



Our Team
The Physical Health and Long Terms Conditions Team is made up of a blend of Clinical and Network members covering a range of specialties and from a wide range of backgrounds, both from within healthcare and from other industries.
Together our aim is to make improvements to outcomes of complex patient pathways using an integrated, whole system approach whilst reducing unwarranted variation in health services.
Lipid Network

Dr Peter Carey
Dr Peter Carey is a consultant in Diabetes and Endocrinology at South Tyneside and Sunderland and Regional Lipid Advisor to the Academic Health Sciences Network –North East and North Cumbria. He qualified from the University of Sheffield and trained initially in Liverpool before returning to the North East to undertake his MD in post prandial […]
Dr Peter CareyDiabetes

Ruth Miller
Network Delivery Lead (Diabetes & Health Inequalities) Ruth graduated from University of Edinburgh with an MSc Physical Activity for Health in 2016. Since, Ruth has gained experience in supporting NHS systems and stakeholders with service development and improvement, having worked in a charity sector and local authority collaboration. Ruth has a great interest in the […]
Ruth Miller
Dr Rahul Nayar
Diabetes Network Lead Dr Rahul Nayar is a Consultant and Clinical Lead for Diabetes and Endocrinology at South Tyneside & Sunderland NHS FT. Specialist interest within diabetes includes Pregnancy, Renal disease and Diabetic Foot disease. His roles within NHS England include being the Clinical Network lead for Diabetes (secondary care) for the Northern Region, and […]
Dr Rahul NayarVascular Network
Mr Ian Nichol
Chair (Rotating) Consultant Vascular Surgeon, South Tees Hospitals NHS FT
Mr Ian NicholKate Mackay
Managerial lead Delivery Lead, NHSE/I Kate has extensive experience of service improvement within the public sector, particularly the NHS, working with both clinicians and managers, at national and local level. Her background, prior to service improvement work, is research and clinical audit.
Kate Mackay
Professor Gerry Stansby
Vice Chair The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Professor Gerard Stansby qualified from Cambridge University and Addenbrooke’s Hospital in 1982 and worked at Imperial College London as Senior Lecturer before becoming Professor of Vascular Surgery at the University of Newcastle and the Freeman Hospital in January 2000. He is the author of more […]
Professor Gerry StansbyCardiac Network
Janine O’Rourke
Cardiac Network Delivery Lead Janine is a registered nurse who qualified in 2002, but worked in the NHS since 1992. Since becoming qualified has predominately worked in cardiology ranging from general cardiology, coronary care and high dependency unit to Heart failure specialist nurse in the community and finally cardiac rehabilitation specialist nurse for the last […]
Janine O’RourkeLouise Smyth
Network Deliver Manager Louise trained as a registered general nurse in Edinburgh and since qualifying has specialised in delivering care to cardiac patients and their families. Louise has worked within the NHS, working with both clinicians and managers, at national and local level. She has been involved research and clinical audit and since 2004 has […]
Louise SmythDr Ian Purcell
Clinical Lead Consultant Cardiologist NENC Clinical Lead for Cardiology
Dr Ian PurcellIntegrated Stroke Delivery Network

Cathy Maxwell
Stroke Network Delivery Lead Cathy trained as a registered general nurse in Hertfordshire and since qualifying has worked in a variety of NHS organisations across the country. Cathy’s clinical career specialised in delivering care in both acute, community and research settings to cardiac patients and their families. As well as her NHS experience Cathy has […]
Cathy MaxwellRespiratory Network
Claire Adams
Chair Claire is an experienced nurse with a real passion for improving the care of people with Respiratory Disease. Claire has been working in a primary care setting for the past fifteen years. She is the Clinical Lead for Tees Valley CCG and provides Clinical time within that role running a community Respiratory advice service. […]
Claire Adams
Dr Ramamurthy Sathyamurthy
Chair Dr Sathyamurthy was appointed as Consultant in Respiratory medicine from November 2010 at South Tees NHS Trust and appointed as the Clinical Director of Respiratory Medicine at South Tees from November 2021 to May 2021. During that tenure he has transformed respiratory services at South Tees with commissioning of new high quality services like […]
Dr Ramamurthy SathyamurthyAnna Alderslade
Managerial Lead, Delivery Lead, NHSE&I Anna has experience working in service improvement in the NHS, working with both clinicians and managers at local and regional level. Her background is as a specialist respiratory physiotherapist in community care before taking on a secondment as a modern matron, leading and transforming services during the pandemic.
Anna Alderslade