Professor Andrew Hassell
Director of Undergraduate Programmes, head of School at Keele School of Medicine, Keele University. He trained in Rheumatology in hospitals in Manchester, Birmingham and Stoke.
Director of Undergraduate Programmes, head of School at Keele School of Medicine, Keele University. He trained in Rheumatology in hospitals in Manchester, Birmingham and Stoke. He spent 2 years as a consultant rheumatologist in Cannock before coming to the Haywood in April 1997 as a consultant rheumatologist and a senior lecturer at Keele University, initially supported by a pump priming grant provided by the Haywood Foundation. Andrew’s clinical research interests focused on the course and treatment of patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis and he has been involved in a number of clinical studies based at the Haywood, often in collaboration with rheumatologists elsewhere in the UK.
June Brammer
June is a member of the Haywood Foundation where she is actively involved in promotional and fundraising activities. She supports the work of the North Staffordshire branch of the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA).
June started her career in the ceramic industry before moving in to health improvement with positive ageing charity, The Beth Johnson Foundation, in 1997. Amongst her achievements there were; developing the Active in Age programme which trained people to deliver gentle physical exercise to older people and developing an accredited Falls Prevention Programme for the NHS.
June has written several reports for local authorities and delivered a range of presentations to medical practitioners and community members. In 2012 June was seconded to the Haywood Hospital to set up the Patient Information Education Resource (PIER), an information and educational resource centre for those living with arthritis and associated conditions.
June is a member of the Haywood Foundation where she is actively involved in promotional and fundraising activities. She supports the work of the North Staffordshire branch of the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA).
June has a Diploma in Welfare Studies and gained an MA in Community Practice and Promoting Public Health from Staffordshire University in 2010.
In her spare time she enjoys knitting, gardening and spending time with her family.
Professor Andrew Hassell
Director of Undergraduate Programmes, head of School at Keele School of Medicine, Keele University. He trained in Rheumatology in hospitals in Manchester, Birmingham and Stoke.
Director of Undergraduate Programmes, head of School at Keele School of Medicine, Keele University. He trained in Rheumatology in hospitals in Manchester, Birmingham and Stoke. He spent 2 years as a consultant rheumatologist in Cannock before coming to the Haywood in April 1997 as a consultant rheumatologist and a senior lecturer at Keele University, initially supported by a pump priming grant provided by the Haywood Foundation. Andrew’s clinical research interests focused on the course and treatment of patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis and he has been involved in a number of clinical studies based at the Haywood, often in collaboration with rheumatologists elsewhere in the UK.
June Brammer
June is a member of the Haywood Foundation where she is actively involved in promotional and fundraising activities. She supports the work of the North Staffordshire branch of the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA).
June started her career in the ceramic industry before moving in to health improvement with positive ageing charity, The Beth Johnson Foundation, in 1997. Amongst her achievements there were; developing the Active in Age programme which trained people to deliver gentle physical exercise to older people and developing an accredited Falls Prevention Programme for the NHS.
June has written several reports for local authorities and delivered a range of presentations to medical practitioners and community members. In 2012 June was seconded to the Haywood Hospital to set up the Patient Information Education Resource (PIER), an information and educational resource centre for those living with arthritis and associated conditions.
June is a member of the Haywood Foundation where she is actively involved in promotional and fundraising activities. She supports the work of the North Staffordshire branch of the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA).
June has a Diploma in Welfare Studies and gained an MA in Community Practice and Promoting Public Health from Staffordshire University in 2010.
In her spare time she enjoys knitting, gardening and spending time with her family.
Katrina Rule
A diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis 30 years ago brought with it many challenges, but it has given me the motivation to use my experience to benefit others.
Sam is a Professor of Rheumatology at Keele University. She has worked at the Haywood hospital twice- first as a junior doctor in 1999 and loved it so much she came back following her postgraduate training in Rheumatology and PhD at University of Manchester in 2007 and was appointed as a consultant rheumatologist in 2009.
Her research focusses on diagnosis and management of rheumatoid arthritis and polymyalgia rheumatica and the long-term impacts of chronic inflammatory conditions, especially the overlap between physical and mental health.
Sam joined the foundation committee in 2022. She is married with two teenage girls. Outside of work she enjoys reading, going to gym, running (unless its raining or uphill!) and being beside the sea!
Professor Kay Stevenson
Kay is a Consultant Physiotherapist, and an Honorary Professor of Musculoskeletal Care and Leadership. She works in Midland Partnership Foundation Trust and in the Impact Accelerator Unit, Keele University.
Kay is a Consultant Physiotherapist, and an Honorary Professor of Musculoskeletal Care and Leadership. She works in Midland Partnership Foundation Trust and in the Impact Accelerator Unit, Keele University.
