Care Provider Alliance welcomes Kathy Roberts, Chief Executive of the Association of Mental Health Providers as incoming Chair
01 September 2020
The collective, national voice of adult social care providers in England, the Care Provider Alliance (CPA) is delighted to welcome Kathy Roberts, Chief Executive of the Association of Mental Health Providers as the incoming Chair for the 2020/2021 term.
With over 25 years of cross-sector senior leadership roles, Kathy has been the Chief Executive of Association of Mental Health Providers, a representative body for VCSE mental health service providers, since April 2012. Throughout her career, she has championed the need for whole-person and whole-system approaches to the design, development and delivery of services; across health, social care and wider community, and is an advocate for true coproduction.
The role of CPA chair rotates annually across each of the ten associations. Kathy follows Lisa Lenton, England Director at the Association for Real Change who served as the CPA’s Chair for the past 12 months. With Britain leaving the EU and a pandemic in her year of office, Lisa has headed up the CPA through unprecedented and challenging times.
Commenting on her new role, Kathy said:
“I am delighted and honoured to be the incoming Chair at such a pivotal part in the history of social care. Adult social care is a diverse and complex sector, and the pandemic has shown just how vital social care is for people to live a meaningful and fulfilled life. Furthermore, it has also demonstrated just how interdependent social care and the NHS are; people who receive good social care are much less likely to require NHS treatment and services, just as, to avoid lengthy stays and potential readmissions, people need essential ongoing support when they are discharged from the NHS.
“It has been an absolute pleasure working with Lisa over the past few months as she guided us through these very turbulent times. With so much uncertainty still around as we head into a period of recovery from lockdown and return to a form of normality, and as we prepare to leave the EU, the role of the CPA is more important than ever. Over the coming months, we will be looking to address the long-standing issues such as funding, recruitment, continuity of services, and workforce wellbeing - ensuring the sector voice is heard and represented and it receives the recognition it deserves in the provision of healthcare.”
Outgoing Chair Lisa Lenton comments:
"From exploring how Britain leaving the EU will affect the sector to leading through a pandemic, the last few months have been challenging to say the least. However, all CPA members came together effectively, responding swiftly to the challenges of the pandemic, supporting and representing our own individual members, and rapidly adapting to new ways of working. It has been a privilege to work with such an amazing group of dedicated people and lead the CPA over the last 12 months.
Kathy has a passion for social care, and she brings with her great energy and a wealth of experience. We are all very much looking forward to working with her, and I’m confident she will take the Alliance forward to tackle the next set of challenges the social care sector faces with calm consideration and deep determination.”
Notes to editors§
About the CPA
The Care Provider Alliance (CPA) brings together the 10 main national associations which represent independent and voluntary adult social care providers in England. We work to represent the sector and ensure a coordinated response to the major issues that affect it.
The Care Provider Alliance is an informal body with a rotating chair. Membership is of the representative associations with a national membership across the whole of England. However, some CPA members also represent services in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
Together our members provide care and support to 1.2 million people through residential, home-based and community services, whether commissioned by local authorities and the NHS or privately purchased. Together our members employ over 620,000 care workers.
Our members’ services include residential and nursing care, homecare, supported living and extra care housing, shared lives schemes, advocacy and telephone helplines. They support children, adults of working age and older people.
For more information on the Care Provider Alliance visit https://careprovideralliance.org.uk/about-us
Media contact: Care Provider Alliance, info@careprovideralliance.org.uk