Chief Executive - Michelle Thompson B.E.M.
As Chair and Director of Healthwatch Darlington Ltd. between May 2013 and December 2014, I was proud to have led our team to be the first Healthwatch in the North East to float independently as a Charitable Company Limited by Guarantee by 31st March 2014.
In January 2015 I was honoured to have been given the opportunity of using my senior management skills for the role of Chief Executive Officer and to continue making a positive difference to health and social care users in Darlington. I am driven by a passion to ensure that the patient, carer, and public voice is not only listened to but understood and acted upon appropriately.
I lost my 18-year-old sister to an aggressive form of teenage bone cancer in 1995 and in 2003 at the age of 36, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Since then I have run, hiked and cycled all over the world raising money and awareness for Macmillan Cancer Support. By using my voice locally, regionally and nationally throughout my fifteen years of volunteering, I gained invaluable experience and made a difference not only in my own community but in the health and social care and voluntary and community sectors. I was incredibly proud to receive the British Empire Medal in the 2013 New Years Honours List for Community and Charity Work in Darlington and County Durham. I feel very strongly that volunteers are a charity’s most valued asset and I am keen to empower local people, explore recruitment opportunities and create new and exciting engagement ideas that appeal to our diverse population.
In my personal life, I'm married to Mick who works as a Health and Safety Manager in the renewable energy industry and we have two grown-up children and two grandchildren. We like to travel, visit family and friends and enjoy the beautiful countryside we live in. I'm also a keen runner and cyclist taking on lots of different challenges during the year.
01325 380145
Our staff
Diane Lax - Operations Manager
Diane’s role is to provide operational support to the CEO and Board members this includes the management of the budgets and supervision of office staff. She has a vast knowledge of local networks and is passionate about bringing local groups together to build a ‘Network of Networks’.
Outside of work she enjoys weekends away, cruising and keeping up with 9 grandchildren ensuring she never has a dull moment.
01325 380145
d.lax@healthwatchdarlington.co.uk
Abbey Lax - Community & Administrative Officer
Abbey is a married mum of three children and has one stepson. Her role is to go out in the community meeting new people and allowing their voices to be heard and make a difference within the health and social care sector. Abbey thrives off helping people and will always go that extra mile to help someone in need. Her hobbies include going to the gym, watching my two son’s play football and socialising with my family and friends.
01325 380145
a.lax@healthwatchdarlington.co.uk
Jamie Odgers - Communications Officer
Jamie is originally from Northern Ireland and moved to Darlington in 2017. His many passions lie in sports - He's a massive Liverpool FC fan as well as watching basketball and wrestling on TV regularly. Academically He has 2 computing degrees and so, he's had an interest in this field from a very young age.
He was originially a volunteer with Healthwatch Darlington (initially in social media) and this has enabled him to further develop his IT skills as well as become a more active part of the community.
He really enjoys getting out into community settings and events with Healthwatch Darlington to understand the needs and opinions of the public regarding their vital health and social care services and this helps him feel like he can make a worthwhile difference to the lives of people in our community.
01325 380145
j.odgers@healthwatchdarlington.co.uk
Andrea Goldie - Mental Health and Community Networks Manager
Andrea has recently returned to the team at Healthwatch Darlington working as a Mental Health and Community Networks Manager. This role involves working on our varied lead projects with diverse communities, individuals, and community networks. She facilitates conversations to gather the views of people who use health and care services, as well as promoting our work and encouraging people to become involved. She works closely with Darlington’s voluntary and community sector as well as key public sector stakeholders, complementing their work and drawing on their experience. She enjoys getting out and about in the local community to help where she can.
01325 380145
