About us
Our Faculty and Executive, is made up of consultant psychiatrists, specialty doctors, trainee psychiatrists, service users and carer group representatives.
We provide a network of rehabilitation specialists, spanning the specialist teams of rehabilitation, early intervention, assertive outreach and forensic psychiatry and aims to stay informed in all fields relevant to us.
Killaspy et al, 2005 define Rehabilitation psychiatry as; ‘A whole systems approach to recovery from mental illness that maximises an individual’s quality of life and social inclusion by encouraging their skills, promoting independence and autonomy in order to give them hope for the future and leading to successful community living through appropriate support’.
Executive committee
| Member | Year of joining | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Dr Sunil Nodiyal | 2021 (E) | Chair |
| Dr Asha Praseedom | 2021 (E) | Vice Chair |
| Dr Hemant Bagalkote | 2021 (E) | Financial Officer |
| Dr Rajesh Mohan | 2021 | Academic Secretary |
| Dr Saeed Alam | 2021 (C) | Regional Representative |
| Dr Shaharyar Alikhan | 2024 (C) | Regional Representative |
| Dr Shahzad Alikhan | 2021 (E) | Committee Member |
| Mr Maurice Arbuthnott | 2023 (A) | Patient Representative |
| Dr Lucy Carrick | 2021 (E) | Committee Member |
| Dr Mohan Chawla | 2021 (A) | Equality Champion |
| Dr Siobhan Connelly | 2023 (C) | PTC Rep |
| Dr Nuwan Dissanayaka | 2021 (C) | Committee Member |
| Dr Jennifer Drife | 2019 (C) | Committee Member |
| Dr Katie Fergus | 2022 (C) | Wales |
| Dr Claire Gallagher | 2021 (E) | Committee Member |
| Dr Charlotte Harrison | 2022 (C) | Sustainability Champion |
| Dr Sridevi Kalidindi | 2017 (C) | Committee Member |
| Dr Priya Khanna | 2023 (E) | Committee Member |
| Dr Helen Killaspy | 2023 (EX) | Committee Member |
| Dr Rebecca Lasseko | 2021 (A) | Regional Representative |
| Dr Sarah Markham | 2023 (A) | Patient Representative |
| Dr Celice McDermott | 2023 (C) | SAC Chair |
| Dr Celice McDermott | 2018 (RRO) | Regional Representative |
| Dr Andrew Molodynski | 2021 (E) | Committee Member |
| Dr Patricia Moynihan | 2013 (C) | Regional Representative |
| Dr Olusegun Popoola | 2022 (A) | Regional Representative |
| Dr Joseph Rodrigues | 2021 (E) | Committee Member |
| Dr Adarsh Shetty | 2015 (C) | Committee Member |
| Dr Neeti Singh | 2021 (C) | Committee Member |
| Dr Mehnaz Zafar | 2023 (E) | Committee Member |
We aim to:
- Provide a body of expert opinion in the fields of rehabilitation and longer term mental health conditions to the College, the Department of Health and other relevant bodies, including service providers, commissioners and voluntary organisations
- Provide advice and positively influence national and international policies as they affect persons with longer term mental health conditions, their carers and the doctors and other professionals involved in their care
- Promote knowledge and understanding and provide opportunities for the professional development of all doctors, allied health professionals, commissioners and managers, in areas relevant to rehabilitation, recovery and social psychiatry
- Advocate for service users with complex longer term psychiatric conditions in all settings in all relevant fora
- Continuously promote and develop postgraduate training in rehabilitation and social psychiatry.
- Support trainers and trainees in the field of rehabilitation psychiatry
encourage and promote scientific study and research in enduring psychiatric disability and the social factors that limit functioning - Collaborate to improve the evidence-base in effective interventions and service models for this service user group
- Act as the coordinating body for the regional networks of rehabilitation psychiatrists
- Set national standards and peer review accreditation of care in psychiatric rehabilitation, in collaboration with our College Centre for Quality Improvement (CCQI)
- Constantly strive to achieve parity of esteem between mental health and physical health
- Strive to improve the physical health of those in rehabilitation settings.
Sunil has other roles in form of associate medical director for appraisals in his trust and also acts as health examiner and medical supervisor for GMC. He is also chair of the northern region consultant committee for the BMA. All these roles have the common theme of maintaining standards amongst the doctors and supporting them in doing their job better. He is passionate about improving the quality of life for patients as well as doctors.
Andrew Molodynski is a consultant psychiatrist at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and Honorary Senior Lecturer at Oxford University, UK. He has worked in community psychiatry for 25 years and has been actively involved in research in the field for 20.
He has published on social and occupational functioning in people with severe mental illness and on different forms of service provision. He has co-edited books on coercion in mental health care and the wellebing of medical students (released January 2024), authored book chapters on assertive outreach, coercion, adult safeguarding, and inpatient care and has published over 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals.
He is the Secretary General of the World Association of Social Psychiatry and chairs their working group on coercion and coordinates its website (www.coercioninpsychiatry.com) which aims to provide education and links for interested parties.
