Michael began training as a mental health nurse in 1984. He specialised in older people and spent over 20 years’ working in community. He taught at three universities and last clinical job was as a Specialist Nurse Practitioner and Nurse Independent Prescriber before becoming a joint commissioner in 2009. As a clinician, Michael’s speciality was triage, urgent referrals and staff development. He is a an advocate of positive risk taking and believes passionately in improving the lives of people with dementia by commissioning appropriate services which promote independence and choice. He has developed several innovative services which have been featured as national case studies and has had media interest in his work from TV, radio, national/ international newspapers and both social care and health professional journals. He has spoken at several conferences on his whole systems approach and is part of an expert advisory group on dementia in the West Midlands.
