Keynote Speakers

Susan Grant
Principal Architect
NHSScotland Assure
Dr Keith Reid
Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist, Associate Medical Director Positive & Safe Care Restraint Reduction
Trustee ReCoCo; Visiting Fellow Northumbria University Health & Life Sciences
Mark Richards
Associate Chief Nursing Officer & Chair of SLWG on NHSS Mental Health Estates
Scottish Government - Mental Health and Social Care Directorate
Conference Speakers
Maria Luigia Assirelli
Senior Associate
Floyd Slaski Architects
Maria has a passion for designing healing environments and she leads on Floyd Slaski's mental health portfolio. Previously a Partner at GA architects, Maria specialised in design for autism friendly environments and has written papers for various groups including the National Autistic Society. She has been an active representative of the 'awareness of the importance of the right environment for people with autism and in the healthcare sector' and has a real passion for healthcare design which developed since her studies at University. She has lead healthcare, education and major residential projects, gaining considerable experience in all RIBA work stages.
Danielle Barnard
Studio Associate Director
Arcadis IBI Group
Danielle is an architect with over 20 years' industry experience. She has extensive experience of designing complex medium to large-scale education and healthcare developments and is passionate about ensuring that her designs are functional, safe, economical, and meet the needs of the client. She fully understands the in-depth consultation process required to create appropriate design solutions for specialised environments.
Joanne Baudin
Interdisciplinary Consultant
JEEB CREATES
Jo is an Interdisciplinary Consultant advocating for lived experience to help shape our world. She is an Interior Architect, Peer Support Worker and Community Researcher, and is also a User/ Survivor of Mental Health services. As the first Interdisciplinary Advisor and stakeholder at South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust, she has been awarded an honorary contract, and is pursuing a PhD in Evidencing the impact of Lived Experience in the design of new mental health hospitals. She also works as an advisor for non-profit organisations (Hospital Rooms), med-tech (Humin) and most recently, the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
Jaime Bishop
Director/Architect
Fleet Architects Ltd
Jaime Bishop Over 20 years working in Healthcare design, now running Fleet Architects, founded with Richard Henson having both worked for MAAP and SBA, and Jaime at Coda prior. Jaime is also the current co-chair of Architects for Health.
Karl Burton
Associate Architect
Scott Tallon Walker Architects
Karl is an associate architect with Scott Tallon Walker Architects, Dublin. He has extensive experience as a senior design Architect in the Healthcare Division with a reputation for the successful delivery of fast-track large scale projects. Recent projects completed include the National Forensic Mental Health Hospital, comprising of nine buildings on a 12-hectare site in a woodland setting and Mater University Hospital, state-of-the-art acute hospital which employs best evidence-based design philosophies.
Aisling Butler
Specialist Occupational Therapist
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Aisling Butler and Darcy Gasson are occupational therapists (OTs) who work for Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. Both have experience of working as occupational therapists on acute mental health wards, and working specifically with adults with learning disabilities and/or an autism diagnosis. As occupational therapists, they have a particular interest in how people experience their environment, the impact this has on daily activity and are passionate about improving mental health ward environments for all who are cared for, or work within them. Both Darcy and Aisling are advocates for amplifying the service user experience and voice to improve healthcare delivery.

