Chief Executive - Simon Fogell
Simon Fogell has been leading Healthwatch services since 2015. Prior to this Simon worked for 25 years in local government, ranging from management in children’s residential homes to Policy Manager for both children’s and adult social care. Simon led the communications and engagement for the introduction of personalisation within adult social care before becoming the Policy and Strategy Manager for the local authority. During this time Simon was also the council lead for the DWP's Ageing Well programme over several years, as well as sitting on the Equality and Diversity Task Force for over 10 years. He also led the Corporate Engagement team leading the council’s multiple diversity forums. Simon was also the Chief Executives Department Safeguarding Lead for both children and adults. Simon is also a trustee for two charities covering young people and community facilities.
Jan Suckling - Lead Engagement Officer
Jan started Volunteering with Healthwatch in 2018, she then joined the board in 2022 leading on Enter and View. Jan joined the team in the office in July 2022.
Prior to this, Jan had worked in the Social Care Sector for over 35 years. She started her career working with physically disabilities in Oxford. Jan was a Registered Care Manager for 29 years, working in elderly care. She had the privilege to work with those living with Dementia and their families.
Authorised Enter and View Lead
Tracy Cresswell - Corporate, Partnership, and Volunteering Manager
Tracy has worked for ECS since April 2016, when they delivered the Healthwatch Wolverhampton contract. She worked as the engagement manager being promoted to the Healthwatch manager in 2018. Volunteers have always been a big part of the work that Tracy had both within her role in Healthwatch and also in her role when working in the NHS.
In Tracy's spare time, she volunteers at an athletics club which she has done for many years, and for the last 18 months has been volunteering for a church who supports families with clothing, coats, food etc.
Paul Higgitt - Community Outreach Lead
Paul is our Community Outreach Lead and has worked in community development and engagement for over 20 years on a number of European Funding programmes and delivering participatory engagement training nationally.
Paul has worked for Healthwatch Staffordshire, Healthwatch Walsall and Healthwatch Sandwell in several roles for the past 6 years.
Most recently in Sandwell to capture patient and service users' experiences around Sandwell ICP priorities and to champion the patient voice in future changes to health and social care in Sandwell.
Paul has worked in the Telford area prior to this role so its welcome back!
Our volunteers
From committee members to authorised representatives, our Enter & View programme is run by staff and volunteers.
The Enter & View Committee looks at the evidence we receive from public feedback, and they use it to plan where visits should take place. It consists of four trained representatives, who are elected to their positions once a year by other volunteers.
Authorised representatives are trained staff and volunteers who we have been given the authority to take part in visits to publicly-funded health and social care services. They see for themselves how care is delivered, and talk to the people receiving care, as well as their relatives and carers. They then write a report based on their findings.
Being a Healthwatch Enter and View volunteer means I can make a difference by giving people the opportunity to speak up about their health and social care in my local area, including people whose views might not often be heard. Although I have no social care experience, Healthwatch values my layman's opinion from observing a social care environment like a care home. I enjoy talking to people and helping to write up the reports. Personally it's really interesting to visit different places and see how different they are, so I learn more about social care.
I first came into contact with Health watch at an event at the PRH and stopped to chat. I used to work in Pharmacy and most of my family have or are working in the medical field. So naturally I have an interest in this area. However, I also spend a lot of time with people who struggle with mental health issues, loneliness and isolation and the need for justice.
I enjoy meeting people and giving them encouragement and a listening ear. Through my volunteering I can make positive contact with people, with both those who work and those who live within the care and nursing provision. For me, people matter and it is important that they are valued. It is a great privilege to be part of this work.
Our Authorised Representatives:
- Jan Suckling
- Denice Morgan
- Frank Pitt
- Tracy Cresswell
- Christine Warren