At the Yorkshire and Humber Patient Safety Research Collaboration (PSRC), Lay Leaders are independent patient and public representatives. They work alongside researchers to ensure studies are grounded in real-world patient experiences, help co-design safety solutions, and hold research teams accountable to the community.
Meet our Lay Leaders
Pam Essler
Lay Leader
About me:
As a science graduate I have in the past taught groups of all ages and abilities. At the same time I have had a variety of lay roles within the NHS covering most aspects of healthcare but always focusing on outcomes for patients. Since leaving full time employment I have become far more active in my local community working with local charities and becoming a school governor as health and well being together with education are my true passions in life!
I’m a Lay Leader because:
I believe that the views and experiences of patients and the public play a vital part in informing and shaping research into health and social care. By working within the PSRC I hope to support the development of stronger , meaningful links between researchers and the public helping to release the research potential within us all!
My interests are:
Spending time with friends and family. Planning for the next season in my garden!
Kate Smyth
Kate is currently on a break from her role as Lay Leader
PSRC Role: Lay Leader
About Me:
I am a Chartered Town Planner by profession and I worked for many years in local government in several deprived areas of the UK. I retired on ill-health grounds in the late 1980s and then worked freelance as a Disability Consultant, often establishing and developing user led groups of disabled people to become critical friends. In 2012, I joined Calderdale Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) as a Lay Member (Patient and Public Involvement). I was involved in consultation, involvement and engagement work for the CCG, including a large piece of work relating to the reconfiguration of health services in Calderdale and Huddersfield.
In 2019, I was appointed as a Non-Executive Director at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, where I lead on patient experience. In October 2019, I spoke at a PSTRC conference looking at the way that vulnerable people are nursed in hospital and in October this year I spoke about patient safety in the home. I am a full-time wheelchair user and I am always accompanied by my very handsome golden retriever assistance dog called Zy.
I’m a Lay Leader because…
I joined the PSTRC as a Lay Leader in January 2018, so I have been involved from the beginning. I am a member of the Patient Involvement in Patient Safety theme. I really enjoy my role, the team are extremely friendly. I help to ensure that patients and the public are involved in research from the very beginning and not just a tick box/token participant. It is much better to involve people early, rather than at the end when would end up putting things right, retrospectively!
My interests are…
Health and social care. Co-production. Personalisation-putting the patient/service user at the heart of everything so that they have choice and control. Equality, diversity and inclusion. Disability awareness. Social housing. Keeping my assistance dog busy, looking after my cats, chickens and geese. Listening to classical music, being head gardener, and meeting friends for meals.
Hilary Ellis
Lay Leader
PSRC Role: Lay Leader
About Me:
Hilary was born in Kent and moved to Yorkshire in 1983 during her twenty-six-year management career with W H Smith plc.
After three years as Towns Manager for Batley & Dewsbury, Hilary joined the voluntary sector as CEO of Batley Resource Centre and then as CEO of Age UK Calderdale & Kirklees. Working at regional level for Age UK she was able to combine her work with a number of trustees roles, championing the voluntary sector in Kirklees.
She was an independent member of Kirklees Place ICB and is a lay assessor on the Department of Health & Social Care Advisory Committee on Clinical Impact Awards.
I’m a Lay Leader because…
Hilary joined as a lay leader as she is keen to make a difference, has an underlying interest in health and social care and enjoys learning and interacting with a wide variety of people. She is involved with the Safety Intelligence theme along with the 5-year research project SASI MEDS to determine if reducing double-checking of medicines reduces costs without increasing patient harm.
My interests are…
Hilary tries to keep fit by gardening, cycling, walking, doing Pilates and aquafit. Hilary enjoys visits to the theater and eating out, along with her voluntary role with Yorkshire Air Ambulance. She has a passion for travel – especially with her brother living in New Zealand
Nazreen Butt
Lay Leader
PSRC Role: Lay Leader
About Me:
Nazreen was born and raised in Bradford and has lived, studied, and worked in the city throughout her life. She has over twenty-five years of experience serving the public, including roles as a senior youth worker, magistrate, and health champion.
