Our Council of Governors

Richard’s medical career included time in hospitals, the RAF, research and general practice. Since retiring he has maintained an active interest in health issues as well as voluntary work at Royal Papworth Hospital and Addenbrooke’s. In late 2012 he underwent a successful pulmonary endarterectomy at Papworth. As a Governor his main interest is in the quality of care and patient safety/dignity.

Following open heart surgery at Papworth Hospital in 2007, Stephen became a volunteer ward visitor.  In a long career as a senior manager within the construction industry, he contributed to a number of NHS projects. He is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) and past chair of the Cambridge centre.

Having retired from the RAF in 2006, Glenn is a full time arable farmer and businessman. He is a Royal Papworth patient and in addition to being a governor he is a patient representative on the Anglia Lung Network Cancer Group. He has assisted in peer reviews and is also a member of the Patient Advisory Board of the local Cancer Alliance.

After bringing up her family, Gillian began nursing in her early 40s, retiring as the ‘Modern Matron’ in Neuroscience at Addenbrookes’ in 2004. The next year she became a Public Governor for Addenbrooke’s. She has a particular interest in patient experience

Graham is a Cambridge University graduate and professional HR manager and consultant with wide public and private sector experience, the last 20 years of which have been in various roles in the NHS. He joined Papworth in 1994 as Director of Corporate Development and retired in 2009 on being appointed to the NHS Pay Review Body. Currently he is a Director of Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Peterborough CIC ,and also works with HEE and CQC. He also chairs the East of England ACCEA and other remuneration committees; previously he was Chair and Lead Trustee of the Cambridge Community Mediation Service from 2006 to 2011.

Barry has been with his firm of solicitors in Newmarket since 1976. He commenced his working life as a trainee legal executive, qualified as a legal executive, then qualified as a solicitor. He is, and has been for some years, an equity partner of the firm and is its current Chairman.

Julia is a retired NHS oncology and research nurse.

Trevor retired as an equity partner at an accountancy practice in 2014. He suffers from Muscular Dystrophy and asthma and is a patient of Royal Papworth Hospital. Trevor has been fitted with a defibrillator and has also experienced treatment in the Sleep Study Centre. Trevor uses an electric wheelchair and understands the issues and needs of the less abled.

John has been closely associated with Royal Papworth Hospital since his first bypass operation in 1984. He then joined the Norfolk Zipper Club and has been actively involved ever since. In 2008, John was awarded an MBE for services to fundraising for cardiac  patients. John was Chairman of the Norfolk Zipper Club from 1995 until 2010. John joined the Council of Governors in 2004.

Tony recently retired from a hectic career undertaking roles in both engineering and sales and marketing, working for a number of international companies. Throughout his career, he has travelled and lived in the Americas and in South East Asia. Originally from Hertfordshire, Tony has lived in Norfolk with his family for over 30 years. Keen to support the Royal Papworth Hospital Trust, he was appointed to the Council of Governors in 2017.

Peter is a retired director of his own building firm and lives in Cringleford. In 2009 Peter underwent a triple bypass operation at Papworth Hospital after which he joined the Norfolk Zipper Club to be able to give something back in recognition of the care he received. He now serves as an active committee member of the Norfolk Zipper Club raising funds for Royal Papworth Hospital.

Bob is a businessman who runs his own car dealership, having worked in the motoring industry for his entire career. He has witnessed first-hand the services provided at Royal Papworth Hospital after he underwent a potentially life-saving quadruple heart bypass 15 years ago. This spurred him on to join the Norfolk Zipper Club to give something back to the staff that cared for him. He has recently become the club’s chairman and decided he wanted to further support Royal Papworth Hospital by becoming a governor.

Janet has been a member of the Patient Experience Panel since 2003, and was joint Chair in 2006. She is actively involved in various committees concerning patient issues within Royal Papworth Hospital. Janet is a Royal Papworth Hospital patient.

