Meet the team
Meet the Healthwatch Hartlepool team members.
Christopher Akers-Belcher
Healthwatch Manager
Stephen Thomas
Healthwatch Development Officer
Tony Leighton
Patient & Public Engagement Officer
Carol Slattery
Administrative Officer
Kris Middleton
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Jane Tilly
Board Member - Chair of the Board
Tony Raine
Board Member - Vice Chair
Tony Raine was born and educated in Hartlepool. His interest in healthcare first became apparent when he was asked to join the Community Health Council. He later gained elderly care experience when he was appointed as sole administer for the Victoria, Jubilee and Coronation Almshouses. He later gained experience in social conditions as deputy chairman of Housing Hartlepool over an 11 year period from its very beginning to its merger into the 13 Group.
Tony is also a trustee of the Citizens Advice Bureau and a Magistrate for the Cleveland area. In what spare time he has, he is company secretary of a resource centre in Owton Manor and treasurer of West Hartlepool Grammar School Old Boys Association as well as auditing various bodies and organisations. Tony was a bank manager and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers.
Jan Weedall
Board Member
Ruby Marshall
Board Member
1969 - Newcastle University - applied social studies, home office letters of recognition qualified in social work.
1985- National family mediation service - qualified as a mediator
2010 — University of Northumbria - gained MA with credit - school of health community and education studies. Received MBE for services to children & families
I started my career in social work as a medical social worker, transferred to child care, appointed senior social worker with a team of generic social workers. I was appointed Assistant Direct at Cleveland County Council Social Services Department, with responsibility for Hartlepool district. In 1996 on dissolution of Cleveland county council I became head of children services, and retired 1996.
Voluntary work includes
Vice-chair - Healthwatch; chair of Hartlepool Carers; board member training in care
Chair of north east social care advisors. Board member of HVDA
Margaret Wrenn
Board Member
I was born and brought up in the Town and completed my nurse training at local hospitals in the 1960's. In the 1970's I did my Occupational Health training and in the 80's I completed another year at New College Durham to gain my Health Visitor's Diploma.
After working for five years as a Health Visitor, I became Deputy Matron at a local Nursing Home, and then went on to become Matron at a newly opened Nursing Home in the Town.
My voluntary work started in the mid-nineties and I have to date completed almost twenty-two years for our local Hartlepool and District Hospice.
I have been involved with Healthwatch since the it's inception, and before that when we were LINks and PPI.
I now chair the Healthwatch Executive meeting and am on the Board of the stand-alone Healthwatch Hartlepool Organisation