Nazreen began her career as Centre Manager where she played a pivotal role in securing CRB and National Lottery funding throughout the 1980s and 1990s to support vital community programmes. She later went on to work with the Bradford Youth Service, contributing to initiatives that supported and empowered young people particularly from the underserved communities across the city.
In her role as Lay Leader with the Yorkshire and Humber Patient Safety Research Collaboration, Nazreen brings invaluable insight grounded in her experiences as a patient, carer, and practitioner. She continues to contribute to NHS research projects, drawing on her extensive background in community engagement, advocacy, and leadership.
I’m a Lay Leader because…
I have extensive experience of dealing with medical staff in a hospital setting and I am passionate about improving the safe use of medicines. I have acquired an excellent understanding on the challenges faced by the patient population and feel I have a lot to offer.
My interests are…
I enjoy spending time outdoors, going on long walks, hikes and often participate in charity events. To try staying fit and healthy, I go swimming three times a week. I enjoy traveling to experience and learn about other cultures.
Crissi Arrowsuch
Lay Leader
About Me
Crissi Arrowsuch was born in Bradford and subsequently moved to Leeds where she has two grown-up sons and recently became a grandmother. Crissi started her career as a nanny at age 17 which inspired her long career in the care sector. Following her psychiatric nurse training at Lynfield Mount Hospital, Crissi carried out this role for over 40 years working in a range of sectors in the secondary healthcare setting. Crissi has volunteered for many organisations over the years which she has found to be very rewarding. She has also been involved in many pilot schemes which have then been rolled out in the social care sector.
Crissi is now a business owner, working in the residential care industry.
My interests are…
Outside of her busy working life, Crissi has many hobbies and interests; spending time with family and friends, knitting, crochet, baking music and an active participant with her local choir.
Nick Garrett
Lay Leader
About Me:
Nick was brought up in rural North Yorkshire, he later worked in West Yorkshire in financial services and local government. Nick’s a member of Leeds University’s Social Science Institute’s Advisory Board and is a panel member for their ESRC Impact Accelerator Account scheme. He’s a trustee of a local charity in Knaresborough, co-founder of a social prescribing community benefit society and specialises in mental health inequalities and place-based health care. He’s currently Chief Executive of a mental health charity and a community outreach worker for his local Methodist Church.
I’m a Lay Leader because…
I want people who don’t have a voice to have a say in research that affects their lives. I particularly want more input from people in rural and coastal areas and people in insecure housing.
My interests are…
I’m the musical director of the Knaresborough Silver Band
Becca Hewitt
Lay Leader
About Me:
Becca Hewitt is self-employed and has worked as a freelance community researcher, evaluator and project manager since 2013, mainly supporting the NHS to understand the experiences and views of community members and Voluntary & Community Sector (VCS) organisations. Becca is a librarian by training, beginning at The British Library in London and then for 10 years in the NHS, mainly in Bradford, before going into the voluntary sector to run a Bradford District charity for LGBTQ+ people, where she also helped to establish the Equalities Forum as part of the Bradford District VCS Assembly. She has chaired several VCS organisations including Craven CVS and a national LGBT Asylum organisation called No Going Back. In recent years she’s worked with organisations, including The VCS Alliance who support collaborative service delivery and resource sharing within the VCS primarily to tackle health inequalities. Becca has worked as a project manager for various local NHS trusts too, mainly around engagement and insight, also project management including work to help clinicians supporting people at end of life, and piloting a service to speed up cancer diagnosis for people with vague symptoms.
Lately she has worked closer to home in Craven, helping with the development of several community organisations. In 2022 she completed training to become an Asset Based Community Development guide (how to build healthier communities and grow individual wellbeing), based on appreciating strengths and skills all communities have within them. Becca is currently a Trustee for a Skipton based community organisation. She cares passionately about social justice and ensuring power and influence are fairly shared. All of her paid and voluntary work has this at its heart.
I’m a Lay Leader because…
I am a Lay Leader because so much work relating to health and medicine takes place behind closed doors, without input from people with lived experience. In particular those people at the greatest risk of having bad experiences of health services, or poor outcomes of treatments.
