The College of Paramedics is excited to announce our new Trustees and member representatives.
Benjamin Haselwood as our next Trustee (Education),
Jonathan Davies as Trustee (Membership),
Ed Harry as Trustee (Research)
Jaqualine Lindridge as Trustee (Professional Standards),
Keith Dorrington as Wales Member Representative and
Kevin Cowan as Eastern Member Representative.
Giles Adams will continue in the role of Honorary Treasurer
and Samantha Barry will continue in the South East.
In the 2024 Elections, there were 19 really strong candidates who stood across the five trustee positions, and four for the three Paramedic Council seats. We are extremely grateful to all of them for their participation and the commitment they have shown the College. The CES report of voting can be viewed here.
Our trustees are legally responsible for the College as a charity, they have an oversight role and seek assurance from the Chief Executive that the organisation is legally and financially sound and complying with its charitable purpose, outlined in the College charitable objects within the Articles of Association.
The Paramedic Council is part of the College governance structure and helps to steer and shape the College’s ongoing work and future aspirations by providing a platform for representatives to advocate for their members, ensuring a strong and articulate voice in all that the College does, and by providing a clear and vital communication channel between the College and members.
As you will be aware, four members of the Board of Trustees will be coming to the end of their tenure at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in May 2024, all of whom have been invaluable in their roles as members of the Board as well as their support for various workstreams within the College.
Vince Clarke, outgoing Trustee (Education), has provided years of support to the education directorate, ensuring that the structure has evolved with the growing workload has enabled governance and quality assurance to remain at the core. He has provided an invaluable contribution of time, knowledge and skills, including his work on the Practice Educator Handbook, which is central to the continued pursuance of quality and consistency of education for our paramedic learners.
Georgette Eaton, outgoing Trustee (Research), has made substantial contributions to enhancing the research landscape within the paramedic community. She has effectively championed the integration of research into clinical practice and advocated for increased visibility of research activities in the College. She will leave behind a strengthened foundation for ongoing research and innovation in the professional body.
Richard Webber, outgoing Trustee (Membership and Communication), has constantly shown his commitment and readiness to help fulfil the College’s media. Despite the demands of a busy day job and the immediacy dictated to by the press, he always made time for media requests and proved to be an excellent and trusted communicator. The College believes that Richard, together with the other media spokespeople, has helped raise the profile of the College to the public and stakeholders alike and made a valuable contribution towards increasing awareness about the issues facing the profession today.
Rory O’Connor, outgoing Chair of Council, has worked hard to embed the newly developed Paramedic Council into the governance of the College since 2021. He has been supportive of his fellow Council members and represented them and the members with the Board of Trustees. Rory has ensured that he asked important questions of the Chief Executive, Tracy Nicholls and her team, while always acknowledging their hard work and the challenges they face.
After careful consideration, Fauziya Lakhi decided to step down a few months earlier than the end of her first term as Trustee (Professional Standards), due to increased commitments outside of the role. This is an important, though difficult, decision for any trustee to make and we have expressed our thanks to Fauziya, both for her time and dedication to the role, as well as for being clear when she was unable to continue.