Meet the Board

Barbara gives a lot of time volunteering for the local community. Barbara has been involved in health and social care projects previously. She brings a lot of experience from the lay person’s perspective.

Barbara volunteers her time at Barking Community Hospital working at the tea bar on a weekly basis. She has lived in Barking all her life and is interested in seeing Healthwatch Barking and Dagenham make a difference to the individuals who use the services.

Val Shaw has been a resident of Barking and Dagenham her whole life. After various jobs, including being a legal secretary she was made redundant and therefore decided to put something back into the community by volunteering.

Val volunteers at a number of the different places including the Broadway theatre, Barking Community Hospital and assisting the local council. She is interested in improving health and social care services for everyone. As well being on the board Val is also an Enter and View Representatives and the Healthwatch Champion for Longbridge Ward.

Zahra runs B&D Somali Womens Association. The vision of the association is to become a resource centre and hub for women in the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham and living in surrounding boroughs.

The organisation wants to be part of a community that enables individuals to make informed choices maintain good health and achieve their potential regardless of their health, education and social circumstance. Zahra shares the same vision and is passionate about her involvement with Healthwatch and making a difference.

Dr David Sollis has over 20 years of experience working in the charitable sector around areas such as disability, health & social care, sport and children and young people.

He is CEO of the Youth Enquiry Service, chairman of ATF and sits on the boards of Active Essex, Healthwatch Barking & Dagenham and St Johns Church Colchester.

Daniel Singleton is the Interim Chair of the board, where he works with the other board members to give insight and challenge to Healthwatch.

Daniel’s work for our host organisation involves him advocating for faith and community groups to national and local government. Daniel’s team at Faith Action have a particular role with DHSC and NHS England, informing and scrutinising policy and system development, which is of particular value to our Local Healthwatch board. He is passionate about playing a part in raising standards and making sure all can access and benefit from health and social care services.

Rachel Allen moved to Barking and Dagenham from Maryland, USA in late 2019.

She was immediately embraced and assisted by a local church. She often reflects on her various vulnerabilities when she arrived -- being an expecting mum, a foreign resident unfamiliar with the NHS and other social systems, prone to social isolation, all on the cusp of a pandemic.

She is beyond grateful for her church's support, which combatted these vulnerabilities. During the pandemic, Rachel began volunteering with Lifeline Community Projects to support local initiatives that are restoring belonging and connection. She volunteers at a local playgroup, befriended a terminally ill resident through BD CAN Connect, and joined an enrichment group for women. Rachel currently works as a Bursary Programme Officer at the City of London School for Girls, and is also finalising a collaborative research project between FaithAction and King's College London on belonging, faith, and identity in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Elspeth is the Health Lead for Community Resources, a charity based in Barking & Dagenham which grows creative solutions to local issues.

Thriving communities where people have a sense of agency are vital for health and wellbeing; Elspeth is incubating an approach to healthcare that joins the dots between the clinical, mental, social and community aspects of the system and gives greater agency to the individual. She is a member of the leadership group of the emerging borough partnership under the ICS system in Barking & Dagenham, and also represents the BD Collective (voluntary sector) on the Health & Wellbeing Board. She has 20+ years of experience of working in the voluntary sector and is married with two adult children.

I am a primary school teacher of almost 40 years experience and have held many different roles in schools and served on many governing bodies. I have worked across London in ten different local authorities. I have also served on my local police Independent Advisory Group for many years. I am currently a primary school SENCo at St Peter’s RC Primary and I work closely with families and support them as they navigate a range of services, including health services. I am also a parent of two grown-up sons and when they were young was very involved in the local Surestart parents group and the Early Years Partnership in Waltham Forest. I grew up and went to school in Redbridge and have strong ties to East London.