NHS Kent and Medway has recruited a people and communities champion to ensure the experiences and views of patients are always at the heart of integrated care board (ICB) decision-making.
Bali Rodgers, who has more than 25 years’ experience in leading community organisations, joined the ICB as an independent lived experience and community champion at the start of May.
She is the founder and chief executive of the Safer Communities Alliance, a Dartford-based social enterprise supporting grassroots organisations to engage children and young people. She is also co-manager of Refocus, which offers training to ex-offenders and ex-users to become educators.
As people and communities champion, Ms Rodger’s role will involve leading an advisory group, comprising groups and individuals from across Kent and Medway, to feed views and experiences into the ICB.
Cedi Frederick, chair of NHS Kent and Medway, said Ms Rodgers would be an ‘advocate for all communities, particularly those who are disadvantaged’.
He said: ‘Bali’s own experiences, as well as her passion for community voice, will add value to the crucial decisions we make to improve the lives of people across Kent and Medway.’
Ms Rodgers, who was born in Dartford and has lived there for most of her life, said she was excited to join the ICB as people and communities champion.
‘Coming from a background of first-generation migrants and with my own experience of abuse has made me appreciate how important it is to advocate for those who don’t have a voice,’ she said.
‘Having worked in addictions and advocated for several communities facing deep-rooted inequalities, I’ve seen how physical and mental health is often just one part of a much larger picture – including trauma, poverty, housing, and discrimination,’ said Ms Rodgers.
She added that she felt honoured to help make changes ‘from the bottom up to speak up for patients and communities’.
