Helen is a Consultant in Paediatric Neurodisability with almost 30 years’ experience as an NHS doctor.

Her middle child has lifelong profound disabilities. He leads a full life at home living in adapted accommodation supported by a care team that Helen manages.

She has expertise in independent living models and the needs of disabled people and family carers, enabling people to lead meaningful lives in their community, with friends and family.

Helen is passionate about coproduction, recognising the knowledge gained through lived experience and the value of giving people who use services and facilities an equal voice in policy and participatory design.

She is chair of the National Advisory Group for the Personal Health Budget Quality Framework, a member of the NHS England National Strategic Coproduction Group, on the executive of CoLab, a national initiative to improve the care of children with medical complexity, and an Associate Lecturer at Newcastle University. She has published in peer reviewed medical journals on diverse topics including children with complex health needs, personal health budgets, sleep deprivation in parents and children’s heart transplantation.

As well as NHS work, she spent 2 years designing and implementing paediatric services in the Turks and Caicos.