Meet the Access Independent Team
We’re proud to be a team of experienced, compassionate professionals dedicated to helping people live more independently.
Leadership Team
Stephen Naylor
Managing Director
Stephen leads the strategic direction and governance of Access Independent, drawing on extensive experience in business, finance, and service development.
James Derbyshire
Operations Director
James is responsible for business strategy, operational delivery, and ensuring excellent service outcomes across all areas of the company.
Occupational Therapy and Social Care Team
Henriett Haragos
Office Manager
Henriett oversees the day-to-day running of our Cambridge office, as well as service delivery and administration across all OT and social care contracts.
Sara Thelwell
Senior Occupational Therapist
Sara provides clinical oversight and supervision for our OT team, helping to maintain high professional standards and consistency in assessments.
Catia Teixeira
Senior Service Coordinator
Catia delivers administrative support for some of our largest customers, and coordinates ad hoc assessment requests and our return to work service.
Concessionary Travel and Blue Badge Team
Petra Forgo
Operations Supervisor
Petra supervises part of our administrative team and ensures process compliance for concessionary travel and Blue Badge assessments. She oversees KPIs, manages complaints, and leads on process improvement.
Tania Arastey
Admin and Engagement Supervisor
Tania supervises part of our administrative team, leads team meetings, coordinates our Expert Assessors, and manages customer and applicant feedback and outreach.
Chris Elliott
Senior Expert Assessor
Chris leads on our assessment approach, ensuring clinical standards and consistency. She develops tools, trains new starters, and contributes to clinical guidance.
Training Courses
Gabriella Mak
Senior Training Coordinator
Gabriella coordinates our external training courses for local authorities, private organisations, and individuals. She supports service delivery and handles technical queries.
Recruitment and Registration
Demet Erdem
Recruitment and Registration Officer
Demet manages the recruitment, registration, and onboarding of healthcare practitioners, and coordinates training and supervision activities.