SHA Officers
- Chair Dr Rathi Guhadasan
- Secretary Mark Ladbrooke
- Treasurer Esther Giles
SHA Vice Chairs
- Dr Jatinder Hayer
- Lesley Spillard
- Barbara Roberts
- Mads Wainman
List of Central Council Members can be found below:
Election Statements Directors 2025
Dr. Rathi Guhadasan MBBS MRCPCH MSC DTM&H
“I joined SHA’s Central Council in 2023 and became a Vice-Chair in September 2023, leading our special interest groups on Maternal and Child Health, Race and Health and International Health, and representing our core policy interests in external meetings and forums. I am the SHA London Secretary, for whom I planned online meetings and an in-person event, covering issues such as physician associates, child poverty and Gaza.
I am a paediatrician with almost thirty years’ experience – ten in global child health – and a MSc in Public Health in Developing Countries. My NHS career was split between London, the South-East and Liverpool and I now work in the humanitarian sector. I have a strong understanding of both frontline service delivery and national health policy; and am passionate about tackling racism and health inequalities in the NHS and internationally. As an informal carer, I understand the immense challenges facing those who are cared for and their carers – all of whom need to see urgent systematic change. I have had a front row seat to the impact that chronic underfunding, outsourcing and influx of the private sector has had on the quality of patient care, and am committed to campaigning for a fully restored, fully publicly provided and publicly funded NHS.
If elected, I will work with all branches and partners to advance our policy agenda and to continue to oppose the genocide in Gaza. Please also support my fellow officer candidates, Esther Giles and Mark Ladbrooke, vice chair candidates Jatinder Hayre, Barb Roberts, Lesley Spillard and Mads Wainman, and Central Council candidates Caroline Bedale, Tony Beddow, Carmel Cadden, Brian Gibbons, Terry Harper, Mark Howell, Judith Kramer, Julius Marstrand, Liz Peretz, Adrian Scandrett, Pat Schan, Harry Stratton, Carmen Williams, Julian Williams and Pam Wortley.”
Mark Ladbrooke
“As outgoing Chair of this SHA I’m proud in 2024 we backed Socialist MPs in Labour to win a Labour Government. We endorsed them, helped to fund their campaigns and we volunteered!
At Labour Conference we celebrated victory and with the Socialist Educational Association explained the huge error of using the market to provide public services.
We worked with the union colleagues to demand the best from our incoming Labour government – to abolish the two child benefit cap, to maintain winter fuel payments and to fund the NHS for winter pressures. We will continue!
Our conference motion warned of a two tier health system with fully qualified doctors being increasingly replaced rapidly trained physician associates with poor levels of professional support and accountability.
We contributed to the NHS review, spoke at CLPs and worked with fellow health campaigners as part of the SOSNHS coalition, challenging the drive to make the NHS a mere broker for health corporations.
Parliamentary briefings have gone to Labour MPs (only possible with the expertise and enthusiasm of our members), Two new branches of the SHA have launched.
We have returned to our roots as an internationalist organisation. Huge thanks to all who have participated. We know for sure there is huge demand among members for justice for Palestinians, an end to targetting health care and the return of hostages.
A strong leadership team will maintain this stance: we need to keep and develop it in 2025.
Please vote for: Rathi Guhadasan Chair, Mark Ladbrooke Secretary, Esther Giles Treasurer.
Vice Chairs: Jatinder Hayre, Barbara Roberts, Lesley Spillard, Mads Wainman
Central Council members:Caroline Bedale, Tony Beddow, Carmel Cadden, Brian Gibbons, Terry Harper, Mark Howell, Judith Kramer, Julius Marstrand, Liz Peretz, Adrian Scandrett, Pat Schan, Harry Stratton, Carmen Williams, Julian Williams, Pam Wortley.”
Esther Giles MA MSC CPFA
“For a Publicly owned and Provided NHS
I joined the NHS in 1981, trained as a public finance professional and worked as finance director in many parts of the NHS, most recently in the South Region as finance director for specialised services.
I joined the SHA because I support its objective to return to a publicly owned and provided-and properly resourced- NHS. We need the internal market removed, the NHS restored to public ownership, and properly resourced on the front-line and in its support services.
I’m standing to be treasurer of the SHA because I’m qualified and politically motivated to deliver the role to the highest professional standard for the service of the membership.
Were I to be re-elected Treasurer, I would continue to work with other elected officers to ensure that the SHA is run to high standards of governance, transparency and accountability.
I will continue to work with Officers and Members to continue our Campaign work for the NHS.
Please contact me to tell me what you require of your treasurer. I look forward to working with you and for our NHS.”
