Meet the LUHFT Council of Governors
The LUHFT Council of Governors (Aintree, Broadgreen and Royal Hospitals), chaired by the Group Chair, is made up of 25 elected governors from members of staff and the public, and six appointed governors from partner organisations representing our key stakeholders.
The LUHFT Council of Governors is a valued and effective body, advising the Group on issues that are important to our patients, members and the wider community. The Council works with the Group to ensure it provides the highest quality services for our patients.
The LUHFT Council of Governors is not responsible for the day-to-day running of the organisation but works with the Group Board of Directors to influence the future plans, ensuring that the voice of members and partners help inform the Group’s decision-making. As such, the Council of Governors is an integral part of the Group’s Governance Structure.
If you have any queries please contact the Corporate Governance Office on 0151 529 6924 or email: corporate.
Karl Roberts, Lead Governor and Public Governor: City Region North
Karl was born to profoundly deaf parents and started his NHS career at Fazakerley and Walton Hospitals (Aintree University Hospital).
During the last seven years his family have received treatment and care at Aintree and The Royal Liverpool University Hospital.
Karl is a senior NHS leader and manager within NHS England and Improvement and Honorary Lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University, Department of Nursing and Allied Health; he is passionate about the involvement of people and their experiences of care.
Karl says: “I am very proud to have been elected as a Public Governor and want to ensure that Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust continues to offer high standards of treatment and compassionate care for everyone in the city region, especially those who are seldom heard or involved in healthcare services.”
Term of Office
Public Governor Term of Office
Six years (expiry date 6 December 2025)
First appointed/elected 1 July 2020
Lead Governor Term of Office
1 year (expiry date 11 November 2023)
Robert Cannon, Public Governor: City Region North
Rob is local resident of Aintree University Hospital where he spent some time as a volunteer. He decided to become a public Governor in the hope that he could help to support staff and work towards improving patient care.
Rob took early retirement in 2016, after working for over 30 years in the public sector where he dealt directly with the public.
His work experience enabled him to develop good interpersonal skills to engage effectively with a variety community groups. Rob is a committed trade unionist and continues to be involved with Unison. He was also a founding member of the Aintree Tinnitus Support Group.
Rob says: “I believe in the NHS and I strongly oppose privatisation of public sector patient care. Patient dignity will always be my number one priority as a governor.”
Term of Office
Six years (expiry date 6 December 2025)
First appointed/elected 2 December 2019
Simon Williams, Public Governor: City Region North
Biography to follow.
Biography to follow.
Emeka Ogiji, Public Governor: City Region North
Biography to follow.
Biography to follow.
Paul Taylor, Public Governor: City Region North
After a rewarding career, Paul has dedicated his time to giving back to the community through various volunteering efforts with the NHS. His previous volunteer role as part of a mental health staff recruitment team allows him to leverage his people skills to support individuals within high-secure hospital environments.
Paul’s passion for mental health and well-being has been evident in his volunteer work, where he used to befriends patients and provides much-needed companionship and support. He was committed to making a positive impact on their lives and improving their overall mental health experience.
Looking forward, Paul is excited to take on a new challenge as a governor member within the general medical environment. He is eager to bring his experience, compassion, and dedication to this new role, ensuring the best possible care and support for patients and the community.
In his free time, Paul enjoys engaging in activities that promote mental wellness and enjoys being an active and supportive member of the community.
Dorcas Olanike Akeju, OBE, Public Governor: City Region South
Dorcas is a Registered Nurse and Midwife and she practised as a Midwife in Liverpool for over 30 years in both hospital and community settings. During her working life she developed different initiatives, such as setting up a special clinic for women whose first language was not English. She was passionate about her job and was one of the first midwives to implement Changing Childbirth.
She was a School Governor for seven years, Staff Governor at the Liverpool Women’s Hospital for three years and Shadow Governor at The Royal Liverpool University Hospital before she was elected to serve as a governor for Liverpool University Hospitals.