Rob has been the Co-Chair of the NHSBT Cardiothoracic Transplant Patient Group since 2015 and is also a committee member of the Papworth Transplant Patient Group. Rob's wife, Kathryn, received a heart/lung transplant at Papworth in 2013.

Keith has a professional background as Faculty Director (Technology) at Cambridge Regional College. He has been Cambridge Community Health Council Chairman and held representative appointments on both Addenbrooke's Hospital and East Anglian Ambulance boards. His long association with Royal Papworth Hospital is as Chairman of the British Cardiac Patients' Association and a trustee of Heart Valve Voice. Keith is also actively involved in various committees within the hospital.

Simon qualified as a doctor in 1979 at King's College Hospital in London. After spells working at King's Westminster and Charing Cross Hospitals specialising in ENT Surgery, he transferred into General Practice. He became a partner at a surgery in 1992 and retired 22 years later as the senior partner in 2014. He continues to work as a locum GP for a few sessions a week. He became a patient at Royal Papworth Hospital in 2015 and was appointed to the Council of Governors in 2017.

Harvey is a retired business consultant and professional engineer, and brings to the Council of Governors a wide range of general management, commercial, and financial skills. Harvey is a returning Governor having previously served as a Governor from 2004 to 2014, during which time he held a number of positions including Chair of the Forward Planning Committee, Chair of the Appointments Committee and Lead Governor.

Penny is Staff Governor for Royal Papworth hospital representing the Allied Health Professionals. She is a qualified and registered social worker and has worked at Royal Papworth since 2007, initially as a part time social worker before being appointed as team leader in 2009.
Prior to working at Royal Papworth, Penny worked in a variety of roles in social care, as a child protection social worker, managing a unit for people with severe dementia, as well as a variety of posts in residential and day care for the elderly. She also has experience of working with young homeless people.

Katrina has worked in Respiratory Physiology at Royal Papworth since 2002. Her role is primarily in education and research but she also has a clinical workload and leads the exercise physiology service. Half her time is spent seconded to Anglia Ruskin University, where she teaches and develops degrees in clinical physiology.

Cheryl is the Head of Nursing for Clinical and Diagnostic Services. She has worked at Royal Papworth Hospital since 1994, firstly within Critical Care, before progressing to Sister and Transplant Coordinator within the Transplant department. In 2013 she progressed to be part of the Matron team working within the Transplant unit and Ambulatory Care. Since January 2018  Cheryl has been working in the Head of Nursing role, with responsibility for Critical Care, Theatres, Cath Labs and Diagnostics, alongside Ambulatory care and Private Patients. She is serving a third term as a staff governor representing Nursing.

Helen has worked at Royal Papworth Hospital since 1992 in a variety of administrative roles across a number of departments. Helen’s current role is Booking Centre Manager, helping to monitor and improve waiting times, and deliver timely in-patient admissions and out-patient appointments for the various specialties within cardiology, cardiac surgery and thoracic surgery. Helen is also helping to lead on delivering a streamlined and centralised booking function for the new hospital from Royal Papworth House.

Dr Alessandro Ruggiero qualified as a doctor at the University of Rome and trained in radiology in Rome. He undertook the Molecular Imaging for Oncology Fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (New York, USA) and then he moved to the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam. He was awarded a PhD from Erasmus University in 2012.

He completed his subspecialty training in Cambridge at Addenbrooke’s Hospital (cross sectional radiology), Royal Papworth Hospital and Southampton University hospital (cardiac MR). He was appointed consultant cardio-thoracic radiologist at Royal Papworth Hospital in 2015. He is a staff governor and has been representing doctors since 2017.

Tony is a porter at Royal Papworth Hospital and says we are undergoing a change that will be both exciting and challenging for many members of staff. He feels it is of the utmost importance to keep staff informed of all the latest developments and to listen to what they are saying.

Dr Caroline Edmonds is Secretary to the School of Clinical Medicine, part of the University of Cambridge. 

Councillor Alex Malyon is the Liberal Democrat Councillor for Longstanston. She is a Member of South Cambridgeshire District Council, which covers Papworth Everard.