Steve has successfully worked at clinical and managerial levels within the NHS for over 30 years. He trained in Rochdale as a registered general nurse in 1987 and went on to work in A&E departments in Oxford and Manchester. He is also a trained mental health nurse and has worked in several acute mental health settings in the Manchester area.
In 1998, Steve gained a degree in nursing and went on to obtain an MSc in strategic leadership in 2002. He has a long-standing interest in healthcare leadership and has lectured and presented on this topic in the UK, Europe and USA. More recently, he has led on the successful integration of health, social and voluntary services within North Manchester and Rochdale communities and believes strongly that working in partnership across health and care provides a better experience for patients and families.
Steve lives locally and has a strong connection with Rochdale, he currently holds the role of lead safeguarding governor for Hopwood Hall College.
Dr Vicki Howarth joined Bury Care Organisation as medical director in September 2021. She is a consultant histopathologist (a doctor who looks at tissue samples under a microscope to give a diagnosis), having previously worked at Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, and has held posts as an associate medical director at Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust and an honorary consultant at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (Wythenshawe site).
Vicki has always had an interest in medical management and leadership and its relationship to better patient care and supporting staff development, having completed a number of leadership courses, including the Nye Bevan Certificate in Executive Leadership and a healthcare related MBA.
She is from, and still lives in Stalybridge. Married, with a 16-year-old daughter, and two dogs, Vicki enjoys running and walking on the local fells and is also a keen cyclist and skier.
Penny joined the team in Bury in March 2021. She has a Master’s degree in health care management, a clinical background in physiotherapy and is a recent graduate of the Nye Bevan leadership programme. Penny has been in operational management roles for more than 17 years working in numerous specialties in community and hospital settings across Greater Manchester. She joined the Northern Care Alliance more than three years ago and has held managing director roles in women & children and surgical services.
Penny has a particular interest in inclusion in the workplace and is passionate about improving services for patients through co-production and quality improvement methodology.
Catherine joined the Bury Care Organisation as director of finance from NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) where she most recently held the post of director of business planning and resources, leading the wider corporate functions including HR, estates and facilities, corporate governance, procurement and IT, as well as finance.
She joined the NHS as a national finance management trainee in 2002 and has over 18 years of experience working in senior roles nationally and in the north west, having worked in large acute Trusts prior to NICE.
Catherine is passionate about people and has led on several initiatives at NICE to promote diversity and inclusion and is a trained mentor. As well as a career in the NHS, Catherine divides her time between parenting two school age children and volunteering as Trustee and treasurer for Age UK Lancashire.
Emma has worked in HR in health and social care since 2001, in a number of organisations including social services, acute Trusts, Primary Care Trusts and immediately prior to joining the Northern Care Alliance, at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
She graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University with a BA (Hons) in accounting & finance in1999 and in 2001 completed her MA in human resource management. Emma is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD) and is a Myers Brigg (MBTI) practitioner, with a strong interest in what motivates us at work, engagement and appreciative inquiry. Experienced in large scale complex workforce reconfigurations and service transformations, Emma was the associate director of workforce for Bury & Rochdale Care Organisation, prior to the disaggregation in 2020.
Outside of work, Emma loves live music, reformer pilates, her family and friends (especially her nephews and nieces), books and holidays.
Kath is the chief officer of Bury Local Care Organisation (LCO). She leads the development and implementation of strategy, systems and processes, to ensure the effective delivery of care, through the LCO arrangements. Kath has extensive commissioning experience, complemented by a breadth of operational management, gained in a variety of provider settings. She is experienced in the development and implementation of healthcare strategy, through systems and people. Kath has a particular interest in Integrated Care systems, which has been the subject of a fellowship she undertook with AQUA.
She is passionate about living your life with purpose and authenticity and is in equal measures concerned about the sustainability of public services, with the financial and workforce challenges currently facing the health and social care sector. As an experienced executive coach, meditation teacher, and author, Kath is passionate about embedding a culture of resilience for the people that work within the LCO, to improve the health of the population of Bury.
