Hi there, my name is Martyn and I am the Health Access Champions Team Coordinator. I’m the newest member of the team as I only started in January 2024. My new teammates have helped me settle into my new role and have been very supportive. I like to meet new people and, if I can, help them, so this job is ideal for me.

I see what the Champions do as being very important and if I can help out in any way then it will be a job worth doing and doing well. I like things to be laidback, informal and where appropriate, fun. Hopefully this will come out in the presentations and activities that we provide.

Hello, my name is Matthew and I’m a Health Access Champion. I have been a HAC for almost 20 years and work in the areas of Benfleet, Basildon and Southend.

The thing I like most about being a Champion is that I get to meet lots of different kinds of people. It’s a big thing to help someone get the right care they need.

My name is Graham Prescott. I am a Health Access Champion. I support people with Learning Disabilities to get good NHS heath care. My job consists of attending meeting with other health care professionals, easy read information, promoting annual health checks, promoting flu jabs, working with the Community Learning Disability Nurses and putting together presentation for service users about different health issues

I have been doing this for about 18 years now. I have learning disabilities and mental health issues and have experienced the different attitudes of NHS staff on many occasions. They have begun to improve a little bit but there is still long way to go. I enjoy helping people and I want to make a change in the NHS about how we are treated as individuals so that we can all access the NHS in a way we all understand.

Hello, My name is Alan and I’m a Health Access Champion. I have been a Champion for almost 15 years. The areas I work in are Chelmsford and Maldon. What I like about the job is getting to meet the people in my area and being able to help them.

Hello, my name is Linda and I am a Health Access Champion for North Essex. I have been a Champion for a number of years and I really enjoy it. A Health Access Champion works to make things better for people with a Learning Disability to get the healthcare they require.

As a Champion I have attended meetings, worked along side Community Nurses and given presentations to a variety of day centres and residential homes to spread information about healthcare.

At the moment we are working hard on encouraging people within the learning disability community to have annual health checks and to keep a hospital passport.

My name is Mark. I have been a Health Access Champion for almost 20 years. I work in the areas covering Braintree and Halstead. For work I help to give presentations, attend meetings, and collect feedback on the health services HPFT provide. The parts of my job I like (apart from getting paid) is being able to work in a team and meeting different people.

My name is Kat Wallis. I am a Health Access Champion. I support people with Learning Disabilities to get good NHS heath care. My job consists of attending meetings with other health care professionals, easy read information, promoting annual health checks, promoting flu jabs, visiting day centres and advocacy groups, working alongside the Learning Disability Nurse at my local hospital Southend, staff training and presentations.

I have been doing this for over 17 years now. I have learning disabilities and health problems and have accessed NHS hospitals and the doctors on many occasions so I have witnessed first hand the various difficulties we face. I like helping people and I want to make a change in the NHS in relation to the way people treat us individuals so that we can all access in a way we all understand.