Dorcas has been a volunteer for more than 20 years, working for different organisations and setting up different charities. She has won many awards but her highlight was getting the OBE from the Queen for services to NHS and Communities.Dorcas says: “Being elected to serve for the Liverpool University Hospitals will be challenging but I believe I can use my developed knowledge to meet the challenges working with other governors to ensure good quality care for our patients. I also believe in Equality and Diversity and that a happy workforce will do their best for their patients.”
Term of Office
Six years (expiry date 6 December 2025)
First appointed/elected 2 December 2019
Jackie McCreanney, Public Governor: City Region South
Biography to follow.
Biography to follow.
Harry Glen Gallimore-King, Public Governor: City Region South
Harry Gallimore-King was elected as a Public Governor of Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, representing the local community.
Harry brings extensive experience across the health and social care sector, having worked in frontline care, care coordination, workforce recruitment, business development, and operational leadership. His career has included roles within homecare services, healthcare recruitment, and adult education, giving him a strong understanding of patient experience, workforce challenges, and service quality within regulated care environments.
Currently, Harry works as Head of Operations at Growth Alliance, where he supports health and care organisations, particularly homecare providers, to improve client acquisition, recruitment, and staff engagement through strategic digital solutions.
His work has involved close collaboration with care providers to support CQC standards, service growth, and sustainable workforce models. Harry holds a Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice and is a member of the Chartered Management Institute.
He has a particular interest in patient experience, workforce wellbeing, operational effectiveness, and digital innovation within the NHS. As a Public Governor,
Harry is committed to ensuring that the voices of patients, staff, and local communities help shape the Trust’s priorities, and to supporting high-quality, safe, and compassionate care for the Liverpool population.
Rocio Castillero, Public Governor: City Region South
Rocio possesses extensive experience in the not-for-profit and charitable sectors, both in the United Kingdom and internationally. She is a staunch advocate for the well-being of adults with disabilities and chronic conditions in Merseyside.
Rocio's approach to patient support is characterised by the integration of her professional expertise with significant personal insights.
As an individual living with a physical disability, neurodivergence, and chronic conditions, she has a profound understanding of the challenges encountered by many service users. This unique perspective not only enhances her advocacy efforts but also promotes constructive dialogue within the community. Her unwavering commitment to amplifying the voices of patients and service users is instrumental in fostering positive change.
Tristram Brown, Public Governor: City Region South
Biography to follow.
Joanne Kay, Public Governor: City Region South
Biography to follow.
More information coming soon.
Karl Ross, Public Governor: City Region South
Biography to follow,
Biography to follow.
Anna De Beer, Public Governor: Rest of England and Wales
Biography to follow.
Biography to follow.
Jackie McNally, Public Governor: Rest of England and Wales
Biography to follow.
Biography to follow.
George Taylor, Staff Governor: Professionals, Scientists and Technicians
George is a Staff Allied Health Professional Governor who is committed to representing and advocating for AHP colleagues across both clinical and non clinical services. In this role, he brings forward concerns as well as positive feedback to ensure AHP voices are heard at leadership level.
He is focused on supporting the Group in the right strategic direction and plays a key role in holding the leadership team and Non Executive Directors to account for their decisions.
His experience to date has been engaging and insightful, including attending meetings and visiting services across the Group. He looks forward to continued engagement through Governance meetings and building connections with Public and Staff Governors.
George encourages colleagues to raise concerns through appropriate channels such as line managers or the Freedom to Speak Up Guardian or Champions. Where this is not possible, he is able to listen and raise concerns on their behalf, as well as support in clarifying questions about the Group’s strategy and highlighting areas where contributions may not be fully recognised.
Rachel Smith, Staff Governor: Professionals, Scientists and Technicians
Biography to follow.
Biography to follow.
Vinita Mishra, Staff Governor: Medical Practitioners and Dentists
Vinita’s affiliation with Liverpool University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (LUHFT) has been for more than 10 years after she joined as a trainee at the Royal followed by becoming a consultant. During her tenure as a consultant, her role has evolved. As a clinical lead of the Integrated Planning Team, she helped with the strategic and influential delivery of the merger of two major NHS Trusts to create LUHFT. This added to her personal leadership development, where she observed senior leaders involved in bringing strategic changes into the organisation.
