Papers bound up with string

Our Board

Our Board works to ensure that we are fulfilling our legal and statutory obligations. You can find out more about our Board below.

About our Board

We want to make sure that as many people as possible can share their voice and stories with us, so we continue to take steps to involve the public and volunteers in our governance and decisions about our work.

Our Board of Trustees are all volunteers appointed for having a mixture of skills, which includes lived experience and knowledge of health and social care. They govern our activity and by setting priorities are responsible for the strategic oversight of Healthwatch Hertfordshire. The Board ensures that we use our resources wisely and that we keep to our charitable purpose.

The Board meets six times a year with four public meetings and two strategic sessions for Board members only.

Our Chair

Neil Tester

Neil’s professional focus is on making people’s voices heard in health and social care policy and practice. From 2015 to 2019 he worked for Healthwatch England and since then has been Director of The Richmond Group of Charities, bringing together major health charities to help them make more difference through collaboration. He also understands how the world looks to health professionals, having worked for the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.

Neil’s personal experience of how the health and care systems affect people comes from years of long-distance caring for parents with multiple conditions, as well as his many months of treatment and rehabilitation following an accident.

Neil became Chair in October 2023.

Our Board

Treasurer - Alan Bellinger

In addition to his role as a Healthwatch Trustee, Alan Bellinger is a patient representative on the West Herts Diabetes Steering Group and member of the Hertfordshire Diabetes Conference Steering Group.

After retirement from a successful career in the private sector (working in both training and Information Technology), Alan wanted to get involved in supporting local health issues and improving the patient experience.

Alan, a widower, has lived in St Albans for almost 70 years; he has two children and he especially enjoys the company of his four grandchildren – all of whom live in Hertfordshire.

Eve Atkins

When a close family member became affected by mental illness, Eve witnessed first-hand the facilities, treatment, system support and various institutions that some people affected by mental illness endure in the mental health care system.

A need to share observations, accumulated knowledge and the drive to improve patient experiences encouraged Eve to join Healthwatch Hertfordshire (HwH). A Governor at HPFT representing HwH, Eve is involved with various groups reviewing mental health care processes and practices. Eve is also a Mental Health Act Manager and as such, attends statutory hearings where service users can appeal against their detention under the Mental Health Act.

Alex Booth

Alex is a Programme Manager working for a large retailer and has extensive experience delivering change impacting large numbers of customers/employees, developing strategy and managing stakeholder communications. He cares about developing the skills of others and putting individuals at the heart of decision-making.

Outside of work, Alex is an approved foster carer/adopter. Through this role and his family's own experiences, he has experience of both the children and adult social care sector, as well as the NHS. He is also a volunteer leader in a local scout group. 

Alex is passionate about ensuring that service users are at the heart of decision-making and that the experiences of users of the diverse/lesser known services across health and social care are heard.

Ramone Nurse

Ramone currently works as a Senior Commissioner for a London Borough and has gained over 20 years’ experience in housing, health, and social care. Ramone is passionate about improving health outcomes for the wider population and preventing ill health. In her current role she focuses on improving services in collaboration with residents, using project management and analysis skills to do so.

Working part-time as a health and fitness trainer, Ramone has supported those with learning disabilities, older people and those with mental health issues to increase physical activity and maintain good health outcomes. 

Jan Taylor

Jan worked in the NHS for over 30 years as a Therapeutic Radiographer, and retired from her role as Radiotherapy Service Manager in 2006. While in that role she gained a wide experience of cancer service provision, local, regional and national strategic planning, training and education.

Since then, she has been involved as a member of the Board of Governors at the United Hospitals Bath NHS Trust, volunteered with Healthwatch Wiltshire, and upon moving into the area with Healthwatch Hertfordshire. Jan has also worked part-time as Programme Manager for the Soldiering On Awards, honouring the achievements of armed forces veterans.

Jan brings a wealth of knowledge and experience of many aspects of service provision to the Board, as well as an appreciation of the challenges faced by health & care services.

Future Board Meetings

Board Meetings in 2024

Our Board meets quarterly in public; click on the dates to find out what we'll be discussing and how you can take part:

Our Annual General Meeting is provisionally scheduled to take place on:

  • Thursday 18th July 2024 

Past Board papers

We make the papers for our public Board meetings available online. We also publish a summary of what was discussed. Check out our past meetings to learn more.

Find out more