Charlotte Augst
Charlotte is the Chief Executive of National Voices. Prior to joining National Voices in March 2019, Charlotte led the work of the Richmond Group for five years, developing strategy, facilitating discussions and representing the Group externally. She came to London in 1997, after completing a law degree in Germany, to pursue postgraduate studies at the University of London. She holds a PhD in law and medical ethics. Charlotte has held senior positions in health and research policy – in Parliament, for national regulators, and in the charitable sector. She has been a Trustee of Mosaic Clubhouse, a Brixton based mental health recovery charity, since 2015.
Jenny Bousfield
Jenny is an analyst at RAND Europe with research experience in a range of health and social care topics. Her research has focused on social inclusion, mental health, and health services research. Her Ph.D. explored gender and social inclusion in individuals with a diagnosis of psychosis. Her recent work includes the exploration of financial wellbeing initiatives for young workers with the Wellcome Trust, and the use of evidence by board members in NHS organisations, with The Healthcare Improvement Studies Institute (THIS).
Jenny has also worked on a number of BRACE rapid evaluations, such as the evaluation of artificial intelligence technologies for social care. Jenny has extensive experience in recruiting participants to research through primary and secondary NHS services, as well as skills in quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research. This includes surveys, interviews, focus groups and stakeholder workshops.
Lucy Hocking
Lucy Hocking is an Analyst at RAND Europe with experience in public health, health improvement and innovation and health services research. These research studies were commissioned by a range of clients, including the UK Department of Health and Social Care, pharmaceutical companies and the European Commission. More specifically, Lucy has been heavily involved in a study exploring innovation in the NHS and how policy can best support and enable innovation to thrive. In addition, Lucy is currently managing a study commissioned by the Health Foundation evaluating the Q initiative.
Lucy has experience with a range of qualitative and quantitative research methods, including literature review, conducting and analysing interviews with a range of key stakeholders, developing in-depth case studies and designing and analysing surveys. Lucy has an MSc in Child Public Health from Swansea University and a BSc(Hons) in Biomedical Science from the University of Reading.
Richard Kirby
Richard Kirby is the Chief Executive at Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (BCHC).
He joined Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust as chief executive in March 2018, bringing 20 years of NHS management and leadership experience in Birmingham and the Black Country. A graduate of the NHS Management Training Scheme, Richard began his career supporting the development of GP commissioning in Birmingham. After a series of posts in commissioning, strategy and performance management, he moved to Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust where he led the development of new models of care and service configuration changes initially as Director of Strategy and, then, as Chief Operating Officer. Most recently Richard was chief executive of Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust for seven years leading the integration of hospital and community health services and building effective partnerships with stakeholders to support integrated care.
BRACE Centre Senior Research Administrators
The BRACE team is supported by two ‘critical friends’: Professors Russell Mannion and Mary Dixon-Woods. The critical friend role includes undertaking peer review of all project proposals, interim outputs and final reports, and supporting the BRACE team in reading across projects and themes and distilling wider learning on both a topic and methodological basis. They also attend the Centre’s steering group, in order that they hear discussions of the team’s plans and work by external PPI, academic and NHS service peers, and can connect this into the critical friend role they perform for the core team.