Our Executive Board is made up of representatives from Member Practices.
Dr Ben Frankel
Ben is a GP Partner at The Sele Medical Practice in Hexham. He has been on the HPCA Executive since 2015 and is HPCA Chair. He has previously worked part time for Northumberland CCG and was their Locality director for the West for 3 years. He developed and runs the vasectomy service, which has been a HPCA contracted service since 2013.
Dr Andy Sewart
Andy has been a GP Partner at Bellingham Practice for 11 years, arguably the most rural practice in England & Wales. He is keen to promote collaboration between local practices to improve services for all patients living in West Northumberland, reflecting the wide geographical area we serve.
Simon Guy
Simon has over 25 years' experience as a Primary Care manager and has particular expertise in IT. He has undertaken GP Practice inspections with the Care Quality Commission across the Northeast.
Dr Farzan Kamali
Farzan is a GP Partner at Branch End Surgery in Stocksfield. He has been HPCA's Research Engagement Lead since 2016. More recently joining the HPCA Executive Board, Farzan is passionate about healthcare in the region, believing that working together enables the best outcomes for patients and staff.
Supported by the Management Team
Hilary Porteous
With over 30 years’ experience of primary care, Hilary has been Manager (part time) of HPCA since 2018. Her career has spanned a variety of roles including Practice Manager at a GP training practice in South London, the 1st ever appointed non-clinical seminar leader for Kings College Medical Undergraduate curriculum, Principal Lecturer in Primary Care Strategic Management at Northumbria University and Director of Primary Care at a North East PCT. As well as working for HPCA she also works for Northumberland LMC as Executive Officer.
Louise Mainwaring
Working as Delivery Manager for HPCA, Louise is a Chartered Manager and comes with a background in a variety of Research, Performance and Operational roles in health and social care. This includes within Sunderland City Council's Health, Housing and Adult Services Directorate, two regional Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services and, latterly, Cumbria Northumberland Tyne Wear’s Safer Care Directorate.
Julie Johnston
Julie Johnston is Practice Manager at Corbridge Medical Group and is a co-opted member of the HPCA Executive Team. She has been in her post at Corbridge since 2004 and has represented the practice on many different groups during that time.
Emma Stephenson
Emma Stephenson is the Practice Manager at Prudhoe Medical Group and is a co-opted member of the HPCA Executive Team. Emma has been in post since August 2022 and comes from a retail and pharmacy management background.