Welcome to the team - learn more about the CPPN inaugural executive committee
Why not also check out a piece about the CPPN in the December 2023 edition of the CSP's frontline:
Charlie is stepping down as the Co-Chair of the inaugural CPPN executive committee as has been supporting the consultant network for many years. Once her position has been elected to or co-opted to we will update you! Thank you Charlie for all your hard work, support and leadership. She is a consultant allied health professional in neurorehabilitation at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust. She enjoys making bread but says "my waistline doesn't"! She is based at the Oxford Centre for Enablement and works across stroke and complex neuro-rehab services and systems, including Early Supported Discharge and Community therapy. "My primary interest in somatosensory function post stroke, fatigue, physical activity, extended and virtual reality and I am intrigued about exploring the benefits of artificial intelligence, virtual rehabilitation and augmented reality opportunities for people in the translating research into clinical practice.
Chris is the other Co-Chair of the CPPN. He is a consultant musculoskeletal physiotherapist at University Hospitals Sussex, on the South Coast of England, leading a team of 100 physiotherapists. He is also currently co-chair of the UK Musculoskeletal Partnership group of over 40 organisations with an interest in MSK health. Chris was national clinical lead for the NHS England Best MSK health primary and community programme, helping to develop national clinical pathways and policy relating to MSK health.
He has contributed to multiple national documents and guidelines relating to MSK care and advanced practice roles in MSK. He has a keen interest in serious spinal pathology and teaches widely on the topic for the Musculoskeletal Association of Chartered Physiotherapists (MACP) and on several post graduate university courses. He has supervised over 50 post-graduate MACP clinical practice placements. He has published several peer reviewed papers relating to serious spinal pathology and professional practice.
He is a "keen, if not very talented kickboxer and surfer, and an even less talented guitarist".
Billy is the Equity, Diversity and Belonging Officer for the CPPN. He is currently clinical director for Therapy services across 3 newly merged hospitals in Essex. "In my clinical and leadership role I have oversight over four AHP professions (PT, OT, SaLT, and Dietetics) with my regular clinical role in general musculoskeletal disease prevention & management." He has a general interest in equality and diversity and has been involved within the Trust in setting up EDI groups, investigations, reports and supporting NHS colleagues in issues relating to EDI over the last 20 years. "I have maintained a level of engagement with the ICB and the wider AHP EDI agenda over the last 2 years. It will be an honour to serve as the EDB rep for the CSP consultant physiotherapist network
Jess is the Communications Officer for the CPPN. She is a consultant physiotherapist at Sussex Community NHS Trust supporting a multi-professional team and is a passionate watersports enthusiast with her main loves being wing foiling and wave kitesurfing. Her clinical expert practice is in musculoskeletal health supporting first contact practice, pelvic health, aquatic therapy, rheumatology, persistent pain, diagnostic imaging, MSK rehabilitation and a large advanced practice team. Her goal is to support real change towards the system, in its widest sense, wrapping around people and what matters to them as well as supporting those that offer others care. She currently supports the national IMID bioresource study as principle investigator and teaches at UCLH, Brighton University and Coventry University as well as for the MACP (Musculoskeletal Association of Chartered Physiotherapists). Jess has a keen interest in clinical governance, what collaborative clinical leadership offers towards better person care and promoting multi-professional excellence. She is an advocate for those childless (including those not-by-choice,) and shining a spotlight on this area of equity, diversity and belonging. She also loves to dance in a field and volunteers for festival medical services every year at Glastonbury and Reading. If it is sparkly and bright - it might just be jess.
Helen Welch is a consultant musculoskeletal physiotherapist at Belfast Health and social Care Trust, leading a team of first Contact physiotherapy Practitioners physiotherapists as part of the enhanced MDT in West Belfast Federation. She is currently chair of the FCP regional consultant group professional and CAPHR NI research champion and is co-chair of the organising committee for the first AHP Research and Innovation conference in Northern Ireland.
