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
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:
I am an independent member of Kirklees Place ICB and a lay assessor on the Department of Health & Social Care Advisory Committee on Clinical Impact Awards. Having moved from Kirklees to North Yorkshire in January 2021,I joined the Board of Ripon Community Link,a charity creating opportunities for people with learning disabilities.
I’m a Lay Leader because…
I wanted to get involved in a different aspect of health and social care and hope that my experience and breadth of knowledge across many parts of the “system” can be useful. I wanted to keep busy and continue to learn and interact with people.
My interests are…
Since moving to Wakefield and remarrying I have developed new interests such as gardening,Pilates, aqua fit and cycling.
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!