The Symphony Healthcare Services Board of Directors is directly involved in the day-to-day running of the organisation and has experience from a wide range of healthcare professionals and advocates.
The Board role is to direct and control the organisation in the public’s interest and is tasked with ensuring accountability to the public and to its parent company, Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. All the Board members take collective responsibility for the Board’s decisions and performance.
The main function of the Board of Directors is to establish strategic direction, aims and values of the organisation, and ensure that these are delivered. The Board also has a duty to understand and manage risk.
Board of Directors
After a career as a science teacher Maurice Dunster moved to the John Lewis Partnership. There he held a number of posts including HR Director for the John Lewis Department Store division, and finally Corporate Director of Organisational Development.
Maurice is also a Non-Executive Director of Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
Kerry commenced her NHS career through the NHS Management Graduate Scheme in 2002 based within Slough, Berkshire and has a MSc in Health Care Management. During the next 15 years Kerry has worked in senior operational and strategic management roles within NHS hospitals in Somerset including Deputy Director of Operations at Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Kerry joined SHS as Chief Operating Officer in 2018 and then went on to be appointed as Managing Director in 2019.
Dr Berge Balian has been a full time GP in a large semi-rural practice in Somerset with approximately 11,000 patients for the past 24 years, having completed his medical training at St Thomas’s Hospital in London. Berge has a career long interest in medical politics and has been a representative of the South Somerset GP practices on the Somerset Local Medical Committee (LMC) for the whole of his GP career; including a period as Chair of the LMC. He was Associate Medical Director for Primary Care at YDH from 2013 to 2017 and was elected to the role of Chair of the Symphony Programme Board in April 2015. Berge then became the Interim Medical Director for SHS in April 2016 and was appointed as the substantive Medical Director role in April 2017.
Dr Harvey Sampson has been a GP in Somerset since 1982 after studying at St Mary’s Hospital Medical School and completing his medical training at Harold Wood Hospital in Essex and undertaking a vocational training scheme in Taunton. Harvey has a career long interest in medical politics and this has included a role as the Chairman of the Somerset Local Medical Committee between 2000 -2004.
After being the Senior Partner at Burnham Medical Centre for 7 years, Harvey joined Symphony Healthcare Services as the Associate Medical Director in 2016. Harvey also undertook the role of interim Clinical Lead for Martock Surgery and South Petherton during 2019.
Dr Ian Wyer has been a GP in a semi-rural practice in South Somerset for the past 13 years. He has also been a Programme Director for a GP vocational training scheme for much of that time, specialising in teaching communication and leadership/management skills. Ian was elected by practices in South Somerset to represent primary care on the board of the South Somerset Symphony Vanguard, having previously been vice chair of the local commissioning federation. Leading up to the Vanguard project, Ian worked to develop an alliance contract across South Somerset, leading on the development of an ‘outcome set’ to drive cross-organisational improvements in care. Ian undertook his medical training at Oxford University and the St Bartholemew’s and Royal London Medical School.
Andy was one of two chief operating officers for Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust before the trusts merged in April 2023 and is now the single chief operating officer and deputy chief executive for the trust (the Parent Company of Symphony). Andy joined the NHS in Somerset in 2014 when he joined Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust as chief operating officer. Having originally qualified as an occupational therapist, he worked in a number of clinical roles within mental health across the south west before moving into leadership roles during the 1990s. Andy played a role in the establishment of a new specialist NHS mental health trust serving the Avon and Wiltshire areas and became the general manager of mental health services for seven years up to 2006. Following this, Andy gained a broad range of experience in London and the south west in senior commissioning and provider roles in the NHS, and also in social care, with most of his work being focused on service modernisation. Andy maintains a strong interest in care pathway redesign and service transformation and in recent years has taken on a number of system leadership roles within Somerset, centred on improving patient flow and working with partners in the development of successful community alternatives to hospital admission. Andy was the joint senior responsible officer for the Somerset COVID-19 Vaccination Programme.
John spent his career in the aerospace and defence sector, he is a former Programme and Operations Director at Westland Helicopters and latterly an independent business management consultant, specialising in programme management and productivity improvement. John is a firm advocate of bringing the voice of the patient to all NHS bodies.
Executive Team
Philip is a Chartered Management Accountant and has over 30 years’ experience working in a commercial environment in a diverse range of industry sectors including manufacturing, financial services, leisure and recruitment. His roles have spanned organisations varying in size and include ICI, Randstad, Fitness First, SimplyHealth and Ageas Insurance. In recent years Philip has held a number of Head of Finance and Divisional Finance Director positions. He has also acted as interim Deputy Director of Finance for Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
Liz joined the NHS in 1995 and has worked in acute, commissioning and primary care settings, giving her a wealth of knowledge in all aspects of NHS working. Liz has a very strong background in Governance, Patient Safety and Quality Improvement with a drive and passion for improving Patient Care. Liz studied for her MSc in Risk Management passing with a first in 2013. Liz joined Symphony Health Care Services Limited in December 2015 as the Governance Manager, then taking on the interim post of Head of Operations in December 2016 before becoming substantive in April 2017. Liz’s operational and managements skills are exceptional and she is always ready and keen to lead by example. Liz has extensive experience and knowledge of managing staff, managing difficult situations, project management skills and change management.
Barbara qualified as a Nurse in 1990 and has worked with both children and adults in the acute sector and in primary care. Barbara led the Respiratory Nursing department at YDH and worked with national teams to improve Lung cancer pathways before moving into the leading clinical research service acting as study sponsor and Principal investigator for a number of studies. Barbara was also the Information Governance lead for an acute trust and developed programme management skills whilst on secondment with the Somerset STP. With Masters Degrees in Health Psychology and NHS leadership, Barbara is keen to promote reflexivity in teams and has an interest in team behaviours and dynamics. She is involved in the Q Community with the SWAHSN, and represents the RCN for NICE consultations. Barbara is also a Community Nursing Executive Network member of the Queens Nursing Institute and a member of the South West Clinical senate assembly.
After obtaining a LLB Law degree in 2013, Bryony began working in Human Resources for a large retail chain prior to joining the NHS in 2015. After initially supporting the establishment and work of the Symphony Vanguard Programme, Bryony continued working under the Symphony umbrella by supporting the subsequent establishment and management of Symphony Healthcare Services. Bryony currently leads the transformation programme within the organisation and undertakes the role of Company Secretary for the company.
