Patient and public involvement

Our patient and public involvement strategy sets out our objectives and plans to ensure our organisation listens and responds to the needs and preferences of our patients and communities.

Our goal is for:

• all patients to feel that they are understood, heard, and have control and choice over their health and care so that it meets their specific needs.
• as many patients, families, carers and local residents to feel encouraged and supported to take an active role in their own health as well as in shaping and delivering the care we provide to help ensure it better reflects patients’ needs.
• a core group of patients, carers, and local people to directly influence the development and delivery of our organisational strategy to help ensure we are making the best use of all of the insight, skills and knowledge available to us.

Our strategic lay forum

The strategic lay forum is at the core of patient and public involvement at the Trust, setting and championing a clear vision for effective patient and public involvement. It was established in November 2015 and consists of up to 20 lay partners, senior Trust staff and patient and public involvement leads at Imperial College and Imperial Health Charity. It meets every six weeks and oversees the Trust’s involvement strategy, provides advice and feedback and makes sure that the Trust’s plans and initiatives are shaped by the needs and preferences of the relevant patients and local communities.

Read about our progress on our involvement strategy in the annual review from the strategic lay forum. This also includes priorities for the coming year.

Strategic lay forum minutes:

• June 2024
• April 2024
• November 2023
• September 2023
• July 2023
• June 2023

Meet our strategic lay forum members 

Ed Lowther

Strategic lay forum co-chair

Ed is currently a senior manager at consultancy firm PwC UK, where we focuses on workforce practice. Previously, his career spanned business support and consultancy across both the private and public sectors in the industries of mental health and education. His experience also includes eight years with the British military and overseas tours. During that time, Ed developed his interest in giving back, serving local communities and volunteering. As a resident of Hammersmith, he is really pleased to get involved with his local hospital, the Trust and wider healthcare development across north west London and to use his experience and leadership skills to help ensure we listen to patients and communities in all our developments.

 

Shanaka Dias 

Strategic lay forum co-chair

Shanaka currently works in the areas of coproduction and participative design with charities and social businesses on governance. He previously worked as a consultant within IT and data projects, improving their use of data and approach to analysing it to meet their priorities. Shanaka was also a board member for the City of Westminster College, where he also chaired the quality improvement committee. He has spent time volunteering with local charities that support people that have Parkinsons and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He is a patient of the Trust and is keen to support the work of the NHS in how it listens to and engages with patients.

 

 

Phayza Fudlalla

Strategic lay forum deputy co-chair 

Phayza has 20 years’ experience of working in community development and health promotion in the UK and internationally. She is currently an Engagement and Projects Manager with the BME Health Forum working with statutory and voluntary sector organisations to improve the health and wellbeing of BME communities and reduce health inequalities. Earlier Phayza worked for Paddington Development Trust as a Health and Communities Manager. She was also Head of Community Programmes and co-deputy CEO for the Abbey Community Association & Centre, overseeing programmes to improve the health and wellbeing of people experiencing a wide range of conditions, tackling the health inequalities of ethnic minority communities and addressing the health impact of social isolation on vulnerable older people from all backgrounds. Previously, she worked with the Domestic Violence Intervention Project (DVIP) that supports women by providing advocacy, information and signposting. Before moving to the UK, Phayza worked with international organisations in Sudan including the World Food Programme and Plan International as a researcher and Community Development Programmes Manager respectively. Phayza holds a BSc in Agricultural Economics from Egypt and MSc in International Public Health and Nutrition from University of Westminster UK.

 

Stephanie Nash

Strategic lay forum deputy co-chair

Stephanie studied at St Martins School of Art. She worked as a designer and art director in music, fashion and luxury brands. She has been a Governor at Great Ormond Street Hospital for the last 5 years and as a parent and family representative for 15 years. For St Marys Hospital she has worked on paediatric projects such as CC4C (connecting care for children) while also working on several projects towards the re-development of the hospital. Stephanie has been a patient/parent representative for The London Immunisation Board as well as a committee member of Imperial charity’s All Smiles campaign, raising money for the new St Mary's PICU. She is a Trustee of Trust Judy Blame, the charity of the late designer. Stephanie has an interest in improving patient experience in paediatrics especially for patients with autism and learning difficulties.

 

 

John Black

Strategic lay forum member

John was formerly a TV Director and Producer, whose work includes Dr Who. He has also made numerous communication films/videos for large companies and charities. Born in Africa, he moved to Scotland aged ten.  Later going to his home university, St Andrews, from where he has an MA in Social Sciences. As a life-long sportsman he has a profound interest in health, which led him, in 1999, to attend postgraduate courses in Sports Physiology and Sports Medicine at Brunel University. He is also a qualified Pilates Instructor. He sees being a lay partner and a member of the strategic lay forum as giving something back, but he feels guilty saying that, because it's so engrossing.

