Staff Governors

Naomi was elected as a staff governor for a three-year term in September 2023.

After obtaining a degree in economics and working in financial services, she became an inner-city centre police officer, before becoming a front-line paramedic. Naomi is now a hard-working community paramedic for the Northern Urgent Community Response team. Naomi hopes to represent those at the healthcare ‘coal face’ and advocate for staff and service users alike. Naomi came to Devon in 2017 due to a preference for fresh air and exercise and embedded into her village via the local pub quiz, boules competitions and church bell ringing. She lives with two cats and spends her down time growing vegetables, brewing wine and is planning her own “Grand Design”. 

Zoë was elected as a staff governor for a three-year term in September 2023.

Zoë works within the Trust as Divisional Director of Community Services. Zoe was born and raised in Australia, finishing her schooling in Exeter to then go on to study physiotherapy at Brunel University in London. Zoë worked as a physiotherapist in the NHS, community interest companies, social care and in the private sector, before moving into leadership positions across health and social care in the last 10 years – championing community services and the prevention agenda. Zoë has achieved a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Exeter University, and successfully completed the Nye Bevan Leadership Academy course in recent years. Zoë has two young children and enjoys a full and busy life by the sea.

Simon Leepile was elected as staff governor in September 2021 for a two-year term and was re-elected in September 2023 for a three-year term.

Simon was a farmer in South Africa and worked in a building society before moving to the UK where he joined RD&E in 2008 working in domestic services. In 2015 he was elected as Unison representative for RD&E and later joined Staffside, as a rep for RD&E and NDHT. He passionately believes good standards of cleanliness in our hospitals and community sites reduces infections and promotes a good quality of life. He also supports the NHS training existing unskilled employees to help tackle the staffing shortages. Simon has used his Staffside time to train colleagues in basic use of computers, to enable them to access information and complete training. He is also passionate about improving communication between management, staff and patients to improve service delivery. He believes in charitable work and helping those in need. Simon spends his spare time with his family and enjoys watching the Springboks play rugby. He is a member of the Mint Methodist Church in Exeter and registered with Exeter City Council as a taxi driver.

Emily was elected as a staff governor for a one-year term in September 2023.

Emily has had a varied and exciting career in the entertainment industry; trained as an actor, she performed on stage and TV. Emily has also had a long career in IT, fixing and building computers, having worked for a leading computer manufacturer for four years. Emily worked for the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and Safeguarding Adults team for a number of years then went on to work for Devon Partnership NHS Trust (DPT) in Langdon and later worked as a PA and project support in the Trust’s Digital Services team. After maternity leave, Emily was delighted to begin working for the Trust as a health and wellbeing administrator. Emily supports the running of mental health first aid courses and the TRiM (trauma risk management) team, who support staff who experience traumatic situations at work. Emily volunteered to be a green champion and works closely with the employee health and wellness dietitian. Emily is very proud to work at the Royal Devon and feels that everyone in the Trust, no matter what their job is, has an equal and important part to play in serving our patients.

Tom was elected as a staff governor in November 2022 for a three-year term.

Tom moved to the UK from Ireland in 1989 and from Reading to North Devon in 2017. While Tom lived in Reading he worked for Reading University as a contracts manager, leading the European research team, and also worked as an independent consultant to the EU on large-scale international research projects, mainly in climate research. Since moving to Devon, Tom has taken on the role of Research Support Manager at the Trust and continues to pursue his passion for research. Tom is keen to support and encourage staff input to the development of the Trust, so the senior management team get to hear from those staff working on the front line.

Tom plays rugby for Ilfracombe and snooker at his local social club in his spare time, as well as supporting his daughter through her A-Levels.

Clare was elected as a staff governor for a one-year term in September 2023.

Clare was born in Essex and moved to Devon aged five. She attended Caen Primary School and then Braunton Community College. On leaving school, Clare worked for the Halifax Bank for 16 years, during which time she had three children. Whilst her children were in education, she held parent governor positions in both primary and senior schools, which helped her understand the education system and the challenges that schools face. In 2003 she followed a long-held ambition and applied to study for operating department practitioner training. Despite not having previous medical experience, Clare loved her training and 20 years on, still loves every day in her job and thrives from the challenges it brings.

Jayne was elected as a staff governor in November 2022 for a three-year term.

Jayne has worked for the NHS for 20 years, starting as a receptionist with her local surgery and working for the Trust for the last 18 years in administration, with six years in Health and Social Care. Since September 2021, she has been working for the Epic electronic patient record team, currently as Principal Trainer for Cadence and Springboard, utilising her experience of admin over her many years with the Trust. 

Admin staff are quite often the first person a patient sees when attending hospital, and being able to train these staff to be efficient and help a person attending hospital is key to patient care. She is an advocate for the administrators within the Trust. Having experienced the wonderful care in her own community of Torrington, when her husband was unwell, she is passionate about good communication between the acute and the community.