We are also pleased to confirm that the role of Group Communications Manager has been updated in line with Executive Team responsibilities and the widening remit of the Communications function.
Pam Wenger, Board Secretary
Pam joined Cygnet at the end of December 2021 as Board Secretary. This is a new role for Cygnet, which will provide advice, support and development of the Board. Pam will work alongside members of the Executive Management Team, reporting into Cygnet’s CEO and our parent company UHS.
In her last role Pam was the Director of Corporate Governance for Swansea Bay University Health Board and was Chair of the NHS Wales Board Secretary Peer Group. Pam has held a range of positions in health boards across Wales.
Pam is a qualified Governance Professional with extensive health service board and corporate governance leadership experience having spent the last 28 years working in the NHS. Pam has implemented governance frameworks and significantly improved governance to be well recognised by the Regulators.
Pam is passionate about people development. As a coach and mentor she has supported and developed many colleagues over the years to enable them to be the best they can be.
Pam has succeeded and is continually proud to collaboratively develop cultures that embody an organisations’ values and standards of behaviour. Pam is a keen advocate of ‘Speaking Up’ and was instrumental in establishing the network of Freedom to Speak Up Ambassadors in her role as Trust Secretary at University Hospital Bristol Foundation NHS Trust.
Speaking about the new opportunity at Cygnet, Pam said: “I hope that my experience working in the NHS will provide much added value to Cygnet. I have always had a passion for learning disability and mental health as these services are close to my heart. I feel that my experience and expertise will take Cygnet to the next level of its journey.
“I am looking forward to learning about the services we provide, meeting people and making a difference to our service users by further strengthening ways of working and communication between the Board and its stakeholders.”
Pam is well used to juggling her personal and professional life, she undertook all her professional qualifications part-time whilst working full-time and more recently she was a full-time carer for her mother. In her spare time Pam enjoys walking and gardening.
Samantha Dunlop, Director of Risk Management
Samantha graduated with an MA in Art History from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, and moved to London soon after. She has worked in the field of assurance, compliance, and safety for many years chiefly within healthcare and latterly in the housing sector.
Her two decades long interest in quality and safety began when she was employed by the CQC. She has since worked in various related roles at Camden Primary Care Trust, Barts Health NHS Trust, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. This experience stood her in good stead when she was approached to design and lead on the implementation of a wide-ranging 360 degree quality and safety audit of all of the properties within the Care and Support portfolio for a G15 housing association.
In June of 2017 the tragic events at Grenfell Tower unfolded, and with those came the realisation that even closer attention was required in the field of compliance in housing. Samantha then supported with the expansion and a restructure of the property compliance function and took over the responsibility for its operational delivery. In addition she led a team responsible for auditing and monitoring compliance performance and worked to embed a robust assurance framework.
In her spare time Samantha enjoys fine art, long walks with her two dogs, and spending time with her family.
Lucy Scarborough, Director of Communications
Lucy has been a member of the Executive Team since she joined Cygnet in August 2019 as Group Communications Manager. Since then she has established the Communications function within Cygnet, strengthening our internal, external and corporate communications. As the small Communications team looks to grow and pursue further opportunities for stakeholder relations and engagement, Lucy will expand her role as our Director of Communications.