Ivana Chalmers - Chief Executive
Ivana joined Healthwatch as its Chief Executive in 2024 after working in the public sector, charities and membership organisations. She is passionate about inclusion and the importance of listening to people's experiences, to help shape the services and systems they use. As the Chief Executive, her role is to make sure the organisation is able to fulfil the goals and aims set by our volunteer-led Board, and to amplify the voices and experiences of Hertfordshire residents and bring them to health and social care decision makers for real impact and change.
Miriam Blom-Smith - Research Officer
Miriam joined Healthwatch Hertfordshire in 2022, after completing her degree in Sociology. She works as part of the Research and Engagement team, supporting and leading in a wide range of projects. With a background of working in Community Pharmacy, Miriam has always had a keen interest in health and social care and is committed to making a positive difference to the care that Hertfordshire communities receive.
Jane Brown - Quality Manager
Jane acts as the lead on quality and improvement in health and social care services across Hertfordshire and has over 10 years of experience working in this sector and prior to that 15 years in adult training and development. She manages our Enter and View programme and related quality monitoring activities.
Fiona Corcoran - Deputy Chief Executive
Fiona is committed to ensuring the public voice is heard, holding decision makers to account and working collaboratively to improve the experiences of citizens. This commitment carries through from over 10 years of experience in Local Government democracy, scrutiny and governance at county and district councils and the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny. Prior to that, Fiona worked in Further Education as an ESOL Lecturer. Her most recent role, prior to joining Healthwatch Hertfordshire was Head of Scrutiny for Hertfordshire County Council, which included leading on county-wide Health Scrutiny. Fiona is also a parent carer, providing her with a depth of understanding of navigating health and social care systems and services, from her own lived experience.
James Davis - Project Manager (Communications)
James joined Healthwatch Hertfordshire in 2024. He has previously worked in publishing and communications and has an ongoing career as a writer and editor. His work for Healthwatch Hertfordshire is shaped by his experiences as a carer with dyslexia and chronic mental health conditions. He is passionate about producing content that facilitates easy access to healthcare information, especially amongst disadvantaged communities.
Michelle Edgar - Communications Officer
Michelle has a background in journalism and public relations, and has written for newspapers, magazines and helped publicise Government departments, travel firms and a water company. She has also reviewed work for the National Institute for Health Research. Michelle’s role is to promote our work to the public and provide communications support to the team.
Nuray Ercan - Deputy Chief Executive - Governance & Operations
Nuray has a degree in Early Childhood Studies and English. She has worked for Homestart in Kent and at a large medical centre in London, both of which gave her insight and experience into the importance of excellent communication and customer care.
As Deputy Chief Executive - Governance & Operations, Nuray's main roles are to work closely with Board to ensure compliance by the organisation, with its regulatory, statutory and legal obligations. She is also responsible for planning and managing the organisation's operational duties such as staffing and resourcing. Nuray is also Healthwatch Hertfordshire's Company Secretary.
Sam Foster - Research Officer
Sam completed his BA in Sociology at the University of Exeter with a focus on the medical industry. After working as a copywriter at an advertising agency, he joined Healthwatch Hertfordshire in 2023. His aim is to make a difference to the lives of people in Hertfordshire by improving the quality of care they receive.
Chloe Gunstone (née Carson) - Senior Research Manager
After completing her degree in Social and Political Sciences, Chloe joined Healthwatch Hertfordshire in 2019. Chloe leads on our Research and Engagement programme, developing, designing and delivering high quality research and engagement projects with the aim of improving health and social care services in Hertfordshire. She is passionate about influencing change, and improving the care patients receive.
Alice Lovell - Office & Signposting Manager
After completing her degree at Bangor University, Alice started working at Healthwatch Hertfordshire in spring 2016. Since then, she has turned her hand to most things in the organisation including project work, team support, general administration and website administration. She is also a leading member of the signposting team and has a real passion for ensuring the patient experience gets heard.
Asha McDonagh - Research Officer
Asha has a BA in Sociology and a MA in Social Research Methods. She first became interested in health research through her master’s dissertation which focused on the experiences of women with breast cancer post-mastectomy. Asha acts as a Research Officer, working on a range of projects that engage service users and is passionate about improving the health and social care of people from all different walks of life.
Natalie Stone - Finance & Resources Manager
Natalie’s role as the Finance & Resources Manager involves managing payroll and all financial transactions. She runs management accounts on a monthly basis for the Executive Team and Board to enable effective budget management. This leads to the preparation of the end of year accounts and setting of the following years budget. She also manages the organisation's insurance policies and leads on Health and Safety compliance. Natalie is also the Company Secretary of Healthwatch Hertfordshire Trading Ltd. Natalie is always happy to help and support the team by organising any resources required to help run the business.
