NHS Sheffield CCG Lay Members team (L-R: Phil Taylor, Mark Gamsu, Amanda Forrest, Chris Nield)

 

Your Lay Members – and what they do for you

 

Former Sheffield teacher and Public Health consultant Chris Nield joins the board (formally known as the Governing Body) for NHS Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). Chris’s role as Lay Member will be integral in reducing health inequalities and giving Sheffield people a voice in the decision making process.

As part of the CCG’s Governing Body, Lay Members have the responsibility to bring their experience and constructive criticism to discussions, helping to better shape the future of health care. New appointment Chris Nield will be contributing an invaluable ‘front line’ perspective to these discussions after working in the public sector for over 30 years.

Chris said: “I am pleased and excited to be joining the CCG as a Lay Member. It is good to be working in Sheffield again as I know the city well and I love its vibrant and strong communities and organisations.

“As the Lay Member for Systems and Leadership, I will be working on the CCG’s strategy for health care provision and reducing health inequalities across the city. I want to meet with as many different members of the community, patients and carers as possible, to give them the chance to tell their story and help inform our decisions.

“I feel this is an important post and as a team, we are making a difference to the health and wellbeing of our communities.”

The CCG has four Lay Members in total, who together oversee key elements of finance, strategy and governance. To be considered for a Lay Member position, applicants must have extensive experience in the public, private or voluntary sectors.

Most importantly, Lay Members must prove to be completely impartial: the application process involves a strict set of criteria that disqualifies anyone who may have a biased or conflicted point of view based on their personal and professional circumstances.

Chris said: “’impartiality’ means we are working on behalf of the population’s best interests only, supporting the fairness, honesty and transparency of the CCG’s work.

“We’re given the opportunity to probe decisions and challenge decision makers – this is what makes the Lay Member role an essential part of improving health in Sheffield and across the country.”

After starting her career as a teacher, Chris worked in Public Health for over 20 years, working across Nottinghamshire and North Lincolnshire, as well as part of Sheffield City Council. In her new role, Chris particularly wants to make a difference to health inequalities and improve mental health: “after working in Public Health for a long time, I know that social conditions influence physical and mental health. There are a lot of inequalities in health across Sheffield – I look forward to working with talented members of our local communities and organisations, in order to continue reducing these inequalities”.

For more information about the Governing Body, please visit the webpage.