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Charles is Assistant Director for the Health Foundation’s REAL Centre, a new centre aimed at improving the quality of long-term, strategic decisions about the health and social care system, through the provision of robust evidence and analysis. Before joining the Health Foundation, Charles was head of operational research and evaluation at NHS England, where he led a multidisciplinary team of around 40 analysts. The team built a strong reputation based on their analysis and evaluations of major service changes including the New Care Models programme, Babylon GP at Hand, enhanced NHS 111 and pharmacy integration. In this role he led the innovative partnership with the Health Foundation resulting in the creation of the Improvement Analytics Unit, which undertakes high quality impact analyses based on advanced statistical and modelling techniques. He also has experience of working regionally in the NHS, leading the analytical team in the NHS England South region when it was formed in 2013. Most of Charles’ career has been in the civil service where he worked on a diverse range of areas, and learnt the art and science of policy analysis. He started his civil service career as an operational researcher in the Department of Health (working on the national beds inquiry) and then moved to the newly formed Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit as lead policy analyst on reform of the post office, with a further stint there working on illegal drugs policy. He had a spell in HM Treasury and then moved to New Zealand where he spent four years in its Treasury working on health reform and on economic strategy. From 2010-11 he was Chief Analyst to the Dilnot Commission, subsequently heading the Department of Health social care funding reform team and the social care analysis team.

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Eileen was president from October 2016 to November 2018, during which time the BGS enhanced its muti-disciplinarity and developed a Special Interest Group for GPs. Many influential publications were produced under her presidency including “Fit for Frailty”. She personally supported the development of NHS Rightcare “Frailty Toolkit”, and was (and is) frequently asked to speak at conferences, to parliamentary groups and other specialist societies. She is an advisor to the government on the Green paper on the Funding of Adult Social Care. She recently completed a term of office as a member of the Council of the Royal College of Physicians of London Her interests are in the management of frailty, complex co-morbidity, health and social care integration, care home medicine and end of life care. She has written and spoken widely on these topics. She has been a member of several NICE/SCIE Guideline development groups in these areas. She was Clinical Director for Elderly Services at Leeds General Infirmary for more than 10 years, and was clinical lead for integration of health and social care in Leeds for three years. She works as a Consultant Geriatrician at The Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust and also works in the community on behalf of the Leeds Community Health Care Trust. She has developed Community Geriatrics in Leeds, and has also pioneered the development of interface geriatricians working with colleagues in the A&E department. Her research degree (MD) was conducted as a member of the department of Pharmacology and therapeutics at Sheffield University; subsequently she has published on a range of topics related to the care of older people, more recently focussing on service delivery for older people with frailty.

Deborah joined Independent Age as Chief Executive in October 2019 and brings extensive experience of voluntary sector strategic leadership. Deborah began her career in publishing and has subsequently worked in the voluntary sector for over 25 years. She has worked with a broad range of organisations from academic think tanks to charities working on international refugee and human rights issues. Prior to joining Independent Age, Deborah worked for Bowel Cancer UK for eleven years including ten as the Chief Executive. In 2017 Deborah played a leading role in merging Bowel Cancer UK and Beating Bowel Cancer, becoming Chief Executive of the new merged charity on the 1st January 2018. She was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s 90th Birthday Honours list 2016 in recognition of her service to bowel cancer patients. She was named Charity Chief Executive of the Year at the Third Sector Excellence Awards 2017, Charity Principal of the Year in the Charity Times Awards 2018, and one of the 25 most influential leaders in the voluntary sector by the Charity Times in 2019.

Helen is an Electro-Mechanical Power Engineer with over 25 years’ experience in both academia and industry. She is a Chartered Engineer and Trustee of the IMechE. Helen began working for the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 2013 as Head of Engineering in Society. She became Head of Healthcare Policy in 2015, managing all aspects of health and social care; focusing on innovative technologies and their impact on patient care pathways. Helen has appeared on TV & radio as well as writing numerous reports, policy statements and articles on health-related matters. As Managing Director of The Care Machine, Helen continues to develop thought leadership across the MedTech sector championing the impact of biomedical, pharmaceutical, and mechanical engineering in medicine.