Rolland Dix
NAPICU
Sifo Dlamini
Clinical Project Manager
Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Sifo Dlamini is a qualified Mental Health Nurse (RMN), and previously worked as a Specialist Complex Needs Nurse. He has experience of working in both quantity surveying and commercial property management. He provides the clinical voice for the 'Making Room for Dignity' programme.
Dr Stephen Dye
NAPICU
Current Positions Consultant Psychiatrist, Norfolk & Suffolk Foundation Trust, Ipswich Department of Justice, Medical Member, First Tier Tribunal (Mental Health) Honorary Senior Lecturer, University of East Anglia Assistant Editor Journal of Psychiatric Intensive Care Current Clinical Post Primary Care Consultant Psychiatry and Assessment, East Suffolk (since 2018) Previous Clinical Posts Psychiatric Intensive Care Consultant Suffolk (2014-2018) Acute Psychiatry Consultant, Suffolk (2011-2014) PICU Consultant (Buckinghamshire) (2001-2011) Previous non Clinical Positions NHS England, Clinical Lead, COVID Behavioural Change Unit
- Worked on day a week for a year in 2020/2021
- Main focus was working towards implementation of COVID vaccination programme
- Executive Committee member 2001-2013, Research Director 2013-17
- performed reviews upon other PICUs and their services
- prepared bids for monies to advance psychiatric intensive care
- developed a specialist PICU advisory service
- Centre for Quality Improvement: chair of AIMS acute inpatient service (2010-15)
- Eastern Regional Speciality Representative (General and Community Psychiatry) (2012-16)
- Coordinator for Psychiatric Intensive Care (2004-06)
Bernard J Fox
Director of Patient Experience
NAPICU
Bernard J. Fox suffered his first major psychotic episode in 2004. Sectioned, he spent time both in PICU and Acute care. Over three main admissions, Bernard has had direct experience of two PICUs and four Acute Wards. Since joining the NAPICU Executive Committee, Bernard has visited numerous PICUs across the country with NAPICU interest in mind. Bernard has been involved in NAPICU's collaboration with BAP (Rapid Tranquillisation Guidance) DIMH and the NAPICU/RCPSYC AIMS PICUS Accreditation scheme. Most recently assisting the UEA with Psychology training and examination. Fervently pro uniform for Hospital settings he remains very keen to share his experience where it might help to improve Patient/Care providers outcomes and job satisfaction.
Darcy Gasson
Occupational Therapist
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Aisling Butler and Darcy Gasson are occupational therapists (OTs) who work for Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. Both have experience of working as occupational therapists on acute mental health wards, and working specifically with adults with learning disabilities and/or an autism diagnosis. As occupational therapists, they have a particular interest in how people experience their environment, the impact this has on daily activity and are passionate about improving mental health ward environments for all who are cared for, or work within them. Both Darcy and Aisling are advocates for amplifying the service user experience and voice to improve healthcare delivery.
Stence Guldager
Architect, Business Area Manager
Arkitema
Danish Architect MSc. Stence Guldager, business area manager and associated partner in Arkitema. Stence has worked with architecture in the healthcare sector for the last 13 years and has experience with large hospital, psychiatric and care facilities in general. In her work with mental health design, Stence has been involved in two award-winning psychiatries in Denmark, The psychiatry in Vejle and the New Skejby Psychiatric Centre (Project of the Year - New build International). Healing Architecture is a corner stone to Stence's specialist field and especially in mental health care facilities it all relies on a thorough understanding of the functionality and social aspects of these buildings and their potentials for being part of a healing environment.
Andrea Harman
Concept Developer
Saint-Gobain Ecophon Ltd
Andrea Harman MSc. is Concept Developer for Healthcare for Saint-Gobain Ecophon, manufacturers and developers of acoustic solutions that contribute to improving interior environments. She has worked in the field of room acoustics for over twenty-five years helping to create spaces that acoustically link design to both the needs of users and the activity taking place. She is active in developing knowledge sources on the connection between sound and well-being and investigating how the acoustic feel of a room can affect performance, recovery, interaction and social inclusion.