She is the Clinical Lead for a large Musculoskeletal Interface Service with responsibility for quality of patient care, educational standards and the future direction of the service. She leads this large team of Rheumatologists, General Practitioners, Advanced Practice Physiotherapists and Podiatrists. She has recently employed the first Physical Health Peer Support worker in the Trust to work alongside clinicians to ensure the view of our patients are represented.
She is responsible for ensuring the research undertaken by Keele University is used to support patient care, both nationally and internationally. She is committed to engaging all stakeholder in this work. She formed the Musculoskeletal ‘Evidence into Practice’ groups in 2003. This multidisciplinary group engages over 80 academics, clinicians and librarians have asked and answered over 120 clinical questions and improved care as a result. This has led to 3 funded research trails and was awarded a British Society of Rheumatology Award for Outstanding Clinical Practice in 2016.
She is a Versus Arthritis Clinical Champion and is undertaking a bespoke Leadership programme with Ashridge Executive Education.
A diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis 30 years ago brought with it many challenges, but it has given me the motivation to use my experience to benefit others. To this end, I became a telephone support worker for the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) and, with the support of this organisation, I helped to set up the local group which holds its meetings at The Haywood. I have also become a member of the Research User Group at Keele (RUG) and I am a volunteer at the PIER. Having received such wonderful care and support at The Haywood, I am delighted to be a member of the Foundation Committee.
In my spare time I love to sing and I am a member of three choirs. I also enjoy yoga and, more recently, have taken up Tai Chi. I run a monthly book club and visit the theatre regularly. Most of all, I love to spend time with my family.
Helen Duffy
I am delighted to be a Trustee of the Haywood Foundation as well as a committee member. Having worked in the NHS for many years the benefit of a local charity that is dedicated to local people and services cannot be underestimated.
Manager: Primary Care Musculoskeletal Research Consortium
Arthritis Research UK Primary Care Centre
Having come to Keele University as a student in 1987, I fell in love with Staffordshire (and my husband!) and stayed! I graduated from Keele University in 1990 and subsequently held a number of NHS management roles within secondary and primary care settings. Despite NHS changes in management structures, I have always been fortunate to be involved in managing musculoskeletal services over the last 20 years thoroughly enjoying working with the rheumatology, rehabilitation and orthopaedic teams in Stoke on Trent. Somehow all career decisions have been related to working with the teams at the Haywood as I’ve moved through directorate manager and hospital manager roles!. Working closely with clinicians, patients and the research unit at Keele I helped to develop the business cases for a range of musculoskeletal services in Stoke on Trent (including the STaBs back pain, fracture liaison, musculoskeletal interface, and IMPACT pain services). In 2011 I became Consortium Manager at Keele University’s Arthritis Research UK Primary Care Centre. Working across the NHS/research interface, my role is to ensure clinical engagement in the research agenda and to support the dissemination and implementation of research outputs into practice. This role involves working with researchers and NHS partners across the region (including the Haywood services!) to ensure that the commissioning and delivery of musculoskeletal services are based upon the best available evidence. At the beginning of 2014 the Keele team were successful in securing funding to support implementation projects for osteoarthritis and back pain research (via NHS England, regional innovation funding, and the West Midlands Academic Health Science Network).
I am delighted to be a Trustee of the Haywood Foundation as well as a committee member. Having worked in the NHS for many years the benefit of a local charity that is dedicated to local people and services cannot be underestimated. Without the support of the foundation many ‘fledgling’ ideas would not have come to fruition and I am proud to be part of a committed team who continue to support the ideals established by Dr Hothersall many years ago. I am married with two rapidly growing children and a very silly large dog!
Cath Thwaites
I am a Lecturer in Rheumatology Nursing in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Keele University, teaching pre and post registered nursing students, allied health professionals and medical students.
Lecturer in Rheumatology Nursing
I am a Lecturer in Rheumatology Nursing in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Keele University, teaching pre and post registered nursing students, allied health professionals and medical students. My clinical practice is based in the Outpatient Department at the Haywood Hospital and the Children’s Clinic at UHNS. Previous Rheumatology experience includes working as a Ward Sister and Nurse Practitioner in Rheumatology, gaining expertise in both inpatient and outpatient settings. I have a special interest in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) particularly early RA, patient education and paediatric rheumatology. I am on the Editorial Board of ‘Musculoskeletal Care’ and am also a committee member for the Haywood Foundation. My MSc work has explored the experiences of Rheumatology Nurses running telephone advice lines.
My hobbies include walking my Golden Retriever and cycling. Over the last few years I have taken part in a 3 day cycle ride to raise funds and general awareness of the Haywood Foundation.
Mike Brooks
All of my current leisure pursuits have been possible due to the tremendous care and huge success I have had as a patient of the Haywood Hospital.
