Committee

Jo Posnette

CHA Chair and conference lead 

Jo is a registered nurse and former Matron of Didcot Community Hospital. She specialised in community services and community hospitals as a management consultant and now works as a medico-legal expert witness in catastrophic injury claims.

Jo has supported the CHA for many years through conferences, membership and Special Interest Groups, and was appointed Chair of the CHA in 2026. As Conference Lead she led the delivery of the CHA National Conference 2026 in Swindon, bringing together delegates from across the UK for two days of inspiring sessions, workshops and networking that left delegates feeling motivated to return and apply new ideas in their own services.

Ines de Abreu

Committee member

Ines is an Advanced Clinical Practitioner working in Intermediate Care, supporting people, most of them over the age of 65, through rehabilitation and clinical optimisation before returning home.

Many of the people supported by the service are recovering from falls, trauma, serious illness, sepsis or exacerbations of long-term conditions including respiratory and neurological illnesses, frailty and dementia.

Ines qualified as a nurse in 1993 and has worked across Mental Health and Neurosciences including brain injury, spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s disease, MND, MS and other life-limiting conditions.

Her experience also includes Emergency and Acute Medicine and HIV services for children, adults and older people across a range of healthcare systems internationally.

Ines has led and contributed to the development of services including Neuro-Rehabilitation Units, Dementia Day Units, Virtual Wards, Urgent Community Response teams and outreach services supporting people experiencing homelessness, neurological disorders and mental health needs.

She has a particular interest in frailty, delirium, dementia and community-based services that support independence, rehabilitation and recovery after illness or trauma.

Ines has also led quality improvement initiatives and research projects and is currently preparing research focused on the role of nutrition in people living with frailty following trauma, infection or other medical illness.

Julia Fairhall

Committee member

Julia is the Community Divisional Director of Nursing at Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust and works across both community services and community hospitals.

Julia has been a strong supporter of the CHA and has contributed to research, networking events and innovation initiatives linked to community hospitals.

As Lead for CHA's Innovation and Best Practice Awards programme, Julia developed and expanded the awards to five categories. In 2025 she oversaw their 25th anniversary, marking a quarter century of recognising innovation and best practice across community hospitals. Julia remains a regular contributor to CHA Special Interest Group discussions, and brings a frontline clinical and senior leadership perspective to the work.

Nikki Woodland

Committee Member 

Nikki has extensive experience of working in community hospitals and is currently the Head of Clinical Quality for the Bedded and Inpatient Units for Sirona care & health across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.

She is passionate about the important role community hospitals play in delivering health and care services close to people’s homes and communities.

She is committed to helping community hospitals share learning, innovation and best practice across services and organisations.

Julie Sharma 

Committee member 

Having recently retired after almost 50 years working in health and care services, Julie says she was both delighted and humbled to be invited to join the Community Hospitals Association Committee.  Throughout her career, community services have been at the heart of the care she values most.

"The CHA has been an important source of reference and support to me since I first moved into community services over 40 years ago. Alongside its excellent research and evaluation of the benefits of strong, comprehensive community services, it brings together frontline practitioners whose experiences keep us grounded in the realities of day-to-day care and the innovative ways they respond to the changing needs of individuals and communities."

"I hope to continue contributing to the Association’s work and to help ensure that community services are recognised, valued and championed and that they remain central to future health and care planning."

Marc Jobson 

Committee member 

Marc began his public service career with a law degree and then joined the Police in 1996, where he spent 20 years specialising in response policing and custody. His frontline experience gave him insight into the everyday challenges people face and a lasting drive to support others.

In 2017, Marc took on the role of managing Budleigh Hospital’s health and wellbeing hub. In 2022, he led its transformation into the charity Seachange, which he now heads.

Marc says “through my work at Seachange, I have developed a deep understanding of the challenges facing local hospitals and voluntary services, and I am keen to contribute positively to the future sustainability and development of community hospitals in all their forms. I am committed to collaboration, innovation and ensuring that patients and local residents remain at the heart of decision-making.”

Adrian Strain  

Committee member 

Adrian Strain is an Advanced Practitioner at Tewkesbury Community Hospital, part of Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust. He qualified as a registered nurse in 2000. His early clinical career was in acute care in Birmingham, before specialising in coronary care nursing and joining the Gloucestershire Heart Failure Service as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in 2004.

In 2014 he was involved in establishing the Trust's Rapid Response Service, seeing its first patient and helping shape the service from the outset. Most recently, he has played a central role in developing the Community Assessment and Treatment Unit at Tewkesbury Community Hospital, opened in 2022, which has demonstrated how sub-acutely unwell patients can be managed effectively in a community hospital setting, achieving shorter lengths of stay and strong collaborative working across teams. 

Adrian led a workshop on this work, Collaborative AP Practice in a Community Assessment and Treatment Unit at the 2026 CHA National Conference.

