TAPPI Steering Board

Roy Sandbach

The TAPPI Board is chaired by Professor Roy Sandbach, the former Director of the National Innovation, Centre for Ageing at the University of Newcastle and chair of the original TAPPI Inquiry.

The Board brings together a range of UK and international experts to provide oversight to the next phase of this exciting technology enabled housing and care project.

Board Members

Roy Sandbach, TAPPI

Professor Roy Sandbach OBE FRSC (Chair)

Former Director of the National Innovation, Centre for Ageing - University of Newcastle

Roy was first Director of the National Innovation Centre for Ageing at Newcastle University. He chaired the TAPPI Inquiry and is now charing the second phase of TAPPI: from Principles to Implementation. He is on the board of the Technology Services Association, the industry body driving use of technology in care settings. He is vice-chair of Sunderland Ageing Well Board and sits on the advisory board for the APPG on Longevity. In 2017, Roy was honoured with an OBE for services to science, innovation & skills.

“Technology will be more and more critical in supporting us all to live independently, and more happily, for longer. We have the TAPPI principles, but they need to be tested, developed and applied across the housing sector. It is wonderful to have the opportunity to be part of the second phase of the TAPPI initiative. We have committed testbed environments and I am excited to be able to chair such a highly skilled and capable Steering Board.”
Roy Sandbach

Julia Ashley, Aster Group

Julia Ashley

Business Deveopment Director - Aster Group

Aster Group supplies a wide range of housing options in response to the housing crisis, working towards its vision of ensuring everyone has a home. Aster plans to invest £2.5bn to deliver over 11,200 new homes by 2030 and forecasts delivering over 1,300 homes during the current financial year (2022/23). Aster reinvests profits from open market sale and shared ownership to support the development of affordable rented homes. It owns and maintains over 35,000 homes.

“The second phase of TAPPI will continue to build on the fantastic learnings from the enquiry to date and can only benefit the health, housing and social care integration agenda further. Being involved will support our digital journey and allow us to benefit from the insights of the people involved who have pledged their commitment to using new technological advances in this way. As ever, our goal is to make real and lasting change.”
Julia Ashley

David Birkbeck, Design for Homes

David Birkbeck

Founder and CEO - Design for Homes

DFH has been supporting better housing design and layout since 2000. The social enterprise has contributed to major initiatives, such as Building for a Healthy Life which is referenced as a key design tool in the NPPF and the HAPPI principles, established in 2009 for the senior sector. It leads the Housing Design Awards, the largest housing design resource in the Anglophone world, www.hdawards.org

“TAPPI is something I believe in, a mission to make sure technology that benefits an ageing population is exploited fully.”
David Birkbeck

Fiona Brown

Fiona Brown

Representative - North East ADASS and TSA Board Member

Fiona is a result orientated public sector executive with over 30 years’ experience.

She is currently leading sector led improvement in social care to maximise the role of housing in care, enabled by assistive technology.

As a collaborative leader Fiona is well versed in implementing transformation to leverage benefits through digital technologies in Housing and their impact for families.

Fiona has extensive experience of leading and managing large multi-million pound investment programmes.

"I’m delighted to play a role in the second phase of the TAPPI programme, the co-production of new models of housing and technology supporting people and the impact it will have enabling people to live good lives is immeasurable. I look forward to the approaches being scaled up nationally to reach more people."
Fiona Brown

Clive Gilbert

Clive Gilbert

Policy Manager, Assistive Technology - Policy Connect / Freelance Consultant on public policy and disability

Clive Gilbert is a Senior Policy and Research Manager for Assistive and Accessible Technology at the cross-party think tank Policy Connect. Clive is part of a team that advocates for better policy around technologies that help older and disabled people lead more fulfilling lives. This includes helping to manage secretariat of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Assistive Technology. Clive is the author of the Smarter Homes for Independent Living report.

"I'm excited about continuing the great work of the first TAPPI phase by putting its potentially life-changing principles into action. I'm very much looking forward to seeing the outcomes for the people who will be supported by this project."
Clive Gilbert

Jirko Hoogerwerf, IKEA

Jirko Hoogerwerf

Safer Life At Home leader - IKEA of Sweden AB

IKEA offers well-designed, functional, and affordable, high-quality home furnishing, produced with care for people and the environment. There are several companies with different owners, working under the IKEA Brand, all sharing the same vision: to create a better everyday life for the many people. IKEA was founded in Sweden in 1943.