I was born in London in 1948 but now live in Alsager, having moved around the UK with my job roles. Educated at Plaistow County Grammar School and The University of the South Bank and have a BSc in Chemical Technology.
I am married to Margaret and we have 4 daughters and 8 grandchildren. Now retired but prior to retirement I was the owner and managing director of a training and development company specialising in leadership and management programmes.
I have a passion for rugby (union) and am a member of Sale Sharks and Sandbach rugby clubs. Another passion is the theatre and Margaret and I frequent the New Vic as often as possible. I also enjoy country walks and we cultivate a 320sq.m allotment which keeps us fit and healthy and well supplied with fruit and vegetables. All of my current leisure pursuits have been possible due to the tremendous care and huge success I have had as a patient of the Haywood Hospital.
Sarah Ryan
I am a Nurse Consultant in Rheumatology and Honorary Senior Lecturer in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Keele University. I am involved in clinical, educational and research activities.
I am a professor of rheumatology nursing which is an innovative post funded by the Haywood Foundation and the Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. I am involved in clinical, educational and research activities. My clinical interests include supporting patients to manage their symptoms including pan, joint stiffness, joint swelling and fatigue. I am the course director of a MSc programme and two degree level modules for rheumatology nurses and allied health professionals. I have published widely within rheumatology nursing and I currently edit a rheumatology journal called ‘Musculoskeletal Care’. In 2003 I was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing for my contributions to rheumatology nursing. In 2014 I was awarded the Arthritis Research UK silver medal for research into the knowledge and skills patients want nurses and allied health professionals to have.
My hobbies include being by the sea, walking, taming the garden and birdlife.
Dr Zoe Paskins
Zoe is also a Senior Lecturer at the School of Medicine at Keele University where she leads the osteoporosis research group. Her research interests include how healthcare can be better delivered to meet patient needs.
Zoe has worked as a doctor at the Haywood Hospital since 2008 and was appointed to an Honorary Consultant Rheumatologist post at the Haywood Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent in 2013. She trained in Leicester and undertook postgraduate training in rheumatology in the West Midlands. During this time she completed a Masters in Medical Education (University of Warwick) and her PhD (Keele University). She is Clinical Lead for the Osteoporosis Service at the Haywood, which provides bone density, Fracture Liaison and medical metabolic bone services for North Staffordshire.
She is also a Senior Lecturer at the School of Medicine at Keele University where she leads the osteoporosis research group. Her research interests include how healthcare can be better delivered to meet patient needs.
Zoe joined the foundation committee in 2015. She is married with two children and enjoys gardening and baking.
Professor Krysia Dziedzic
Krysia is a professor and Director of the Impact Accelerator Unit at Keele University. Krysia has had a long-standing relationship with the Haywood starting with her attendance at their Rheumatology Course for Physiotherapists in 1989.
Krysia is a professor and Director of the Impact Accelerator Unit, School of Medicine, Keele University. Krysia has had a long-standing relationship with the Haywood starting with her attendance at their Rheumatology Course for Physiotherapists in 1989. With new research skills taken from the course, this led to her moving to Stoke on Trent from Kent to take up a research physiotherapy post at the Haywood. Krysia completed her PhD working with members of the Haywood Ankylosing Spondylitis Society (NASS) and joined Keele to take up a research leadership role for musculoskeletal therapies. Krysia is a strong advocate for patent and public involvement and engagement in research and its implementation into health care. Krysia is also currently an Honorary Implementation Consultant for the Midlands Partnership Foundation Trust.
Laura Campbell
I work with academic colleagues and external stakeholders on activities to accelerate the impact of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Science’s (FMHS) research into policy and practice.
Impact Accelerator Unit Knowledge Broker, School of Medicine, Keele University
I graduated from the University of Bath in 2008 with a degree in French, German and European Studies, spending a short time afterwards as a translator. After university I moved back home to Staffordshire to take up a post as a newspaper journalist, eventually becoming the contents editor for two local lifestyle magazines in 2013.
When I was 13 years old I was diagnosed with a curvature of the spine (scoliosis) and from 18 onwards underwent five different operations to correct it. During that time I also broke my back twice. Being in and out of hospital inspired me to volunteer for the Scoliosis Association UK and I became their Lead Regional Representative for the West and East Midlands in 2011, moving on to be their lead UK representative in 2019. I have since co-founded and organise Back2Back, a Scoliosis Support Group especially for scoliosis patients at nearby Royal Stoke Hospital.
As well as scoliosis I also have a genetic connective tissue disorder and I am under the care of The Haywood Hospital for this. Over the years several members of my close family have been severely affected by this condition, as well as both rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, and I have seen first-hand the positive difference that the outstanding care from The Haywood has had on their lives. Because of this I am very proud to be part of the Haywood Foundation Committee.
