Workforce Wellbeing 

Professor Tracy Daszkiewicz

Tracy started as Executive Director for Public Health and Strategic Partnerships for the Health Board in April 2023.

Bringing more than 25 years’ experience working in health and social care across the NHS, Civil Service, Local Government and Voluntary Sector. Tracy has a track record in transformation, system change, and developing services to meet the needs of local people. Tracy was also the Director of Public Health for Wiltshire during the nerve agent poisonings in Salisbury, this deepened her interest in the role of public health in humanitarian recovery. This is the subject of her PhD research.

Tracy is also Vice President of Faculty of Public Health.  A Visiting Professor at the University of West of England in Public Health where she also holds an Honorary Doctorate for contributions to Public Health, she holds a second from the Open University. She is a Visiting lecturer with Exeter University in Health Protection. She sits on the Board of Trustees for a local Domestic Abuse Charity.

“My passion is for reducing vulnerability and tackling inequalities. With Gwent becoming Wales’s first Marmot Region I am delighted to join the Health Board to lead the Public Health Team.

“The impact of low income, job instability, poor housing and isolation has on our health is immeasurable. My ambition for Gwent is for healthier, safer places, access to excellent education, warm homes, prosperity, and community connectedness. These key building blocks to a healthy and fairer life are everything that the Building a Fairer Gwent work promotes."

“In short, I believe all children should have the best start in life through to adulthood where everyone has a job, a home and a friend. Through our work with both the Public Health Team and together with our partners across Gwent, I look forward to supporting the people of Gwent to live well and live longer.”

Abhijit Bagade
abhijit.bagade@norfolk.gov.uk

Dr Abhijit Bagade trained in medicine overseas, accredited as a specialist in Paediatrics as well as Public Health, and came over to the UK in 1996. Initially he worked in various Paediatric hospitals across the UK and had a special interest in Paediatric Intensive Care.

In public health, he has worked overseas in the areas of malnutrition and infectious diseases, with some research in the treatment of malaria. In the UK, he has trained and worked in the East of England, with expertise in health care public health, and also in the areas of mental health and information & insight. He has an interest in teaching and training, having taught medical students at the Universities of Cambridge and East Anglia, and developed training policies since he was a senior trainee.

He has been the FPH Regional Adviser for the East of England since 2017. In addition to maintaining standards in recruitment, he is passionate about the wellbeing of public health professionals, particularly about their parity of esteem in terms of pay and conditions as well as their professional status as system leaders. He is the member of the FPH Workforce Wellbeing Group and the Regional Wellbeing Champion for the East of England.

Chima Amadi
chima.amadi001@gmail.com 

I am a pharmacist by background and have a Masters in Public Health. I am currently undergoing the UKPHR public health practitioner competency program. I have multiple years of experience working in multiple local authorities and the NHS to deliver various health improvement and health protection projects/programs.

My interest in Wellbeing Champion role is due to my passion for public health workforce improvement. I am a strong believer of the critical role of public health workforce in the achievement of better health outcomes for the local population and the development of a resilient health system.  

Hollie Hutchinson
hollie.hutchinson@leics.gov.uk

My journey into Public Health started with an undergraduate degree in Physiology and Sports Science, which led into roles working within district and borough councils on sport and physical activity development. As purse strings got ‘tighter’ in local authorities, job roles got ‘looser’ and broader, and I inherited aspects of health improvement, which I fell in love with.

I have now been working in a Public Health department since 2017 and have moved up the ranks, got my MPH and amassed a rather significant and broad portfolio including; the departments Health Improvement function, oral health, healthy weight, food and nutrition, health care public health/NHS advice, public health communications, women’s and maternity, and behaviour change.  

The greatest asset we have is our workforce, and I am committed to doing everything that I can to support their health and wellbeing. 

Joan Ogiugo 
jogiugo@gmail.com

My journey into public health began through the Public Health Apprenticeship programme. Before that, I spent several years as an intercultural mediator, helping to break down language and cultural barriers in healthcare settings to improve care for refugees and migrants.

I became a Wellbeing Champion because I believe that a positive, supportive workplace is key to helping people thrive. Coming from a multicultural background, I’ve seen how different cultural norms shape the way people experience health and wellbeing.

What feels inclusive and supportive for one person might not be the same for another, so I want to help create an environment where everyone feels valued and understood. In this role, I hope to encourage open conversations about wellbeing, challenge stigma, and ensure that wellbeing initiatives reflect the diverse needs of the public health workforce. 

Emer Cullen 
emer.cullen@ukhsa.gov.uk 

I’m a medic by background, but also have a Bachelor of Education in Home Economics and Irish. I started specialty training in 2020, and currently in my final year. I am hoping to stay in health protection and am interested in the role of health protection teams in prevention and reducing health inequalities.

