Directors

Dr David Seamark

I am the Vice President and a Director of the Community Hospitals Association (CHA) and have been involved with the CHA since starting my general practice career in Honiton, Devon in 1990. I have worked in community hospitals for many years and visited many hospitals throughout the UK. I have had a parallel research career and a major area of interest for me has been end of life care in the community and, in particular, the role of community hospitals in end of life and palliative care. I have worked with Birmingham University on a study looking the role and community importance of community hospitals. I have retired as a GP partner but still work as a locum and pursue my research interests.

Richard Hallett MBE

I am a Director and Treasurer of the CHA.  I am currently Vice-President of the Friends of Crowborough Hospital, in East Sussex and we were delighted to win a national award from the CHA in recognition of our support for the hospital and staff, and for our funding and management of the Social Day Service.  In 2000 the Friends of Crowborough Hospital contributed matched funding of £1.5 Million to ensure the refurbishment of Crowborough Hospital as a modern 21st Century Community Hospital.   

In the 1990s I led the campaign to create the Crowborough Birth Centre (MLU) which became a successful flagship unit.   I have been proactive in supporting maternity services and birthing units, and as a co-founder of the Midwifery Unit Network UK, was an early advocate nationally for Midwife-led Care as a mainstream choice for women. In 2013 I was appointed MBE for services to midwifery and parents.  With a BSc in Earth Sciences and a Post-graduate Masters degree in Economics, my career developed in the Food Industry in operational roles, in due course as Managing Director of some sizeable business supplying the major UK retailers.  I am a member of the Institute of Directors and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. I now divide my time between paid Food Industry Consultancy work and voluntary roles working with Social Enterprises and Charities focused on health services. 

Dr Kirsty Protherough

I am the Chair of the CHA as well as a Director. I am a general practitioner who has spent the last seven years working as the GP covering Stroke, Palliative Care, and Elderly Care patients in Worcestershire's Community Hospitals (of which there are seven!). During this period, I became interested in frailty and earned a diploma in geriatric medicine (DGM). We brought GP Trainees to Community Hospitals in partnership with our local deanery, and I am hopeful that the local community hospitals would provide placements for the new medical students at the University of Worcester, where I am also an Associate Lecturer. I've also noticed a dearth of knowledge among patients and their families concerning all areas of ageing and frailty so have set up a patient educational service Healthacate in response to this.

I believe Community Hospitals are an important resource within the National Health Service for providing services particularly to those patients living with frailty and I am delighted to be the new Chair of the CHA. I hope we can continue to raise the profile of all community hospitals UK wide and continue to engage in strategic discussions with healthcare leaders regarding the importance of providing appropriate resources to these community assets that allow them to flourish and reach their full potential.