Lord Holmes’s contribution to creation of DNDN recognised

Former Paralympian Chris Holmes, elevated to the House of Lords in 2013, provided an important spur to the creation of the DNDN when he undertook a review in 2018 of the involvement of disabled people in public sector governance.  He discovered that NHS Improvement was able to identify only 17 disabled directors serving on NHS Trust boards.  It was this information that spurred Kate Smyth and Tom Hayhoe to reach out to other disabled directors to establish DNDN.

Consequently, it was a particular pleasure to invite Chris to join us to discuss the progress made by the DNDN in its first two years, share the very positive response received by the Network from DHSC and NHSE, and explore further opportunities for promoting the interests of disabled NHS staff and leaders.