Our Chair, Gail Beer
Gail has over 40 years' experience in healthcare. A Barts trained nurse, her association with the City goes back a long way. After working extensively in London Hospitals, including the Royal London, Gail moved into management, becoming an executive director on the board of Barts and the London. Leaving Barts, Gail worked as an independent consultant before moving into 2020health, a Westminster-based think tank. She has returned to the NHS and is currently at Guy's and St Thomas' as a director working on special projects.
Gail has numerous publications in her name on a wide range of health-related subjects and has undertaken several TV and radio interviews as an expert commentator. As a long term City resident, she feels strongly that the voice of local residents and workers must be heard and that holding health and social care providers to account is an essential part of the Healthwatch role.
Our Board
Steve Stevenson - Trustee
Steve has been a City resident since 1988. He was a member of the City of London's Common Council from 1994 to 2009, serving on the community services committee covering housing, social services and health. Steve has considerable experience of patient engagement and involvement first as a member of the Community Health Council and then at Links. He has been a member of the City of London's health and social care scrutiny committee since 2012. Steve was the sole carer for his wife who had Alzheimer's from 2000 to 2014. Steve joined the board in October 2014.
Lynn Strother - Trustee
Lynn managed the first Healthwatch City of London contract and offers a wealth of knowledge and understanding of Healthwatch. She also has experience and knowledge of the NHS, Social Services and Older Peoples Charities, having worked in these sectors for several years. Lynn is a member of the London Ambulance Service Public and Patient Council. She is also a member of the Patient Involvement Collaborative at Kingston Hospital.
Malcolm Waters - Trustee
Malcolm Waters retired in 2019 after 41 years in practice at the Chancery Bar in London. He was appointed a QC in 1997. In his professional life, he specialised in retail financial services and mutual institutions, taking a particular interest in the law relating to unfair contract terms and the various ways in which consumers can obtain redress if they have been treated unfairly by financial institutions. He has a flat in the Barbican and is a patient of the Neaman Practice.
Judy Guy-Briscoe - Trustee
Judy Guy-Briscoe has lived in the City of London for forty-five years with her family. She taught for thirty-nine years in inner London secondary schools, ending as an Advanced Skills Teacher of Health and Social Care. Judy was also a member of the managements team which oversaw budgets and planned for complex objectives. She is an Honorary Secretary of the trustees of the Friends of the City Churches and has volunteered at Sutton’s Hospital in Charterhouse and with Age UK in their Wellbeing Walk Leader national scheme. Judy enjoys meeting new people and looks forward to listening to people’s experiences and views.
Janet Porter - Board Associate
Stuart Mackenzie - Board Associate
Cynthia White - Board Associate
Cynthia joined Healthwatch City of London as an Associate Board Member in January 2019. She chairs the City & Hackney Older People Reference Group; sits on the City of London Adult Safeguarding Sub-Committee and represents the Neaman Practice on the CCG's Patient and Public Involvement Committee. Cynthia is a Barbican resident who is well known across the City for her voluntary work, dedication and commitment in the improvement of Health and Social Care provision in the City.
Recruitment
Past Board papers
We make the papers for our public Board meetings available online. We also publish a summary of what was discussed. Check out our past meetings to read more.
