St Andrew’s Healthcare appoints five new Non-Executive Directors

St Andrew’s Healthcare has welcomed five new Non-Executive Directors (NEDs), each with an extensive background in the mental healthcare, psychology or commercial sector. The appointments, which include Professor David Sallah, Elena Lokteva, Professor Stanton Newman, Tansi Harper, and Andrew Lee, are part of the Charity’s plans to restructure in order to deliver the very highest quality of care.

The new Non-Executive Directors will sit on the Board, and support the development of the charity's strategy and culture, while ensuring that management, compliance and performance are being done well.

The five candidates were appointed after a robust recruitment and selection process, which included an interview by patients, and meetings with the Chairman, Peter Carter, and Chief Executive Katie Fisher.

Peter Carter, who joined the Charity last July having previously been Chief Executive at North West London Mental Health Trust and the Royal College of Nursing, said:

“We’re pleased to have on board such talented and experienced people who understand the challenging mental health landscape in this country. Each person will play a vital role in continuing to bring about positive change for St Andrew’s.

“Together we will be able to improve the lives of people with mental illness.”

The appointments come after the Charity announced at the start of the year that it would be overhauling parts of the organisation – including reducing the number of beds in its Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), selling its Nottinghamshire hospital and making changes to its Women’s Unit – in order to consistently deliver high-quality care.

The five new NEDs include:

• Professor David Salah who has over 30 years of experience in health and social care, having held positions in the NHS, private sector and academia. He has also had experience within national government, and was the National Director responsible for the Department of Health programme for Delivering Race Equality in Mental Healthcare, having worked in developing the policy at national and government level from 2001 until 2007. He is currently on the Board of Directors at Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
• Elena Lokteva a qualified accountant with extensive global experience. In 2009 she co-founded an independent asset management firm, which managed a diverse $400m portfolio. She has a broad remit which spans treasury, tax and corporate structuring. Elena has supported a family member with a bi-polar diagnosis, and understands how complex mental health issues can be. She is Trustee of Hertfordshire Mind Network and Re-Vision, and also works with BiPolar UK on various community activities.
• Professor Stanton Newman has worked as a practicing Clinical Psychologist for over 40 years, primarily within the NHS but also offering private care. He has a remarkable background in psychiatry with a strong track record in leadership. He has held prestigious roles in academia, undertaking significant research on an international scale. 
• Tansi Harper who has served on variety of health, Ministry of Justice and Voluntary Sector boards. She has experience of the challenges and opportunities which surround transformational change, and enjoys working with the public and patients on co-producing services. Tansi is also a carer, and is a member of the Northamptonshire Carers Forum.
• Andrew Lee who has a strong background in financial services, having held roles at Teachers Building Society, Co-operative Banking Group, and Lloyds Global Banking Group. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge which covers finance, management, strategy, risk and compliance.