Richard has been Medical Director of the Commercial Directorate (CD), Department of Health since March of this year. He is responsible for leading and directing the clinical teams across the CD, providing clinical advice for the Central Clinical Procurement Programme and Central Contracts Management Unit as well as defining and making recommendations on operational clinical requirements.

Maria Mousley is the Consultant Podiatrist at Northampton Primary Care Trust. She is involved in consultant led ward rounds, multi-disciplinary high-risk foot clinics and provision of outpatient diabetic foot-care. Her special interest is early identification of the foot at risk with appropriate referral pathways, and tissue viability. Maria is a distinguished member of the National Diabetes Support Team..

Dr Joan Hester has worked in the NHS for 35years, and was a Consultant in anaesthesia and pain management at Eastbourne, where she was also Medical director, until coming to London 3 years ago. Joan now works as Consultant in Pain Medicine at King’s College Hospital in London and is the elected President of the British Pain Society. She has a national and international reputation for her work in promoting understanding and education in pain management. Joan believes in the voice of patient groups and is Honorary President of a charity called Action-on-Pain which aims to educate the public in how to manage pain and how to gain access to professional help. She also has a life long interest in cancer pain and palliative care and work at St Christopher’s Hospice in London.

Joe comes to us with many years of experience in the disability world. He was the prime mover in the creation of the MOBILISE organisation for disabled drivers, and among numerous activities Chairs the Joint Committee on Mobility for Disabled People. He was a founder member of Motability

Ruth Owen joined Whizz-Kidz as Chief Executive in 2004 after running her own successful IT company for ten years. Previously she worked in the technology sector.

As a wheelchair user since the age of seven, Ruth has a unique insight into the essential need for all young people to be independently mobile. Ruth is also a trustee of Barnardo’s.

Robin is Consultant in Rehabilitation to the King’s College Hospital NHS Trust, and Chairman of the UK National Member Society of the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics.

Sarah is the CEO of POWER International, a UK charity that specializes in working with and for disabled people in developing countries, currently Mozambique, Laos and Zambia. Sarah has had 12 years’ experience of a range of disability in development issues, from the provision of mobility devices to promoting a rights-based culture for disabled people and their representative organisations. POWER’s overseas offices are staffed almost entirely by indigenous people, some of whom are disabled.

Founder & Director of steps, an international charity for people with walking difficulties that works in the UK and supports parent & healthcare initiatives throughout the world. Her son was born 27 years ago with clubfoot and for the last six years steps has been working with an International community to raise awareness of the impact this condition has in developing countries.

Contributions from Delegates included David Bickers Chair of the Douglas Bader Foundation who said “My main concern today is hearing the number if excellent projects and initiatives that would help in this area of disability, which are not happening due to the lack of financial support from the official sources that we have to approach. As a charity in this area for 24 years we have NEVER received Government support despite filling in many applications during that time and here are others also having their applications unsupported.

The limb loss affected individuals I have met over the years are wonderfully courageous people who are determined to overcome their situation and lead a normal life – perhaps this is their downfall! Bt overcoming and leading a normal life they could be perceived as having no problems and being “all right” compared to the many other illnesses, diseases and causes of other medical problems. This is NOT the case!"