She has a keen interest in MSK disorders, injection therapy and MSK Sonography; and teaches on the topic of injection therapy for The Society of Musculoskeletal Medicine (SOMM) and post graduate university courses in Ulster university on MSK advanced practice. She continues to supervise students on both MACP placements, injection therapy courses and MSK sonography. She is currently undertaking a Professional doctorate at the university of Bath exploring management of clinical complexity in FCP setting in northern Ireland.
In her free time, when she gets some, you often she her running the streets of Belfast with her German shorthaired pointer Tywi.
Amanda is the English consultant lead for the CPPN. She is a consultant MSK physiotherapist & a PHD candidate investigating learning and development of consultant practice. "I enjoy the great outdoors; running, paddle-boarding and wandering around the hills and mountains with my collie dog as well as strumming a guitar and with questionable talent" (We think she and Chris may play us a duet!). Amanda has more than 30 years’ NHS experience in orthopaedics and MSK physiotherapy with a passion for workforce transformation and innovation leading to improved quality and impact for service users in the context of personalised care. Still works in primary care as an MSK consultant physiotherapist whist completing a PHD investigating consultant practice education, and lectures on advanced practice MSK modules in HEIs and injection therapy for SOMM. Developed First Contact Practice (FCP) in 2014 and pioneered the national standardised FCP data template used for national evaluation of physiotherapy FCP for NHSE leading to the implementation of physiotherapy under the ARRS scheme. As the HEE national clinical fellow from 2019-2021, lead the development and implementation of the MSK, OT, podiatry, dietetic and paramedic FCP training and development roadmaps to practice and the national roadmaps supervisor infrastructure to support them, the UK Advanced Practice MSK standards and developed the UK MSK Partnership group. Is chair and Programme lead and chair for the national MSK conference at the TherapyEXPO and chair of the CARPE research advisory board.
Dr Rhiannon Joslin is the education lead for the CPPN and a consultant physiotherapist who is passionate about improving health services for children and young people experiencing musculoskeletal pain. As a clinical academic, she combines clinical practice as a consultant physiotherapist within a paediatric multidisciplinary chronic pain team in West Sussex, with research and education at the University of Southampton. She loves being "in the mountains and snowboarding". Her PhD was informed by Q methodology and used novel creative methods to explore the outcomes of treatment that were the most important to young people, and their parents, when receiving treatment for persistent musculoskeletal pain. Her work focuses on empowering young people both clinically and within research, providing a platform to hear their under-represented viewpoint. She was part of the guideline development group for the World Health Organization guidelines on the management of chronic pain in children and continues to represent physiotherapy within this field. Check out research gate.net for some of her publications.
Andrew McCarter is a consultant physiotherapist, specialising in spinal care, at King’s College Hospital, London. He is a member of the musculoskeletal association of chartered physiotherapists (MACP). He provides clinical leadership for MSK services within the South East London and Kent regional spinal network. This role involves the application, dissemination, and implementation of evidence-based care, particularly the National Low Back Pain and Radicular Pain Pathway with the aim of improving the consistency of decision making of clinicians in the region. He involved in the development of the recent national Cauda equina pathway and is Principle Investigator (PI) for the POiSE trial, which is looking at predictors of outcomes in patients with sciatica following an epidural steroid injection.
Andrew developed a national Spinal fracture pathway with another consultant colleague and was part of an expert panel aimed at establishing early, middle and late stage symptoms of degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM).
A long time ago Andrew worked with the Irish Men’s Rugby team in their pre world cup training camp and was told by the lead physio at the time that you can "either work in sport or have a family due to the time commitments" - Andrew is now married with two children"
Dr Lisa Robinson is the research officer for the CPPN. She is an AHP Consultant at the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and visiting fellow at Northumbria University.
