PCDO Society 2025 Committee election candidate biographies

Priya Ashra

Priya is a Clinical Pharmacist at Forest Road Group Practice, Enfield, with over nine years of experience, specialising in type 2 diabetes within primary care. She played a key role in the national development of this role through participation in the initial pilot of clinical pharmacists in general practice.

In addition to her extensive clinical experience, she is an accredited Designated Prescribing Practitioner (DPP), and is engaged in various educational roles:

• Organised and developed training programmes of GLP-1 receptor agonists in primary care for pharmacists and GPs.
• Led virtual patient group consultations for diabetes education.
• Served as a visiting lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire.
• Mentoring clinical pharmacists, supporting non-medical prescribing training.
• Peer review for the Diabetes & Primary Care journal.

Outside her professional work, Priya expresses her passion for modern Indian cuisine by hosting regular supper clubs.

Hannah Beba*

Hannah Beba is an RPS-approved Consultant Pharmacist working for West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership. She is a member of the medicines optimisation team and works seamlessly between the ICB and provider organisations to effect positive change for people living with diabetes. Hannah’s role is a primary care-focused, integrated care role. She believes there are fantastic opportunities here for multidisciplinary teams to provide holistic, unparalleled care to people living with diabetes. Hannah is driven to tackle inequalities in care and has focused work around diabetes technology, multimorbidity in diabetes and obesity in the last few years.

On a Leeds and West Yorkshire footprint, Hannah chairs the Expert Reference Groups for Cardio-Renal-Metabolic Medicine. These multidisciplinary, multistakeholder groups focus on taking a population health management approach to care. Hannah is also clinical lead for the obesity portfolio of work in West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership. Further afield, Hannah is co-chair of the Council of Healthcare Professionals at Diabetes UK.

Hannah is a clinical academic and is passionate about education. She regularly speaks at national conferences and events, and in addition she is a tutor for the University of Warwick MSc Programme for Diabetes. Hannah is currently also an NIHR pre-doctoral fellow, focusing her research on how we implement impactful renal care for people living with diabetes in a primary care setting.

Clare Hambling*

Clare has been closely and passionately involved in the PCDO Society for a number of years, having joined the Committee in 2016, becoming Chair in 2019 and leading PCDO throughout the course of the pandemic before handing over to Naresh Kanumilli after the society’s Annual General Meeting in 2024.

As National Clinical Director for Diabetes and Obesity for NHS England, Clare is very involved in all aspects of service delivery for the national programmes throughout England, but she also maintains her clinical work as a practising GP in Norfolk and Waveney, where she has been clinically based for just over 25 years.

Clare is passionate about clinical quality in healthcare delivery and has been honoured to serve on the committee for PCDO, which works tirelessly to ensure healthcare professionals across the British Isles can access high-quality education, free at the point of delivery, to enable compassionate quality care for the people we look after.

As a professional specialist interest society, PCDO has expanded horizons to reflect the increasing importance of all types of diabetes, obesity and the multiple related long-term conditions and the impact of these on affected individuals who we provide care for in our everyday working lives. Clare believes it is essential that the society remains influential, providing educational opportunities, enhancing knowledge and skills to guide best practice as far and wide as possible.

Rahul Mohan* (current Secretary)

Rahul Mohan is a GP in Rushcliffe, Nottingham, working as a GP Lead for the community diabetes service, along with Diabetes Specialist Nurses, to provide diabetes care closer to home. He has been a GP educator and trainer for the past 17 years, helping GPs, DSNs, pharmacists and practice nurses to gain further confidence and skills in delivering improved diabetes and cardio–renal–metabolic care.

Rahul regularly provides ICB training sessions on diabetes courses locally and speaks at national conferences and congresses. He has been instrumental in delivering guidelines for managing chronic kidney disease in primary care for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB. He is currently involved in developing obesity management pathways in primary care.

Rahul is the chair of the Diabetes and Technology Task and Finish group for glucose monitoring in his ICB, where he is focused on reducing postcode variation whilst lobbying for measures that would improve access for hard-to-reach populations. He has always worked by the principle that multiple long-term conditions care is best delivered by an integrated team and that supporting each other is the way forward in this challenging climate.

Joyce Oduro

Joyce is an experienced primary care nurse with a specialist interest in diabetes, obesity and long-term condition management, and is Practice Nurse Manager at Hockley Farm Medical Practice in Leicester. Over the past 22 years, she has supported patients in both secondary and community care by delivering holistic, patient-centred care, focusing on education, prevention and self-management strategies to improve outcomes and reduce health inequalities.

