Anne joined Bridges following her involvement with the NIHR funded LISTEN Long Covid project where she worked with Bridges’ founder, Fiona Jones, in the co-production and training stages of the trial. Anne has lived with the debilitating effects of Long Covid/ME/CFS for over two years.
Prior to this, Anne had extensive experience of working in the public sector, and since 2014 had worked for a large local special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) charity. Anne initially worked directly with parents, supporting them through the EHCP process, and more latterly in data/reporting roles, managing a small team, co-ordinating the statutory children’s disability registers for two local authorities, as well as providing signposting for parents and young people.
Anne completed a psychology degree while raising her children and is very interested in how power relations impact all aspects of our lives. Her experience of parent/professional interactions in the SEND system has significant parallels with those experienced by patients in healthcare, and she is especially interested in highlighting the impact of language and power dynamics in patient/HCP relationships and outcomes.