Jewish Care has welcomed two new trustees to its Board who will bring to the charity “invaluable” expertise in palliative and mental health care.

Dr Abigail Swerdlow MRCPsych and Dr Charles Daniels MBChB, BSc (Hons), MSc, MRCGP, joined the charity’s Board of Trustees on January 1.

Jewish Care, the largest health and social care organisation serving the Jewish community in London and the South East, says the pair’s “clinical experience and understanding of specialist healthcare provisions in palliative care and mental health services will be invaluable to the organisation.”

Swerdlow, a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at the Royal Free Hospital and clinical lead of the Royal Free CAMHS Neurodevelopmental service, has held roles as a Fellow in Medical Education, as an Honorary Lecturer, and has completed a Leadership and Management Fellowship at the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

A recipient of the Rising Star Award in Healthcare, she has been involved with the UK Jewish Medical Association for 15 years and with Jewish mental health charity Jami since 2019, both as a Trustee and as Chair of Jami’s Clinical Quality and Innovation Committee.

She said she is “very excited” to have been appointed as a Trustee of Jewish Care: “Community services, such as those offered by Jami, including peer support, occupational therapy, social work, and advocacy, are vital in supporting people’s mental health. This is an exciting time for Jami, as part of Jewish Care, to enhance service provision and to raise awareness of our work to support the community’s mental health.”

Daniels, who is Medical Director and Head of Quality at St Luke’s Kenton Grange Hospice as well as Macmillan Consultant in Palliative Medicine for hospital and community services at London Northwest Healthcare NHS Trust, has been involved with Jewish Care in multiple ways for several years.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, he delivered clinical care and training for Jewish Care staff and relatives, and has also over the last two years been a member of the Clinical Governance Committee.

He said: “I am passionate about finding the best ways to support staff to improve the patient and carer experience and hope to bring these skills and experience to my work in Jewish Care.”

Jewish Care’s Chair, Marcus Sperber, said they are “delighted” to welcome Swerdlow and Daniels, who bring with them a “wealth of knowledge, experience, and understanding”.

He added that Swerdlow’s expertise will prove “invaluable” as the charity responds to the increasing need for mental health services for those within the Jewish community aged 11 and upwards, while Daniels will provide “expert insights and advice” on palliative and end of life care.

As part of the changes to the Board, Dr Jonathan Shapiro is stepping down from his role as Trustee and Chair of Clinical Governance, who Sperber says was a “highly valued” member of the Board who brought “an outstanding perspective to our work”.