Andrew is the national mental health lead for the UK British Medical Association consultant committee and has campaigned on out of area treatments for children and adults, waiting times for psychological therapies, and inequalities in care.
Current active areas of research include the wellbeing of medical students, doctors, and the wider workforce and the community care of people with severe mental illnesses.
Helen Killaspy is Professor and Honorary Consultant in Rehabilitation Psychiatry at University College London and Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust. She is a former Chair of the RCPsych Faculty of Rehabilitation and Social Psychiatry (2009-2013) and was academic secretary for the Faculty from 2005 to 2008 and the North West Thames regional representative from 2004 to 2009. Helen is the consultant psychiatrist for the Islington community mental health rehabilitation team in North London. She also leads national and international research programmes to improve the quality of care and outcomes for people who need mental health rehabilitation services.
She was the Topic Advisor for the NICE guidance on mental health rehabilitation for people with complex psychosis (NG181: published 2020). From 2015 to 2020 she was National Professional Adviser for mental health rehabilitation services for the Care Quality Commission. Since 2015 she has been the Chair of the Advisory Group to the RCPsych’s Centre for Quality Improvement programme for inpatient and community rehabilitation services (‘AIMS-Rehab’).
Asha Praseedom I am a Consultant Psychiatrist in Adult Psychiatry. I have worked in Cambridgeshire since 2001, and currently, lead an assessment unit at Fulbourn Hospital. Previously I led the Rehabilitation Service at Fulbourn Hospital from 2006 to 2011. In addition, I serve as one of the Associate Clinical directors at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mental Health Trust. My other professional interests include Complex PTSD and psychological therapies, and I am trained in Cognitive Analytic Therapy and EMDR. I am also interested in the effects of prolonged hospitalisation. In my spare time, I am involved in the running of two charities in my local area; Jimmy’s, a provider for the homeless in Cambridge, and the Group Therapy Centre
Adarsh Shetty I am a consultant rehabilitation psychiatrist and started working in Plymouth in June 2022 in the Specialist Outreach Recovery Team (SORT), a community rehabilitation team working with patients with complex psychosis, as per NICE guidelines for mental health rehabilitation. In January 2023, I was also appointed Training Programme Director (TPD) for the South West Peninsula General Adult higher training scheme. Prior to this, between 2009-2022, I worked as a consultant rehabilitation psychiatrist in the South Wales valleys. I was Chair of the Rehabilitation Faculty for RCPsych in Wales between 2016-2021. I have also served as Clinical Director of adult mental health services in my previous job in South Wales.
My interest is in improving rehabilitation networks to support colleagues working in rehabilitation. I have organised rehabilitation peer support meetings in South Wales. I am passionate about raising the profile of rehabilitation psychiatry amongst trainees. I have set up and run Balint groups for trainees in our health board for the last 9 years. I have continued to run trainee Balint groups since moving to Plymouth, having become an accredited Balint supervisor with the Balint Society. I have led the rehabilitation curriculum review as Chair of the Rehabilitation Specialty Advisory Committee (SAC). I have also led quality improvement projects for improving physical health monitoring for patients with severe mental illness. I would welcome questions and suggestions from members about key issues facing rehabilitation services and training in rehabilitation psychiatry.
James Jeffs - I am a consultant psychiatrist and a medical lead in Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation trust and the Regional Representative for Rehabilitation in the South East Division. I am also a clinical lead in NHSE SE. My clinical work is in monitoring planned Out of Area Placements, working in a Community Rehabilitation Team (CREST) and in Adult ADHD.
Hello, I am Rajesh Mohan (Raj), and I am an inpatient rehabilitation consultant in South London and Maudsley NHS trust, based in SE London. I was the previous chair of the Faculty. I am interested in improving the systems for care for people with longer-term mental illness, and I was involved in campaigns to improve the provision of rehab services in all local areas and to reduce the chances of people being sent out of area for treatment. I advocate for evidence-based and integrated models of care where social care and health services are properly resourced, and where care is provided in a way that enables recovery and maximises independence for people with long-term needs. I support RCPsych in advancing equality and equity in mental health. I am involved in teaching medical students and trainees to gain skills in holistic and integrated bio-psycho-social approaches to care. Additionally, I support the faculty with organising our annual conference and events.
Dr Shahzad Alikhan is a Consultant Psychiatrist at St Andrew’s Healthcare. He read medicine and natural sciences (psychology) at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge University and King’s College London and trained in General
Adult and Rehabilitation Psychiatry on the Maudsley Hospital rotation in South London. He has subsequently worked as a consultant in various forensic, neuropsychiatry and high-dependency rehabilitation settings. He currently leads the working
group on physical healthcare in rehabilitation services within the Faculty of Rehabilitation and Social Psychiatry. His clinical interests include forensic psychiatry, neuropsychiatry and a diversity of political and legal aspects of the treatment
of mental health service users. He holds a Masters degree in Mental Health Law and volunteered for 3 years as a psychiatrist and medico-legal expert with the charity Freedom From Torture, working with asylum seekers and refugees.
