It is a privilege to be appointed to the Board of Anxend and to be associated with the great work that they are doing. Helping children, young people, and their families suffering with anxiety; allowing them to reclaim their lives.

Working as a GP in the NHS for many years, I have seen and dealt with the effects of anxiety.

I have now retired from General Practice and no longer see or treat individual patients. I am delighted to now have the opportunity to use my past clinical and life experience to guide and help the whole team at Anxend deliver innovative, safe, and effective help.

While a GP, I had specific experience as a school doctor for six years. I worked at a large co-educational boarding school, interacting closely with the school's pastoral and mental health teams as well as individual pupils. I continue to see some of the teachers and young people there on an annual residential trip, working as a ski instructor. I love sharing my passion for the mountains and helping young people develop through new experiences and working effectively together.

I was Chair of Lakeside Health Care Group for 3 years and deputy chair for 3 years before that. Lakeside formed the largest GP partnership in the NHS, joining eight practices in the East Midlands. In an increasingly challenging NHS environment, we wanted to support local GPs to provide the best care possible through innovation, a shared expert management structure, and the pooling of resources and financial risk. I particularly enjoyed working with the broad range of colleagues in the organisation, understanding how work impacted their lives, and facilitating discussions about improvements or managing challenges.

Before working in GP management, I worked as a GP appraiser. This involved speaking with GP colleagues about their key experiences and personal education over the preceding year, trying to put issues in perspective, understand them more deeply, and taking steps to overcome or deal with them.

On a personal note, I have two wonderful grown-up children who have helped me experience a wide range of emotions! A wise person once told me that, as a parent, you are only as happy as your most unhappy child. I look forward to making a difference there for the clients that we support.