Council Members
Council Members
Esther Mackillican
Admiral Nurse at Dorothy House Hospice Care
I’m the Admiral Nurse for Dorothy House. Our Admiral Nursing Service includes supporting patients and carers on a caseload, providing training to professionals and working alongside other providers to ensure equity and outstanding palliative and end of life dementia care across our ICB geography.
I have worked in dementia care for 15 years, starting in care homes in London and Somerset. This gave me the opportunity to gain post graduate qualifications in dementia. I then qualified as an RGN and my first nursing role was in a GP practice assessing, diagnosing and supporting people living with dementia and their carers to live as well as possible.
Leanne Vinakadina
Deputy Manager of Laverstock Care Centre
I am the Deputy Manager of Laverstock Care Centre in Salisbury. I qualified as a nurse in 2009 and worked in the NHS until 2014 when I moved to Wiltshire with my husband who is in the military and our children.
I joined the Social Care sector in 2015 and really felt I had found my calling in regard to my nursing career. I am very passionate about my job and feel it is very important that Social Care and the nursing community within this area get the recognition they deserve.
I have 3 boys and between them, my husband in the military and my work, my days are very full but also very rewarding and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Patricia Schofield
Professor in Clinical Nursing School of Nursing and Midwifery (Faculty of Health)
I am an RGN and I have been recognised internationally for my contribution to the field of pain and ageing by IASP. I have led work around pain and dementia which includes dental pain and pain assessment.
Other studies include a COST collaboration developing a pain assessment tool for adults with dementia. An MRC programme which examined the self-management of chronic pain amongst the older population.
Other areas include collaboration with UNMASS on a falls study and CORNELL on technology use in the older population.
I am also working on dental pain in dementia and virtual reality, frailty and overprescribing.
Shelagh Meldrum
Chief Nursing Officer - NHS Somerset ICB
Shelagh began her career in nursing in 1987, working predominantly as a senior nurse in acute medicine before becoming a specialist nurse in neurology and NHS Directorate Manager, before leaving to work in the independent sector in 2016.
Following 14 years in the independent healthcare sector as Chief Nurse and Executive Hospital Director, she returned to the NHS. Shelagh has worked in Somerset in a variety of executive roles, including five years as Chief Nurse and Deputy Chief Executive at Yeovil District Hospital.
Having taken up the role of ICB Chief Nursing Officer in June 2022 and, more recently, the additional responsibility of Chief Operating Officer, Shelagh has been able to draw on her knowledge and experience to support improvement, collaboration and operational transformation while ensuring the clinical, care and support voice is well represented across our system. Shelagh’s passion for improving working cultures and having shared values to allow us to focus on the health and well-being of the population we serve will help the ICS to fulfil its promise.
Teresa Chinn MBE RN QN
Registered Nurse - Brunelcare
Teresa Chinn MBE RN QN is a Registered Nurse who has been working in Adult Social Care for most of her career.
In 2012 Teresa set up the nursing Twitter group @WeNurses and has received an MBE for services to nursing for this work. Teresa has previously worked providing consultancy to organisations such as NHS England, the World Health Organisation and Public Health England and has spoken at conferences internationally about nursing.
Teresa currently works for the Bristol-based charity Brunelcare as the Director of the Nursing and Care Services Team. Teresa is currently undertaking a Masters in Advanced Clinical Practice.
Jakki Whitehead
Admiral Nurse
I am a Registered Mental Nurse, practicing as a Community Psychiatric Nurse once qualified.
I then worked in a nursing home, in dementia care, doing Dementia Care Mapping and Leadership in Dementia courses, following this up with another Professional Qualification in Dementia Care.
Moving to Riversway Nursing Home in Bristol I became an Admiral Nurse in 2016, supported by Dementia UK with supervision and best practice training.
I work as a Clinical Lead/ Trainer and believe strongly in a specialist practitioner working in a nursing home to promote good relationship-centred care supporting excellent person-centred care for our residents.
Ashleigh Fox
Registered Learning Disability Nurse, Transforming Care Director & Coach
As a Learning Disability nurse by background, and having worked in the health and social care sector over 20 years, Ashleigh’s focus has been on supporting people to live meaningful and fulfilled lives with a focus on bringing people back to their own homes and communities.
Her experience within various organisations both in the public and private sectors has given opportunities for a unique viewpoint on the sector as a whole, and how the care workforce’s contribution can truly deliver impact, as well as how organisations can better support their people to be committed to providing high quality care, especially through a Transforming Care lens.
Ashleigh also has a keen interest in mentoring other passionate professionals who want to make an impact, by being open, approachable and asking questions around what the future could look like, if we took action together in making a difference.
Ben Miller
Registered Mental Health Nurse
I qualified as a Mental Health Nurse in 2012 from the University of the West of England and have worked in social care my whole nursing career, specialising in nursing dementia care.
I have been a Registered Manager of nursing/residential dementia care homes since 2016 and have achieved the coveted CQC Outstanding rating twice.
Since 2021 I and/or teams/individuals I have worked with have won 15 awards.
One thing I'm really proud of is that at least five people I've worked with as a manager have gone on to university to become Registered Nurses or Nurse Associates.
Jodie Andrews
Registered Manager
My name is Jodie Andrews, and I am the Registered Manager of a nursing home in Torbay.
My experience ranges from the acute, primary and social care sectors. Care.