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Community and mental health services for Southampton, Portsmouth and parts of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

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Meet the team

Sarah Balchin

Hello, my name is Sarah. I am a nurse by background and have worked in health and care for over 40 years. My role is to lead the fab (not that I am biased😊)  Community Engagement and Experience Team, the aim being to improve health, reduce health inequalities and improve the experience of care for people who use our services, their families and carers.

I firmly believe our communities are a source of untapped knowledge, expertise and skill and am passionate about ensuring that local people have a say in how their local health services are developed, designed and delivered.  

I am a (very!!) mature PhD student, researching the experience of people who suddenly become family carers and am hoping that we can improve the support we offer people at what can be a time of real change for individual family members.

Anastasia Lungu-Mulenga

Hello my name is Anastasia and I am the Head of Community Engagement and Patient Experience. My role is to work closely with our local communities and  patients and ensure that the their voices are heard and are at the heart of everything that we do. I love my job because it gives me the opportunity to work with a wide range of people from all parts of our communities giving them a voice where often they aren’t heard. I have a strong belief in the power and knowledge of communities and that communities should be given the opportunity to work alongside us to help bring about improvements and change to the  way that health services are delivered. Out of work I love to spend time with friends and family and will literally find any excuse to have a party or social gathering.

Katie Hunt

Hello my name is Katie and I am the Personal Assistant to Sarah Balchin Associate Director Engagement and Inclusion. I Provide senior administration support to Sarah in all aspects of her daily role.

I enjoy all aspects of my role and love working within a great supportive team.

In my spare time I enjoy interior design and days out with my friends and family.

My personal core values which I bring to my role are kindness, respect and loyalty.

Joe Croombs

Hello my name is Joe and I am Community Engagement and Experience Manager.
I love my job because I get to work alongside an array of amazing community partners and colleagues and compliments I am a nurse, a coach and I am passionate that everyone has the potential to do whatever they set their minds to do given the right environment, encouragement, and support.
Out of work I am the volunteer coordinator for Dogs for Autism, who provide autism assistance dogs. I also love scrapbooking, socialising and have a new found love for listening to people tell their lived experiences. 
My own core values are People, Challenge, Balance, Meaningful & Fun.

Janene Goddard

Hello my name is Janene and I am the Community Engagement Facilitator.

My role is to work alongside our local community in the delivery of the Alongside Communities, the Solent approach to engagement and inclusion, with the joint ambitions of improving patient experience and ensuring health equity.

I love my job because it aligns with my own personal values and connecting with the wonderful members of our community is such a wonderful position to be in. I feel I really am helping to contribute to peoples experiences in the NHS.

Out of work I enjoy spending time with friends and family and walks with my dogs.

My own personal core values are Kindness, Connection and Gratitude.

 

 Gaby Sanchez

Hi- I’m Gaby and I work closely with local communities to ensure they are integral to the decision making in all aspects of their community and mental health services. My favourite part of my role is getting to speak to amazing people from all walks of life.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to continuously learn from our local communities and witness the power of people coming together to achieve some pretty incredible things. 

Janet Ayling

Hello my name is Janet and I am a PALS & Complaints Co-Ordinator as part of the Patient Experience Team.  I help patients, and their families and friends raise concerns about the service they have received from us.  The PALS team are often the first point of contact for these people so I feel our role is really important to ensure they are listened to and that we empathise and encourage this feedback. I am a strong believer in striving for service excellence. My role then manages their complaint or concern through to conclusion in liaison with our different service teams and other external bodies.  I find this job really rewarding as I often feel we are helping people going through difficult times. Outside of work I like to spend my time with my wonderful family and friends.  I am a keen tennis player so play whenever I can and I am also a singer/songwriter who loves to write songs and have played in some of our local venues.

 

Nonnie Arnott

Hello, my name is Nonnie and I'm the Community Engagement Team's Communications Officer. What I do involves creating flyers, posters, infographics, publications, and lots more so that the information we send out is easily accessible to everyone. 

As someone with a creative mind I sometimes struggle to process large chunks of wordy data, so it’s important to me to create documents that are grabbing to the eye so you can read all our juicy details with ease.

I love the creativity this role allows, but I am most enthusiastic about the positive changes this team brings about and how connected we are with our communities and individuals.


Outside of work I love to spend time with friends, doing yoga, crocheting, and customising clothing.

 

Ophelia Watson

Hello my name is Ophelia and I am the Experience of Care Lead.

I love my job because I have the privilege of meeting lots of amazing people. In addition the greatest joy is listening to their stories and then doing something good, and useful, with what they’ve told me.

I am a complete chatter box but I also love to listen. I love singing, dancing, reading and writing poetry and running. I love people and I love to laugh. I am unapologetic about the fact that I am an eternal optimist. I mean what’s wrong with always looking on the bright side of life?

My Core values are Honesty, Compassion and Kindness.