"IKEA has identified among the many people two specifically vulnerable groups: children and elderly. Technology can bring many benefits to the lives of the many people, including them. Having read the TAPPI phase 1 principles and knowing that IKEA would like to be part of creating better solutions for elderly also with technology, I’m excited to contribute to building a framework that turns these principles in reality with real benefits for real people. As the founder of IKEA said: there is no better method than a good example. I hope that I can contribute to creating good examples of getting technology to create a better life for elderly that need care."
Jirko Hoogerwerf

Ruth Marks, WCVA

Ruth Marks

Chief Executive - Wales Council for Voluntary Action

Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) is the national membership body for voluntary organisations in Wales. Our purpose is to enable voluntary organisations in Wales to make a bigger difference together.  Our vision is a future where voluntary organisations and volunteering thrive across Wales, improving wellbeing for all.

“I am pleased to join the Board and share experiences and opportunities from Wales in addition to building wider partnerships with the aim of improving understanding, policy and practice linked to healthy ageing and housing.”
Ruth Marks

Vikki McCall

Dr Vikki McCall

Senior Lecturer in Social Policy and Housing, Deputy Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning in the Faculty of Social Sciences - University of Stirling

Dr McCall’s work has included extensive research on housing, ageing and stigma, leading projects focusing on housing, ageing, the role of front-line workers, technology, service users, volunteers and the policy process. Dr McCall is currently leading the Intersectional Stigma of Place-based Ageing (ISPA) project (funded by ESRC 2022-2027) and the INVITE project looking at supporting Inclusive Living support for older people in residential care (funded by the Longleigh Foundation, in partnership with Stonewater HA). Dr McCall is Honorary Secretary for the Social Policy Association Executive Committee and Editorial Board member of Social Policy & Society.

"I am delighted to be invited to sit on the TAPPI Steering Board, as the role of technology is increasingly important to supporting our ageing population. I am looking forward to bringing insights from my work around housing and ageing, especially some emerging research that highlights the important role of high and low tech on quality of life, wellbeing and independence. TAPPI Phase 2 will be about how this looks on the ground in terms of housing, social care and health provision and the ‘testbeds’ are going to bring alive the good practice and wider impact of technology. It is going to be an incredibly important bit of work that will shape policy and practice within housing, social care and health sectors to future proof for our ageing population."
Dr Vikki McCall

Matthew Winn, NHS

Matthew Winn

Director of Community Health - NHS England

Matthew Winn is the Chief Executive of Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust and the national lead for community healthcare for NHS England.  He is responsible for the implementation of the Ageing Well elements of the NHS Long Term Plan and the roll out of hospital at home/virtual wards across England over the next two years.

“I am delighted to join the TAPPI steering group, to support the crucial work of embedding all that has been learnt to make life better and more fulfilling for our ageing population, through the schemes that have received the generous funding from the Dunhill Medical Trust”
Matthew Winn

Helena Zaum, Microsoft

Helena Zaum

Government Industry Lead for Social Care and Integrated Care - Microsoft UK, and Chair of the Tech UK Social Care Working Group

Helena is Microsoft UK’s Government Industry Lead for Social Care and Integrated Care, and Chair of the Tech UK Social Care Working Group. She is passionate about the positive impact which technology, sensitively applied, can have on us all as we age – to support us to continue to live our lives on our terms in the place we call home. Helena also holds a non-executive advisory position with Stonewater Housing.

"I am delighted to be joining the TAPPI Steering Board at such a critical point in the journey of the Programme as it moves into the practical realities of implementation.  Technology has the power to sustain independence and to empower us all to be happy, well connected with family and community, irrespective of age.  I am looking forward to pushing the boundaries on what’s possible with the group and the implementation sites."
Helena Zaum

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

TAPPI Phase 2 is funded by The Dunhill Medical Trust (DMT) and supported by the Housing LIN and the TSA.

Following the recruitment of a Co-Production and Engagement partner, an Evaluation and Shared Learning partner, and 6 locality 'testbeds', the programme is co-produced with the successful applicant organisations over a 12-15-month period.