Karen Howell
Director
Iteriad
Dr Claire Iveson
Suicide Prevention Lead
Merseycare NHS Trust
Dr Claire Iveson is an experienced Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Clinical and Strategic Lead for Suicide prevention in Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust. Claire has worked in clinical practice in a range of settings for more than twenty years and has further training in specialist psychological approaches specifically for those who self -harm or are at risk of suicide. Claire was the main author of the new ZSA SHARE resource published on the 2021 Consensus statement for sharing information and suicide prevention. Claire is the Clinical and Strategic lead for safety planning and is responsible for designing and implementing a system wide suicide prevention strategy applicable to all settings, service users and the workforce. She is a champion for evidenced based initiatives and innovative practice to support suicide prevention within NHS and population health.
Rosemary Jenssen
Jenssen Architecture
The presentation by Rosemary Jenssen, Director Jenssen Architecture Ltd, will cover my personal perspective on:- An update on the Mental Health Design Health Building Notes by the appointed Technical Co-Author. Including work in progress on the Adult and C&YP Supplements for Low and Medium Secure, key changes and recommendations, Technical engagement feedback summary, design differentiations between services and "what good looks like". Next steps and future updates.
Cath Lake
Director
P+HS Architects
Cath is a hugely experienced Architect, and an energetic supporter of all Stakeholders; Experts by Experience, Families and Staff. She is passionate in her commitment to improving healthcare environments, particularly those concerned with mental health and dementia. Cath became a Director at P+HS Architects in 2013 and provides Director lead for mental healthcare work across the practice. Since 2015, Cath has also taken an active role as a Board member of the Design in Mental Health Network, being involved in a number of workstreams and co-authored DIMHN's Stakeholder Engagement toolkit.
Richard Mazuch
Director of Design Research and Innovation
Arcadis IBI Group
Richard is the founder of IBI TH!NK. An advocate of evidence-based design, Richard creates innovations that positively impact on specific patient groups. Sense Sensitive Design, Emotional Mapping, the Design Prescription, Sensory Plans and Design Heals are a few of the models that he has successfully pioneered. Richard gains great satisfaction from translating holistic ideas into radical but pragmatic solutions actively collaborates with manufacturers, and creates interventions, such as the BedPod and Sensory Doorway. He has worked extensively with Dementia expert clients in Canada, USA, Europe, Australia and Malaysia sharing his ERB knowledge underpinning "Sense Sensitive Design and the Aging Process".
Rachelle McDade
Associate Director Healthcare
Currie & Brown
Originally a hospital architect for 20 years, achieved a Masters from MARU; and have been working as a healthcare planner since. Passionate about improving the healthcare environment through biophillic architecture; with a strong focus on patient & staff well being. I have a passion for designing innovative & sustainable healthcare solutions. Currently focused on enhancing patient pathways through digital healthcare, reducing LOS & aiding patients' recovery.
Mark Nugent
Associate Director
Medical Architecture
Mark is an Associate Director at Medical Architecture, based in London. He has 15 years of experience in healthcare design and has delivered a wide range of schemes, including acute, mental health and community projects. He is an experienced architect and masterplanner, with a comprehensive understanding of the healthcare sector, with previous experience working within an NHS Trust. His work includes a number of award-winning mental health projects, including Clock View Hospital in Liverpool, Hopewood Park Hospital in Sunderland, and Glenside Health Campus in Adelaide, Australia.
Stephen Parker
Behavioral Health Planner
Stantec
A senior medical planner and behavioral health subject matter expert, Stephen is a proponent of "architect as advocate" for colleague, client, and community alike, and he believes strongly in leadership through service. His current work? Conducting design research and developing best practices in collaboration with our global Behavioral Health team-helping to drive positive patient outcomes and advance behavioral health treatment through design.

Naddy Parperi
Partner
Troup Bywaters + Anders
Francis Pitts
Principal
Architecture+
Francis Murdock Pitts is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading planners and designers of psychiatric facilities and as a leader in the development of an evidence-based design practice culture in North America He has consulted on more than 150 projects involving well over 20,000 mental health beds in clinical settings located in in all parts of the United States and Canada. He has served as National Vice President of the American Institute of Architects and as President of both the AIA’s Academy of Architecture for Health and the American College of Healthcare Architects. In his leadership positions in these institutions he has advocated the development of practice cultures that evince evidence-based design. He speaks widely and publishes articles on the lessons that can be learned from exemplary hospitals and the application of research evidence to hospital design.
Professor Paula Reavey
Professor of Psychology and Mental Health
MSc Mental Health & Clinical Psychology London South Bank University
Professor Reavey's research is concerned with the relationship between psychological processes (namely memory, emotion, mental health), cultural practice and environments. For the past 20 years, she has conducted research in a variety of inpatient and community mental health settings, across general and secure psychiatric environments, and has worked as part of interdisciplinary research and clinical groups, with colleagues from across the world. She has published over one hundred articles and ten books and is the founder of the Design with People in Mind book series, on behalf of the Design in Mental Health Network, UK.
Ruari Reeves
DIrector
Medical Architecture
Ruairi Reeves is an Architect and Director of Medical Architecture, based in London. He has been designing healthcare environments for over 20 years both in the UK and internationally, and he is an Executive Member of Architects for Health. Ruairi is particularly interested in how a patient's environment can contribute to their wellbeing and recovery. Previous completed mental health projects include Glenside Health Campus in Adelaide, Australia, Blossom Court at St Ann's Hospital Tottenham, and most recently the National Forensic Mental Health Hospital in Ireland.
Nick Richards
Project Officer and Lived Patient Experience Lead
Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Nick Richards (Project Officer and Lived Patient Experience Lead) has worked for the NHS for 8 years in Information Technology Roles having previously worked in the private sector. Joined the Programme Delivery team to be the voice of those with both physical and mental health needs.
Mark Richardson
Partner - Head of Sustainability and Innovation
Troup Bywaters + Anders
Mark, a partner at TB+A and a chartered mechanical engineer, has worked for over 15 years in leading global engineering consultancies in the building sustainability field. Within these roles, Mark leads teams to drive sustainable innovation into projects, often global firsts and award-winning. Having worked in multiple countries and sectors for a range of clients, Mark has developed a strong understanding of what makes real projects successful and how to maximise the sustainability of these buildings across their whole life. He speaks regularly at conferences around the world both virtually and in person.
Dr Laura Rodriguez-Labajos
Healthcare Scientist (Research)
NHS Scotland Assure
Dr Rodriguez-Labajos is a senior researcher with extensive academic and industry research experience in the healthcare-built environment and construction fields. This work spans from project initiation and development to evaluation and publishing. She worked for 4 years as the principal researcher for the collaborative program between Glasgow Caledonian University and Health Facilities Scotland conducting research on estates and facilities strategic management. Since the formation of NHS Assure, she has successfully led and delivered a number of systematic literature reviews on water engineering and facility design that have informed the development of guidance, policy, and future research. Laura has a particular interest and is committed to improving the methodologies used for conducting research within the field.
Emma Sithole
Founder and CEO
The Recovery Foundation
Emma used her Lived Experience to found The Recovery Foundation a charity based in Birmingham that provides peer support groups and training to individuals and organisations. She is passionate about helping individuals to find, grow and sustain hope, as an essential component to recovery from mental illness. She lectures at The University of Birmingham and has experience working for Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust in Secure and Complex Care. Emma is married and has two children, loves a Netflix series and can usually be found in her garden.