 

Charlotte Williams

Hello my name is Charlotte, I am the PALS and Complaints Manager.  I enjoy my job because I work with a team, who are enthusiastic and committed to improving and enhancing the experience of people using Solent NHS Trust services.  I love being creative, I draw, paint, knit and crochet, love making my own designs. I am currently doing my family tree in my spare time which is fascinating.

My personal values are family, kindness and respectfulness

 

Jo Treacher

Hello my name is Jo and I am a PALS & Complaints Co-ordinator.

I manage the complaints, concerns and enquiries raised by patients and service users, and I support staff with the complaints process.

I believe everyone should be treated with dignity and respect and I feel privileged to hear the concerns that are shared with me. The concerns that are raised eventually lead to improved patient experiences in the long term.

I love the beach, cooking, reading and spending time with my family

I have a strong sense of justice and have been told I am compassionate, patient and tenacious!

 

 

Jessica French

Hiya, my name is Jess. My role involves working with a lot of different people and providing them with guidance and support. I am usually a patient, relative or friends, first point of contact, when they would like advice, or have feedback about a service or the Trust in general.

I love my work, because I can provide a voice to people, who may not always feel confident to do so, by themselves. I am a true believer of everyone’s voice should be heard, and the more feedback we receive, the greater the opportunity there is to help us improve or continue what we are doing. 

Millie Gosden

Hello, my name is Millie and I am the Senior PALS & Complaints Co-ordinator. I joined the Trust in 2011, and have worked my way up to a Senior role within the team. I help to oversee the PALS & Complaints Team to ensure we manage complaints and feedback provided by our service users in line with legislation and policies.

I manage my own caseload, particularly managing more complex feedback or complaints which may involve the Care Quality Commissioner (CQC), Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) or multiple Trusts or services.

I love my job due to the people that I work with, striving to provide a great service to people who access our services, in line with our Solent Heart values. I love seeing positive outcomes from feedback, and then seeing the positive changes that have been implemented as a result.

Chrissy Gregson

Hello my name is Chrissy, I am the Volunteer and Patient Experience Manager

I first started my NHS career when I was 18 years of age working at the Royal United Hospital in Bath as a HCA, before moving to Exeter in Devon.  For the last 14 years I have worked for Solent NHS Trust, in many different capacities, from working at the Doctors Out of Hours Service, to Assistant Complaints Manager, to the Patient Experience Manager.  More recently (3 years ago) I took on the role to develop the Voluntary Service becoming the Volunteer & Patient Experience Manager and the NAVSM Chair for the South Coast.

Janice Stanley

Hello my name is Janice and I am the Community Engagement and Experience Assistant.

I have work for Experience team for 18 months and have loved every minute. I love talking and meeting lots people, and making a small different to our patient’s experience

Out of work I love travelling and meeting different people, walking my dog, and using natural remedies.

My core values are honesty, empathy and being myself. 

Tracy Lester

I am the Patient Experience Administrator.

I love my job because I get to meet a lot of people and learn so much and it is so fulfilling. Patient Experience is so rewarding and can make a difference where needed

In my free time I enjoy gardening and growing my own veg in my vegetable patch and greenhouse.

I am a caring person, always smiling and up for fun.

My own personal core values are kindness, honesty and caring which I bring to the role every day.

Alison Earle

Hello, my name is Alison, I am an Administrator in the Volunteer & Patient Experience Team.

I have been a Patient Experience Member for Portsmouth NHS Trust for 8 years, and Trustee for the League of Friends at St Mary’s Portsmouth for 25 years.  I remain passionate in supporting the needs of patients and staff in the ever-changing health and community sector.

Leisure time includes crafts, baking, cake decorating and coastal walking with our Brittany Spaniel.

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)

Please visit our services page for specific services and contact details. Alternatively, contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service by emailing or calling the number below. You can also give us feedback, make a complaint or share a compliment.

pals@solent.nhs.uk

0800 013 2319

*Lines are open Monday to Friday 10am – 4pm.

The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act was passed on 30 November 2000. It gives a general right of access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities, with full access granted in January 2005.

The Act sets out exemptions to that right and places certain obligations on public authorities.

Email: InformationGovernanceTeam@solent.nhs.uk

Phone: 0300 123 3919

*Subject to any exemptions which apply, we are obliged to provide the information requested please note that requests for Personal Information is not covered under this Act and should be applied for through the Data Protection Act 1998.

Our administrative and managerial centre is based in Southampton.

While our services can be found around various NHS locations in Southampton and Portsmouth (and surrounding districts), our administrative and managerial centre is based in Southampton at:

Highpoint Venue
Bursledon Road
Southampton
SO19 8BR

If you require a printable version of how to find us including bus times, car access and bike info please download our leaflet. (Copyright of Highpoint Venue).

Central office phone: 0300 123 3390

*Lines open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.

If you are a journalist with a media enquiry, please contact the Communications Team at:

communications@solent.nhs.uk

0300 123 4156 or 02381 031076

The Communications Office is open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.

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