The Board

Jen has extensive experience as a senior executive in a wide range of industries. Jen is the Group Customer Services Director for Lloyds Banking Group leading a team of more than 11,000 people across the Group to deliver outstanding customer service. Previously Jen was the Managing Director of Business Banking and a member of the Retail Executive Committee. She has a breadth of skills including leading major transformational change, improving customer service and achieving strong commercial results. She is also the Group Ambassador for the South East.

Bridget Skelton has 25 years’ experience as a senior executive and board member in organisations in the legal, financial, management consultancy, retail, public and voluntary sectors. She brings particular know how to effect business transformation, enhance performance and manage cultural development and change. Bridget lives in Otterden, Kent.

Pippa Barber has more than 30 years’ experience in the NHS. She spent the past 14 years in various Board roles, most recently as the executive director of nursing and governance at Kent and Medway Social Care Partnership Trust and executive nurse at NHS Medway.

Before this Pippa was director of clinical services at Canterbury and Coastal Primary Care Trust and the Kent and Medway Cardiac network director.

She is currently the independent nurse for a Clinical Commissioning Group Governing Body in London, where she maintains an essential focus on clinical quality, safety and effectiveness.

Pippa, who has worked as a district nurse and lives in east Kent, is passionate about community services.

Sarah is a GP at Newton Place Surgery in Faversham, Kent.

Prior to joining Kent Community Health as the Medical Director, Sarah was Clinical Chair of Canterbury and Coastal Clinical Commissioning Group and Chair of East Kent Strategy Board. The Board, now known as the East Kent Programme Board, has been set up by local health and care commissioners to spearhead the drive to determine how best to provide health and care services to the population of east Kent. Its work is part of the wider Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) for Kent and Medway.

Sarah’s work on the Board included reviewing issues around staff retention, the use of technology, buildings and estates, and clinical pathways such as maternity, paediatrics, end-of-life care and mental health.

Until April 2017, Sarah was also Commissioner Co-Chair of Kent and Medway Sustainability and Transformation Partnership Clinical Board, which was set up to ensure the NHS future plans meet the health and social care needs of the communities it serves.

Sarah lives in east Kent with her husband and two children. She is also a keen tennis player.

Gordon is a fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants (FCCA) and has a professional background in NHS finance spanning 33 years. Following an early career with health authorities, his director experience is with acute and community trusts and has been at the trust since 2011.

His responsibilities include financial management and control, capital and audit, IM&T, business development and service improvement, as well as performance and business intelligence.

Gordon lives in Essex with his wife and two sons and is keen on gliding and sailing.

Ali had been deputy nursing director at Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust. Before that she was at the Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead for two years, also as deputy nursing director. Ali was selected by Chief Nursing Officer Jane Cummings to be clinical lead in the national Ebola team at NHS England. Ali started training in 1991 as a general nurse in London and qualified in 1994. In 2003, she trained as a mental health nurse in Bristol.

In her spare time, Ali, who lives in West Sussex, likes to run – she ran the Brighton marathon in aid of the charity Mind in 2014. She also likes and used to be a semi-professional singer, having sung with Brighton Festival Chorus in a number of concerts, including the Proms.

Natalie has worked within the NHS in both acute and community settings for over 10 years. As the Company Secretary, Natalie has a strong background in corporate governance and worked with the board for a number of years before undertaking the role of Corporate Services Director in 2015.

Natalie has primary responsibility for a number of areas, including Estates, Legal and Risk, IG, and Soft Facilities Management.

In addition to spending time with her husband and children, Natalie has a number of hobbies including working with local acting groups.