Eastern Governors

Our Eastern Governors represent East Devon, Dorset, Somerset, and the Rest of England.

Kay Foster

Kay Foster

Kay Foster has been a public governor since 2014. She was re-elected in 2017 for a term of three years, again in 2021 for two years and again in 2023.  

Kay is a retired state register nurse/midwife with thirty years of nursing experience. Kay spent 18 years serving as a nursing officer with the Queen Alexandra Royal Army Nursing Corps, retiring as a Major. She gained a wide variety of experiences with international postings, including Saudi Arabia during the first Gulf War. She has a BSc (Hons) in Health Services Management. During her time as a governor, Kay has been a member of several subcommittees and chairs the Public Members Engagement Group (PMEG). During the COVID-19 pandemic's first lockdown, Kay worked closely with the Budleigh Hub, supporting GP surgeries with referrals for volunteers to help with shopping, prescriptions and phone buddies for the Exmouth Community. In August 2020, she became a volunteer at the NHS Nightingale Hospital Exeter and developed the role of volunteers' coordinator working on the wards caring for COVID-19 patients.

Rachel Noar

Rachel Noar

Rachel was elected as a public governor in 2019 and re-elected in 2022 for a further three years.

Rachel is deaf and her family’s first language is British Sign Language (BSL). Rachel lives in Ottery St Mary. She worked with young deaf people at Derby College, as an independent support worker, encouraging them to develop independent living skills. She went on to study contemporary arts/computer animation, gaining an MA. She became a consultant for a disability board for East Midlands Art Council and was a member of the board of EQUATA, an arts agency for deaf/disabled. She worked as an advisory deaf inclusion worker for Devon County Council (DCC). Rachel supported hearing families with deaf babies/toddlers. This job centred on giving parents confidence to develop their children’s language skills. She also worked with nurseries and schools to develop the inclusion of deaf children in mainstream situations. Since developing MS, she has become the full-time mother of two boys.

Dr Maurice Dunster

Dr Maurice Dunster

Maurice was elected as a public governor in November 2022 for a term of two years.

After graduating as a scientist, Maurice had a career in education before taking up a management role with John Lewis Partnership. Following his retirement from the role of group organisational director, he was appointed as a non-executive director of Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust where his responsibilities included chair of the Trust Board Workforce Committee. He was also chair of the NHS Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Primary Care Commissioning Committee, and currently is independent chair of Symphony Healthcare Services (SHS), who provide primary healthcare and are owned by Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. SHS holds 16 GP contracts across Somerset and North Devon with c.117,000 registered patients. Maurice has a particular interest in developing and improving relationships between primary and secondary care, so that there is better understanding of the challenges facing both sectors, with the aim of improving patient outcomes.

Nigel Richards

Nigel Richards

Nigel was elected as a public governor in September 2023 for a term of two years.

Nigel has a very wide business background; he was a successful entrepreneur for 40 years, including building an HR business from scratch to 400 employees and constructing a mews of houses in Honiton. He has also worked with several organisations as non-executive director and in consultancy roles. Nigel has expertise in large-scale revenue development, cash flow, project management and strategy. Nigel has joined the Cranfield Trust roster of professionals offering pro bono consultancy and mentoring to smaller charities. Nigel is also a keen singer and was responsible for the Friends, Patrons and Sponsorship at the Exeter Festival Chorus for ten years and achieved a £20,000 grant from the National Lottery while growing the support base. Nigel hopes to give something back to the NHS at a time when it faces great challenges. 

Last updated: March 06, 2024

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