Nurses for Healthier Communities: Advisory group

Putting people at the heart of prevention work is imperative if we are to identify solutions that really do make it easier for everyone to live healthy lives. That’s why C3 organises advisory groups to inform its projects and programme areas.

In addition to subject matter experts, the groups are made up of the people whose voices are often overlooked – the ones who actually are impacted by chronic disease and who know best what they need in order to lead healthy lives or to help their patients and communities lead healthy lives.

Vanessa Anthony
Advisor - N4HC

Vanessa qualified and registered in adult branch nursing in 2021 with first employment directly into general practice…

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Malachi Connolly
Advisor - N4HC

My name is Malachi and I work in critical care. I’ve worked in healthcare for almost 8 years…

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Jyoti Patel
Advisor - N4HC

From a young age I saw & experienced health inequalities. Coming from a south Asian background…

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Christiana Coker
Advisor - N4HC

Presently working as a ward sister on Acute Admission Unit amongst diverse group from different background and ethnicity…

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Vanessa qualified and registered in adult branch nursing in 2021 with first employment directly into general practice. She is passionate about social inclusion and health inequalities which influenced her decision to become a GP nurse. Through lived experience she noted the many challenges and barriers to accessing healthcare for ethnic minorities as well as the underrepresentation of ethnic minority healthcare workers, by a greater extent in the primary care sector. By pursuing a career as a GP nurse Vanessa aspires to dismantle such challenges, in addition to the many myths associated with practice nursing including deskilling of competence. The variety of acquired skills, greater opportunity for continuity of care and enabling patient autonomy to manage their health conditions is contradictory to these myths. Vanessa continues to advocate for equality in healthcare. Amongst her many voluntary roles Vanessa is a GPNSNN ambassador and BAME GPN Champion.

My name is Malachi and I work in critical care. I’ve worked in healthcare for almost 8 years and started as a band 2 healthcare assistant. I did nursing as a postgraduate diploma for my second degree after doing a biomedical sciences degree, then qualifying and working in trauma before transitioning to critical care just before the first lockdown. I’m a Nursing Now ambassador, where I’ve worked on projects to encourage children from low socioeconomic backgrounds into nursing and also been part of a campaign to encourage more males to consider nursing as a career choice. Outside of nursing I’m a keen rugby player and training to take part in my first triathlon as a way to unwind, keep healthy and help process the stressors of work.

From a young age I saw & experienced health inequalities. Coming from a south Asian background constantly getting told that I’m prone to certain health conditions or chronic diseases got me thinking. After qualifying as a nurse in 2007 I knew I wanted to work in the community. I’ve now been practice nursing for over 10 years, working locally between two GP surgeries in the borough of Ealing whilst caring for 2 young children.
 
I enjoy building relationships with my patients. Initially being one of few practice nurses who was south Asian at that time I could relate more to their culture and understand their specific health needs. Hence I found that these patients would trust & ask for my opinions regarding their health. I am able to empower these patients to take better control of their health. This will slowly but surely help balance out health inequalities in the UK.
 

Presently working as a ward sister on Acute Admission Unit amongst diverse group from different background and ethnicity. Demonstrating the Barts health care value (WECARE) by being warm and welcoming, being accountable for my actions, engainging and respecting others point of view, by building and developing collaborative relationships with the MDT members, leading and developing people, working with senior management in developing strategies using innovative technologies to achieve desired change within the TRUST.

I love supporting junior staff development by signposting them to the right development programmes available and I am also very passionate about inclusion and tackling health inequalities. 

Working as an RCN steward has enabled me to work with my employer and colleagues giving supports to nurses and health care support workers by representing them when the need arises.

I am resilient, proactive and very friendly. I enjoy travelling and meeting new people and I am in love with mindfulness activities most especially since the covid-19 pandemic.