Our People

Professor Tony Young OBE

Dr Tamsin Holland Brown BEM

Paediatrician, Founder of Hear Glue Ear and Co-Clinical Lead for the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme

Tamsin works as a Paediatrician in Cambridge and specialises in children that are deaf. This led her focus on children with temporary hearing loss due to glue ear (a common condition experienced by 80% children at least once, where fluid builds up behind the ear drum, causing temporary deafness in young children), she created an affordable medical device to improve hearing and an app to improve childhood developmental skills.

This became the only solution for remote patient management of glue ear during the COVID pandemic in 2020. The device and the app won innovation and paediatric awards, with NICE ‘highly commending’ the app as a shared learning example and the UK App Awards awarding ‘Children’s App Of The Year’.

Her journey led her to become an educator in digital health and clinical entrepreneurship, becoming the Co-Clinical Lead for the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme in 2021.

Website: www.hearglueearapp.com
Blog: www.hearglueear.wordpress.com
Email: hearglueear@gmail.com
X: @hearglueear

Charlotte Mercer

Communications and Engagement Officer

Charlotte is the Communications and Engagement Officer for the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme, supporting the programme’s digital communications and community engagement. She specialises in transforming ideas into clear, accessible and compelling content that champions innovation across the NHS.

With a background in film and media, Charlotte discovered her passion for creativity and storytelling during her studies, developing skills in visual communication, editing and narrative design that now underpin her work in digital engagement. Before joining the programme, she gained experience across healthcare and educational organisations, working in communications, branding and content creation, shaping her ability to translate complex ideas into engaging, people‑centred stories.

As Communications and Engagement Officer, Charlotte oversees multi‑channel communications including social media, newsletters, website content, campaign delivery and email marketing. She produces high‑impact graphics, videos and promotional materials for recruitment campaigns, entrepreneur spotlights, events and awareness days, and manages daily community engagement across social media and the Community Hub.

Working closely with entrepreneurs, partners and stakeholders, Charlotte supports event delivery, networking and storytelling, ensuring the programme’s work is visible, engaging and aligned with its mission to empower NHS innovators.

LinkedIn: in/charlotte-mercer21

Lucy Dentice

Programme Manager

Lucy Dentice brings over 20 years of experience across higher education, local government, SMEs, and healthcare innovation, with a background in communications, digital transformation, stakeholder engagement, and programme delivery.

Drawing on experience in communications, operational delivery, programme management and digital transformation, Lucy works across projects, partnerships, and digital platforms to help create engaging and accessible support for innovators.

Lucy has led significant projects, including the national recruitment campaign for the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme (CEP), which achieved a 52% increase in applications over three years. She has also played a key role in the design and deployment of critical digital infrastructure, including the programme's application portal, mentor platform, Community Hub, and intranet, enhancing engagement and collaboration across a national innovation network.

In her current role as Programme Manager for the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme at Anglia Ruskin University, Lucy oversees multiple workstreams, leads internal and external communications, develops the programme brand, and manages key partnerships and stakeholder relationships. She also leads the delivery of the Patient Entrepreneur Programme and the Dementia Innovators Programme.

Passionate about digital innovation and operational excellence, Lucy focuses on creating efficient, user-centred systems and fostering collaborative environments that enable innovators, entrepreneurs, and partners to thrive. She holds a BSc (Hons) degree alongside project management and digital marketing certifications.

LinkedIn: /in/lucydentice

Katharine Buttress

Events Officer

Zakkiya Nagdi 

Nick Stacey 

InSites Project Support Officer, Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Nick Stacey is the InSites Project Support Officer within the Strategy Unit at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust. He supports the delivery of the national NHS InSites Programme, working closely with 18 member NHS organisations, innovators, industry partners and key stakeholders to help identify, share and spread innovation and best practice across the health and care system. His role includes coordinating national events and learning sessions, managing stakeholder engagement, supporting programme communications, maintaining reporting and tracking systems, and providing project and operational support to the InSites Central Hub.

Before joining the NHS in 2022, Nick spent more than 20 years working in the international oil and gas industry with organisations including Shell, Sonatrach, Sonangol, BP, Clarksons and Enron. During this time, he specialised in operations, logistics, pricing, contract management and stakeholder coordination, developing strong skills in project delivery, relationship management, problem-solving and working effectively in complex, fast-paced environments.

Alice Williams

Head of Patient and Public Involvement, NHS England

Alice Williams is Head of Patient and Public Involvement for the Innovation, Research and Life Sciences unit at NHS England. Her role focuses on strengthening patient and public engagement to inform NHS research and innovation development and deployment. Understanding and addressing valuable patient insight enables the healthcare system to improve services, prioritise research that matters to people, and develop innovations that can transform patients’ lives.

Prior to NHS England, Alice worked for the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, focusing on national quality and productivity improvement programmes, patient led quality assurance programmes and leadership development.   Alice has worked in a wide range of roles across the voluntary sector, local and national government departments focusing on stakeholder engagement across large scale change programmes and cross-cutting policy areas that supported improvements to mental and physical health.

Nick Stacey 

InSites Project Support Officer, Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Nick Stacey is the InSites Project Support Officer within the Strategy Unit at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust. He supports the delivery of the national NHS InSites Programme, working closely with 18 member NHS organisations, innovators, industry partners and key stakeholders to help identify, share and spread innovation and best practice across the health and care system. His role includes coordinating national events and learning sessions, managing stakeholder engagement, supporting programme communications, maintaining reporting and tracking systems, and providing project and operational support to the InSites Central Hub.

Before joining the NHS in 2022, Nick spent more than 20 years working in the international oil and gas industry with organisations including Shell, Sonatrach, Sonangol, BP, Clarksons and Enron. During this time, he specialised in operations, logistics, pricing, contract management and stakeholder coordination, developing strong skills in project delivery, relationship management, problem-solving and working effectively in complex, fast-paced environments.