Meet the Cancer Alliance team
Senior Management Team and Workstream Leads
Dr Damian Riley - Chair of the Cancer Alliance
Dr Damian Riley has been a doctor for over 30 years. After working in several hospitals in the North West he then trained as a General Practitioner. Damian has worked extensively in both primary care and secondary care settings, as well as in the fields of education, quality improvement and clinical service strategic development. Damian has been Executive Medical Director of East Lancashire Hospitals Trust since 2015. In this role he is the Trust’s lead for professional standards, medical education, quality and clinical strategy.
Before joining the Trust, Damian was the North of England Regional Medical Director for NHS England where he led a number of service reviews and quality improvement initiatives across the North of England. In his medical director roles in Yorkshire, he led in a number of areas including extending access to general practice, leading service redesign programme for diabetes care in Leeds, and he was the clinical lead during the establishment of NHS 111 services in Yorkshire and Humber.
Currently Damian is also the Chair of the Cancer Alliance for Lancashire; an alliance of all the organisations providing cancer care for a population of over 1.2Million people in Lancashire and South Cumbria.
Lee Threlfall - Head of Performance
Lee has held a number of performance-related posts in Local Government, Commissioning organisations and secondary care providers. Lee joined the Alliance from UCLan where he worked as part of a team setting up the Medical School. Prior to that he held senior positions within the NHS covering performance management, business development, contracting and service improvement.
Lee joined the Alliance in 2020 to support the system deliver improved performance against the national operational standards. Lee is committed to partnership working to drive improvements for the patients of Lancashire and South Cumbria.
Neil Smith - Primary Care Director
Neil has been a GP in Blackburn for over 20 years. He has always had a portfolio career and was previously Associate Dean at Manchester Medical School. He is currently a partner in a busy practice, a GP appraiser and trainer as well as stadium doctor for Blackburn Rovers. He has cancer roles for CCGs, Cancer Alliance, CRUK, RCGP and UCLan.
In 2015, he won the National Macmillan Excellence in Innovation Award for Cancer. In 2016 he and the team he leads won the HSJ National Patient Safety Award for Cancer. Neil was RCGP NW GP of the year in 2017 and was nominated as a local health hero for the NHS 70 awards 2018.
Outside work he coaches a youth football team. He is a keen swimmer, cyclist and runner and is the current and four time NHS senior triathlon champion.
Jane McNicholas - Medical Director
Jane McNicolas has been a Consultant Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon at East Lancashire NHS Trust for 9 years where she is the Clinical Lead for Breast Services.
Jane is the Director to the Lancashire and South Cumbria Cancer Alliance and Associate Medical Director for Service Transformation at East Lancashire NHS Trust.
Core Cancer Alliance Team
Deborah Lakeland – Cancer Genomics Project Manager
Deborah has been a Healthcare Scientist for almost 30 years, and has worked in many hospitals in South Wales and North West England. Having previously specialised in Haematology, Immunology and Molecular Pathology, Deborah was seconded to lead technical operations enabling cancer patients to access whole genome sequencing through the 100,000 Genomes Project. Deborah is an alumni of the LTHTR Talent Management Programme, and has completed the world-renowned University of Manchester MSc Genomic Medicine. Identified as an Aspiring Leader in Healthcare Science, Deborah recently completed the coveted Chief Scientific Officer’s Women in Science and Engineering Leadership Development Programme. Now transforming cancer care in close collaboration with the North West Genomic Laboratory Hub, Deborah is embedding genomics analysis in clinical cancer pathways, enabling new gene-guided diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic decisions.
Email: deborah.lakeland@nhs.net
Anne Turner - Targeted Lung Health Check Project Manager.
Anne joined the Cancer Alliance team in May 2018 on a year’s secondment from Lancashire Teaching Hospital where she practiced as a senior therapeutic radiographer for over 10 years.
Subsequently she has accepted the role of project manager on the Targeted Lung Health Check programme.
Prior to this she built up considerable experience working in a variety of business and marketing roles where she delivered some substantial rebranding projects.
Email: Anne.turner19@nhs.net
Lisa Flanagan - Senior Programme Manager – Targeted Lung Health Check (TLHC) Programme
Lisa currently leads the work for the Cancer Alliance with the planning and implementation of the national pilot lung cancer screening programme.
After a successful pilot at Blackburn, plans are developing to support a full programme roll out for Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool CCG.
Lisa is committed with implementing lung cancer screening to eligible patients within Lancashire and South Cumbria and help drive improvements with early diagnosis of cancer. Working collaboratively with colleagues to support service transformation.
Peviously Lisa managed service redesign of cancer pathways; working in partnership with Trusts in the Alliance to enable faster diagnosis of cancer , improve patient experience and maximise Trust capacity.
In 2018 led a study at East Lancashire NHS Trust piloting the work surrounding the introduction of a new National Cancer Target ( Faster Diagnosis Standard) ensuring patients receive their diagnosis within 28 days from GP referral. Pathway changes were introduced with Upper GI and Lung Pathways. Evaluation of changes/findings shared nationally.
Lisa joined the NHS in 2002 and brings a wealth of NHS operational knowledge and project management and a track record of delivering change to both small and large scale projects. She has a passion for service transformation and continues to contribute to making a difference to the patients we serve. Prior to working in the NHS, Lisa worked for News International PLC; working on the Sunday Times Newspaper.
Outside of work, she likes nothing better than going for a walk in the countryside with her family; including her beloved Dachshund Darcy
Email: lisa.flanagan1@nhs.net
Amanda Short - Head of Transformation
Amanda joined the Cancer Alliance in July 2019. Amanda started her career on the NHS Graduate Finance Training Scheme 16 years ago were she gained a CIMA qualification. She has held a number of senior operational manager roles over the years within Secondary Care covering multiple different clinical divisions. Her experience and knowledge include policy development, strategy, programme management and operational delivery.
