Candidate profiles The six candidates below are listed alphabetically following a randomly chosen name. Paramjit Oberoi Member of Carers UK since May 2014 From: Derby Proposer: Terry Bryan Seconder: Kevin Daly No I cared for my husband for 25 years as he had Huntingtons disease, he passed in October 2002. The day after his funeral my daughter Sheenam, who was just 19, was diagnosed with juvenile Huntingtons disease. I, together with my siblings, cared for my Mother who passed three years ago and we currently support our Father who is 91 years old. I have also shared my caring experiences at the Huntingdon conference and the end of life conferences for the NHS. organisation? I set up and manage the running of a charity called Sheenamswish.co.uk. I am also Vice Chair of the charity. The charity was inspired by my daughter four years ago and supports young people who have Juvenile Huntington s Disease. I have been Chair of the Care to Write group since July 2013. We are a group of carers who have come together to write a collective book about our caring experiences. Our pieces reflect our caring experiences and are aimed at statutory and voluntary carer organisations, NHS staff carers and families in order to learn from experiences to bring about changes. I have also been a Non-Executive Director of the Greater Derby Primary Care Trust and Vice-Chair of the Greater Derby Primary Care Trust. I am an enthusiastic, experienced, creative, emotionally intelligent and
self-motivated professional who has a proven record of achievement in the public, voluntary and private sector. Most importantly I have been caring for nearly 40 years. This has enabled me to experience an understanding of what life is like caring for a husband, Mother, Father and daughter. I am a woman of Punjabi heritage. I came to this country when I was 3 months old, more than 60 years ago! Writing has been a way of expressing my very powerful emotions and has also been a healing process for me in my caring roles. Over the past 35 years I have worked with people in all sectors and believe that there is a huge untapped potential and personal power in each of us. Having to liaise with the many departments, agencies and staff responsible for my family s care have increased my knowledge and understanding of the systems. I often find myself in the role of an advocate for friends and family in a similar situation to mine. This has further developed my skills in listening, questioning, empowering, networking innovation, coaching and mentoring Narinder Sharma Member of Carers UK since August 2015 From: Nottingham Proposer: Brenda Murray Seconder: Terry Bryan As CEO of Derbyshire Carers, I have personally led Carers Week activities in Derbyshire. I have also led Carers Rights Day in the County bringing together leaders of Local Authorities, the local NHS and major employers to get public commitment to the wellbeing of carers. I was Vice Chair and Audit Chair of Nottingham Primary Care Trust for over two terms, and was also chair of Nottingham regeneration agency. I have
been a trustee of many local and national charities over the last 25 years. Knowledge and empathy of carers needs. Principles of Good Governance: holding to account of executives in a supportive manner, stewardship of resources, ambassadorial abilities, financial management, setting strategic direction, public relations and campaigning, partnership working with national organisations and developing local and focused networks for delivery. I would be honoured to serve on the Board of Carers UK, and would do so in a highly collaborative way working with fellow trustees and executives to further improvements in the lives of carers and their families. Peter Atkins Member of Carers UK since November 2013 From: Dorset Proposer: Kevin Daly Seconder: Brenda Murray I ve been involved with local Carers Week activities since 2000 and am also a GP Ambassador covering 10 local surgeries. No. I have skills in the following areas: developing partnerships with other agencies in both the statutory and 3rd Sector, setting targets, monitoring and evaluating performance programmes, campaigning. Currently I am a Carers UK Ambassador in Dorset.
I have been part of setting up and running a local charity from scratch that represented 300 Adult Mental Health Carers in South and East Dorset. I have also been part of a project monitoring groups in both the 3rd Sector and Statutory areas for over 20 years. I am currently the Carer and S/U Co-ordinator in the Faculty of Health and Social Science at Bournemouth University and have a large amount of up to date knowledge which I believe would be of great use to Carers UK. Paula Bryan Member of Carers UK since October 2014 From: London Proposer: Barbara Allen Seconder: Diane Sempare No - I was a full time carer for 7 years supporting my mum until she passed away in Dec 2014. I attended the National Carers Summit and AGM in 2013 and 2014. I am a founder and director of Carers4Carers a social enterprise run by carers to improve the physical, emotional and financial wellbeing of carers. I set the organisation up to address some of the challenges that I and other carers around me were facing. Before becoming a carer I was a senior service manager in a national charity. This role gave me skills and experience in fundraising, staff supervision, setting targets, monitoring and evaluation, financial management, promoting equality and diversity and partnership development. In July 2014 I set up Carers4Carers; through this project I am able to make a positive impact on the lives of carers locally in Lambeth. I would now like to utilise my skills and experience at a national level.
My mum had a range of support needs as she was blind, had mental health issues and was a wheelchair user. Caring for her was one of the most challenging periods of my life as I gave up my home, career and identity to become her full time carer. It was also one of my most rewarding times that I will always cherish; our relationship became stronger and I discovered new strengths in myself. My experience ignighted a passion for carers issues and I would like to honour the time I spent with my mum by supporting carers and their families in a meaningful way. Joanna Dyer Member of Carers UK since September 2009 From: Dover Proposer: Terry Bryan Seconder: Kevin Daly I am a local ambassador for Dover and go to practice meetings at my local doctors. I also took part in Carers Week. I am a trustee for the local volunteer centre and was a trustee for the local scout group. I am also on the Board of a wildlife charity. I have IT skills and fundraising experience. I have chaired meetings and can take minutes. I have found trustees for people. I think with my experience and knowledge I would be suitable for the role. I became an Ambassador with Carers UK, because I want to help people with their role as a carer, as I never had that help or support. By helping someone it makes me feel that I have achieved something.
Andrew Hensman Member of Carers UK since May 2015 From: Essex Proposer: Brenda Murray Seconder: Terry Bryan I attended the State of Caring conference in 2015 and have also run a local Carers Week event. I am a trustee of a small local charity that promotes partnership working with other agencies as well as community cohesion. I have prepared reports for the Charity Commission, ensuring that our organisation complies with relevant requirements. I am also an elected member of the local District Council so I m very much used to representing people s views. I challenge everything that I am not comfortable with and I am not afraid of speaking my mind. I actively campaign for what I believe in and this is a cause about which I am particularly passionate. I m an elected Governor of North Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust. I also sit on the Adult Autism Partnership Board at Essex County Council. As a coordinator of mental health support groups, I am keen to represent carers voices from all aspects. Although a full time carer, I have a support network that allows me to be available for my various duties and I have attended meetings in London, Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham and Norwich. I believe that carers, especially those unpaid like me, get a raw deal. The Government and other agencies just do not appreciate what we do. I am determined to stand up for our rights and get us the respect and recognition that we all deserve.