Jeremy joined Alzheimer’s Society in November 2010. He is leading the charity in its five-year transformational strategy ‘New Deal on Dementia’ 2017-22. Jeremy co-chairs the Dementia Friendly Communities Champions Group with top broadcaster Angela Rippon for the UK Prime Minister. Jeremy was previously Chief Executive of Breakthrough Breast Cancer where he was instrumental in providing visionary leadership, galvanising the charity's research platform and its authority on campaigning and policy. Before that Jeremy was Head of External Affairs at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. His career in health and social care charities includes leadership posts at the British Red Cross, Leonard Cheshire, Muscular Dystrophy and NCH Action for Children. Jeremy was the chair of National Voices 2009-14. He is currently the Co-chair of the UK Dementia Action Alliance, chair of the Global Alzheimers and Dementias Action Alliance and Vice-Chair of the World Dementia Council. Jeremy was awarded the CBE, for services to older people, in the Queen's Birthday Honours 2015.

Since joining in 2017, Justin has developed strategies to help grow HC-One’s portfolio and overseen the operational integration of homes acquired into the HC-One family. Under his leadership, regulatory compliance has also improved, and employee turnover has reduced at the company. Justin has worked in healthcare, specialising in the care of older people, since 1994. With experience leading some of the largest companies in the senior housing and care industry in the US, Justin has expertise in developing and executing strategies that create significant business impact. He is passionate about professional development and creating opportunities for both staff and company growth. He has formerly held board roles at the likes of Argentum Senior Living, National Investment Centre for Senior Housing and Care, and National Health Investors. Alongside his work with HC-One, Justin also provides strategic and governance oversight as a board member for New Senior Investment Group.

Kate joined the Care Quality Commission as Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care in May 2019. She is passionate about partnership working and believes that people get better outcomes and experience a higher quality of care, by working together to achieve this. Kate strongly believes that regulation can create the environment to nurture system working and therefore provide a more integrated experience for people who access health and care services. As an experienced social care leader with a career spanning operational social care delivery, commissioning and work at a national level, Kate is a qualified social worker and for the last two years has served as Director of Adult Services in Oxfordshire. She is experienced in working in a political environment within a wider complex health and care system managing people from a variety of disciplines, from social workers and occupational therapists, to commissioners, quality monitoring officers and direct care provision through a shared lives scheme, employment and daytime support services. Kate has been the co-chair of the national workforce network for ADASS (Association of Director of Adult Social Services) and she is focused on improving the quality and status of our support workforce.

Professor Martin Green OBE has had an extensive career in NGO development, both in the UK and internationally, and is Chief Executive of Care England, the largest representative body for independent social care services in the UK. He is also Chair of the International Longevity Centre – UK and a Trustee of Independent Age, Vice President of the Care Workers Charity, and a Champion of the National Aids Trust. In 2013 he was appointed Visiting Professor of Social Care to Buckinghamshire New University. In 2012, in his role as Department of Health Independent Sector Dementia Champion, he led the development of the Dementia Care and Support Compact for The Prime Minister's Challenge on Dementia. In 2008 he was named care personality of the year and was awarded an OBE for Services to Social Care in the 2012 Queen’s Birthday Honours List. Martin writes and broadcasts extensively on social care issues and is on the Editorial Board of Community Care Market News and Care Talk magazine.

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The former head of the General Medical Council, Niall was appointed chief executive of the NHS Confederation in February 2017 and became a member of the Department of International Trade’s Healthcare UK Advisory Board in 2018. Niall is also a member of the Governing Council of the International Hospitals Federation. He was chief executive of the King's Fund from 2004 to 2009. Niall was the editor of the Nursing Times from 1983 to 1988 before joining the BBC as health correspondent in 1988 and progressing to the position of social affairs editor for BBC News from 1995 to 2003. Niall was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2017.

