Publish date: 10 November 2023
Prof Joe Rafferty CBE and Trish Bennett, Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Nurse received an honorary fellowship from Liverpool John Moore’s (LJMU) this week as part of their Bicentenary celebrations.
Chancellor Nisha Katona said: "Each one of you was selected and invited to become fellows because you are incredible role models for our students. You represent all that they can aspire to and hope to be.”
Find out more about why Prof Joe Rafferty CBE and Trish Bennett were recognised below.
Professor Joe Rafferty CBE - Chief Executive
Joe has been the Chief Executive of Mersey Care, NHS Foundation Trust since 2012, establishing it as one of the largest specialised integrated care providers in the NHS, encompassing inpatient and community mental health, community physical health and learning disability and addictions services.
He is a founder member of the Zero Suicide Alliance UK and was awarded a CBE in the 2020 New Year Honours List for his work on suicide prevention. Joe has been named as one of the top 50 NHS Chief Executives for six consecutive years by the Health Service Journal (HSJ) and has appeared in the HSJ100 most influential people in healthcare in the UK. He has been chosen as a Bicentenary honorary fellow for his impressive career in the NHS and the positive impact of his leadership in the field across Merseyside and beyond.
Before taking up his position at Mersey Care, Joe worked in the NHS at national and regional level, including as a service commissioner. Joe earned a PhD in molecular genetics and spent over a decade researching drug resistance in cancer, publishing more than 50 peer review articles on that and related areas before joining the NHS in a leadership role.
Trish Bennett - Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Nurse
Trish has been chosen for her dedication to public health and nursing throughout her career, across a variety of positions in the NHS over three decades.
Prior to taking up her current post with Mersey Care, Trish worked for NHS England as the Director of Nursing for the Lancashire & Greater Manchester Sub Region, where she was responsible for professional nurse leadership, quality and assurance and clinical leadership input into transformation service change programmes.
Trish has a passion for ensuring that care is delivered to the highest quality and that patients and their families are at the centre of care.