Governing Body Members

With previous experience of working with CCGs in Newcastle, Gateshead, County Durham and Darlington, David has been involved with the NHS in both clinical and strategic roles as a commissioner and provider. He has lived locally all his life and has extensive management experience including in hospitals and commissioning, including 12 years in senior manager roles at South Tees Hospitals and a period as Primary Care Trust locality director in Darlington. Having started his career in 1982 at Sunderland Royal Infirmary he joined Sunderland CCG as chief officer in 2012, where he also chaired the Sunderland A&E Delivery Board and Sunderland’s Children’s Strategic Partnership, was vice chair of the Sunderland Safeguarding Children’s Board and a member of the Health and Wellbeing Board and Sunderland Partnership. On a wider footprint he chairs the CNE Armed Forces Network and the Estates strategy group and is a member of the Workforce Strategy Group.

Dr Posmyk qualified as a doctor in Leeds in 1981 and became a GP in Hartlepool from 1986 where he still practices while living in Wolviston. He gradually became interested in medical management via the Diabetes Local Implementation Team, and then joined the Hartlepool PCT Professional Executive Committee. He then became a representative on the Hartlepool PBC Group prior to becoming Chair. Dr Posmyk was elected to be the Locality GP Representative and Chair of the then Hartlepool Shadow Pathfinder Committee and is now Chair of the Governing Body for the CCG.

He gained an understanding of more general issues affecting healthcare while working for several years on the SEQIHS and follow-on Better Health programmes looking at planning of healthcare in the wider Darlington, Dales, Durham and Tees areas

Mark is a qualified accountant, a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) and has a master’s degree in Applied Financial Management. He has worked in finance and performance for a variety of NHS and Local Government organisations over a 29 year career, covering various sectors including healthcare commissioning, acute secondary care, mental health services and community care.

As a Registered Nurse, Ms Golightly has previous experience of working in areas from across the healthcare landscape, including time spent overseas. Following this, she returned to the NHS to work in a number of large hospital Trusts, holding posts in Clinical Governance and management of a variety of clinical services, prior to joining the CCG. As the CCGs’ Director of Nursing and Quality, in addition to Child and Adult Safeguarding, her portfolio includes monitoring the quality and safety of patient care, as well the experiences that patients have when receiving care from our commissioned services.

Dr Walker has been a GP working in Teesside for more than 20 years, working in Eston, Middlesbrough since 1998. She played an active role in Practice Based Commissioning (PBC) as group chair, before becoming the lead for the Greater Eston Pathfinder. She was involved with the establishment of Clinical Commissioning Group, previous South Tees CCG Chair and has worked with colleagues evolving into a single CCG across the Tees Valley.

Dr Walker has specialist interests in medicines optimisation, palliative care, patient and public involvement, and promoting patient empowerment to self-care where appropriate. She is passionate about organisations working together differently as a health and social care system to collaboratively address the challenges across the Tees Valley.

Michelle lost her teenage sister to cancer in 1995 and in 2003 at the age of 36, she survived thyroid cancer. Since then she has run, hiked and cycled all over the world raising money and awareness for Macmillan Cancer Support.  By using her voice locally, regionally and nationally she has made a difference not only in her local community but also in the health and social care and voluntary and community sectors. She was incredibly proud to receive the British Empire Medal in 2013 for Voluntary Community and Charity Work in Darlington and County Durham. Michelle is driven by a passion to ensure that the patient, carer, and public voice is not only listened to but understood and acted upon appropriately.

Caroline has over 30 years’ experience working in the Public Sector, including 15 years working at an Executive Level. Caroline is passionate about customer service and making a difference and has worked with a variety of partners across her career including working in an advisory capacity to the government and other bodies. Caroline has managed a range of complex services and a number of new and innovative service offers have been developed under her leadership, many of which are award winning with tangible outcomes.

Caroline brings a different dynamic, she challenges the norm and encourages a greater focus on cultural and values alignment, outcomes monitoring and social impact. Her strengths are many; she has an extraordinary belief in people and their ability to achieve their potential.  Caroline is a supportive leader, well networked, who enjoys challenges and variety.