As a Knowledge Broker for the Impact Accelerator Unit, I work with academic colleagues and external stakeholders (health and social care professionals, patient and public members) on activities to accelerate the impact of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Science’s (FMHS) research into policy and practice. I lead the LINK group (public involvement in Knowledge Mobilisation), co-produce patient facing evidence based resources and develop knowledge exchange activities and communication strategies for the unit for scaling up and scaling out high quality research evidence across boundaries.
I am currently also undertaking an MPhil in Knowledge Mobilisation, I am a trustee of the North Staffordshire Orthopeadic Research Foundation, I was a finalist in the 2018 Nursing Times Awards and my hobbies include writing, making cakes, watching Disney films, travelling and swimming, and I spend most of my spare time with my wonderful friends, family and our very bouncy golden retriever!
Patricia Callaghan
I began my volunteer work in the PIER in April 2016 and since then I have enjoyed the benefits of volunteering in the company of a friendly and supportive team.
Ashley is a junior doctor in rheumatology and training to become a consultant. He completed his undergraduate study at Keele University. During his time at Keele University, he completed a Masters in Medical Education. Ashley was first attracted to the speciality of rheumatology by one of his mentors, Professor Andy Hassell who was previously chair of the foundation. He is currently undertaking his postgraduate clinical training in the West Midlands (including at Haywood Hospital).
During his clinical training Ashley has taken an interest in the field of metabolic bone disease. He hopes to sub-specialise in this area when he becomes a consultant.
In addition to his clinical training Ashley is currently studying for a PhD at Keele University. This is funded by Versus Arthritis. His project aims to work with General Practitioners to improve the care of people with, or at risk of, osteoporosis. His academic work is supervised by Dr Zoe Paskins.
Ashley joined the foundation committee in 2023. He is married to Jess, who is a local diabetes nurse, and has two children (Teddy and Tilly). He enjoys running (slowly) and playing football. He is an avid Preston North End fan!
Maria Shaw
My current role as PFI Manager remains part of the Facilities & Estates Team. I remain based at the Haywood Hospital with operational responsibility for the day to day management of the PFI and Retained Estates Buildings.
I started my career in Manchester as a Legal Secretary moving on to Staffordshire in 1976 where I took up a 6 month temporary Medical Secretary Post in 1977 at the Haywood Hospital. For the past 43 years I have worked at the Haywood Hospital; initially progressing from a Medical Secretary to Team Lead before securing my role within the Facilities and Estates department.
As PFI builds were secured at both the Royal Stoke and Haywood Hospital sites; my role developed to understand the complexities of managing and working within a PFI build. During the time of the hospitals’ development I worked across both sites and this partnership and collaborative approach still exists to mutually benefit both sites.
My current role as PFI Manager remains part of the Facilities & Estates Team. I remain based at the Haywood Hospital with operational responsibility for the day to day management of the PFI and Retained Estates Buildings. A significant part of my role is to ensure the ongoing compliance against the PFI Contract is maintained these include annual statutory maintenance programmes which take a considerable amount of planning and organisation and requires close collaboration with my operational and clinical colleagues. I am also responsible for ensuring the safe and the safe management of the building health & safety, fire & water compliance, cleaning, catering, waste, network systems, telecoms etc.
I remain committed to ensuring a safe environment for the patients and staff that use this building and enjoy the daily challenges that this role brings. I feel that one of my significant contributions is the supporting the essential relationship between Facilities & Estates alongside my operational and clinical colleagues and ensuring that the patients and service users are central to all that we do.
Ashley is a junior doctor in rheumatology and training to become a consultant. He completed his undergraduate study at Keele University. During his time at Keele University, he completed a Masters in Medical Education. Ashley was first attracted to the speciality of rheumatology by one of his mentors, Professor Andy Hassell who was previously chair of the foundation. He is currently undertaking his postgraduate clinical training in the West Midlands (including at Haywood Hospital).
During his clinical training Ashley has taken an interest in the field of metabolic bone disease. He hopes to sub-specialise in this area when he becomes a consultant.
In addition to his clinical training Ashley is currently studying for a PhD at Keele University. This is funded by Versus Arthritis. His project aims to work with General Practitioners to improve the care of people with, or at risk of, osteoporosis. His academic work is supervised by Dr Zoe Paskins.
Ashley joined the foundation committee in 2023. He is married to Jess, who is a local diabetes nurse, and has two children (Teddy and Tilly). He enjoys running (slowly) and playing football. He is an avid Preston North End fan!
June Brammar Honorary Secretary
Haywood Rheumatism Research & Development Foundation
Haywood Hospital
[email protected]
tel: 07929875554, 01782 652734