In her current NHS role, Joyce leads on long-term condition clinics, including diabetes reviews, obesity management, hypertension monitoring and lifestyle support. She works closely with GPs as well as Professors Kamlesh Khunti and Sam Seidu, dietitians and MDT colleagues to ensure evidence-based, integrated care. She is particularly passionate about empowering patients through structured education, motivational interviewing and practical interventions tailored to individual needs.

Joyce is currently undertaking an MSc in Diabetes, further strengthening her clinical knowledge and research skills. Joining the PCDO Society Committee would allow her to share her frontline experience, contribute to shaping policy and promote excellence in primary care diabetes management.

Reena Patel

Reena is a Specialist Nurse in Diabetes at Spinney Hill Medical Centre, Leicester. With over 21 years of NHS experience, she has progressed from practice nursing into a Diabetes Specialist Nurse role, with additional expertise in lifestyle medicine, sexual health and women’s health. This has enabled her to deliver patient-centred care for those living with diabetes, obesity and associated long-term conditions, whilst also contributing to service development within primary care.

Reena is passionate about advancing best practice and believes the PCDO Society plays a vital role in shaping education, resources and advocacy. She would welcome the opportunity to contribute her nursing perspective, share frontline expertise and actively support the Committee’s strategic work. Her leadership is strengthened by the ongoing support of peers, mentors, senior clinicians and GP partners, whose collaboration and constructive feedback continually shape her practice.

Samuel Seidu*

Sam is Professor of Primary Care Diabetes and Cardiometabolic Medicine at the University of Leicester and a GP Partner in Leicestershire. His academic and clinical work focuses on improving diabetes care and cardiometabolic health within real-world primary care settings, with a strong emphasis on health equity, diabetes technologies and population health outcomes.

According to ScholarGPS expert tracking, globally Sam is ranked in the top 100 experts in diabetes in the last 5 years, and in the top 25 in primary care. He has published over 160 peer-reviewed articles in diabetes and cardiometabolic medicine and has also chaired or contributed to multiple national and international consensus guidelines in diabetes.

Sam is currently the Vice Chair of Primary Care Diabetes Europe and also serves as Associate Editor for the Primary Care Diabetes journal.

Waqas Tahir*

Waqas is a GP partner in Affinity care and System Lead for Diabetes across Bradford. He is leading the re-design of an integrated community diabetes service, developing clinical protocols, supporting education and focusing on improving patient pathways and outcomes. His roles as West Yorkshire ICB diabetes lead and the North East and Yorkshire Diabetes and Obesity clinical lead within the NHS England regional medical team have enabled him to reduce variance, support innovation and implement good practices across the region. He is a GP advisor to the Council of Healthcare Professionals of Diabetes UK.

Waqas’ passion for diabetes and cardiometabolic disease, combined with the need to reduce clinical variation, led to the development of one of the earliest cardiometabolic pathways to be adopted regionally (West Yorkshire & Harrogate’s Healthy Hearts). He is committed to ensuring that primary care is at the forefront of delivering sustainable care for patients with diabetes using innovative solutions and technology. His aim is that best practice becomes the norm.

Waqas is currently the Education Lead for Primary Care Diabetes Europe (PCDE), as well as being a Specialist committee member to the NICE Quality Standards for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Unopposed candidates

Heather Bell*

Heather Bell is a GP Principal working in Carrickfergus. She graduated from Queen’s University Belfast in 2004. She has a special interest in diabetes and joined the PCDO Society as a committee member in 2019. She has spoken at numerous national conferences and has an interest in diabetes research.

Besides her interest in diabetes, Heather is passionate about teaching and works as a GP Trainer in her practice and has an interest in women’s health, working as a Faculty Registered Trainer in family planning.

Heather serves on the PCDO Society’s obesity faculty and on the Editorial Board of Diabetes & Primary Care.

Una O’Neill**

During her 17-year journey in diabetes care, Una O’Neill has worked in primary and secondary care settings, gaining a comprehensive understanding of diabetes care from various perspectives. Her recent completion of a Master’s in Advanced Nursing Practice has further fuelled her goal of providing the highest level of care to individuals with diabetes. This diverse experience has honed her skills and deepened her empathy for those with diabetes, highlighting the importance of a holistic approach to their care.

Over the past ten years, Una’s unwavering commitment to integrated care has made a significant impact. Working closely with GP practices, she has provided coordinated care for people with type 2 diabetes. In this role, she has empowered patients to self-manage their diabetes through education on lifestyle changes and the development of personalised care plans and timely treatment, providing a complete episode of care.

Una has led and coordinated various study days, including conferences and webinars, over the past eight years. These efforts have been tremendously successful and have enabled her to disseminate valuable information to healthcare professionals.