Rukshana is a charity sector leader whose vision for inclusive health has led her to become the first Director of Health at children’s charity Barnardo’s.
In this position, Rukshana has used influence and drive to connect leaders across health and care, ensuring the needs of children and young people are at the forefront of national health strategy. With a particular passion for tackling health inequalities, in the past two years programmes led by Rukshana have reached an additional 40,000 vulnerable children and, in 2022-23 alone, raised £4,208k of new funding. Projects have included placing family outreach workers in A&E departments, finding effective ways to support young people on mental health waiting lists and orchestrating a public health respiratory campaign for Black, Asian and minoritized communities. Across numerous roles, Rukshana has raised awareness of health issues that carry stigma, such as HIV and IBD, using positions such as Chair of IBDUK to ensure reach to underserved communities. As a Non-Executive Director at Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust and Advisory Commissioner at Health Devolution Commission, she champions the successful implementation of devolved and integrated health and social care.