Ann Muston

I have been a patient at TSMP for almost 50 years and am pleased to have been involved with patient participation since 2013. I represented TSMP on what was then known as CATCH. It brought me into contact with representatives of other surgeries, and as a group held the Cambridge and Peterborough Health Commissioning Group to account. Over the last few years there have been several changes, but the group continued and is now called Cambridge Primary Care Patients Group. It is independent, receives no funding and everyone is a volunteer who also sits on their own PPG. In the last three years we have been welcomed by HealthWatch, which has now created PPG meetings for north and south Cambridge. We meet separately with a couple of joint meetings. As the Government has now decided to disband Healthwatch we are waiting to hear about how the patient voice will be heard once this happens.

I am originally from Lancashire and from a very large and neurodiverse family. I came to Cambridge to study and was in the first cohort at Homerton College to graduate with a Bachelor of Education degree. I have had a great deal of experience in schools working with children and adults from across different cultures and with differing needs. I first taught in Stevenage at an all-girls school and then in St Neots in a co-educational school before leaving to work full time at one of Cambridge’s language schools, where I had previously taught during holiday periods. Once my children reached school age, I was thrilled to take up the post of Head of International Support at The Leys School. This allowed me to be more involved with extra-curricular activities and in particular Personal Social Health and Economic (PSHE) sessions.

From 2013 to 2015, I was a member of the British Association of Independent Schools with International Students (BAISIS) Executive Committee with a remit for student welfare, giving talks on expectations, culture shock, and specific needs. In 2015, I left The Leys to be able to concentrate on my strengths through my own company Cambridge English Class (Culture, Language and Academic Skills Specialists) where I support individuals and groups from cradle to graduation and beyond both in the UK and abroad. I have lectured in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, and Thailand, as well as supporting online. I am a Member of the Chartered College of Teaching and the Society for Intercultural Educators, Trainers, and Research (SIETAR) Since 2021, I have been a Girton Parish Councillor in various roles including Vice-Chair, Chair of Finance and Resource Management, Chair of HR, and GPC representative on CAPALC. I believe in being open and transparent and giving back to our community.

I am married with two daughters. One is a doctor and the other works in education.