I want to use the knowledge and insights I’ve gained through my own health journey, and my work, to help make healthcare safer and more effective. This extends to encouraging researchers to be connected with Voluntary and Community Sector organisations and the communities they work with.
My interests are…
Becca is a Southerner but has lived in Craven for more than 20 years. She is an IT geek and serial dog rescuer!
Tahera Mehrali
Lay Leader
About Me:
I was Born in Uganda East Africa and arrived in the UK as a refugee in the 1970s. Trained as a nurse with a Bsc Honours degree in Community health and a Diploma in Hypertension and nephropathy. Throughout my career I have seen research is most effective when patients and public are actively involved in shaping it. I have worked in the NHS for 40 years and specialized in Diabetes and chronic disease management in hospitals and communities. Also delivered education programmes for patients and professionals.I have gained understanding of health inequalities, barriers to healthcare and importance of engaging underrepresented communities
I am Lay Leader because…
I bring a combination of clinical expertise, research experience and community engagement.These experience will help ensure that research is accessible and beneficial to the communities.
My interests are….
Iyengar Yoga
Walking
Travelling and my gorgeous grandchildren
Suleman Chunara
Lay Leader
About Me:
Recently retired from Social Work profession I have worked in Children and Adult Social Care Services since the mid 1980’s initially as a generic Social Worker working with children and adults. I then moved to working in a hospital setting for a couple of years before moving to working for Barnardo’s Children Voluntary Organisation initially working in fostering and adoption then moving to working in community development as a Scheme Coordinator then moving to Children’s Service Manager. Whilst with Barnardo’s I worked in West and North Yorkshire as well as in the North West. Whilst in working as a Scheme Coordinator in Bradford I was also quite involved with the Community Health Council as a member of the council. My last 6 years of service was with Bradford Children and Family Trust where I was employed as Social Worker in the Fostering Team.
I am Lay Leader because…
Patient Safety is important in delivery of health care. I believe I have the knowledge and experience to make a positive contribution in developing safety methods of delivering health in partnership with colleagues.
My interests are….
I like socialising with family and friends, reading, social history and development. I am also interested in keeping track of current affairs.
Ben Duke
Lay Leader
About Me:
I was born in London and moved to Sheffield in my early years. I went to Sheffield Hallam University and obtained a 2:1 Housing Studies degree. I attended the University of Sheffield and was awarded a Masters’ degree in Global Social Policy. I went to Keele University and was awarded a PhD in Social Policy.
I am Lay Leader because…
In my research career, I have seen the benefits of the current focus of research using co production, working with people that have lived experience of a social problem. For example, health inequality between different groups of people within our society. As a Lay Leader, I am able to work collaboratively with others to improve the health system. Being a Lay Leader I can work with partners to develop a synthesis between health service stakeholders and medical practitioners, in shaping how healthcare is delivered.
My interests are….
In my spare time away from healthcare improvement activities, I like being involved in community regeneration projects. I also enjoy current affairs, listening to music, reading, travelling, watching sport and writing.
Inayah Sher
Lay Leader
About Me:
I am a community activist and educator from Bradford. I’ve spent more than 30 years working with people, supporting communities and trying to make a difference wherever I can. I’m the founder of Bradford4Better, which came from my belief that if we want a better Bradford, we can’t always sit back and wait for someone else to do it, we all have a part to play. I have been in a role as a Community Researcher that has given me the opportunity to listen to people’s experiences and bring those voices into research. For me, research isn’t just about collecting information and writing a report, it’s about people.
I am Lay Leader because…
I’m really passionate about people having a voice, especially people who might not normally speak up, because behind every person is a story, an experience and often something that could help make things better for someone else. I’ve always believed that if something matters to you, you shouldn’t just complain about it do something about it. That’s what I try to do: bring people together, listen, speak up and hopefully leave things a little better than I found them.
My interests are….
I enjoy travelling, keeping fit, eating healthy food and going for walks. I love meeting new people, especially people who inspire me and help me become a better person.
I also enjoy public speaking and meeting people from different backgrounds. I’m always open to learning from others, trying new things and pushing myself to grow.