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Staff Governors

Patrick has worked in the NHS nearly 25 years. In his current role, Patrick has had the opportunity to raise and implement suggestions to reduce cost and to allow direct investment in frontline services whilst ensuring safe access to the service and positive patient experience. Patrick has held various roles in NHS organisations, gaining valuable experiences and building excellent networks that support and shape his thinking with great resilience in his role as a Trust Governor.

Patrick Adamolekun (Staff Governor)

 

Mark is a mental health nurse by profession who has worked for the Trust for nearly twenty years. 14 years of that time were spent working in multidisciplinary teams on acute inpatient wards. He has a deep understanding of the issues/pressures faced by both staff and service users and the interplay between the two. In Mark’s current role he works with commissioners and service users to develop mental health outcomes. Mark is also the Unite union ELFT Branch secretary and has represented staff interests to the Executive Board for over 10 years and played a key role in the development of Human Resources policy, and numerous initiatives to improve staff wellbeing and support.

Mark Dunne (Staff Governor)

 

Love-Jane is a registered nurse, working in the community and acute settings. She has worked within the Trust for over 4 years across different roles and in the NHS for 7 years. Love-Jane is  delighted to be a member of the governing board of our dynamic Trust:

"As a staff governor, I have been very interested to learn first hand about the wider leadership of ELFT, how our governing body holds our senior leaders to account in areas pertaining to both staff, patients and the public at large, also supporting the Trust to be the best it can be. I am committed and determined to strive for equality, effective and efficient service delivery. I look forward to rendering my services as a staff governor for a better ELFT and the NHS at large."

Love-Jane Egbe (Staff Governor)

I am very passionate about the needs of people with a Learning Disability and would like the opportunity to highlight their needs and look into service improvement to ensure these needs are met to a high standard.  

I believe in joint working in achieving common goals and the importance of starting key discussions with leaders of the trust to ensure change/discussions of change can start.  

ELFT is also a trust that promote inclusion and diversity which is a key value I hold. I am very passionate of highlighting not only the diversity needs of service users but also staff and I believe being a staff governor would allow me to promote this further. I am involved in the anti-racism steering group within SPLD and the wider ELFT, this allows me to hear from the perspective of both staff and service users which I think is invaluable to bring as a governor also.  

I also have lived experience of supporting someone with autism and would to be an advocate for others whose voices are not always heard. Also would like to raise awareness of LD Nurses and the fantastic work we do. 

Caroline is a registered nurse with a wealth of experience in community nursing and various roles in management positions across NHS organisations among which was the project management of the pilot test of the Buurtzorg model in UK which took place in Tower hamlets borough.  

As a Governor, Caroline welcomes the opportunity to contribute, shape and influence local services, give community care staff and front-line staff a voice; while demonstrating her passion for nursing and providing high quality care for patients at home. She has a good network of contacts in NHS England/Improvement thus ensures that accurate and appropriate information is shared in timely manner, and the outstanding work of ELFT is shared with others as benchmarking. 

As the Lead Governor, Caroline has the confidence of her fellow Governors and the great understanding of the Trust board, and able to act as conduit between the Governors, the Trust Board and NHS Improvement. Caroline was granted the title of a Queen’s Nurse in 2017, a title that recognises extraordinary nurses’ contribution to nursing development, workforce development and quality improvement.

Caroline Ogunsola (Lead Governor)

As a Registered Nurse I first started working in Mental Health Services in Tower Hamlets in1989 and went on to work in various capacities across East London in its many organisational forms and configurations leading eventually to the creation of ELFT.  
I have previous experience of being a staff governor during ELFTs formative years, in my nursing career I have undertaken roles up to and including Lead Nurse level. As a long-standing trade union rep I have experience of all senior roles within individual unions and the joint staffside committee. 

I am a member of the Mental Health Nurses Association executive committee. 

The NHS has always faced continual scrutiny, challenge and change. The Governors have an important role in helping make change a positive process but one which has the support of service users, carers and staff.  

As someone who has seen the positive transformation of services over many years I believe I can offer my experience, advice and guidance as we face potentially quite significant organisational change in the period ahead. 

 

John Peers (Staff Governor)

 

I have worked as a Mental Health Staff Nurse in ELFT and its various forms since qualifying in 1996, I currently undertake a Trust wide Band 7 role. I have previously been a staff governor and completed a 6 year term some time ago.  I now find myself of an age when I am closer to the end of my working life than the beginning, we have a 50k shortage of nurses, we are still working through the worst world pandemic ever and I have just heard on the news about the pay review decision, so I feel  its even more important to land like an avenger and offer to  help that bit more so the infrastructure is in place for the best to happen for the community we serve, for our staff and for the learners who are the next generation to take things forward.
In truth I am not the most articulate person on the planet, but I have a passion for advocating for mental health nursing and other staff groups and have the courage to speak truth to power.

Betsy Scott (Staff Governor)

 

I am a MH nurse and have been working in ELFT for the last 18 years in various roles. In my current role I am supporting the development of a Complex Needs Team in a CAMHS Service and lead our internal crisis team. I work with my fellow colleagues in supporting our most vulnerable, and often at-risk CYP in the service to get the best support available during periods of crisis and difficulty in their lives.

I have previously worked in CYP inpatient services, Acute & and Adult Forensic Services.

I am very passionate about working with service users, families, and staff in ELFT to promote better experiences and support for all.

I am a firm believer in supporting the work force via training & teaching to help us grow and learn from each other; particularly when it comes to characteristics/barriers which can hinder how care & treatment is delivered to our service users; with a strong emphasis on meeting service users holistic needs through multi-agency working to ensure all aspects of Physical Health/Social/Mental Health needs are addressed and supported accordingly. I am also a strong advocate for our BAME staff groups and services users, supporting to overcome obstacles & access to Care & equal opportunities for recruitment & training for all.

I am currently an Equality and Diversity Champion and working with the Trust Wide CAMHS Anti-racist/Cultural Competency Training, I am also an NEL well-being ambassador working to promote and support better staff well-being. I have a passion for workforce development and quality improvement and believe these work hand in hand in delivering an effective service to all.

As part of the Staff Governor role, I will aim to represent the interests of both staff members of East London foundation Trust, the community, service users & families we work with. I was born in East London and have been a part of the community we serve.

I hope to use my knowledge, skills & expertise to govern effectively. Having the right people around the table is integral to evaluating and building effective teams/services, maintained by the structures, systems, and processes.

I am looking forward to aiding positive changes to come within my staff governor role in ELFT.

Sharmeen Sheikh Sultana (Staff Governor)

Staff voices are important in shaping the Trust. As a governor, I will amplify that voice and help staff be heard. I value positive effective communication across all teams, administration and clinical alike. I care deeply about how the Trust is run, both for patients and for staff and I would like to continue to “make a difference” and to influence the board from the shop floor.

I also want to help in ensuring a positive future and build on the innovations we had to adopt over the last few difficult years. I believe we have an exciting future and listening to staff is key.

I am not afraid to speak up and be heard, I am loyal to the organisation but willing to challenge poor practice. A practical and common sense approach to problem solving and also have a wicked sense of humour! Most of all I feel very passionate about ensuring the staff voice is heard by the board. I am currently a governor of 2 Primary schools and a Parish councillor.

Kate Smith (Staff Governor)