Warrington governors
Matthew Machin – Public Governor for Warrington
I live in Warrington with my wife and our teenage daughter. Our daughter has complex special needs and we therefore make use of a range of different services from a number of NHS trusts.
Through Bridgewater she receives a number of services ranging from wheelchair services to speech and language therapy.
I applied to become a governor so that I can give something back to the NHS, which has provided great service to us over many years.
I think it’s particularly important that patients are given the opportunity to actively shape the care that they receive.
I’m keen to ensure that the voice of patients and other members of the public are heard when setting future directions for the Trust.
Kevin Goucher – Public Governor for Warrington
Originally from Birmingham, I am married with two children and three grand children who keep me very occupied.
I retired in 2011 after 50 years in the retail trade.
From my mid-twenties I spent my career in Senior Management rising to Buying Director in several major high street groups.
When I retired I wanted to do something that gave back to my adopted home here in Warrington, so I joined Culcheth Medical Centres active PPG group and after two years I became Chair and have grown our membership to 25.
In addition Warrington CCG, actively promoting the Patient Voice, I joined the Warrington Health Forum and became its Chair until is was dissolved by the creation of the Integrated Care Board (ICB).
I also became a member of the Governing Body for Warrington on the CCG and ensured that the Patient Voice was heard and I have been on the NHSE Procurement Team on a couple of occasions.
Becoming a Public Governor for Warrington makes me feel very proud to represent the patients again in Warrington.
In February 2024 , I accepted the role of Deputy Lead Governor and will support our Lead Governor throughout my tenure.
Norman Holding – Public Governor for Warrington
I have lived in Warrington for over 30 years and now retired I can immerse myself in the role.
As an elected Governor, I will make myself available to the community.
I am committed to ensuring high-quality health and social care services grow and develop and that health inequalities are reduced for the people of Warrington.
I’m passionate about the highest standards of care and ensuring everyone has equal and fair access to Community care.
Having previously served as a Public Governor / Lead Governor at Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals (WHH) for 9 years, I feel that I can bring that experience to Bridgewater.
I’ve led on raising the profile of Governors, improving their involvement and impact and ensuring the voice of the public was heard.
I bring experience and knowledge to the Council of Governors, having spent over 30 years in Facilities Management in both Public and Private sectors.
I understand the integrities of operating large organisations and the impact change can have on staff, patients and the public.
I feel this experience will help me to contribute to the ongoing integration with WHH.
I am the chair of Warrington Healthwatch which allows me to see and be involved in the full cycle of health and social care being provided to the community and to bring the voice and views of the public to the table.
As a patient I have seen and understand the frustration patients can have with the systems.
This enables me to maintain balanced views as well as speaking up for others.
Audrey Fitzpatrick – Public Governor for Warrington
Profile to follow shortly.
Rest of England governors
Christine Stankus – Public Governor for Rest of England and Lead Governor
I was re-elected in July 2025 to the Council of Governors of which I am very proud of, and selected has Lead Governor in 2022.
I am a retired NHS worker and feel I still have a lot to offer, and contribute to work to ensure the provision of quality health services continue.
I bring a vast experience spanning 44 years working in the NHS Covering both psychiatry, learning disabilities and general care settings. Each brings its unique issues which, I feel has equipped me with the necessary skills and knowledge, resulting in satisfactory solutions/outcomes.
My career developed considerably during my enjoyable career in a positive environment, my years of NHS service working in several post has been invaluable in galvanising those experiences, including fulfilling a secondment post in the Warrington PCT, managing the PCT Estate/Capital programme. Working with external agencies enabled me to approach service delivery in an holistic manner alongside not only senior managers, service users, and staff at the coalface.
I feel my NHS background gave me the experience to represents members’ interest in both the Trust and with other organisations/agencies.
