Margaret's long-term career background was in the NHS as a registered nurse, senior nurse and then general manager. She has an MA in Health Law, and towards the end of her healthcare career, she moved into medico-legal and risk management, through healthcare consultancy and as executive director of a patient safety organisation. She is a life fellow and former council member and vice-president of the Royal Society of Medicine.

Whilst managing a regional rehabilitation unit in the NHS, Margaret became involved with the local community and voluntary sector. This activity continued as a chair/board member of various charitable/community or statutory organisations. Also, as an individual representing the views of patients, users and carers and particularly the views of carers of people with dementia and their carers. She currently chairs a local health and social care co-production group of users of services.

Margaret cared for both her husband and her mother who developed Alzheimer’s disease, and as she shared their dementia ‘journeys’, she became a member of the dementia and carer community, developing her knowledge and awareness, extending to active involvement in campaigning, and as a media contributor for the Alzheimer’s Society and Carers UK.

Soon after the establishment of the NIHR School of Social Care Research, School of Social Care Research, in 2009, Margaret was invited to become a member of the User, Carer, Professional, Reference Group (UCPRG), continuing until 2024. Research involvement developed with her appointment to then then Personal Social Services Department as Research Involvement Manager in 2014. Since that time, she has been co-investigator or advisor to various research projects, the two major projects, focusing on dementia, one being MODEM – ‘modelling outcome and cost impacts of interventions for dementia’, following by DETERMIND, looking at the differences in service access, reasons for, and inequalities in dementia care.

Out in the community, Margaret has just completed her trusteeship term at the Centre for Ageing Better. She is currently a trustee of Carers UK, and an Ambassador for Independent Age. Locally, she is a trustee of Crossroads Care Richmond and Kingston and has been facilitating a dementia carers’ support group as a volunteer, for the past ten years.