Nick Smith
Missing Peace Wellness and Support
Lisbeth Uhrskov Sørensen
Consultant
Aarhus University Hopsital Psychiatry
Consultant and associate professor Lisbeth Uhrskov is a teacher, clinician and researcher at the Department of Forensic Psychiatry. She holds a PhD from Aarhus University, Health and an MSc from the London School of Economics. Her main research focus is describing, developing and evaluating the Danish Model of Care for forensic psychiatry. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lisbeth-Sorensen https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisbeth-uhrskov-aarhus-university-hospital/

Matt Speight
Director
Iteriad
Vicky Taylor
National Business Development Manager
Knightsbridge Furniture
Vicky is an experienced Interior Designer, who has spent 19 years working in the Mental Health sector. Following 14 years as Lead Interior Designer and later an Associate with Gilling Dod Architects, Vicky Joined Teal Furniture in early 2018 as Area Manager for Mental Health projects in the North.
With a passion for furniture design, and an absolute understanding of the crucial role it can play in creating safe, non-clinical and calming environments, Vicky has more recently joined Knightsbridge Furniture as National Business Development Manager. Now collaborating with partners across multiple sectors, Vicky is keen to explore how design and innovations from the wider world of contract furniture and Interior Design can positively influence interior choices within mental health settings.
Morten Deleuran Terkildsen
Assistant Professor
Aarhus University Hopsital Psychiatry
Morten Deleuran Terkildsen is a senior researcher at CerF (Centre for forensic psychiatric Research and Development) at the Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Aarhus University Hospital Psychiatry and DEFACTUM in Central Denmark Region. Morten has a PhD degree in anthropology from Aarhus University. He specialises in qualitative studies of forensic psychiatric practices, focusing on staff and patient experiences and the relational agency of human and non-human arrangements.
Taryn Volante
Occupational Therapy Head Acute & Urgent Care
Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
Over the last 14 years I have worked predominantly in Acute mental Health Throughout my career. I am responsible for Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapy Assistants, they provide cover across 16 wards, including male psychiatric intensive care and both male and female acute mental health wards. I work collaboratively with ward managers and service leads identifying areas of good practice and areas for development often requiring skills of innovation, collaboration, and communication to enable positive outcomes. I continue to contribute to service development and ongoing quality improvements which include implementing new ward environments, new ways of working and working with colleagues in various new projects, all to enable service users' recovery. In addition, I have had the opportunity to pursue post graduate training to develop my skills in Occupational Therapy assessments, Sensory Integration, and therapeutic interventions such as Tai chi and yoga with adults with special needs.

Paul Ward
Matron, Stonebow Unit
Worcester Health and Care NHS Trust