Linda Thomas Email & Phone Number

Nationwide

Providing Sector insight at all levels / Consultation, engagement, facilitation to support innovation, organisation and service review, new ways of working, policy and strategy development / Impact Evaluation / Coproduction expertise / Event design & delivery / Partnership & stakeholder development / Project & programme management.Recent work includes:*Coproduction: New ways of working with community/NHS partners incl. service users and carers. Training module/resource pack development. Grant funded response to COVID-19 with 80 VCSs.*Evaluation: of Champions programmes in 4 London boroughs; coproducing evaluation frameworks and approach.*Events: Annual Champions conference (250 people). Creating content, workshop themes, working with facilitators, speakers, cohosts (incl. briefings/training), delegate registration/management, etc. Creating and facilitating Away Days to support strategy/service development.*Sector Expertise: Representing VCS on Bi-borough Place Based Partnership working group.*Consultations: Resident, community, service user, staff. To review services, develop policy/strategy, priorities, service specs using facilitated workshops, focus groups, surveys, community outreach, community partnership working. *Programme Management: to deliver COVID-19 and Grenfell Recovery Programmes. *Stakeholder/New Programme Development: extensive countywide stakeholder engagement (local government, NHS, communities) to create new partnerships and ways of working for parks and open spaces management. Clients include: Cambridge City Council; Cambridgeshire County Council; Dalgarno Trust; Elmbridge Council; Imperial Charity, Imperial College, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust; Kensington and Chelsea Social Council; National Institute for Health and Care Research; One Westminster; Open Age; Paddington Development Trust; People Dem Collective; Waltham Forest Council; West London NHS Trust; Westminster/Kensington and Chelsea Councils (Public Health).

United Kingdom

Contracts included:2019-2020: Hammersmith and Fulham Council Public Health Department - Community Champions Programme (community health and wellbeing volunteering initiative) Impact Evaluation Review. Reporting on outcomes evidence and economic benefits, as well as recommendations covering options for expansion, alternative funding models, areas for development and improvement. 2014-2019: Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham Councils Public Health Department - Community Champions Programme Development. Involved scoping new project areas using inequalities data to identify areas of highest need. Identifying community hubs and local community organisations to codesign project specification through workshops and working with marginalised communities through engagement and consultation. Pilot testing of new project models and sites, commissioning and procurement of 7 new projects. During 2018/19 an additional £250,000 negotiated in funding from Housing teams and NHS to run community initiatives and pilot projects. 2018-2019: Sport England/Peabody - successful bid application (£75,000 plus additional £33,000 'in project' following successful impact evaluation) and start up of one of only 10 pilots in England tackling inactivity amongst lower socio-economic groups. Handover and consequent successful delivery and completion of pilot by programme manager.2018-2019: Kensington and Chelsea Council - Healthy Workplace Charter (Employee Wellbeing Initiative). Working with a diverse range of organisations across Kensington and Chelsea to support them to improve their health and wellbeing offer to employees. Receiving the Mayor of London award for success and achievements.

Mexico And Central America

Taking voluntary redundancy to fulfill a long held dream to travel extensively in Mexico and throughout Central America. During this time, my first independent company - Linda Thomas Associates Limited - was established.

Kensington, London

Created and established the Kensington and Chelsea Health and Wellbeing Board, achieving statutory status in 2013 as required by central government. Providing expert knowledge and support to coproduce strategy, policy, processes and new ways of working with Senior Officers, GPs, Chief Executives, Directors and Cabinet Members. Tested and successfully implemented new ways of working across local government and NHS, including developing the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy for commissioners of health, wellbeing, and social care services.Contributed at regional and national level to new guidance and legislation on Health and Wellbeing Boards as part of an expert panel and special interest group for the Local Government Association, London Councils, NHS London and the Kings Fund. Creating policy and tools to support emerging Health and Wellbeing Board implementation.Development and delivery of high-profile events to a range of audiences to support the work of the newly established Board. Communicating changes and improvements to delivery of health, care and wellbeing locally, regionally and nationally.

Kensington, London

Delivery of the Public Health and Wellbeing Strategy for Kensington and Chelsea (Choosing Good Health Together) which involved coordinating, performance monitoring and evaluation, and reporting on the work of seven health and wellbeing streams (smoking, nutrition, physical activity, sexual health, alcohol and drugs, mental health and wellbeing, wider determinants) across local government, NHS, and the voluntary sector. This required extensive multi agency collaboration, building partnerships and relationships to support effective joint working and communication across the sector. In addition, responsibility for Freedom of Information and Data Protection. Introducing new ways of working, using expert knowledge and training, to ensure the Environmental Health Department conformed and delivered to a high standard on statutory requirements with regards to Freedom of Information and Data Protection Acts.

Islington, London

Providing service evaluation, review and development for adult social care programmes and services including older people sheltered housing services, drug and alcohol services. Required significant consultation element with approaches and materials adapted for a wide range of audiences including non English speaking service users and service users with severe learning disabilities. Planned and delivered a drug and alcohol conference to support service design and development, working with multi agency teams to develop speaker and workshop content. Recommendations for improvement and best practice taken up and rolled out across the borough.Specialist user group relationship management with Islington's deaf and sensory impaired community. Including co-designing and delivering their annual event. Introduced (planned, produced, coordinated) the first older adults annual celebration event with speakers, activities and service information for over 200 older residents in the borough.Developed a new way of working to report safeguarding issues - the safeguarding network - working across teams to ensure buy in and joined up development.

Walthamstow, London

Programme development and management for 35 park and open space projects with a £2 million budget. The project was 6 months in when I took over the role and was significantly behind schedule and underspent (central government requirement of £1 million per annum to be spent or would recover the funding).Troubleshooting, negotiation and project/programme recovery skills were required to ensure year 1 delivery was successfully achieved. Year 2 delivery also successfully achieved, within budget and on time resulting in green flag status for the first time in Waltham Forest for two parks, an award for design and innovation in another, and commendations for several more.Achieving further £4million investment for park development from Heritage Lottery Fund and Children and Play funding.

Master'S Degree, Freshwater And Coastal Science, Pass

Modularly completed over 5 years while in full time employment. Studying physical, chemical and ecological aspects of freshwater.

Bachelor Of Applied Science - Basc, Applied Environmental Science, 2.1

Very much an ‘interdisciplinary’ subject, combining skills and knowledge from a variety of fields. Exploring aspects of biology.