Natalie Qureshi
Founder & Operations Director
About Us
At Voices for Choices CIC, we exist to ensure every family receives the exceptional care they deserve throughout their maternity and early parenthood experience.
Who we are
Our goal is to facilitate service development. We do this by bringing together service leads and the public to enable the co-design of health and social care.
We enable participation and listening to families with a focus on seldom heard communities. We work in partnership with NHS trusts, Local Authorities, universities and Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprises around the UK on research, training and engagement.
Our founders, Natalie and Cathy, have extensive experience of engagement, research and project delivery within the fields of health, maternity and equalities.
The main focus of our work is in Greater Manchester – where we are responsible for delivering the region’s Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership network for the NHS.
We also collaborate with experts, communities and organisations throughout the UK and at a national level.
As a community interest company, founded in 2018, we are a non-profit company established for the benefit of disadvantaged and under-represented communities to enable their voice to influence public service design and delivery.
Our name reflects our belief that everyone should have a say in their local healthcare provision – as well as the opportunity to make informed decisions about their care.
Natalie is an experienced leader, project manager, and expert in the field of co-production.
Beginning her career at Oxfam and then the Scottish Parliament, she has worked for fifteen years in consultancy, managing evaluation and research projects for public, private and voluntary bodies, including the Big Lottery Fund.
She is experienced in undertaking qualitative studies, focus groups and engagement work, particularly with vulnerable people and seldom heard communities.
She is a previous chair of the Maternity Listening and Action Group at Pennine Acute Trust and also works as a lay examiner for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
Cathy Brewster
Founder & Programmes Director
A capable presenter and thought leader, Cathy is one of the UK’s leading authorities in the formation of Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnerships.
Cathy is well-connected at a national level and has an extensive knowledge of the current policy landscape within maternity, regularly presenting at conferences and panels.
She represents service users on the NHS England Maternity and Neonatal Programme.
With a background in business and visual communications, Cathy became involved in this sector after becoming the service user representative on Stockport Maternity Services Liaison Committee following the birth of her youngest child.
Our Values
We are ambassadors for change
We deliver on our promises because we know nothing changes if we don’t take focused action.
We’re committed to achieving our vision, one interaction, one task at a time.
We stand for equity and inclusivity
We will do everything in our power to ensure everyone has fair and equal access to opportunities, resources, and treatment, regardless of their background, identity, or circumstances.
We’re stronger together
We form meaningful relationships and collaborative partnerships because together we have the greatest influence.
We listen and act with respect
As changemakers, we are fiercely passionate but recognise the importance of acting with diplomacy, neutrality, and knowing when to save it for another day.
We take the small wins
Real change takes time so we consistently show up and acknowledge that even the smallest of interactions has the potential to make a big difference.