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Suzanne\nqualified as an Occupational Therapist from Oxford. She began her career in the\nacute hospital sector, specialising in orthotics \/ biomechanics in the\nspecialties of orthopaedics and rheumatology, before moving to practice in\ncommunity services. She gained her first general management position as the\nmatron of a community hospital, a role which at that time, would generally have\nbeen held by a registered nurse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This\nand the experience of being the first Allied Health Professional (AHP) in\nEngland to hold a substantive Director of Nursing posts in both providing and\ncommissioning organisations, has given Suzanne insights into multi-professional\nteams and interprofessional working. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
She\nbecame the Chief Executive of a Primary Care Trust on the south coast of\nEngland, where a highlight was having leadership responsibility for delivering\nhealth resilience and health \u2018blue light\u2019 services during the Olympic sailing\nevents held in Dorset in 2012. She subsequently gained authorisation for development\nof a large Clinical Commissioning Group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She\nwas appointed as the Chief Allied Health Professions Officer for England in\nSeptember 2014. She represents c.172,000 registered practitioners in 14\nprofessions as the Governments principle advisor on AHP matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her\nvision to utilise crowdsourcing in the development of the strategy AHPs into\nAction<\/em> (NHS England, 2017) has been recognised as ground breaking in policy\ndevelopment. This strategy has supported the development of a policy framework\nin England to maximise AHP clinical leadership, skills acquisition and advanced\npractice \u2013 including plans for development of sonography as a direct entry\nprofession, non-medical prescribing and radiographer reporting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Since\nher mid-twenties Suzanne has held non-executive portfolios outside of the NHS,\nincluding audit committee chair roles, predominantly in the housing and\ncharitable sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She was awarded an OBE in the 2019 Queen\u2019s Birthday Honours List for services to AHPs. Suzanne also holds honorary Doctorates from University of the West of England, Bristol and St. George\u2019s Medical School, London. And was honoured with Fellowship of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists in September 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n