Her current role as a Clinical Director for her specialty has helped Vinita in understanding the team behaviours, inspiring the team members to bring innovation and creativity which adds value to the services, fostering a culture of openness and communication that promotes collective leadership in problem solving. Thus, creation of shared experiences among team members has an impact on commitment and teamwork. During her leadership journey, Vinita has become a reflective practitioner which has contributed to her growth as a strategic leader.
The three-year strategy of LUHFT is to develop a shared vision for “healthier, happier and fairer lives” for the population of Liverpool. The mission is to deliver exceptional health services through four strategic initiatives: “great care, great people, great research and innovation and great ambitions”.
Vinita says: “The aim for undertaking this prestigious position is to work as part of the Council of Governors in setting out a direction for LUHFT which succeeds in providing world class health care services to Liverpool.”
Term of Office
Three years (expiry date 2 December 2024)
First appointed/elected 2 December 2021
Rohith Gopala Rao, Staff Governor: Medical Practitioners and Dentists
Biography to follow.
Biography to follow.
Kelly Hughes, Staff Governor: Nursing
Kelly started her nurse training in 1992 at The Royal Liverpool University Hospital and has stayed here to work ever since. Her career path has led her through ward nursing, ward management, undertaking a resuscitation officer role, and now to education where she is currently working as the Simulation Manager across the Aintree, Broadgreen and Royal sites.
She was previously a Shadow Staff Governor prior to the merger and enjoyed learning the details of governance that she wouldn’t have ordinarily become familiar with.
Kelly says: “As part of my role, I meet and work with many different staff groups and it is an honour to be representative of them as part of the Council of Governors.”
Term of Office
Three years (expiry date 2 December 2024)
First appointed/elected 1 March 2021
Robyn Birch, Staff Governor: Nursing
Biography to follow.
More information coming soon.
Emma Monk, Staff Governor: Other Non-clinical Staff
Biography to follow.
More information coming soon.
Joanne Pepper, Staff Governor: Other Non-clinical Staff
Joanne’ s primary reason for becoming a Staff Governor is to give something back to the Trust and ensure staff are integral to the decisions made on services going forward.
With no formal qualifications, someone saw potential in Joanne and gave her a job in 1990. Computers had just arrived in the hospital and paper was to be a thing of the past!
Thirty years on, with a degree in Health Informatics, she hopes her skills will ensure innovation and technology is cohesive, helping staff to deliver the best care for patients in whatever role they do.
She says: “Everyone who works in the Trust is important in the patient journey.”
Term of Office
Six years (expiry date 6 December 2025)
First appointed/elected 2 December 2019
Professor Ian Jones RN, PhD, Appointed Governor: Liverpool John Moores University
Biography to follow.
Biography to follow.
Professor Graham Kemp, Appointed Governor: University of Liverpool
Graham grew up in Essex, trained in medicine at Oxford, and after specialising in clinical biochemistry became a full-time medical academic researcher and teacher. He has spent nearly 30 years at the University of Liverpool, where he is a professor with particular responsibilities in research ethics and image-based clinical research.
Graham says: “The health of the public increasingly depends on high-quality clinical research, in which hospital trusts and universities both play a crucial role. Being a governor is a valuable opportunity to support that relationship.”
Term of Office
Three years (expiry date 2 December 2025)
First appointed/elected 2 December 2019
Jacqueline Leigh, Appointed Governor: Edge Hill University,
Biography to follow.
Term of Office
Three years (expiry date 6 December 2025)
First appointed/elected 7 December 2022
Liverpool City Council, Appointed Governor
Details of this seat will shortly follow.
Term of Office
Three years (expiry date July 2025)
First appointed/elected July 2022
Cllr Jim Conalty, Appointed Governor: Sefton Council
Biography to follow.
Biography coming soon.
Knowsley Council, Appointed Governor
Details of this seat will shortly follow.
Details of this seat will shortly follow.
Voluntary Sector, Appointed Governor
Details of this seat will shortly follow.
Details of this seat will shortly follow.
