Our staff
Helen Rushworth - Manager
Helen joins Healthwatch Bradford with a broad range of experience across the health and social care sector. Having worked in inclusion health, she brings enthusiasm and commitment to the team to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard regardless of their personal circumstances.
She has worked in Bradford for the last 20 years and is passionate about the city and in improving the lives of its citizens.
Nigel Ayre - Delivery Lead
Nigel has lived and worked in Yorkshire all his life and has extensive experience of working within the NHS and local government across the county during this time. He was the mental health representative on the Healthwatch North Yorkshire board from 2012 until 2016 and took over as Manager from 2016 - 2020. Prior to this he spent four years with York Mind working on projects seeking to improve the experience of those accessing mental health services and particularly for people from black and minority ethnic communities.
Nigel has a strong commitment to ensuring that the voice of those who use services is at the forefront of service design and delivery. He has strong experience of engaging both at grassroots and strategic level and is looking forward to using this to help improve health and social care in the Bradford area.
Community Outreach Coordinator
My name is Alkestid and I am a Community Outreach Coordinator. I work to make sure people’s experiences of health and social care services are listened to, understood, and used to help make things better. This means I spend time talking with different communities, building relationships with local groups, and helping turn people’s real stories into useful information that can shape services and support decision‑making.
Each day, I speak with community members and organisations to gather their feedback and hear about their experiences. I help look after our relationships with local partners and support different engagement activities. I also look at the feedback we receive for important themes and trends, help write reports, and work with colleagues and stakeholders so that what people tell us is shared and acted on where possible.
I have taken part in work across different sectors to improve inclusion and reduce inequalities. This includes helping to develop a local anti‑racism framework with partners from local authorities, organisations, and the voluntary sector. I am especially interested in making sure community insight is used to guide service improvement and bigger system‑level conversations.
What I enjoy most about my role is meeting people from many different backgrounds and making sure their voices are heard. The most important part of my job is helping bring real experiences into discussions about how services are designed and delivered. I feel strongly about work that aims to reduce inequalities and improve access to care. Being involved in developing the anti‑racism framework has shown me how important partnership working and shared learning are.
Outside of work, I enjoy staying active, learning new things, and exploring different ideas about culture, society, and personal growth. I am always open to chances to work with others and learn from people across different sectors.
Community Outreach Coordinator