As an ‘Elected Governor’ I can honestly say I am looking forward to ‘getting involved’ and hope my skills will be very useful to support the Trust staff, governors, and service users, as they continue to deliver what is” an already good Trust into an outstanding of excellence in many ways.
Rita Chapman – Public Governor for Rest of England
This is my fourth tenure as Governor for the Trust having taken a year out following three previous periods as a Public Governor from 2014.
I had a forty-year career in the NHS starting as a Physiotherapist and working across all sectors in the NHS and in clinical and estates management, as well as a period working in New Zealand.
I felt that I could still contribute positively to the Trust and I enjoy being a Governor and carrying out their unique role in the organisation.
I hope that I am seen as a positive contributor as well as a ‘critical friend’ to the Trust in undertaking my role. Representing the Trust’s members is a key role of a Governor and, possibly, the most challenging.
This is something I hope to work on with fellow Governors to improve that part of our role.
Arshad Ashraf – Public Governor for Rest of England
Arshad is a transformative educational leader with over 30 years of impact-driven experience across the UK, Middle East, and beyond.
His career has been defined by a relentless passion for innovation, a deep commitment to equity, and a proven ability to turn vision into results, at every level of education.
Starting as a classroom teacher and rising to influential international roles, Arshad has led high-performing schools, shaped education policy, and inspired systemic change.
He holds an MSc in Education from the University of Oxford, where his research focused on advancing teaching and learning, laying the foundation for his evidence-informed leadership style.
As Headmaster of a globally renowned school ranked among the top 100 schools worldwide (Cambridge University list), Arshad drove a culture of excellence, delivering dramatic improvements in outcomes and recognition on the world stage.
He has held senior leadership and consultancy roles across diverse contexts, including as Chair of the Governing Board for KHDA (Knowledge and Human Development Authority, Dubai), where he influenced education policy and quality assurance for the emirate’s private schools.
His governance expertise is further evidenced by his leadership at a UK school awarded the prestigious ‘Governor Mark’ accreditation, among the first in the country to earn this distinction.
His strategic insight has shaped regional, national, and international education projects, transforming outcomes for thousands of learners and educators.
Currently, Arshad is the Principal of an outstanding secondary school in Bolton, UK, where he continues to champion innovation, excellence, and inclusion.
His enduring mission: to build learning communities that thrive and futures that flourish.
Dr Jonathan Berry – Public Governor for Rest of England
I have a 35-year working history for the NHS; 31 years were spent as a GP in Trafford, often in a part time role.
These roles included Executive and Non-Executive positions in a variety of NHS and private organisations always with a focus on Quality, service and improving commissioning.
As Primary Care Champion for Greater Manchester I worked with hospital and community colleagues to rationalise care across all trusts, boosted community care and releasing cash savings.
But quality and community remain my main passion.
My particular interest in Bridgwater is the amalgamation with Halton and Warrington Teaching Hospitals.
During my career I have taken active roles in three NHS mergers/acquisitions, sometimes being clinical lead in service redesign and senior clinical and finance moderator.
Too often I have heard the acute sector espouse the benefits of amalgamation with community for example improved outreach to help keep appropriate patients at home and “tele services” only for community services to be reduced at the next difficult financial round.
As a Governor I will press for real investment in community service, and if permitted help suggest where an expansion can occur with real patient benefit.
Staff governors
Emma Crilly – Clinical Support Staff Governor
Profile to follow shortly.
Dave Smith Corporate Support Staff Governor
Profile to follow shortly.
Katie Brown – Nursing
I am passionate about making a positive difference in our community.
With a strong belief in the power of education, as a Clinical Educator, and collaborative leadership, I am honoured to contribute my skills and experience to help guide and shape the future of our institution.
Having worked in the field of Nursing, in particular District Nursing, I understand the challenges and opportunities facing us today.
I am committed to ensuring that we maintain high standards of governance, foster an inclusive environment, and make decisions that reflect the values and needs of our community.
Phillip Lynch – Nursing
Profile to follow shortly.