Rosie joined the Better Care Support team (BCST) as Deputy Programme Director in December 2015. She is on secondment to the team from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). The BCST is a partnership team between MHCLG, Department of Health and Social Care, the Local Government Association and NHS England. Within the civil service Rosie has worked in a range of social policy areas including local government, devolution, public service transformation, equality and social exclusion.

Robert is a Scottish serial entrepreneur, investor and property developer who founded Four Seasons Health Care in 1988, opening its first care home in May 1989 in Fife in Scotland. He left the company in early 2000 when it was operating 101 care homes and employing around 6,500 staff, the UK’s fifth largest care home operator, subsequently making his final financial exit from the company in 2005. Four Seasons is currently the UK’s second largest care home operator with nearly 360 care homes, around 17,000 residents and employing close to 25,000 staff. Robert founded and is CEO of Dow Investments Plc, now in its 30th year. In 2004 he founded and is Executive Chairman of Renaissance Care which operates fourteen care homes throughout Scotland with over 1,000 staff. Robert is a co-founder and Director of video and security systems specialists, NW Security Group (15 staff) and was also a founder shareholder and Chairman of Kingdom FM Radio (13 staff), the local radio franchisee for Fife until he engineered its recent sale. Robert holds several other Non-Executive Directorships as well as several Senior Consultant and Senior Adviser roles. Robert’s first business venture while attending Stirling University, was running a stall selling jeans and t-shirts at Edinburgh’s Ingliston Sunday outdoor market. Robert founded in 2006, the Scottish online political think-tank, Think Scotland and he recently founded SBUK to campaign against a second Scottish Independence Referendum. He has also served on both the CBI Scotland Council and the CBI UK SME Council. Born in Edinburgh, brought up in Fife and educated at Loretto School in Musselburgh, Robert now splits his time between his main home in London and his home in Fife, whenever possible raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support - £2m plus over the last 25 years and he was recently appointed as Macmillan’s first Ambassador - a UK wide role - in December 2018. Relaxation is trying to compete with his four adult children at any sport!

Sharif is a social work lecturer in the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education, & Language Studies (WELs) at the Open University, Milton Keynes. He is a registered social worker and a management coach, worked in both Children and Adult services, started as a front-line worker and gradually become a strategic leader of English local authority. He is now a management consultant, specialises in change and performance management. Sharif is a qualified approved mental health professional (AMHP) and a best interest assessor (BIA). He is an external examiner and external academic reviewer. Sharif is also a fellow of Higher Education Academy. He also serves as a councillor of a local council in the East Midlands. His research is executed in both UK and low income country context and has three main strands: Use of artificial intelligence in social work: currently developing a tool to predict suicide, self-harm, and relapses; digital social work and pedagogy related to educational uses of digital technology: currently developing a 3D virtual reality simulation for risk assessment and management, focusing on children social work; radicalisation and social work intervention. His research has been published in Journal of Social Work Education, Journal of Interprofessional Care, Organisational Studies and Innovation Review, Journal of Playwork Practice and Journal of Children Services, Journal of Language and Discrimination, Community Care, Compass, and other major journals.

Sally has had a wide-ranging career in policy and strategy development in the Civil Service and local government, particularly focusing on policies to tackle poverty and disadvantage. Originally joining HM Treasury as an economist, she worked on a range of microeconomic and policy issues before joining the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister’s Social Exclusion Unit in 2002. From 2004-07 she led the secretariat for Sir Michael Lyons’ Inquiry examining local government and how it is funded. She worked at the Department of Children, Schools and Families (then Education) working on children in care and early intervention policy, from 2007-2012 before joining LGA in 2012. As Head of Policy she leads the LGA’s work on social policy issues including adult social care, bringing a deep understanding of the national perspective and the evidence about policy and practice and “what works” to improve outcomes in local communities.

Taffy brings a wealth of risk management and clinical governance experience, gained through many years of working in the health sector. Qualified nurse and holder of two MA's. Taffy has spoken nationally on the subject of risk management and patient safety, including collaborating with other experts to co-author and publish a text book on the subject.