June-Anne is the General Manger of the Guardian Service and takes responsibility for the day-to-day operations of our operations. June-Anne acts as lead Guardian for UCLH and supports a number of additional trusts as a back-up Guardian. June-Anne is a highly qualified and experienced HR professional with 10 years plus in the provision of HR services. Eight of the last ten years has been in the Healthcare sector. June-Anne is a Chartered member of CIPD, is a trained mediator and has completed post graduate programmes in career counselling, bullying and harassment, emotional resilience and equality and diversity. June-Anne has a track record of supporting Senior Management in strategic HR issues as well as leading a HR function to deliver operational excellence. June- Anne enjoys a reputation as an effective communicator, with demonstrable attributes in terms of empathy and objective but non-judgemental approach to staff engagement.

I became a Guardian because I feel very strongly about fairness at work and that all people should be treated with respect. I have a background of working with diversity and making the business case for inclusion. I feel very privileged to hear about the difficulty some people encounter at work, to be able to reflect back to them the key themes of what I've heard and to discuss their options for finding a suitable resolution.

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Mary is the lead Guardian for East London and its environs. Barts Health is a key area of responsibility for Mary supporting 15,000 staff members and she also acts as a guardian at Barking Havering and Redbridge University NHS Trust. Mary is a diversity and inclusion specialist with over 20 years’ experience in both D&I and HR. Mary led the D&I strategy for HSBC Retail Bank’s 53,000 UK employees with a particular emphasis on access to services for the disabled people. Working at Board level Mary has a strong record in influencing at a senior level, managing and mediating often complex and challenging issues between the bank and customers. Mary brings a wealth of experience to the role of Guardian with demonstrable attributes in empathy and objective, but non-judgemental approach to staff engagement.

Lincoln is the lead Guardian for West London and is an experienced and dedicated manager with 20 years of experience in motivating and mentoring staff at the Department of Works and Pensions. He has effective interpersonal and communication skills, demonstrated through presentation delivery and staff engagement. Lincoln is competent in HR processes and procedures, including providing advice and counselling to staff at all levels. Lincoln has demonstrable attributes in empathy and objective, but non-judgemental approach to staff engagement.

The Guardian Service was founded by Ashley in 2013. With the experience of receiving world class care by the NHS in his treatment for leukaemia, Ashley has dedicated the last twelve years to supporting the NHS, staff and patients. In 2010, he was appointed by the Department of Health as the National NHS Patient Champion with a remit encompassing all NHS organisations, staff and patients. Since his appointment he has become the country’s most trusted independent staff and patient advocate. Ashley is the lead Guardian at Barking Havering and Redbridge University Hospital and acts as a support Guardian for a number of other Trusts.

Simon joined Ashley in partnership in the Guardian Service in 2014. Simon is the acting CEO for the Guardian Service and takes responsibility for strategic direction and corporate affairs. Simon is an expert in employment law and organisational development with over 30 years’ experience in these areas. He has extensive experience in managing in-depth Investigations into claims of Bullying and Harassment in healthcare organisations and has led strategic culture change projects in the NHS and other sectors. He is the Visiting Research Fellow at Nottingham Business School, where he continues his research in organisational development and is a director of studies for Doctor of Business Administration degree programme, supervising PhD and DBA students through their degree cycle.

Patricia is the lead guardian for Mid Essex Hospital Trust and backup Guardian for Basildon and Thurrock University Trust. Patricia has over thirty years’ experience in managing staff teams and services in local authorities and charities, most recently for a London Hospice.   She has also held the post of HR Manager where she led on the full range of HR business operations as well as policy development to meet changing employment law regulations and to achieve best practice. In many of her roles she led on change programs which involved the restructuring of teams.  She has a post graduate degree in public services management and an MSC in management consultancy and organisational change.

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Patricia is friendly and approachable when engaging with staff and is non-judgemental and pragmatic in her approach to resolving staffing issues and concerns.

As one of the newest members of the team with my colleague Claire I joined in May 2019 to provide the Guardian service for Swansea Bay Health Board. After a 40-year career in both the private and public sectors I retired in April 2017 from my post as Operational Manager One (Leisure & Play) with Cardiff Council. I had responsibility for approx. 1200 staff, so have had extensive experience of all HR functions including chairing mediation, disciplinary and sickness panels as well as forging good working relationships with a range of Trade Unions.

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Upon retirement, I felt I wanted to continue to make use of my experience in dealing with workplace staff and all their issues ensuring that everyone has the opportunity for their voice to be heard however difficult that process might be. Becoming part of the truly independent Guardian service will enable me to offer staff that safe environment that they need to take the courageous step to speak up.