Lucy Carrick I am a Rehabilitation Psychiatrist in an Intensive Rehab ward in North West Glasgow. I was appointed as Clinical Lead across the NW rehab service but have had to give up the High Dependency Ward to take on a Clinical Director role for now. Greater Glasgow and Clyde Mental Health are currently undergoing a five-year review process. After taking up my rehab post, I very quickly found myself knee-deep in the Rehabilitation Services Review which is ongoing. It is my hope that the work that we are doing will make a difference to our patient group and that, at the end of this, we will have a well-functioning and equitable service across GG&C and Community Rehab team (s) which helps our patients continue their journey once discharged. We still have to shout loud to be heard and we need that data to make our case!
Dr Sridevi Kalidindi is a Consultant Psychiatrist and previous Associate Medical Director at the South London & Maudsley (SLaM) NHS Foundation Trust and Visiting Senior Clinical Lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience.
She is currently the National Clinical Lead for Mental Health Rehabilitation for the Getting It Right First Time programme with NHS England and Improvement, a national quality improvement programme.
Dr Sri is a Leadership and Executive Coach and with her clinical background in psychiatry, she supports leaders to transform to their next levels of ability.
She is also a national Clinical Entrepreneur Fellow with the NHS England and Improvement Clinical Entrepreneurs Programme and is developing a medtech startup.
She is Chair of the Association of Mental Health Providers, the leading representative body for voluntary and community sector mental health organisations in England and Wales, with over 175+ member charities.
She is experienced in adult psychiatric clinical care, innovative clinical service development, contracting, research, teaching and training, policy, media presence, strategy and system leadership.
Dr Sri continues their research, having completed her PhD at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, including having been the Co-Principal Investigator on a multi-site national RCT. She is well-published in peer-reviewed journals and co-edited and co-authored the primary textbook on Rehabilitation Psychiatry in the UK, which was commended by the BMA Book Awards.
Dr Sri has created and delivered bespoke training courses on mental health Rehabilitation for other countries, such as Oman, Qatar and Scotland, and also co-developed national specialist training curricula for those wishing to become Consultants in Rehabilitation Psychiatry. She also contributed significantly to the development and final drafting of the national Mental Health Core Skills Education and Training Framework funded by the Department of Health.
She was awarded ‘Psychiatrist of the Year 2017-18’ by the Royal College of Psychiatrists and remains a spokesperson for the College, strongly advocating for good mental health services, for the population. She was honoured with a CBE in 2019 for services to Rehabilitation Psychiatry.
Joseph Rodrigues is a Consultant Psychiatrist who has been working in Priory Rehabilitation & Recovery services since 2016. He has previously worked as a consultant in community and inpatient rehabilitation, Assertive Outreach, and acute services within the NHS and outside of the UK. Joseph is also an Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist with the National Psychosis Service at South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.
Joseph currently works as a Consultant Rehabilitation Psychiatrist at Priory Nelson House and Medical Director covering Developmental Disorders and Rehabilitation services in Hampshire. Joseph is also Clinical Director for Priory Rehabilitation and Recovery services nationwide.
Joseph has a keen interest in carer support/engagement and was a Trustee to a charity supporting carers for over 5 years.
Joseph has a special interest in neuroimaging, psychopharmacology, and treatment-resistant psychoses.
Claire Gallagher has been a Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist in a Low Secure Unit in Yorkshire for the past fifteen years. Throughout training, she had a special interest in rehabilitation and now finds that she practises these skills regularly in forensic rehabilitation. She has been a CASC examiner over the last ten years and continues to be interested in medical education. Locally, she is a member of the West Yorkshire ICS Complex Rehabilitation Project Group since it began in April 2019. As a result of this work, three new services are to be developed during 2021. Outside work, she tries to do some exercise and keeps up with her children.
Neeti Singh is a Rehabilitation Psychiatrist, working at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Trust for the last five years. As I have an interest in understanding social and environmental impacts of mental illness and healthcare, I have taken up the role of Sustainability Champion for the rehabilitation faculty in the College. I intend to understand and work on the local, national and systemic challenges that would help us to shape a sustainable rehabilitation service for our patients. Such College initiatives inspire me to provide an excellent level of care and keep striving to improve the services.
Regional representatives are our local link. They are invited to attend central executive committee meetings and help influence College and national policies on rehabilitation and recovery.
Regional representatives have a say on local job descriptions for consultants and specialty doctors.
They also have the opportunity to offer rehabilitation expertise to local deaneries and schools of psychiatry.
List of regional representatives
| Name | Region |
| Dr Saeed Alam | London |
| Dr William Calthorpe | West Midlands |
| Dr Maire Cooney | Scotland |
| Dr Arpan Dutta | Mersey |
| Dr James Jeffs | Oxford |
| Dr Priya Khanna | North East |
| Dr Celice McDermott | South West |
| Dr Rajesh Nehete | Eastern |
| Dr Adarsh Shetty | Wales |
| Dr Phalaksh Walishetty | Yorkshire |
| Dr Stephanie Young | London |
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