Health Minister, Michael McGimpsey, said the role of the new body will be to advise and challenge him and will be one of the driving forces in delivering the Bamford reforms.
He said: “The task of modernising mental health and learning disability services is a daunting one. It is an issue which is frequently under the spotlight, particularly in recent months. We urgently need to address services gaps in so many areas – children and adolescents, our response to people in crisis, particularly those at risk of suicide, those with autism, eating disorders or addiction problems and those with long term illnesses. We need to provide services in the community to ensure that people do not have to stay unnecessarily in learning disability or mental health hospitals.”
The Minister continued: “One of the key early tasks for this Board will be to help me drive forward work on identifying the issues that have led individuals to take their own lives, particularly our young people. To address this scourge properly we must first understand its causes.
“Of course most of the work of the Board will be long term. That is why the membership of the Board is so wide-ranging, drawing on the skills and expertise of people who have real experiences of current services.
“I want Board members to act as champions for the people who desperately need these services; to keep asking me awkward questions about the levels of funding being invested in these services and to keep mental health and learning disability high on my Department’s agenda.”
Roy McClelland, a Consultant Psychiatrist at Belfast City Hospital, will chair the new body which will have six members. Four appointees are from Northern Ireland and have been involved in the Bamford review, which has highlighted the serious gaps in current services and made recommendations for sweeping changes to support some of the most vulnerable people in our society. The two members from outside Northern Ireland will bring with them working knowledge of how relevant services are being modernised in the rest of the UK.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
Members are:
Roy McClelland
Consultant Psychiatrist at Belfast City Hospital and Emeritus Professor of Mental Health at Queen’s University. Deputy chair and then chair of the Bamford Review.
Other Members:
Marie Crossin
Carer. Chief Executive of CAUSE, a voluntary organisation which provides peer-led support to the carers and families of those with mental health problems. Chaired the Carers’ Reference Group of the Bamford Review.
Joanne McDonald
User of Learning Disability Services. Is a member of Buzz which is a self advocacy Group on health education work and social issues. Employed as an equality officer with Mencap. Member of the Human Rights and Equality Sub-Group of the Bamford Review and a member of the Steering Group.
Roy McConkey
Professor of Learning Disability at the University of Ulster. Has worked in the field of learning disability for over 30 years previously holding posts at the University of Manchester, in Dublin and in Scotland. He was a member of the Bamford Review Committee on learning disability.
Dawn Rees
National Implementation lead for the Department of Health/DfES sponsored National CAMHS Support Service in England. A member of the interim management team which leads a wider service improvement programme supporting the National Service Framework for children, young people and families. Member of the DH Emotional Health and Wellbeing Board.
Anthony Sheehan
Recently appointed as Chief Executive of Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust but has previously worked for Department of Health for 7 years as head of mental health and set up the National Institute for Mental Health.
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