County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust is proud to announce the appointment of Ana Naziazena Carvalho de Souza Etchells, Senior Specialist Physiotherapist within the Community Services Care Group, as Associate Non-Executive Director.
In this newly created role, Ana will bring her expertise to the forefront, offering advice, guidance, and constructive input to advance the Trust’s vision and strategy in equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), with a particular focus on reducing health inequalities.
Reflecting on her appointment, Ana shared: “I am honoured and very excited to take on this new role. My own experience of having arrived in the UK from Brazil, in 2001, with my husband and baby daughter, was a very positive one largely because we were accepted. Although my husband is British, it was by no means a given that the things that made me ‘different’ wouldn’t make our lives harder.”
Since her arrival in the UK, Ana has built a fulfilling life and career.
In addition to welcoming a second daughter born in the UK, she has developed professionally within the NHS.
Ana began her physiotherapy career in Brazil, gaining experience across both public and private sectors, and has since continued her journey in the UK, seizing numerous professional development opportunities in the NHS.
Ana’s professional development has been shaped by the Trust’s supportive approach. “I’ve experienced first-hand the Trust’s commitment to both encourage and support career development,” she noted.
“During an appraisal some years ago, I voiced an ambition to study management, resulting in my then manager encouraging and facilitating my MBA in Leadership in Practice, following which I became a Chartered Manager Fellow. It was these periods of study and a deep interest in public healthcare that led me to apply for the Associate Non-Executive Director role.”
Balancing her new responsibilities with her current clinical role, Ana will continue to provide vital care to patients in the community while contributing to the Trust’s EDI strategy.
“I am passionate about reducing health inequalities,” she added, “and this role gives me a meaningful opportunity to give something back.”
Ana’s appointment reflects the Trust’s commitment to fostering inclusive leadership and supporting career development while advancing its EDI goals for the benefit of both staff and patients.