Dr. Jatinder Hayre
“As a Medical Doctor and Health Inequality researcher, my professional and personal experiences equip me with the skills to be an effective Vice Chair of the SHA. In 2020, I co-authored the authoritative ‘SAGE Report 21: COVID-19 and Health Inequality’, I’m a part of The Fabian Society Health Network executive committee, as well as the national spokesperson for ‘Keep Our NHS Public’ and have worked alongside John McDonnell in ‘Reclaim The Future’. During the pandemic I worked with ‘The Population Health Sciences Institute’ to shine a light on Government policy and cronyism. And currently I am based in Health Equity research at QMUL. At the SHA, we must set the agenda to preserve our NHS and address health inequity. In addition to this, I have authored multiple academic papers on health inequity and the social determinants of health. Including, a recent review investigating children’s health inequalities through the pandemic. Through these difficult times during the cost-of-living crisis, I have been working on the front-line in the NHS – seeing the most vulnerable in society suffer after 14-years of NHS mismanagement and austerity. I envisage a proactive, productive, and unapologetically Socialist SHA. Focussing on the following agendas and policy: • Addressing health inequality and the social determinants of health during the cost-of-living crisis. • Commit to a paradigm shift away from destructive austerity, towards wide-scale reinvestment based on proportionate universalism. • Promoting a publicly-funded, publicly-provided NHS, opposing privatisation wherever and whenever we can. • Committing to a national social care system. • Opposing the bypassing of general practice as gatekeepers through self-referral mechanisms. • Engaging in future pandemic preparedness. • Endorsing a “health in all policies” agenda. • Declaring a state of emergency in the NHS. Together, utilising our collective experiences, we can create an SHA that is a powerful organising, campaigning, and policy force within the Labour Party.”
Lesley Spillard
“Whilst the election of a Labour Government was welcome it is important the SHA influences health policy to ensure the future of our NHS.
The continued underfunding of the NHS, record waiting lists, the failure to train sufficient doctors and nurses are all consequences of the previous Government failure whilst the private sector continues to increase profits and shareholder dividends. It is a national disgrace that recently many newly qualified GPs are unemployed whilst patients are waiting weeks to see a doctor.
I am currently one of the SHA Vice Chairs and would appreciate your support again this year..
Another year has passed with no reform of the Care Sector, no improvement in pay or training and continuing cuts to council budgets. It is very disappointing that despite previous work yet another social care review has been commissioned and will not be completed until 2028. Our Social Care working group is finalising a policy which is fit for the future and gives people the support they deserve.
Formerly a Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Health and Wellbeing and Public Health I have a broad knowledge of the issues and responsibilities of local government. If elected I will continue to attend and contribute to meetings, volunteer for working groups/projects and support other members.”
Barbara Roberts
“I’m a 63yr old disabled working class socialist. My career was as a staff nurse working in various NHS hospital departments. I’ve also worked providing end-of-life hospice care. Sadly because of my health conditions and disabilities I’ve gone from being a service provider to a service user.
A member of the Labour Party in Hackney South since 2011 I’ve participated in many CLP activities,including campaigning on health and housing issues. I’m currently the Disability Officer.I believe Socialist Societies are an important part of the LP structure,
Apart from the SHA I’m a member of several other Socialist Societies including Disability Labour. Where I’ve just finished working with some of my disabled colleagues to co-produce a submission to the Assisted Dying Bill Committee. With our concerns over the human rights issues a disabled person may face if assisted dying becomes legal. I’ve also written a piece on the AD bill for the SHA website.
Since becoming a vice chair of the SHA I’ve been proud to represent us, as a delegate, attending both the Women’s and National Labour Party conferences last year. Also meetings of the Social Societies.At events I’ve not been afraid to voice the SHA aims and values. And indeed that last LP conference was a landmark one, because following 14 years of Tory austerity, Labour are now the Government.
Therefore they, particularly the Minister for Health Wes Streeting, can now directly be held responsible for the future of our NHS. To ensure the NHS continues as a publicly funded, publicly accountable and publicly provided service which is free at the point of use. To provide a Social Care system which works for all. And to halt all privatisation of the NHS. Working alongside a brilliant SHA team I’d be proud to help achieve exactly this.”
Mads Wainman
“Hello, I’m Mads Wainman! I have a background in disability and mental health activism, and wish to stand for the position of Vice Chair of the SHA to continue this work.
I am currently the Disabled Students Officer for the National Labour Students Committee, where I have advocated for truly socialist policies and the rights of disabled people nationally. I have given speeches at Mind’s National Youth Conference about the impact of the marketisation of education on the mental and physical health of students, and the toll it takes on neurodivergent students.
Within my local area, I have worked within the University of Warwick’s Students’ Union as the Disabled Students Officer for two years. In this time, I have conducted various pieces of work on suicide prevention within the University of Warwick, and I wish to roll this out nationally. Our mental health services are in crisis, and so are our universities, which is why having a young person as Vice Chair of the SHA is so important.
I strongly believe in a fully funded, public NHS that operates within a society organised for people and not profit. I have fought, and will continue to fight, for an intersectional approach to healthcare and to political organising. It is important to strive for international justice, human rights and action on climate change alongside better funding and infrastructure of the NHS in order to combat global and national health issues. I hope to do this, with your help.
So please, vote for me and the OurSHA candidates at this election. This includes Esther Giles for Treasurer, Mark Ladbrooke for Secretary, Rathi Guhadasan for Chair and Jatinder Hayre, Barb Roberts and Lesley Spillard for the other Vice Chair positions.
Thank you!”