Team Biographies
James Baillon
Data Analytics Manager
James is responsible for providing the Training Hub with data capture, analysis and reporting, whilst supporting project work streams, focussing on Primary and Social Care initiatives. He believes the role of data analytics and an evidence-based approach is integral to making effective decisions. He hopes to draw on his expertise in quantitative and qualitative research methods and analysis to support NATH with the delivery of excellent healthcare by educating, informing and enhancing the primary and community care workforce.
James holds an MSc in Psychology and an MSc in Health Psychology, and is a graduate member of the British Psychological Society.
Gemma Bird
Lead Practice Nurse for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire
Gemma's role within NATH is to support newly qualified Nurses and Nurses new to practice, develop within their role and access local and national funding available to them. Gemma leads our General Practice Nurse Mid-career Fellowship offer and supports our CPD team to organise various training events throughout the year.
Gemma is still a Practice Nurse herself and has the role of PCN Nurse Lead for Mid Notts and Bassetlaw. Gemma is passionate about being a representative of the Practice Nurse workforce and ensuring their voices are heard within the system. Gemma’s work enables her to work collaboratively with all areas of health and social care system within the locality to improve services and patient outcomes.
Gemma has a BSc in Adult Nursing PG Cert within long-term condition management. Gemma has also completed her Professional Nurse Advocate training.
Rachel Burrows
General Practice Nurse (GPN) Educator
Rachel’s role involves the provision of support, supervision and guidance for Trainee Nursing Associates, qualified Nursing Associates and General Practice Nurses who are new to their roles within general practice. This is with the aim of promoting a positive learning experience for these groups and improving workforce resilience and retention.
Rachel has a BSc in Adult Nursing and works as a Lead Practice Nurse at Orchard Surgery. Rachel also works as a General Practice Nurse Assessor for De Montfort University and is passionate about increasing the profile of general practice nursing as a career choice for newly qualified Nurses.
Penny Guard
Learning and Development Manager
Penny is the Training Hub lead for Primary Care Apprenticeships and the development of Primary Care Student Placements, supporting Primary Care Networks and Primary Care organisations to create robust workforce plans based on current and future population health needs.
Before working at NATH, Penny spent over 20 years in the learning and development sector specialising in managing, designing, quality assurance and delivery of apprenticeships and short courses, qualified as an assessor, tutor and IQA, involved in the development of the new apprenticeship standards that included Health Care, Aviation, Hospitality, Customer Service, Logistics, Finance, Early Years and Retail.
Denise Harnett
Operations & Events Administrator
Denise provides business, project, meeting and event administrative support to the NATH team. This involves approving event requests and supporting them from start to finish, including publishing details on our Eventbrite site and NATH events webpages. She also co-manages the central alliance inbox alongside Sharon Hovey.
Having spent 10 years providing training to the legal community in Birmingham, she felt that it was time for a change and move into providing training for those who work in Primary Care. You can find out more about her background via Denise’s LinkedIn profile. Denise is passionate about providing quality training to support those working within Primary Care.
Sharon Hovey
Administration Assistant
Sharon joined the NATH team in April 2021 and will be providing support to the whole team with all areas of administration. Sharon has experience of working in a variety of roles across the public sector including both the NHS and Prison Service. She has worked as a teaching assistant at Rampton and staff learning and development co-ordinator for the Prison Service ensuring all staff were fully trained in their various roles. She also volunteers at Newark's Covid-19 vaccination centre.
Sharon loves helping people, trying to make a difference and strives to help people further their careers.
Kate Knowles
Integrated Care System Advanced Practice Lead
Kate has joined NATH in a year’s part-time secondment from Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH). She is responsible for leading on the implementation of the Nottinghamshire Integrated Care System (ICS) Advanced Practitioner (AP) Agenda and will support the ICS AP Steering Group in developing and implementing a multi-professional ICS advanced practice strategy.
Having completed the MSc in Advanced Clinical Practice at the University of Nottingham (UoN) Kate also works part-time as an AP within Acute Medicine, Medicine Divisional Lead AP at NUH and Assistant Honorary Professor UoN. Previous accomplishments include Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellow (2017).
Jamie Lambert-Smith
Communications and Engagement Assistant
Jamie is responsible for the Training Hub’s digital communication needs and dealing with requests for the design and creation of online content, publications, and other materials such as the NATH newsletter.
Before working at NATH, Jamie spent over 25 years in design, marketing, and content creation, working in the industry since graduating with a degree in Graphic Design from Nottingham Trent University. He has worked in design agencies and as an in-house designer for the RNIB, where he became aware of the importance of making information design accessible for everyone.
Dr Errum Mumtaz
Educator Lead
Errum qualified as a GP from Nottingham VTS in 2019. She is a practicing GP in Ilkeston and the Educator Lead at NATH, co-managing several NATH works streams including Quality Assurance Framework for learning environments, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), and Differential Attainment. She also manages and supports GPN Leadership and their workstreams. She is enthusiastic about supporting primary care colleagues to have fulfilling and sustainable careers.
Outside of work, Errum enjoys travelling, socialising with friends and spending quality family time with her twin girls.
Laurence Quirk
Programme Manager
Laurence is our Programme Manager, a role he assumed in April 2022 after joining the team as Operations Manager in September 2020. In his position, Laurence is responsible for planning educational programs for staff working in GP practices across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, ensuring that healthcare professionals have access to relevant training, funding opportunities, and apprenticeships.
Before joining NATH, Laurence accumulated extensive experience working with various charities across Nottinghamshire and the UK, focusing on community development and patient involvement in collaboration with the NHS since the late 1990s. Outside of his professional commitments, he contributes to his community as a volunteer telephone befriending for the Rainbow Call Companions with Re-Engage and a social leader with Outdoor Lads.
Laurence holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science and is a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute (FCMI).
Michele Tuttle
Care Project Officer
Michele is the Care Project Officer for NATH with responsibility for supporting care homes and home care providers in the uptake of apprenticeships and placements. She is also working with the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire CCG to deliver training into care homes to prepare them for MDTs and Ward Rounds. Her role includes extensive engagement with both care homes and home care, delivering the training and offering on-going support afterwards.
Michele has a passion for supporting social care and has had two previous roles in this field. She has a varied career in this NHS having previously held positions at East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS), CityCare, the ICS, mental health, CCGs and public health.
Paul Wade
Primary Care Advanced Practice Lead
Paul currently works as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner at Castle Healthcare Practice in West Bridgford. Prior to this, he was employed as a Paramedic with East Midlands Ambulance Service after moving up from Gloucestershire where he worked as Lead Paramedic for South Western Ambulance Service.
As a Paramedic by background with a keen interest in sport and exercise, his key areas of interest in Primary Care are acute illness, musculoskeletal presentations and joint injections.
Paul is excited to be joining NATH, engaging with ACPs from various backgrounds all over the county, and continuing to help develop the community of Advanced Practice.
Louise Woodward
Operations & Communications Manager
Louise leads the NATH Operations Team and primarily manages all our marketing, communications and engagement across our website, newsletters and social media accounts. She leads on NATH’s brand and identity, as well as the creative side to communications, surveys and strategies. She project manages some of NATH’s initiatives and trains team members on IT systems and processes. She is also the NATH Board Secretary.
She is a PRINCE2 Practitioner, values being driven, creative, supportive, trustful and belonging to an inclusive community, sparking her motivation in this role. In September 2021, she started studying towards a Digital Marketer Degree Apprenticeship.