Listen to Act was founded as Healthwatch Central West London in 2012 to improve health and care services by championing the views of local people in Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, and Fulham & Hammersmith.
In September 2022, we launched as an independent charity to help leaders in health and care to facilitate inclusive conversations with patients, residents, and carers using tailored community engagement programmes.
Our experience of working at a grassroots level with people who find it difficult to get heard due to age, ethnicity, mental or physical health conditions, or disability has shaped the person-centred approach to community engagement that we offer today.
OUR VISION
Places where services are always inclusive and always accessible. We believe in the transformative power of community voices and envision a future where health services meet the needs of everyone living in London.
OUR MISSION
To make inclusive decision-making a
consistent force for positive community change through community-led engagement programme design and delivery, training and skills development, capacity building, and research and policy advocacy.
OUR VALUES
Collaborative
We think and work collaboratively to develop engagement programmes.
We create welcoming environments and proactively bring different voices together.
We create the right conditions for inclusive conversations to happen.
Person Centred
We value the experiences, views, contributions, and needs of every individual.
We take the time to build trusted, reciprocal relationships between different groups to encourage open
and honest conversations.We treat everyone with compassion, honesty, and integrity.
Inclusive
We recognise the power of inclusion and diversity. We know that relationships matter, and we are
stronger together.We strive to get a complete and relevant view of people’s needs before any action is taken.
We address health inequalities through our cultural competencies and keep learning.
Agile
We build flexibility and creativity into our approach in order to build trust and form meaningful
relationships with participants.
OUR TEAM
Albie Stadtmiller
CEO
Albie joined Listen to Act in November to lead us into our next chapter. Before joining, Albie was CEO for Dementia Concern in Ealing - a charity that offers personalised care and direct support to local families. He brings a wealth of experience from working in health and social care, local youth council work, and the voluntary sector where his work focused on developing community support initiatives.
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Alex Weston
Youth Engagement Manager
Alex is responsible for our youth engagement programmes. He collaborates with professionals, community groups, and organisations who work with young people, to ensure that young voices are reflected in how policies, processes, and practices are developed in schools and local services through a trauma-informed and distinct youth engagement approach
Henry Keen
Finance & Office Manager
Henry is responsible for our finance, HR and office management. He brings with him almost twenty years of experience in the charity sector, both in administration and community engagement, having worked on projects supporting disadvantaged young people from inner city communities.
Michelle Malwah
Community Engagement Manager
Michelle is responsible for managing all the day-to-day operations of Healthwatch Enfield and identifying community engagement needs to help people influence their local health and social care services.
Stefanie Schidlowski
Community Engagement and Outreach Officer
Steff started her position at Healthwatch Enfield as Community Engagement & Outreach Officer in June 2023. She is highly passionate about actively promoting equity, accessibility, and inclusively within the health sector. She is working closely with our engagement team around Enfield to understand what issues matter to local patients, residents, and carers.
Moussa Amine Sylla
Community Engagement Specialist
Moussa is a ‘born Champion’ community organiser and trainer, and has worked with communities in London for over a decade. In Haringey he consulted and engaged with communities, organised over 3000 residents, worked with hundreds of community leaders, and built strong relationships with local groups and charities. Moussa has also worked closely with vulnerable young people, ex-offenders, and migrant people to develop new models of sustainable development by promoting local economies run by local people, using local expertise.
Farheen Ambia
Community Engagement and Outreach Officer
Farheen is a passionate advocate for positive change and is deeply committed to championing equity and inclusivity within public health and social care sector. Collaborating closely with our dedicated engagement team and community groups, Farheen endeavours to deeply understand the concerns and needs of local people in Enfield to ensure their voices are heard.
Trustees
Christine Vigars
Chair
Christine is the chair of Listen to Act.
Christine was a Healthwatch England Committee member, is a former chair of Age UK Kensington & Chelsea, and was also part of the Kensington & Chelsea Local Involvement Network (LINk).
With a background in social work and social work teaching at both South Bank University and the Open University, Christine has also worked in community development within the voluntary sector.
Joanna Mark-Richards
Vice-Chair, former Hestia Representative, and HR Lead
Joanna was the representative for Hestia Housing and Support, our former parent organisation. After we became independent in March 2018, Joanna was co-opted to our board.
Joanna is a hugely experienced director of Human Resources, and is our HR lead, as well as our vice-chair.
Layo Yusuf
Treasurer, Finance Lead
Layo is an experienced finance professional across the accounting spectrum including management/financial accounts, corporate treasury management, risk management, project finance, appraisal and management, international tax planning (incl. capital restructuring).
Layo is currently a director of a green energy systems developer company.
Civan Terbas
Trustee
"I have been a part of Listen to Act charity since the age of 13. It’s amazing and an honour that now I will be able to sit on the board at 17 years old and make important decisions to better impact my local area and community!"
Abdul Towolawi
Trustee
Abdul joined the Board in 2015.
Fatai Towolawi, popularly known as Abdul, joined the third sector in 1992 as a Project Worker in a small West London charity.
He has since gone on to manage the largest neighbourhood partnership in Camden, and currently works as an independent Fundraising Consultant, supporting small and large charities across London.
Abdul is a current member of the Kensington & Chelsea local committee, and has previously served on the boards of various large and medium sized charities.
Chris Doherty
Independent Trustee
Chris Joined our board in January 2018. In 2008 he established a home care service, Healthvision UK, which now operates across the boroughs of Westminster, Hammersmith & Fulham and the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea.
His operation in the local care market provides him with invaluable insight into delivering care services and promoting best practice initiatives.
Listen to Act benefits from his mix of care sector experience and commercial acumen.
Patience Wilson
Trustee
Patience Wilson is a retired senior civil servant and highly experienced Government policy professional, having made most of her career in the Department of Health and Social Care. She has led strategic policy on a wide range of health and social care issues and on equality and human rights.
Patience is also a Trustee at the Enfield Carers’ Centre, a member of the local committee of Enfield Healthwatch, and Chair of the Board of Trustees for The Elfrida Society in Islington.