Multidisciplinary Conference 2026

Professor Nilesh Sanganee has been Chief Medical Officer for Leicestershire and Rutland ICB and Northamptonshire ICB since October 2025, following the clustering of the two organisations.  Nil held a previous local CMO role and has been in commissioning clinical leadership for many years.  Nil has been a practising Leicestershire GP since 2004 and has a strong background in medical education, including roles as GP Trainer, Tutor, Appraiser and RCGP Examiner.
As Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sanganee leads delivery of the clinical strategy, overseeing transformation across primary, community and hospital services. His portfolio spans research and development, clinical leadership, preventative commissioning, medicines optimisation, urgent and emergency care pathways, EDI, individual funding requests, health inequalities and long-term conditions. He champions multiprofessional clinical leadership and chairs a national ICB Chief Medical Officer Forum. 
He was awarded an honorary professorship by the University of Leicester in July 2025.

Ruth Waddington leads on the business development and operational delivery of the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Training Hub, working in close collaboration with Board member colleagues, partner organisations and stakeholders to achieve the Training Hub objectives. 

Ruth has a background working in primary care, and a passion for leading and supporting workforce development initiatives. A key element of her role is to ensure that the hub team is supported to develop and deliver innovative education and training opportunities for the benefit of the primary care workforce cross LLR. 

Nicky Perfect B.E.M is a former Hostage and Crisis Negotiator with 31 years’ service in policing, including a decade on the elite New Scotland Yard Hostage and Crisis Negotiation Unit. She later became the UK Director of National Negotiator Training, responsible for developing negotiators nationwide.

Awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) for meritorious service to the community during the COVID-19 pandemic, Nicky is now a sought-after keynote speaker, communication coach and media commentator. She is the author of the bestselling book Crisis: True Stories from My Life as a Hostage & Crisis Negotiator, where she shares powerful lessons from the front line of life-and-death negotiations.

Nicky speaks on high-stakes communication, leadership under pressure, managing conflict, emotional intelligence, negotiation in parenting and family life, negotiating salaries and professional influence, and supporting women in high-powered roles. She translates crisis negotiation principles into practical tools that help individuals and organisations turn conflict into collaboration.

She has appeared on Saturday Live and Woman's Hour on BBC Radio 4, Good Morning Britain, Australia’s Weekend Sunrise, the US radio programme Here & Now, as well as BBC Three Counties Radio and Crimewatch, and has been featured in Woman's Own, Good Housekeeping, and Chat.

Her message is simple: communication is not a soft skill — it is a life-changing skill. 

A few quotes from feedback received from a previous GP Practice Staff conference: 

 "Nicky Perfect was truly insightful - could have listened all day"

 "Nicky was immense! She sucked the room in"

 "Nicky Perfect was amazing and really has given me food for thought"

Lisa Goodman graduated in psychology in 2005, working as a paid carer in a residential home on weekends.  She then went to work as a Rehabilitation Assistant on a secure acute brain injury ward for a couple of years.  The humbling experience of working within a rehabilitation and care environment, means that Lisa feels there is always something we can do to make life a little better for someone.  

Lisa has worked within the Dementia Support Service across Leicester City, Leicestershire and Rutland since 2007 and has managed the service since 2018.  As well as Memory Advice & Dementia Support Services, Lisa has also managed Neighbourhood Mental Health Cafes and Befriending Services for Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland over the last 2 years. 

Lisa has a particular passion for reducing health inequalities and connecting with professionals and communities to develop services that are more accessible and constantly striving to support individuals to access support sooner rather than wait for crisis point.  

In 2018, Lisa won the Alzheimer’s Society national Employee Recognition award for the ‘We Are United’ category, for her outreach work.  In 2023, Lisa was a lead author for A new NHSE and RCPsych e-learning module – for health and care professionals -  Improving access, experience and outcomes for people living with dementia from ethnic minority communities (rcpsych.ac.uk) .  Lisa was also a finalist in the National Dementia Care Awards in the Diversity in Dementia category and Dementia Trainer and Workforce Development category in 2025, subsequently being asked to become a judge of the Care Awards. 

Lisa is also driven by the ethos of the Lancet commission; that dementia risk is modifiable; it can be reduced and delayed.  Lisa has campaigned locally for more support for pre and peri diagnostic individuals and the difference that early intervention can have on slowing the progression of cognitive decline, increasing quality of life and preventing crisis.  She has pushed for this support to be included in future services contracts.

Dr Imran Farooqi is a GP Partner in Leicester and a Primary Care Research Champion for Leicester and Leicestershire. He is passionate about demystifying research in general practice and supporting GP trainees and early-career primary care professionals to become involved in research.

Imran is also involved in developing primary care research capacity locally, with a particular interest in workforce development, commercial research delivery and improving access to research for diverse and underserved communities.

Maria Gilbert began her career in community pharmacy, with experience in industry and hospital pharmacy, before moving into general practice in 2006 and later qualifying as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner.

She is now Pharmacy Workforce Lead for the LLR Training Hub and, since 2023, a Senior Lecturer in Postgraduate Clinical Pharmacy at De Montfort University.

Her particular clinical interests are frailty and polypharmacy.

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Emma began her career in community pharmacy in 2007, completing the National Pharmacy Association’s NVQ Level 3 qualification and qualifying as a Pharmacy Technician in 2009. During her time in community pharmacy, Emma was selected to work at the London Olympics, an exciting opportunity that allowed her to develop her skills and experience within a unique and fast-paced environment. In 2012, Lloyds Pharmacy won the contract to run the outpatient pharmacy services within Leicester’s hospitals. Emma joined the team and went on to specialise in a range of specialist clinics, including Tuberculosis (TB), Rheumatology and Transplant services. This role broadened her clinical knowledge and gave her valuable experience supporting patients with complex and long-term conditions. In 2023, Emma decided it was time for a new challenge and stepped outside her comfort zone, moving from the hospital environment into the world of General Practice. Since then, she has been implementing new processes, monitoring patients and using her knowledge and experience across different healthcare settings to promote patient safety and improve patient care. Emma is passionate about supporting patients throughout their healthcare journeys and using her experience to provide guidance, identify potential risks and ensure patients receive safe, effective and compassionate care.

Kristi Trown is a Local Area Co-ordinator within the Blaby District team, sitting under Public Health at Leicestershire County Council. She previously worked in reablement within the Learning Disability & Autism team, and prior to this, taught dance and performing arts in schools and community settings.

Kristi is passionate about people’s wellbeing, believing that a holistic approach is vital. She deeply values continuous learning, creativity, physical activity, and building meaningful connections, and she enjoys supporting individuals to live well in a way that feels right for them.

Sophie Saker is a Social Prescribing Link Worker with experience supporting people of all ages to improve their health and wellbeing through connection with local community services, activities and sources of support.

Prior to her current role, she worked as an LD and SEND Children and Families Social Prescribing Link Worker, supporting children, young people and families with learning disabilities and/or special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This experience has strengthened her passion for person-centered, inclusive support and for helping individuals and families build confidence, reduce isolation and access opportunities within their communities.

Sophie is particularly passionate about the role of social prescribing in improving wellbeing and strengthening communities.