Biography
Since the 1970s, Eileen’s longstanding involvement in the NHS has focused on two main themes: collaborative/partnership working and leading and managing organisational change. These themes have consistently put patients/citizens and the wellbeing of colleagues (a description she prefers rather than staff) at the centre of developing and delivering organisational and system-wide strategies. She is recognised as a ‘compassionate and visible’ leader.
These themes underpinned improving standards of care in East Lancashire Hospitals Teaching NHS Trust, one of the first ‘Keogh’ trusts placed in special measures. Under Eileen’s leadership it became the strongest-performing and influential acute and community trust in the Lancashire and South Cumbria system. When standing down from the Northern Care Alliance (2024), she left a ‘strong governance foundation’ that ensured open and transparent governance processes.
She has wide-ranging senior leadership experience gained from chairing acute and community trusts (East Lancashire Hospitals Teaching Trust and the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trusts); primary care (establishment of Salford Primary Care Teaching Trust, which was recognised as one of the highest-performing PCTs in England and, subsequently, NHS Greater Manchester, the largest PCT cluster in England, and a number of GP practices in East Lancashire and Stockport FHSA); and a specialised mental health trust in Salford.
Her chairing experience extends to the voluntary sector, which includes older people and a hospice. She is acknowledged for championing social and medium enterprises for their innovations in health improvement activities.
Eileen’s passion for matters of health equity/health inequalities motivates her involvement in developing policy. As a founder member of the Greater Manchester Health Commission, GM PCTs and local authorities came together to ensure that health matters were part of the City Region Plan.
She has also been a member of the Greater Manchester Poverty Commission, Health Sector Board of Lancashire and Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership, and Salford Local Strategic Partnership, the work of which entailed the regeneration of the City of Salford and of Lancashire and Cumbria Health Equity Commission.
Eileen feels fortunate that her involvement in ‘upstream’ aspects of public health complemented her academic career. She developed new areas of study in the sociology of ageing and the sociology of health and illness, which resulted in her research having an international reach in both policy development and practice—including being invited to contribute to a continuous professional development programme for Italian GPs at the University of Perugia.
Her contribution to the NHS has been recognised by the award of an MBE, as well as visiting professorial appointments at Manchester Metropolitan University, University of Chester and, currently, at the University of Cumbria.
