Describe your role in one sentence: Half the week I am a GP in one of the most deprived parts of Blackpool; the rest of the time I am chief clinical officer for Blackpool clinical commissioning group (CCG), and I'm also co-chair of the NHS clinical commissioners leadership group.
Why did you want to work in healthcare? I always wanted to be a GP but what I find exciting now is being able to make a difference to the healthcare of a large population as well as to individual patients.
How do you want to see the sector change in the next five years? I would like to see clinical commissioning develop so that patients really see the benefits of frontline clinicians having a greater influence over the healthcare we deliver.
My proudest achievement at work was ... getting the full support of Blackpool GPs to lead the clinical commissioning group on their behalf.
The most difficult thing I've dealt with at work is ... continually balancing the demands of a busy GP practice with my role as a commissioner and, as I have four children, I face the usual problems working mothers have trying to get to their matches, school events and things.
The biggest challenge facing the NHS is ... restoring public confidence following the recent battering the health service has endured and reassuring patients that we can deliver high-quality care, albeit within resources available.
The people I work with are ... fantastic. There's a real commitment from GPs and managers in Blackpool to make a difference to a community that has some of the worst health problems in the country.
I do what I do because ... I hate the fact that people in Blackpool have shorter, less healthy lives than anywhere else in the country and I really want to be a part of changing that.
Sometimes people think that I ... must be mad.
Right now I want to ... stay positive. I want Blackpool to be a great place to live, as well as a great place to visit.
At work I am always learning that ... there are nowhere near enough hours in the day.
The one thing always on my mind at work is ... making sure the services I'm commissioning are the sort of services I'd want for me and my family.
If I could go back 10 years and meet my former self I'd tell them ... don't eat cake!
If I could meet my future self I'd expect them to be ... proud of all that has been achieved but still excited by the job.
What is the best part of your job? Being lucky enough to mix a senior commissioning role with still being able to see patients every week.
What is the worst part of your job? Not having enough time to do all the things I'd like to do.
What makes you smile? My four boys.
What keeps you awake at night? Nothing!
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