Our Team
Gemma has extensive knowledge working in partnership with statutory, voluntary and community sector organisations and has established close relationships with Health & Social Care colleagues.
She has experience of working across the city and county and engages with the public to gather valuable insights of people’s experiences.
Also has contributed to over 40 insight reports for Healthwatch, ensuring that findings and recommendations are widely communicated and presented to stakeholders who can make improvements to Health & Social Care services for the people of Leicester and Leicestershire.
Jill has joined Healthwatch following many years in business development, marketing and communications. She has worked for a range of not for profit and commercial organisations building networks of contacts and serving customers in the armed forces, the housing sector and the national print and broadcast media.
She has also worked as a teacher and has volunteered in community groups and with charities supporting people learning to read and those leaving prison.
She is committed to supporting all areas of the community to have their voice heard and looks forward to working with you.
Sophie has a wealth of experience of working in the private and public sector over the past 30 years. Her previous roles range from Financial Advising, Training and Development to Business Development and Sales and Graduate Recruitment at Loughborough University. She has built up many professional connections within her network, enabling her to work with various organisations and individuals effectively.
Her passion for helping and supporting people is unique and infectious, demonstrated by her various volunteering roles within Memphis and within special needs schools around Leicester as an Enterprise Advisor. Sophie has a genuine interest in the Health and Social Care sector and understands how important access to good healthcare impacts individual and community wellbeing.
Sophie has joined the team as an Outreach and Engagement Officer and loves building relationships with the public and stakeholders. Sophie looks forward to working with the Healthwatch team to meet and improve the services of our local community.
Ella is a communications and social media specialist. Before retraining in social media marketing, she was a teacher for many years.
Ella has supported many business owners and not-for-profit organisations with her training and consultation offers. She has delivered masterclasses and has been a guest on podcasts and livestream interviews.
LinkedIn is her go-to platform but she also loves creating content for Instagram and TikTok.
Her mission is to show how effective social media can be in getting a message to an audience – she is excited to be doing this for Healthwatch Leicester and Healthwatch Leicestershire.
Riyaadh has recently completed his four year Bachelor of Science degree in Politics and Economics with placement. During his placement year he worked as a Sector Support Officer at Voluntary Action Leicestershire, building knowledge in the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Sector. He worked on the COVID-19 vaccination project, helping to co-ordinate hundreds of volunteers for vaccination clinics across Leicester and Leicestershire.
Now as a part of the Healthwatch Leicester and Healthwatch Leicestershire team, Riyaadh hopes to use his extensive knowledge in economics and politics as well as his experience in the VCSE to help to improve the health and social care services for his local community.
Dulna has over 10 years’ experience working in the Early Years Education sector as a Practitioner, helping children of all ages develop using the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework and working alongside other professionals such as educational psychologist, public health nurses, teachers and SEND coordinators to support young people.
Dulna has experience of working in a busy public facing environment and is passionate about helping others. She enjoy building relationships and rapport with people. So now being part of Healthwatch Leicester and Healthwatch Leicestershire she feels that she is able to help others and bring in inclusivity, diversity and equality.
Shirin has worked with many different community organisations and individuals from different walks of life for 34 years. She has worked for local authorities, the voluntary sector and gained extensive experience in community engagement in Leicester and Leicestershire.
Being multilingual and using Asset Based Community Development, Shirin connects well with children, young people and families aged from 0+ who are lonely, isolated and requiring support to improve their lifestyle by accessing improved services and information.
Shirin is a committed and passionate individual ready to engage and involve marginalised groups to access appropriate services. As part of her role, Shirin wants to identify gaps and responses to longstanding access barriers and issues to improve the services for the future.