Sharon has been the Chief Executive of Hertfordshire Care Providers Association (HCPA) for over 12 years and has grown the organization to meet the quality and standards needs of private independent and voluntary care providers. Partnership working is key to the success of HCPA and The Local Government Association, said, “Hertfordshire Care Providers Association (HCPA) has become one of the most well-respected and developed provider associations in the country”. With Integration as a key priority, Sharon is honored to be part of the Hertfordshire and West Essex ICP with a view to be the voice of private social care and look for joint ways of working with NHS and other ICS colleagues, including care providers in west Essex.
Sharon comes from a background of practice and teaching in care and leadership and uses these skills to focus minds on taking a ‘learning in practice’ approach. As a NICE Fellow 2019-22, Sharon focused on Education and Integration to help embed the use of NICE Social Care guidance and quality standards into practice in Hertfordshire and the Eastern Region. In 2019 Sharon founded The Care Professional Academy, which has a mission to professionalize the Adult Care Sector, for Care staff to see themselves as skilled professionals and for the wider community to see a career in care as an attractive prospect. Sharon gained an OBE in the 2022 New Year’s Honors List for her contribution to Social Care in Hertfordshire.