Helen joined Hull York Medical School in July 2019 as a member of the Yorkshire Cancer Research funded TRANSFORM team. Her role is to support clinical and applied health researchers to integrate patient and public involvement into every aspect of the programme. This will involve the creation of an involvement network, and a range of resources and training both for researchers and lay volunteers. She will work to minimise the barriers that service users, patients and carers face so that they can engage with research in a meaningful way.
Helen qualified as an archivist and records manager with an MA from the University of Liverpool and started her career in the Brynmor Jones Library at the University of Hull in 1993. In 2008 she moved to the north west to manage the Labour History Archive at the People's History Museum in Manchester.
She joined the NHS in 2012 to set up a health information service for patients and carers at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust. She moved into the patient experience team 3 years' later and was responsible for patient feedback surveys, accessible information for people with disabilities, and the Trust’s patient information policy and process.
Outside of her core role, Helen contributed to the Trust’s equality, diversity and inclusion strategy. In 2018 she trained as an accredited workplace steward for Unison and undertook a post-graduate certificate in health research.
Helen is interested in understanding how people experience their healthcare, and how this can feed into improving health research and health services. She is committed to ensuring that research is underpinned by the insight and lived experience of those who use health and social care services.