Suzanne Meenan

I have had an interest in improving healthcare for patients for over 20 years, and been involved through volunteering, my career, my personal lived experience and my caring responsibilities.

About Me

I have two respiratory conditions – asthma and bronchiectasis, the latter causes me to have frequent lung infections and as a result I have a personal interest in antimicrobial resistance. I also have osteoporosis, and familiarity with women’s health and the menopause. As a carer I supported my mother with several chronic conditions and my father with Parkinson’s and dementia.

Over the last 20 years I have been involved with a number of patient/community organisations and projects including Aspergers4Herts as a founder and Trustee, as a patient advocate in a 2-year NHS Medicines Management project and as a member of the Patient Participation Group at my local surgery for two years. Currently I am a training facilitator and befriender for the mental health charity, MIND.

Since April 2022 I have been working independently as a patient advocate and business mentor. I have joined the NHSE Genomics Test Directory Working Group as a Patient and Public Voice (PPV) Partner, which gives me exposure to complex discussions and decision-making processes for new technologies. I also undertake ad hoc projects with The Patients Association and facilitate focus groups and co-production workshops for a variety of chronic disorders.

In my former career in the biopharmaceutical industry, I always had a focus on improving outcomes for patients. For the latter three years I focussed on gaining access for patients to new innovations, working closely with NHS England Specialised Commissioning, and Health Education England and the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) on patient education for genomics and precision medicine.

I am committed to improving equity of access to healthcare for everyone, and as my daughter has dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), I am especially keen to ensure the needs of neurodiverse people are considered when re-designing services.

I think it is important to have lived experience input in decision making in all organisations that create or provide healthcare products and services, helping them to shape their strategic direction and holding them to account for what they ultimately deliver.

Condition interest or area of knowledge

• Equity of access to healthcare – particularly for people who are neurodiverse
• Patient-driven improvements in healthcare
• Development of healthcare strategy and transformation
• Respiratory conditions – asthma and bronchiectasis
• Use of antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance
• Osteoporosis and stress fractures
• Women’s health and the menopause
• Genomics and patient education

Where I can help

• Hertfordshire
• UK (National)

Organisations I am involved with: 

• The Patients Association – freelance project manager
• NHS England Genomics Specialised Commissioning - PPV Partner
• One Nucleus, not-for-profit life sciences & healthcare network - member
• Asthma & Lung UK - member
• MIND in Mid Herts, mental health charity - volunteer