In her previous roles Amanda has a proven track record of delivering sustainable operational services, working to national targets and standards and leading strategically developed services by identifying and building support for innovative solutions. Including working closely with clinicians and empowering them to lead service improvements and change management programmes. Amanda has extensive experience of controlling budgets and managing complex cross-organisational projects from conception to completion within set deadlines.
Amanda has recently completed the NHS Nye Bevan Programme for aspiring directors, and successfully achieved recommendation for the Nye Bevan Award.
Outside of work, Amanda enjoys spending time with her family, particularly outdoor activities including their favourite passion of skiing
Claire Ainsworth - Data Information Analyst
Claire joined the Cancer Alliance team as Data Information Analyst in August 2018. Previous to that she worked in the Assurance and Delivery Team as a Project Support Officer for 18 months.
Prior to joining NHS England Claire worked as a Senior Manager in Royal Mail, covering a number of roles from Quality and Governance to providing data analyses on pipeline performance.
Claire is enjoying the challenge within a new organisation and is able to being her skills of project management and data informatics to the Data information Analyst role in the Cancer Alliance Team.
Outside of work Claire enjoys cycling, and walking and is planning to cycle the Hebridean Way this summer with a group of friends.
Email: claire.ainsworth@nhs.net
Kaye Davies, Senior Project Manager
Kaye has been a project management and service improvement specialist for almost 8 years, and has worked in a variety of public sector settings during her career including local government, education and NHS secondary care. Kaye joined Lancashire and South Cumbria Cancer Alliance as a Senior Project Manager in September 2020.
Identified as an Aspiring Public Sector Leader, Kaye is a qualified Prince2 practitioner with broad knowledge of applying established project methodologies to complicated, multi-disciplinary environments. Engaging a broad stakeholder base, Kaye has most recently led on developing NHS systems and processes to improve theatre and dialysis pathways.
Now working collaboratively to transform cancer care pathways alongside two major Trusts within the Alliance, Kaye is embedding the Rapid Diagnostic Centre (RDC) programme in clinical cancer pathways, enabling Trusts to meet the new, more rigorous 28 day Faster Diagnosis Standard and apply the broad suite of improvements required.
Kaye is delighted to be bringing her knowledge and experience of service transformation to Lancashire and South Cumbria Cancer Alliance and is looking forward to working closely with our partners to deliver a lasting change for patients.
Email: kaye.davies4@nhs.net
Margaret Nightingale - PA to the Cancer Alliance
Margaret's main role is to provide administrative business support for the team.
Prior to joining the Cancer Alliance, Margaret had worked with Lancashire County Council for 32 years as a Special Educational Needs and Disability Caseworker.
Outside of work Margaret enjoys spending time with her two sons and her dog Mila
Sarah Hunter – ICS Endoscopy Transformation Programme Manager
Sarah joined the Cancer Alliance in September 2020 to create the ICS Endoscopy Transformation Programme. She has an entrepreneurial background having founded Hunter’s Puddings, the UK market leader in gluten free hot puddings with stockists nationwide including Booths, Whole Foods Market and Dobbies, and winner of 6 Great Taste Awards (the ‘Oscars’ of the food industry).
Before starting Hunter’s Puddings Sarah worked in IT specialising in proposition development of service management solutions to investment banks in the City of London like Merrill Lynch, and telecommunications companies like T-Mobile.
The ICS Endoscopy Transformation Programme is a new 2 year fully funded programme of ambitious transformational change. Results orientated and with a strong focus on adding value, the programme that Sarah has created is already delivering on a number of new initiatives including: ensuring a full-time PD resource and funding for additional Bookings staff at each Trust; an ICS Accelerated Nurse Training Programme (taking new nurses up to speed in certain competencies in 6 weeks rather than 12); creation of an online collaboration site (funding secured from Health Education England); and Colon Capsule Endoscopy and Cytosponge pilots through NHS Cancer national programmes.
Email: sarah.hunter1@mbht.nhs.uk
Hema Pownall - Senior Programme Manager RDC
Having recently joined the Cancer Alliance in June 2021, Hema has been a Programme Manager for over 12 years, specialising in the Service Design, Implementation and Operational Management of large-scale public reform agendas within Skills, Justice and Health.
Hema’s NHS background has focused on the robust re-design of pathways and clinical operating models to support exceeding performance standards and delivering better patient experience. Hema has experience of working within Endoscopy, Gastroenterology, Colorectal, Respiratory and Diabetes & Endocrine. Having identified and delivered optimised models for management of Cancer diagnostic services Hema is pleased to be on board supporting pathway improvement work and the Endoscopy Transformation Programme.
Jen Burns, Senior Programme Manager
Jen joined Lancashire and South Cumbria Cancer Alliance as Senior Programme Manager in June 2020 and has over ten years’ experience in a variety of NHS roles including finance, operational management, project management and service improvement. Jen is an alumni of the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme.
In her previous roles Jen has managed the implementation of remote surveillance pathways for breast, prostate and colorectal cancer patients across a number of provider trusts in Cheshire and Merseyside, as well as establishing a Macmillan information and support service for the population of West Lancashire. Jen also worked closely with primary care colleagues and commissioners in West Lancashire to provide Practice Nurse training to support patients living with and beyond cancer.
Jen is delighted to be bringing her knowledge and experience of cancer services and service transformation to Lancashire and South Cumbria and is looking forward to working closely with our partners to deliver efficient and effective patient services.