I am Claire one of the two Welsh Guardians working in the Swansea Bay Health Board. I am South Wales born and bred and proud of my Welsh identity.

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I qualified as a Social Worker since 1980 and have worked in both the Statutory and Voluntary Sector with children and young people, people with Learning Disabilities and vulnerable older Adults.    Since qualifying, I have been fortunate to have always worked in multi- disciplinary teams and since 1986 have been a staff manager building on the examples of good Managers for whom I have worked.

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I experienced working in the Health Service when I set up and managed a Third Sector Team within a joint Health and Social Service project in another Welsh Health Board. I believe that I am skilled in my assessment of people and situations and enjoy enabling people, in difficult situations, to problem solve and come to a resolution.

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Throughout my career I have had a particular interest in Advocacy, Inclusion and Speaking Up. I have managed an Advocacy Organisation and set up various ‘Having Your Say’ projects in a number of organisations. I also have a longstanding commitment to plain English and Easy Read information.

I continue to be involved in service delivery Chairing the Trustees of a local charity working with vulnerable adults manage their money and Chairing the Approval Panel of a nationwide organisation accommodating adults in ordinary homes.

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I am told that I am an approachable good listener, non-judgemental and passionate about treating staff well in accordance with my values, ensuring they can work at their best.

I became a Guardian because I feel people deserve a workplace where they feel valued, appreciated and where they can realise their full potential. I am passionate about empowering people to find their voice helping them to feel confident enough to articulate their concerns and decide what course of action is best for them. I believe that NHS staff provide a crucial and indispensable service to our society. Offering them support when they most need it is our opportunity to give something back. 

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Anuska is the lead Guardian for Camden and Islington Foundation Trust and supports additional Trusts as a backup Guardian. She holds a master’s degree in Cross-Cultural Psychology with a special interest in how cultures differ in the ways they approach social conflict and how culture continues to be an important factor in determining how people seek resolution. Anuska has over 10 years’ experience in working with the most vulnerable people including asylum seekers and refugees. This has enabled her to develop excellent interpersonal skills allowing her to build an excellent rapport with people who find themselves in challenging circumstances. Her calm and non-judgmental approach creates the right environment for people to be able to analyse their situation, talk through different options and decide on the path that is right for them.

I became a Guardian to support and give confidence to staff of all positions who feel they have nowhere to turn and believe there are no alternatives, to support them to be able to Speak Up without any fear and for them to work in an Open Honest Cultured environment.

Wayne is the lead Guardian for the south west located in Exeter. Wayne has over 20 years’ experience in the NHS and has been an internal Guardian since January 2016 having completed 12 months as an internal Guardian. Wayne’s experiences as an internal Guardian are diarised in a set of blogs on NHS Employers website. Wayne helped the development of the concept and role from the outset. Endorsed by the National Guardian Office in a LinkedIn Discussion Group, Wayne works nationally with the National Guardian Office promoting and organising presentations as well as attending national training events.  He is the Regional Lead for the FTSU Southwest Group, which support, advise and train the network of guardians around the country. Wayne has 10 years’ experience as a union representative providing him with a comprehensive insight and understanding of policies and procedures and people concerns in the NHS. He chaired many committees and forums and worked with Trust boards and senior NHS staff in relation to employment law issues and other support elements for staff.

In joining The Guardian Service, Wayne is one of a few Guardians who has experienced both the Internal and the External independent approach of the role.

I became a Guardian to help instill confidence and trust in people and support them to be able to speak up, voice their concerns and self-determine the appropriate course of action to take with respect to their issues. Being able to support any organization to foster a more open, honest and transparent culture that welcomes the contribution of its staff is a very rewarding role. Working in support of the NHS, to make patient and staff safety and welfare integral elements of the service is a key motivating factor for me as a Guardian.

Lulu is the lead Guardian for Lewisham and Greenwich Trust and Oxleas Trust. She is an experienced HR professional with years of experience in the provision and management of generalist HR services across private and public sector organizations. The past four years of her career has been rooted in the employee relations specialism.  Within the Civil Service she has taken the lead in providing coaching and mentorship on people and strategic HR issues to leaders across the government, advising staff and management across all levels on complex and high-profile ER cases with implementing policy development initiatives and reporting on ER activity through data analysis. She is a member of the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD), a trained coach and holds a master’s degree in HR Management and Employment Law as well as a bachelor’s degree in Law. Lulu is known for being a strong communicator who is adept at listening and taking into consideration the feelings and thoughts of others as well as building trust and respected partnerships with clients for the benefit of collaborative working and positive staff engagement outcomes.