde Coast all my life and now reside in Lytham with my husband and 3 young children who were all born at Blackpool Victoria Hospital. I am passionate about the care the NHS provides, my daughter who was born 6 months ago received life saving treatment in the neonatal unit and later Manchester Children's Hospital - the staff were absolutely amazing who supported me and my family.

For the last 13 years I have owned a local company which supports adults and older people in the community by providing care within their own homes. As part of this role I have extensive experience of working in multi-disciplinary NHS teams and within community NHS services to achieve the best outcome for patients. I have worked with a wide variety of local people requiring care, in particular those living with dementia, long term health conditions and their carers. I also owned and operated the onsite Blackpool Victoria Hospital NHS Children's Day Nursery up until 2022, so I have a vast understanding of the pressures that staff working within the NHS have and the need for flexibility to allow them a work life balance. As part of the above roles I have been the registered person for both CQC and OFSTED at outstanding rated settings.

I am proud to represent the residents in the Fylde constituency and I am relishing the opportunity to put forward local views to continuously improve and add value to our local NHS services. I believe it is very important to have people like myself as a Governor who are from non-NHS backgrounds and with varied experiences to best feed into the discussions at our Governors meetings, so the views of the local people are fully represented.

Hi. I’m John Moore. I’m a long time Fylde resident, now also a retired Audit Manager and able to focus my time on the things that are important to me. I believe that my experience should let me fill a governor’s role well. My job was to help ensure that organisations ran smoothly and effectively. To do this I needed effective communication with everyone – from new starters to directors. Along the way I gained a good knowledge of what governance is about. I spent some time working with long-term care and health-related services, though most was spent in finance and insurance.

Why do I want to be a governor? Three years ago, my sister died of oesophageal cancer; my two brothers are both in remission from prostate cancer; and throughout a difficult 2020, I relied time and again on Blackpool Victoria’s excellent Ophthalmic, Surgical and Medical Retina staff. Indeed, 2021 has started the same way. It’s clear to me that giving back to the local NHS Trust is a priority.

As an aside, I’m well prepared for voluntary working. I’ve volunteered continuously for the last 20 years, including a few years as the unpaid president of my professional association. I hope to continue my volunteering with the NHS.

I have lived in Poulton for over 50 years. I am windowed with two surviving sons.  My third son died aged 29 following surgery in an NHS hospital, and this prompted me to get involved with the NHS, where for several years I have tried to contribute to improving the quality and safety of patient care.  Before retiring I worked for ICI and then was one of the founding directors of Victrex PLC, a successful local company.  My responsibilities included ensuring the chemical manufacturing processes were carried out safely.  I wrote Vitrex’s safety policy and set up the organisation, arrangement, systems, and resources to implement our policy. I am particularly interested in making sure the culture of an organisation is open and focused on learning and improvement. As a Governor I will try and support staff to deliver the care to the high standard they aspire to.

I’m delighted to represent fellow Wyre residents in my first term as a Governor of the Trust. Wyre residents expect and deserve Blackpool Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust to provide them with excellent health care services.

I am under no illusions about the challenges the Trust and wider NHS currently face. I’ve been a Civil Servant for the last eight years, and a Senior Policy Advisor in the Department of Health and Social Care for the last three.

I have a strong track record in my professional life of identifying public policy issues and solving them, particularly in policy areas that come with complexity or large financial risks. I am driven to ensure that there is accountability and transparency in the public sector at all levels. Citizens deserve no less.

I’m a Preesall resident who grew up in Garstang. I’ve experienced the best and worst of our NHS in recent years, from the birth of my daughter to the diagnosis and treatment of my wife for breast cancer.

 All my life I have been working in the NHS in various capacities: as a nurse, a tutor and latterly as the Cancer Services Manager chasing the government's cancer waiting times.

After leaving full-time employment I have continued in health, being a lay member of the Blackpool Clinical Commissioning Group representing the parents’ issues, and a governor of Blackpool Teaching Hospitals and Lancashire Care Mental Health Trust.  I am also a trustee of a community house and Blackpool Boyes and Girls Club, helping local communities and local people.

This is my second time as a public governor as Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, NHS Foundation Trust. I live in Hornby, North of Lancashire and represent the North Counties.

I am a passionate advocate for the NHS, and Blackpool Teaching Hospital has been very much part of our extended family for many years. My wife and children were born in Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, I have had surgery at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, and my parent received wonderful care at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals towards the end of their lives.

My employment over the last forty years was as a Methodist minister in Cumbria. I also served as a hospital chaplain in Barrow in Furness, Penrith, and Carlisle, and for 10 years, I was a full-time hospice chaplain at the Garden of Eden Valley Hospice in Carlisle.