Northumbria

Regional Manager

Sam joined Connect in 2000 and is currently Regional Manager for the South Tyneside, Darlington, Northumberland, Wakefield and North Kirklees MSK contacts. Previously, she was Service Manager for the 3 North East MSK contracts, responsible for line managing the Team Leaders in the service and managing relationships with the practices and CCGs. As well as ensuring key performance indicators for the services are met and our team are happy, supported and well informed.

Sam qualified as a Physiotherapist in 1996 from the University of East Anglia and worked in the NHS for 3 years as a Junior and then Senior MSK Physiotherapist in the South of England. In 2000, she then took up a Physiotherapy role at Connect in Newcastle which tied in with a move to the North of England.

Since joining Connect, Sam worked clinically for the first 10 years within the NHS services and Occupational services whilst taking on more managerial responsibility. Sam was involved in setting up Connect’s first intermediate services in North Tyneside and also the first PhysioLine service in South Tyneside. Since 2010, Sam has worked as an Operational Manager at service level and also regionally, successfully mobilising many new services in the North of England for Connect. She has completed an NVQ in Leadership and Management, and courses including project management, financial management, account management and development and coaching.

Clinical Operational Group Business Partner

Helen joined Connect in 2010 and currently works as a Clinical Operational Group Business Partner. Previously she held the position of Developing Consultant Physiotherapist, supporting staff across the North East contracts with education, clinical audit, clinical development and governance, whilst still practicing clinically as an APP in MSK CATS clinics and First Contact Practitioner Clinics.

Helen qualified as a Physiotherapist from Northumbria University in 2001 and worked in a variety of roles at Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust before she joined Connect in 2010. During this time, she also completed a PGCert at the University of Teesside.
In 2017 and 2018, Helen co-authored 2 articles around the effectiveness of community MSK physiotherapy, and EQ5D outcome measures as a predictor of physiotherapy management, Helen also presented at Physiotherapy UK. Helen is the current Honorary Chair of the NE CSP regional network and is a member of the NICE Guideline Development Committee for hip, knee and shoulder replacement.

Service Manager

Mike started his Physiotherapy journey in 2012, studying at the University of Cumbria qualifying with a BSc (Hons) in Physiotherapy. Mike has worked in NHS hospitals as a junior and senior clinician across a range of specialities including orthopaedics, intermediate care and A&E. Mike joined Connect Health as an MSK clinician in October 2017 working across Newcastle and South Tyneside. In 2018 he progressed into an operational role as a Service Transition Manager, supporting the delivery of new NHS Musculoskeletal and Pain services across the country, including the East Midlands, London, and Yorkshire.

Mike has recently joined the Northumberland JMAPS team as Service Manager and plans to use his knowledge of NHS service delivery and clinical care to ensure that the JMAPS service, delivered in partnership with Northumbria Healthcare, provides outstanding service and positive patient experience to the population of Northumberland.

Mike is passionate about delivering patient-centred care and recognises the benefits that high quality, evidence-based physiotherapy can have on the quality of life.

Outside of his work, Mike can often be found on a Tennis court (usually losing).

Team Lead

Lisa qualified as a Physiotherapist from University College Dublin in 2011, working in the hospital and private practice setting in Dublin for two years before moving on to Australia. Here Lisa worked in the hospital, aged care and community environments before relocating to the North East in 2015,. She then joined Connect Health a year later after working in a specialist education setting for disabled young adults.

Since joining Connect, Lisa has completed the Accelerated Development Programme, as well as identifying a service need for improved access to care for Antenatal Women, developing this pathway with colleagues. She is also passionate about colleague health and well being, utilising her APPI Pilates training to lead Pilates classes for staff. More recently, Lisa has been appointed Women’s Health Subject Matter Expert for 2019-2020, aiming to develop and consolidate pathways company-wide for this cohort of patients.

Lisa’s new role as  Team Leader involves supporting the clinical development of Physiotherapy Staff within JMAPS, Northumberland as well as the operational delivery and development of the service.

Team Leader

Hannah joined Connect in 2012 and is currently working as a Senior Physiotherapist and Team Leader. She is currently responsible for supporting staff across the Blyth and Remote PhysioLine contracts which includes education, clinical audit and clinical development. She is also still practicing clinically as a Senior Physiotherapist within the Blyth and Remote PhysioLine contracts.

Hannah qualified as a Physiotherapist from Leeds Metropolitan University in 2006. She worked as a Junior Physiotherapist at Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust before she joined Connect in 2012. She has completed Connect’s ADP programme and has worked across different contracts including Essex, North Kirklees, and the North East services.