The Christie Charity
Roy was appointed as a Non-Executive Director in September 2024.
Roy began his career in the NHS by joining the National Graduate Management Training Scheme in 1968 after completing his degree in Economics and International Politics at Aberystwyth University, His final placement was at The Christie, marking the start of an association with the hospital that would continue in different ways throughout his career.
Roy’s broad experience covers working and leading in the management, planning and commissioning fields, working with clinical and service experts, locally, regionally and nationally. Both as a Board Member in the NHS and in the voluntary sector, Roy has extensive experience in chairing formal and informal board, task group and clinical network meetings.
Throughout his career, Roy has held several different positions, including operational management at Tameside General Hospital and serving as the first NHS Management Information Officer in Oldham. His leadership roles spanned from Director of Planning for South Manchester Health Authority to Deputy Director of Clinical Strategy for Manchester Health Authority and Collaborative Commissioning Team Leader for Greater Manchester Primary Care Trusts (PCTs).
Roy has been involved in several major NHS projects, such as chairing the multi-disciplinary planning team that developed heart and lung transplantation services at Wythenshawe Hospital and the clinical group that planned the relocation of orthopaedic, rheumatology, and specialist rehabilitation services from the Devonshire Royal Hospital in Buxton. He played a key role in planning the centralisation of Greater Manchester in-patient Neurosciences, redeveloping Children’s Tertiary Services to Central Manchester, and relocating services from Withington Hospital to the Wythenshawe and Manchester Royal sites. Due to work in other clinical areas, following his retirement, he was appointed as a Board Member and Chair of the Patient Liaison Committee of the British Thoracic Society and a lay member of the British Burn Association and the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
For many years, Roy was an active member of the South Manchester Local Research Ethics Committee, which included considering research proposals from The Christie, and he was also a member of the Central Manchester University Hospitals Infertility Services Ethical Committee. His work across the North West included developing regional strategies for Adult Cystic Fibrosis, Allergy and Palliative Care Services and involvement in planning for Cleft Lip and Palate Services and Enzyme Replacement Therapy.
In recognition of his contributions, Roy was awarded an MBE in the 2007 New Year’s Honours. He took flexible retirement in October 2008, continuing to work part-time as Associate Director (Strategy) for the North West Specialised Commissioning Group until 2012. Roy's ongoing involvement in the healthcare sector has included being a member of various boards and committees such as the National Trauma Audit and Research Network (TARN), the Manchester Allergy, Respiratory and Thoracic Surgery (ManARTS) Biobank Steering Committee, the Manchester University School of Pharmacy Public and Patient Advisory Group, the national Burn Informatics Governance Group and several NHS Respiratory Strategy groups.
Roy has 2 daughters and 2 grandsons and has been a Church Steward and School Governor for many years, was a Trustee of Allergy UK for ten years and is a Trustee of Supportability. Roy has been a full-time wheelchair user since contracting polio during his childhood and has required night-time ventilatory support since 1984. His life experience has enabled him to consider challenges from both patient and clinically-informed, managerial perspectives.