Our vision is that ‘everyone can make it better.’

Our Vision

Our Mission

Our mission is to support people to improve and transform services. This supports and aligns to the Cardiff and Vale UHB mission to care for people and keep people well.

Our Strategy

Our work is aligned to the Cardiff and Vale UHB strategy, Shaping our Future Wellbeing. You can read more about the Health Board's strategy on the Cardiff and Vale UHB website.

Meet the Team

  • Ruth Jordan

    Assistant Director of Improvement and Innovation

    A physiotherapist by background, Ruth has led numerous large UHB and system wide projects. Ruth is also the lead for the Dragon’s Heart Institute’s Spread and Scale Academy.

  • Julia Attwell

    Head of Change Insight & Prioritisation

    A seasoned change management professional, Julia has spearheaded transformational change programs in the Probation Service and now leads the Change Hub for the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. She also serves as a Non-Executive Director for social housing/homelessness providers, actively contributing to causes she cares deeply about.

  • Mark Thomas

    Head of Change Support

    Mark joined the NHS 20 years ago to help organisations gain insights from data. He has acquired extensive experience in improvement, performance management and operational management across Wales.

  • Nick Tyson

    Nick has been working in the world of change & improvement for well over 20 years and in that time has built a belief that people can achieve anything with the right support and challenge. Sharing his knowledge and experiences with others is his passion and sparking a drive for improvement in others is his mission.

  • Vicki Burrell

    Senior Service Improvement Manager

    Vicki has clinical background and remains a Registered Nurse. She has experience of working on complex improvement and transformation projects and programmes across the Organisation and is passionate about patient experience.

  • Sue Hostler

    Portfolio Manager

    Sue is an experienced project manager with a proven track record in both the private and public sectors, particularly within healthcare. She currently holds a key position in the Cardiff and Vale Health Board, helping teams optimize their projects and processes towards effective healthcare delivery.

  • Alaa Khundakji

    Project Manager

    Alaa is a project manager that started her journey as a Biomedical Scientist in Welsh Blood Service where she discovered her joy in improvement and project management. She's since completed her MBA with specific interest in leadership and organisational culture. She loves educating and training and helping others feel they can make a difference in the work they are doing with a key focus on adding value.

  • Chloe Chettleburgh

    Content Design Manager

    Chloe is the team's content designer, responsible for their digital presence and social media strategy, ensuring that their work is visible and that the team is accessible to the staff at Cardiff and Vale UHB.

  • Helen Bricknell

    Project Support Officer

    Helen Bricknell has worked in the organisation for over 18 years. She has worked across several of the Clinical Boards including Mental Health and Corporate. Helen supports a very busy team in the Organisation with a varied skill set.

  • Jade Barber

    Project Manager

    Jade is a Project Manager who qualified as an Agile Practitioner in 2018. She has experienced working on large programmes of work and offering support on the. Currently, she is supporting the Outpatients Transformation Project.

  • Jo Harrall

    Senior Programme Manager

    Jo helps to define and lead the approach to spreading change skills in the organisation, and supporting the UHB’s key programmes to deliver using a consistent, best practice approach to delivery

  • Kate Blower

    Service Improvement Manager

    Kate's background in Occupational Therapy enabled her to work across both physical and mental health settings. Kate ignited her enthusiasm for improvement whilst supporting the setup of the Cardiff and Vale Recovery & Wellbeing College. She has been a part of the Spread and Scale Academy with the Dragon’s Heart Institute.

  • Kate Griffiths

    Service Improvement Manager

    Katie joined our team from Pharmacy and is now one of our Service Improvement Managers. She loves people, and is always happy to lend a listening ear to anyone needing our support or advice. Katie has grown to love data since joining the team (much to her surprise!) and is passionate about making data accessible and meaningful to everyone in the organisation.

  • Lisa Williams

    Outcome and Evaluation Programme Manager

    Lisa is part of the I&I team and Change Partner for PCIC (Primary, Community and Intermediate Care). She thrives on supporting others to undertake improvement work. Her strength is using both qualitative and quantitative data to highlight areas for improvement.

  • Magda Golebiowska

    Value in Health Improvement Manager

    Magda has over 15 years of experience in healthcare and charitable organizations. She has master's degrees in Public Health and Dietetics, and her research focuses on the implementation of value-based healthcare. She is a certified Agile project manager with experience in successfully delivering projects in various areas.

Dragon’s Heart Institute

  • Huw Griffths

    Huw works on improvement projects and supports the Spread and Scale Academy. He is interested in the human side of change, working with colleagues on strategy and long-term direction whilst also providing them with tools to deal with short-term change.

  • Bryn Kentish

    Bryn is passionate about supporting colleagues to promote their innovative ideas and practices, helping to tell their story as a captivating narrative. He's also the communications lead for the Dragon's Heart Institute and associated programmes.