New Chair appointed to Healthwatch Shropshire
Healthwatch Shropshire has appointed a new Chair to support its work as the county’s independent health and social care champion.
Vanessa Barrett has been a Healthwatch Shropshire Board Member since 2013. For over 40 years, Vanessa worked as a clinician and in senior management roles in many different NHS organisations, as well as with the Department of Health. She has a passion for improving the quality of care experienced by patients. Vanessa has lived in Bridgnorth for the past 22 years.
Of her appointment to the position of Healthwatch Shropshire Chair, Vanessa said:
“It has been a pleasure to have been involved with the very important work of representing the interests of Shropshire’s patients for the last 5 years and I feel incredibly honoured, therefore, to have been asked to serve as Chair. I will continue to ensure that the Shropshire Voice is heard loud and clear by providers of health and social care services for the people of Shropshire.”
Jane Randall-Smith, Chief Officer of Healthwatch Shropshire, said:
“Healthwatch Shropshire has been really fortunate to have had continuity in its Board Membership and leadership by Daphne Lewis over the last two years. I would like to thank Daphne for her input to and support for HWS at the same time as welcoming Vanessa as our new chair. We are in challenging times in terms of local health and social care. I am sure that Vanessa will be kept very busy ensuring that HWS continues to be the voice of local people, using their experiences to influence change and improvement in services.”
