The Board welcomes Sharon Russell alongside Gisela Sole as the second of its new members. Sharon trained in the UK before coming to New Zealand and taking up a role in Waitematā.

“I came to physiotherapy quite late in life, I ran my own business in the alternative therapy space, and having three very active children along with an active husband found I was visiting different health professionals both within the hospital setting and in the community for the spate of injuries we had within the family. We had broken bones in hands, feet, Achilles tendon injuries, to name a few. so I became a physio at the age of 30 and have not looked back since then, especially given I had a huge phobia for hospital prior to my undergraduate training!

“We moved to New Zealand in 2008, so whilst waiting for my APC I started working in the community as an assistant then started as a rotational physio at Waitematā.

“I’ve worked at Waitematā since 2009, across all the specialities. In medical wards and rehab orthopaedics, completed a post graduate diploma in rehabilitation, and following this with a Master of Health Practice in leadership and rehabilitation. My passion then, and still holds today, is for rehabilitation, especially in the elderly.

“We know that our elderly patients decondition quite quickly within a hospital setting so one of our drivers is to keep people from harm by getting them back to their usual place of residence, physiotherapy plays an enormous part in the rehabilitation journey, along with a variety of other professional groups.

“I was fortunate to be offered the role of professional clinical leader for the physiotherapy team at Waitematā which oversees the professional and clinical practice of all the physiotherapists within our district, across all settings, a great role to have as it influences model of care and innovative ways of delivering care.

“I took a secondment prior to COVID-19 into the role of Associate Chief Allied Health, Scientific and Technical Professions Officer, this role became permanent in 2022.”

Sharon’s background and training gives her a strong perspective of physiotherapy’s role within the wider health system.

“There are so many different areas of physiotherapy, we’re so diverse in what we can do and how we help people. It’s just a great profession to be part of.

“I think primary care is an area where we could see more focus on preventative care for our communities. In the UK GP practices have physiotherapists attached to them. To reduce the burden on the GPs, a physiotherapist would see musculoskeletal issues. We are slowly starting to see this practice here in New Zealand.

“We can prevent further damage and prolong the integrity of a person’s body and I think we have a great opportunity at the moment to move further into that kind of primary care. Working in the preventative space to contribute as a service that’s helpful for everyone.”

For Sharon taking on the role of Board member is partly about reconnecting with physiotherapy.

“One of the reasons for coming onto the Board was to hold on to my roots as a physiotherapist, to ensure the integrity of our profession and the professionals who are working as physiotherapists for our communities.

“I’m really excited to be on the Board. It’s something I’ve not done before so to actually be part of a regulatory authority is a real honour. We have the opportunity to ensure strong clinical governance and make sure that we’re keeping the profession’s standards high and the public safe.”