Clare Liggins  

Committee member 

Clare Liggins is an Advanced Clinical Practitioner at Swanage Community Hospital, part of Dorset Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. She qualified in 1998 and worked in Birmingham initially as a Cardiology Nurse. She started her Practitioner Career in 2003 as a Cardiac Nurse Practitioner and has subsequently undertaken Practitioner roles in Emergency Care, Emergency Surgical Admissions and Hospital at Home/Frailty. This was intertwined with a nine-year Matron role in Emergency Care and a few years as a Resuscitation Officer.

Having worked across organisations both acute and community, and across services within those organisations, she is passionate about staff development and bringing teams together to shape services that matter to the local community.

She has a particular interest in education, human factors and leadership in healthcare and how these affect patients and relatives. She is currently involved in working with the local League of Friends to develop a joint education and simulation suite, with the aim of providing an integrated training and education venue for Purbeck teams.

Clare says "the CHA feels like a family. It's big enough to drive the importance and agenda for community hospitals nationally into the forefront of local communities, while remaining a friendly, supportive, informative and transformative space for its truly multidisciplinary membership."

"I hopes to contribute by championing the community hospital amongst clinical teams and innovation, to help ensure community hospitals remain an essential space to meet the needs of local communities."

Jodie Bryant 

Committee member 

David Farnsworth

CHA National Lead for Wales

David is a registered nurse with more than 35 years of NHS experience across mental health, emergency care and leadership roles supporting quality and safety improvement.

He currently works as Assistant Director of Community Services in Powys Teaching Health Board.

Dr Debbie Miller 

CHA National Lead for Scotland

Jan Marriott

Associate Committee Member

Jan has been involved with the CHA for many years, serving as Director, Chair, Vice-Chair and committee member.

She is a registered nurse with extensive experience managing community hospitals and leading innovative healthcare services.

Tom Brooks

CHA Wales Associate Member

Tom is the CHA Wales Associate Member and is a retired management consultant with experience working across NHS organisations in the UK and internationally.

His work has included healthcare projects in Norway and Hong Kong, alongside extensive involvement in rural healthcare advocacy across Wales.

Tom has served on a Community Health Council, acted as Committee Advisor to a Welsh Health Board and provided evidence to Parliamentary Select Committees.

He is also a committee member of the North Wales Healthcare Alliance and represents patients within the NHS Rural Health & Care Wales Steering Committee.

Dr Kirsten Protherough

Associate Committee Member

Kirsty Protherough is a general practitioner working across Worcestershire's community hospitals, with a particular focus on stroke, palliative care and elderly care patients. She has developed a strong interest in frailty and geriatric medicine, and helped bring GP trainees into community hospitals in partnership with the local deanery. She is hopeful that local community hospitals will also provide placements for new medical students at the University of Worcester.

Kirsty is a co-founder of Careboodle, a digital tool that helps care staff identify and record signs of delirium and frailty, supporting earlier communication with GPs and other healthcare professionals.

She believes community hospitals are an important NHS resource, particularly for supporting patients living with frailty, and hopes to continue raising their profile across the UK. Kirsty previously served as Director and Chair of the CHA, and now continues her involvement as an Associate Committee Member.

Sue Greenwood MBE 

Associate Committee Member

Sue is a Modern Matron and Clinical Lead at Cornwall Partnerships NHS Foundation Trust.

Sue has long been an active supporter of the CHA and has contributed to forums, conferences and national discussions around community hospitals.

Sue has been instrumental in establishing CATU, Community Assessment and Treatment Units, in community hospitals for frail elderly patients.

Sue Greenwood is a Queen’s Nurse and has received an MBE for her services. 

Dr Alastair Noble MBE

Associate Committee Member

Dr Alastair Noble has had an extensive career combining clinical work as a GP within community hospitals alongside strategic healthcare leadership at national level.

He has supported community hospitals in Scotland for more than 40 years and continues to advocate for integrated community healthcare services.

Chris Humphris

Associate Committee Member

Chris is an Associate Committee Member of the CHA and previously served as Chair of the CHA between 2018 and 2022.

He has extensive experience across NHS, social care and independent healthcare services, both as a provider and commissioner. Chris has managed community hospitals and community services across England including Northumberland, Cambridge, Norfolk and Warwickshire.

He has also worked within the private sector managing care home services and has held senior leadership roles including Chief Executive positions within Primary Care Trusts and a Community Health Trust.

Chris is currently the Deputy Chair of Healthwatch Norfolk. He also works occasionally as an independent management consultant, supporting community groups and organisations on the future development of community hospitals.

Eleanor Murphy

CHA Service Development Manager

Eleanor leads the operational development of the CHA and works alongside the directors, committee members and volunteers to drive the organisation forward. 

Eleanor brings a background in service development, project management and supported employment across public and voluntary sectors, with a particular commitment to organisations that exist to make a genuine difference. She is based in Somerset.

eleanor@communityhospitals.net