Karen is both the Audit Committee Chair for Tees Valley CCG and the Conflicts of Interest Guardian.  Karen has over 30 years’ experience of working in the public sector including Health, Social Care, Local Government and Education. She is currently Assistant Principal: Corporate Services at Hartlepool College of Further Education.

Karen is a qualified accountant, her roles have included Finance Director, planning, policy development, performance, governance, procurement and contract management as well as managerial responsibility for HR, data services, facilities and IT.

David qualified as a doctor in Leeds in 1979. After experience as a junior doctor he worked at Murgwanza Hospital in Tanzania from 1984-1991 where he was part of a team that managed all health emergencies and supported the developing Community Based Healthcare work. David was an Accident & Emergency Consultant at North Tees Hospital from 1993- 2019. During that time he taught regularly on Life Support Courses for Health Professionals. He was Clinical Director of Accident & Emergency and subsequently Associate Medical Director for Patient Safety and Clinical Governance. He was Executive Medical Director of North Tees & Hartlepool Foundation Trust from 2010 to 2016 which gave him considerable experience as a Trust Board Member and Clinical Leader.

David’s key strengths include understanding the needs of patients who come to secondary care from the perspective of an experienced clinician and recognising the importance of patient safety and good clinical governance.  David has experience working with many healthcare professionals and is committed to manage and lead services so that they improve patient care.

Andie served as a firefighter for over 28 years, gaining strategic management experience with the County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service. Andie graduated from Teesside University in 2010 with a Master’s in Business and Administration (MBA) with a particular focus on Transformational Leadership. Andie joined Stockton Borough Council as a senior manager leading Construction and Facility Services as part of the Community Services directorate of the council.

Dr Hollingsworth trained at University College London before moving to the North East. She has worked across the region in secondary care before moving into general practice. She is a GP Partner at Linthorpe Surgery, Middlesbrough. She has an interest in personalised care, social prescribing and preventative medicine. She continues to work with MIND, Ageing Better & Sport England developing local projects & relationships in the area. She is committed to improving the development of equitable services for patients, and improving the morale of staff delivering services.

Dr Nevison qualified from the University of Aberdeen in 2000 before completing further medical training in Inverness and Middlesbrough. He has been a GP in Darlington since 2006 working as a Partner in Denmark Street Surgery. He is a GP trainer in the Durham, Tees Valley GP training scheme and does regular sessions in Darlington Urgent Care Centre. He has also worked on projects such as the RIACT service for frail elderly patients.

Teesside born and breed, Hassan returned home after completing his medical degree in Manchester in 2009. Hassan currently works as a GP within Middlesbrough and Darlington, also working in Urgent Care and in Extended Access in Hartlepool and Stockton.

Hassan has an interest in Cancer and Palliative Care and also has a role as Personalised Care Lead within the Northern Cancer Alliance. Hassan also does work with the CQC as a GP special advisor.

Born and raised in Newcastle, Joanna studied for her degree in Pharmacy in Cardiff, qualifying in 1987 and working in various roles at the RVI in Newcastle for many years before moving into Primary Care where she has worked for the last 16 years, initially as part of the Practice based Pharmacy team with Stockton PCT, (supporting local practices manage the prescribing budget and deliver safe and effective prescribing) and then Tees PCTs, North of England Commissioning Support (where she gained some experience of the NHS commissioning landscape and challenges), and for the last 3 years she has returned to a patient facing role working as a Clinical Pharmacist in 2 practices, one in Stockton and one in Darlington. She has a Masters in Therapeutics, is an Independent Prescriber and has a diploma in Leadership and Management in Health and Social Care. She is also a Clinical Mentor with the CPPE (College of Pharmacy Post graduate education), supporting Pharmacists training to become Primary Care Clinical Pharmacists and Independent Prescribers to expand Primary Care capacity.

Joanna has special interests in Diabetes, Cardiology and Care of the Elderly, with a passion for supporting and empowering patients to get the best from their medicines and for collaborative working across professions and sectors to improve the quality of healthcare and wellbeing across Tees Valley.