Amy Rylance - Director of Health Services, Equity and Improvement

Amy started her professional life working with people who had learning disabilities and mental health issues. This established her life-long interest in the societal factors that influence our health and led to a role working across Bradford District to reduce health inequalities and improve care.

In this role Amy was able to immerse herself in the day-to-day workings of the NHS – considering the social factors that impacted on everything from primary care usage to hospital discharge. Amy is most proud of establishing social prescribing in primary care and a supported hospital discharge service.

In 2012 Amy’s Dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer and she made the decision to relocate to London to be closer to family. In London Amy joined Diabetes UK – working nationally to tangibly improve diabetes care through clinical education, leadership development and establishing services that support better care delivery.

Sadly, Amy’s Dad’s cancer was advanced and aggressive, and he died in 2013 at the age of 61. Five years later, she saw a role at Prostate Cancer UK and it felt like the perfect fit with her expertise and personal values.

Amy has since led programmes that deliver clinical-skills-based education to thousands and established the charity’s clinical leadership education – including the flagship Clinical Champions. She has strengthened and scaled up the charity’s role in evidence-based policy and health influencing – including co-authoring multiple journal pieces that significantly shifted the evidence base. She has led the charity’s risk awareness work since 2021 - including a joint campaign with the NHS. To date, over 4 million men have completed the online risk checker. Health inequity remains a core interest and shapes much of her work.