My reason for coming to the Wellbeing Champion role is because of an interest in overall workforce development, particularly education and training. I’m sure starting training during the pandemic and struggling with fully remote working for the first 18 months have also influenced my interest in wellbeing! 

Andrew Turner 
Andrew.Turner@dhsc.gov.uk

I’m a biologist by background, with a PhD and several years’ experience in academic research and NHS microbiology prior to beginning public health specialist training in 2016. I joined Cheshire East Council for my first Consultant in Public Health role in August 2021 and moved to a regional role with OHID in September 2024.

I have a particular interest in tackling the root causes of poor health and inequality, applying a public health approach to everything from spatial planning to economic development.  

I became a Wellbeing Champion because I’ve noticed a real decline in the morale and job satisfaction of many of us working in public health in recent years, particularly since Covid-19, and I want to help to fix that.   

Ruth Hewitson
ruth.hewitson@hscni.net 

I am a public health registrar in my fourth year of training, currently working in the Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland.

I previously worked as medical doctor before returning to university to complete an MSc in Children’s Rights and undertake a PhD in medical ethics (which I still haven’t quite managed to finish!). I started my public health training in the North East of England in 2021, working in the public health department of Newcastle City Council, before moving to the PHA in 2023.

In both locations, I have seen how organisational change has an impact on workforce wellbeing. I have taken on the role of wellbeing champion because we spend so much of our life at work and I want to contribute to making this time positive for the public health workforce. 

Ashleigh Draper 
ashleigh.draper@nhs.net 

I'm a medic by background and am hoping to start Specialty training in the coming couple of years. Currently, I am based at Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford as an Internal Medical Trainee. My interest in health protection, and well-being at work, is something that has been developing since the pandemic as our working environment has evolved. Working in a more clinical-based setting has shone light on health inequalities and incivilities that occur in the workplace; these are omnipresent in both hybrid and on-site environments.  

I came to the Wellbeing Champion role to improve education and training for individuals working within the NHS, and to raise awareness for the significance of wellbeing in the workplace. We spend a great deal of time at work and being a collaborative part of a positive and well-supported team is always the goal! It motivates us and encourages a learning environment for us to thrive in; this has both short- and long-term benefits for our mental and emotional health. Ultimately, good mental wellbeing serves us as individuals, as teams, and as a population. 

Sarah Rayfield 
Sarah.rayfield@slough.gov.uk

I am a medical doctor by background, working in clinical medicine and specialising in Paediatrics for a number of years before joining the Public Health Training programme. I have been a Public Health Consultant since February 2022, first working in Hampshire County Council, then joining OHID South East leading on Public Mental Health, Suicide Prevention and Inclusion Health Groups.

In November 2024, I joined Slough Borough Council where I have a broad portfolio leading on Children and Young people, CVD prevention, Sexual health, Drugs and alcohol and emotional health and wellbeing. I am an Educational Supervisor and a verifier for the UKPHR practitioner scheme.

I am passionate about both developing the workforce and improving our wellbeing, recognising the importance of creating positive, supportive cultures that enable our workforce to thrive and create a good work life balance, benefiting both individuals and the populations that we serve.  

Nicholas Shaw
nickshaw1@nhs.net 

Simon Yates
simon.yates@birmingham.gov.uk 

Joanne Smithson
Joanne.Smithson@northyorks.gov.uk

I have recently joined Health Determinants Research Collaboration, North Yorkshire as their Senior Manager. I’m an experienced policy professional and health researcher, and have led research and service improvement activity across the NHS, local government, and voluntary sector. 

From October 20019-May 2024 I led the Implementation & Learning portfolios at the What Works Centre for Wellbeing, the UK’s national body for wellbeing evidence, policy and practice.  I was also the Centre’s lead for workplace wellbeing, and developed a framework improving staff wellbeing in schools and colleges.  My work also included researching the role Wellbeing Guardians play in NHS Governance, and exploring how employees working with terminal illness can be most effectively be supported. 

I hold Masters qualifications in Public Health and Business Administration. I'm a registered Public Health Professional and a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership. 

Beverley Griggs
Beverley.Griggs@wales.nhs.uk

I started my healthcare career as a nurse in Belfast in the late 90’s. After several years working in acute settings, I completed post graduate training as a specialist occupational health (OH) nurse. I then worked in OH for 15 years across a wide range of workplace settings throughout the UK. During this time, I completed an MSc in Mental Health Studies at Kings College London, which focussed on organisational psychology/psychiatry. This helped me to support managers and employees in improving mental wellbeing in the workplace.

In 2017, I joined the public health speciality training programme in the East of England and have spent the last 3 years as a Consultant in Health Protection working in Wales. Despite moving out of OH I am still passionate about wellbeing at work and hope that I can use my experience in this role to support the PH workforce.