Her current role focuses on understanding and improving patient outcomes and experience following acute illness and/or injury, as well as championing AHP roles and engagement in research at a local, regional and national level. "I am passionate about promoting and advancing the visibility and impact of physiotherapists, and other AHPs, across the entire research landscape, with the aim of providing high-quality patient care across a variety of rehabilitation services and pathways"
As Research Officer for the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Consultant Physiotherapist Professional Network, "I work with the Executive Committee to support our members to lead and facilitate high-quality research and innovation as a core part of their Consultant Physiotherapy role, as well as building capacity, capability and engagement with research more broadly".
Jenny Ward is the Treasurer for the CPPN and has worked as a consultant physiotherapist for several years, firstly in a secondment role at University Hospital Sussex and more recently at Kent Community NHS Foundation trust. Jenny leads a motivated and friendly team of advanced practitioners and first contact practitioners, delivering community orthopaedic triage, assessment and treatment for a wide range of peripheral and spinal conditions. Jenny is an independent prescriber, performs MSK injections and is completing a PG Certificate in MSK ultrasound.
She has a passion for research and in 2020 began an NIHR Pre Doctoral Clinical Academic fellowship which involved writing a systematic review and meta-analysis on the efficacy of neuropathic pain medication for patients with low back-related leg pain. She has several publications, including journal articles and undergraduate physiotherapy text. Jenny has also worked as chair of the Surrey and Sussex CAHPR hub since 2017, leading promotion of research to AHPs through newsletters, networking events and mentoring. She has worked in a secondment with the South East faculty of advancing practice as training program lead in primary care and also teaches on strategic developments of advanced and first contact practice at Coventry university. She has enthusiasm for committee work, having worked as professional development officer for the MACP committee for 6 years, and now sitting as treasurer for the Consultant physiotherapy Professional Network.
Jenny loves a challenge and once upon a time, cured her fear of flying by sky diving out of a perfectly good plane in New Zealand (Never to be repeated!)
Mark Knight-Davies is the Wales lead of the CPPN executive committee.He is a consultant musculoskeletal physiotherapist for the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board.His career has been focussed in the world of musculoskeletal physiotherapy for many!! years and was successful in gaining a consultant post in 2017.
"It has been a whirlwind of a time but a very positive whirlwind." It has provided opportunities to develop and influence musculoskeletal care in the health board, at a national level in Wales and at CSP level. "I have developed professionally and personally and I hope I have been able to facilitate development for a wide range of colleagues both within physiotherapy and outside".
The consultant role entails a wide range of responsibilities which sit under the consultant pillars of practice. These responsibilities include: chair of the Wales AHP Consultant group; clinical lead for MSK Transformation for the health board; mentor for clinical leads and clinical specialists; AHP representative on PGD Approval group; and executive member of the Wales Pharmacy Consultant Steering group. "I also sing in the second tenor section of the Risca Male Choir and we were the best placed Welsh Male Choir at the International Eisteddfod in Llangollen in 2023".
Mhairi is the Scotland lead for the CPPN. She is currently based at Glasgow Royal Infirmary as a consultant physiotherapist / MSK sonographer and board wide corporate lead AHP for advanced practice. She received her professional doctorate from Glasgow Caledonian University in 2012. Within Scotland she represents NMAHP (Non-medical allied health professional,) consultants within the national transforming roles programme that will impact on the future career pathways for all consultant physiotherapists in Scotland.
She represents Chartered Society of Physiotherapy on the consortium for the accreditation of sonographic education (CASE) as a lead accreditor of university programmes. She is an accredited mentor / tutor to a wide variety of healthcare professionals at both national and international level. She leads on MSK diagnostic ultrasound within the field of rheumatology across her board area .She led the first AHP service for consultant/ advanced practitioners in Scotland to incorporate” point of care ultrasound” (POCUS) into rheumatology practice . She has presented nationally and internationally on the use of “musculoskeletal ultrasound as a diagnostic tool and its impact of within clinical practice”. She has recently been a speaker at the Caribbean Association of Rheumatology, European League against Rheumatism andScottish Society for Rheumatology.
She is a keen squbadiver a travels globally enjoying the sport. She enjoys daily yoga and Pilates exercise which is great for her wellbeing.