Sara joined Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust as Chief Executive in September 2016, starting her career in the NHS as a student nurse and agency nursing assistant. Sara is a registered mental health nurse and carried out her clinical work in inpatient mental health settings. Sara has worked across a range of NHS mental health providers in the North West of England.
Sara also completed her PhD looking at attitudes of acute mental health nurses and their impact on service users experience of care. Prior to working at the Trust, Sara was the Director of Quality and Nursing/Deputy CEO in Cumbria, relocating to Leeds with her husband and two children to take up this post.
Nationally, Sara is a board member of the Positive Practice Collaborative and actively contributes to the Time to Change programme looking at attitudes of professionals towards mental health.