Having lived in Sunderland all her life, Laura moved to Ripon in 2016 to enjoy the Yorkshire life. She trained as a nurse and midwife in Sunderland before going on to work in clinical and managerial roles for various hospitals in the North East. She is a qualified midwifery teacher and has masters degrees in Management and Communication Studies. From 1996 until retiring in 2012, she was Executive Nurse on the Board of County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust. She has worked as a Clinical Advisor to the Care Quality Commission and the Health Service Ombudsman. With special interest in the care of people with dementia in acute hospitals she has a passion for patient safety, midwifery and maternity services.
Laura was a non executive director of North Cumbria University Hospitals from 2014 until 2017, working with the Board to help them come out of special measures by improving the quality and efficiency of their services to the people of Cumbria.
Laura is a member of the Quality Committee and the Audit Committee.