 

 

Graeme Crawford

Strategic lay forum member

Graeme was previously a solicitor initially in private practice dealing with criminal cases and also negotiating corporate contract agreements. He has studied business administration receiving a bachelor of art (honours) and a higher national diploma. He has also developed an interest in customer service experience during his career working with/for commercial organisations along with developing skills in marketing and sales. Currently, Graeme is volunteering using his skills to help benefit others.

 

 

Olivia Freeman

Strategic lay forum member

Olivia has been working with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust for many years to improve patient experience and has extensive PPI experience from working with Healthwatch, Imperial College Healthcare Trust (ICHT) and NWL London Collaborative of CCGs. She has also been involved in research projects to do with healthcare acquired infections. I am Member of Strategic Lay Forum (ICHT). She sits on the End of Life Steering Committee; Charing Cross redevelopment and NW London HCIE (Health Care information Exchange) Programme Board. She is the lay representative on the Programme Board for the Elective Orthopaedic Centre which opened at the beginning of December 2023: this was the first pan N. W London acute collaborative project.

 

 

Agnes Seecoomar

Strategic lay forum member

Agnes has worked as a recruitment consultant, photographer and mostly in education. Agnes has an MA in Curriculum Development and her teaching experience and qualifications include early years, TEFL and Further Education. Agnes’ teaching experience also includes students who had missed out on education for periods of time for a variety of reasons, students who had been permanently excluded from school, students with a range of SEN, basic skills to adults in the community and functional skills to students on vocational courses. Agnes was a Trustee of an Educational Charity which provided resources for schools in Guyana for 10 years. Agnes cares most about empowerment.

 

 

Mariya Stoeva

Strategic lay forum member

Mariya is a disabled person and has used a powered wheelchair since childhood. She joined the strategic lay forum to ‘’give back’’ to the community and contribute towards improvement of accessibility and inclusion. Mariya works as an access project coordinator for Action on Disability Kensington and Chelsea (ADKC), which is an organisation run and controlled by local disabled people where they support their members to live independently. She is also the chair of the Safeguarding Ambassadors Group and sits on various forums and committees, such as, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Mobility Forum and City of London Access Group (CoLAG), where she represents disabled residents’ needs and helps to break down the barriers disabled people face. Mariya holds two Master Degrees (MSc) in Linguistic and in Consulting Psychology and is interested in self-development and working within the social model of disability. Mariya received the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Mayor’s Award 2017-2018 in the volunteering sector.

 

Lila Mann

Strategic lay forum member

Lila spent over 20 years working in international medical market research. She specialised in patient and carer research and developed online platforms across several areas of medicine including oncology, haemophilia and other bleeding disorders in the UK, USA, parts of Africa and the Middle East. A few years ago, her partner was diagnosed with stage four cancer and was treated at the Royal Marsden Hospital. This experience led her to have a greater understanding of the hospital from both a patient and carer point of view. She quickly became involved with several patient groups including the Royal Marsden’s Patient and Carer Advisory Group (PCAG) as member and chair as well as several steering committees. She was also invited to join Royal Marsden Partners Patient Advisory Group (PAG) as member and co-chair, and was appointed patient representative at Royal Marsden Partners’ Clinical Oversight Group (COG) South West London and North West London Clinical Leads Groups, and the executive group. She is currently chair of The Cassidy Road Medical Centre. Lila is very health orientated, speaks several languages, is an avid reader and is widely travelled.

 

Candice Savary

Strategic lay forum member

Candice has been serving as a lay partner since 2022, actively contributing to various initiatives aimed at enhancing patient-focused resources and services. Her work includes involvement in the Young Person’s Big Room and supporting the redesign of the Waiting Well webpage, where she has provided insights from a patient and lay perspective to inform the development of patient-facing materials and initiatives. In addition to her work as a lay partner, Candice has volunteered with several organisations across London. Most notably, she has been a Young Leader for Girlguiding UK and supported the operations of the All Aboard Charity. These experiences have allowed her to contribute to her community and participate in activities focused on helping others. Candice particularly values her role as a lay partner as it offers insights into healthcare improvement while advocating for the patient voice. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Psychology at University College London and has a strong interest in her field of study. She aims to leverage her academic background to pursue a career in research, focusing on developing impactful and sustainable solutions for all patients.

 

 

Bridget Harris

Strategic lay forum member

Bridget is a self-employed bookkeeper and community project co-ordinator working within the social model of disability. Bridget constantly encourages inclusivity of all people with a range of disabilities, in all projects. She is passionate about improving health and wellbeing in local communities and currently runs a community group called The Purls UK that knits and crochets warm clothes for homeless people and their pets, as well as a number of other vulnerable groups. Bridget’s hobbies include cooking, reading, walking, Korean films and language, knitting and crocheting.