Meet our directors

Sir Paul brings vast leadership experience from large, complex organisations at both a national and local level. His experience ranges from chief executive roles with successful national organisations to chairing influential multi-agency partnerships over a 25-year period. His professional career has been spent largely within services for vulnerable children and adults, mainly based in London. This included playing a key role in steering the Government’s Every Child Matters programme during the 2000s. Now based in North Tyneside, he was awarded a CBE in 2002 for services to children with special educational needs and was knighted in 2009 for services to children. Prior to his appointment as trust chair, he chaired six multi-agency safeguarding boards for children and vulnerable adults, holding the relevant agencies to account for their safeguarding activity. Sir Paul is also president of VONNE and on the board of Net Zero North East England.

Sean Fenwick joined Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust in August 2025 as Acting Chief Executive. He has worked in the NHS for over 30 years, spending most of his career in the North East, with earlier periods in London and Liverpool. A consultant nephrologist by background, Sean began his career as a junior doctor before moving into senior leadership roles. He was most recently Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Operations at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, where he led major programmes in operations, governance, and clinical transformation.

Joanne Halliwell has been the Chief Operating Officer at Gateshead Health since September 2023. She is an accomplished healthcare professional and a registered general nurse with a wealth of experience in various operational and leadership roles. She previously held the position of Director of Operations (Medicine) at the Trust from June to September 2023. Prior to this, she worked at Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, where she held several key positions including Deputy Chief Operating Officer and a number of Director level positions. Before this, she worked as an Associate Director for Business Development at Yorkshire Ambulance Service from 2010 to 2015.

Dr Carmen Howey, a Consultant Paediatrician, graduated from Newcastle University in 2001 and following completion of training was appointed as a Consultant at Gateshead NHS Foundation Trust in 2012. Positions held within the Paediatric team included College Tutor, Named and Designated Doctor for Safeguarding Children, and Clinical Lead Paediatrics. In 2021 she became Clinical Head of Service for the Medicine Business Unit and became Medical Director in July 2024.

Beth joins Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust from North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, part of the University Hospitals Tees Group, where she served as Director of Nursing and Deputy Group Chief Nurse. With over 30 years of nursing experience, Beth brings a proven track record in enhancing quality, safety, and workforce resilience. Nationally, Beth has served as Chair and Nurse Advisor for the National Audit of Dementia and was a member of the Chief Nursing Officer’s Excellence Advisory Forum.

Kris joined the Trust in 2018 working in various roles and is now Group Director of Finance and Digital. She has also held senior finance positions at NHS Improvement and Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, having worked in NHS finance for over 20 years.

Amanda Venner is a Chartered CIPD professional and is currently the Director of People and OD at Gateshead Health. Previously, she held the position of Deputy Director of People and OD at the Trust, where she was the senior operational lead for the function, overseeing the full range of services. Prior to this role, Amanda served as the Interim Deputy Director of Workforce and Workforce Programme Transformation Lead for the North East and North Cumbria as well as the Head of Workforce Planning, Medical Education and Recruitment at Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust.

A highly experienced healthcare professional and leader, Dr Morrow brings extensive expertise to the Board. A GP by background, he has served as a Non-Executive Director at North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust for seven years. In addition, Dr Morrow is a medical director and editor at a healthcare technology company. He also contributes to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as an editor for Clinical Knowledge Summaries.

Adam Crampsie is a clinician by background. He has spent 18 years working in healthcare, starting in the NHS before moving into corporate healthcare, then becoming the Commercial and Clinical Development Director of Nuffield Health and now serves as the Chief Executive of Everyturn Mental Health, a charity that delivers specialist mental health services across the North East and England. He is also a Trustee of The Terrence Higgins Trust.

Martin Hedley is the Managing Director of Vision Achievement Limited, a company which delivers specialised recruitment, learning and development services, and he has provided strategic support, idea generation and operational challenge to executive board members for over 20 years. He has extensive experience in transformation and change management, having delivered global change programmes for companies such as Citibank, Chase Manhattan Bank, and American Airlines. He is an experienced NHS Non-Executive Director in his final year at Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust and is also a Governor at Gateshead College.

Maggie joined the Trust in October 2021. She is a qualified HR professional with extensive commercial experience operating at Board level. She became chair of QE Facilities, the wholly owned subsidiary in autumn 2023. Her executive career has been predominately within the private sector. She was HR Director with Parkdean Resorts for 15 years up until 2019. A passionate advocate for employee engagement, Maggie runs her own technology business which focuses on this area. Over the last 30 years Maggie has sat on a number of regional boards and was the first ever female President and Chair of the North East Chamber of Commerce. In addition to her role with us, she is also a Trustee and Volunteer at The People’s Kitchen, The Chronicle Sunshine Fund and the Theatre Royal, York.

Rob has a background in both internal and external audit and is a PriceWaterhouse Coopers (PwC) qualified Chartered Accountant as well as an active member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants England and Wales (ICAEW). He has extensive Boardroom experience as Chief Executive and Accounting Officer at a Multi-Academy Trust in Newcastle.

Andrew has spent his entire career in the technology sector and has worked on some of the most complex and high-impact digital projects in the industry, building a substantial body of digital expertise and leadership experience. He has been a Non-Executive Director at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust since 2019 and is Chair of the Digital Committee supporting the development of its digital and data strategy and has overseen its successful delivery.