Douglas
Gentleman
qualified in medicine from Glasgow University in 1978 and
after postgraduate training posts in Scotland and England became a consultant
neurosurgeon in Dundee in 1992. He is now the full-time clinical head of the
brain injury rehabilitation service for NHS Tayside, and is working to develop
and improve local services for people with brain injury through partnerships
that involve the NHS, local authorities and the voluntary sector.
Douglas has been on the SHIF management committee wince
1994 and was its convenor from 199902994. He led SHIF’s work on producing
standarrds in brain injury rehabilitation, and would now like to see it develop
its role in education and help to raise the profile of brain injury among
Scottish health and local authority managers and planners.
Douglas also chairs the Scotland Development Committee of
Headway – the Brain Injury Association, and he is a non-executive director of
Momentum and a member of the Steering Group for the new Managed Clinical Network
for acquired Brain Injury in Scotland.
Tom
McMillan Professor
McMillan holds the degrees of Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the
University of Aberdeen, Master of Applied Science in Clinical Psychology from
the University of Glasgow and Doctor of Philosophy in Psychopharmacology from
the University of London. He is a Chartered Psychologist and a Fellow of the
British Psychological Society. He was the founder and first Chair of the
subdivision of the British Psychological Society relevant to clinical
neuropsychology. He is the Chair of the sub-committee of the Division of
Neuropsychology concerned with the development of training in clinical
neuropsychology.He became Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology in the Faculty
of Medicine at the University of Glasgow in 1999. He is seconded two days per
week to Greater Glasgow Health Board where he advises on development of
rehabilitation services for brain injured people and assesses the rehabilitation
needs of individuals referred to them. Included here is the development of a
strategy for brain injury rehabilitation for Greater Glasgow, the first tangible
outcome of which has been the commissioning and building of a new community
treatment unit which has recently opened in the Gorbals redevelopment area. For
6 years he worked at the Institute of Psychiatry in London in forensic
psychology and neuropsychology. For 10 years he was Head of Clinical Psychology
for Neurosciences at St George’s Healthcare, London (comprising Atkinson
Morleys Hospital and the Wolfson Rehabilitation Centre). He has worked
clinically and in research with people who have a brain damage since 1981. He
has edited several text books and monographs on the nature, effects,
rehabilitation and services required by brain injured people and has authored
around 90 scientific publications. He has an interest in the assessment and
rehabilitation of people with severe physical disability who might be in a
minimally conscious state or a “locked in” state. He has worked in the area
of assessment and rehabilitation of brain injured people and has been advising
on their rehabilitation needs, long-term placement and care needs for 20 years.
He has worked as an expert witness for 20 years.
Kitty
Mason is
a Planning and Commissioning officer in the City of Edinburgh social work
department. She has a responsibility for brain injury and is trying to raise the
awareness of brain injury and the need for developments within local services,
along with colleagues and service providers. Currently Kitty is the convenor of
the Brain Injury Action Group Edinburgh and Lothians.
Ian
J Swann has
a long-standing involvement and interest in the management of patients with head
injury. Since 1980 he has been consultant in Accident & Emergency Medicine
at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. During this time he has been responsible for the
clinical care of head injured patients in the A & E department and the short
stay ward including the non-neurosurgical management of more seriously injured
patients, both in the ward and in a follow-up clinic. He has been actively
involved in relevant studies and education and has recently organised courses to
promote the SIGN Guideline no 46 in various locations throughout Scotland.
Paul
Toy sustained a serious head injury in 1986 as a
consequence of a road traffic accident.
Paul was admitted to Glasgow Royal Infirmary, transferred to the southern
General Hospital and subsequently to the Astley Ainslie rehabilitation hospital.
It soon became evident to Paul that he would be unable to return to his
employment as an electrician. He therefore embarked on a process of education,
which resulted in him gaining a number of higher certificates of education and a
Bachelor of Arts degree from Strathclyde University
Paul has since worked as a Community Education Worker, Adult Educator, Day
Centre Officer and Head Injury Project Co-ordinator. He has worked on an
outreach basis with individuals with a head injury, facilitated head injury
workshops for both clients and carers and is responsible for discharge planning
for patients with a head injury who have been admitted to Glasgow Royal
Infirmary
Paul was awarded a University Certificate in Brain Injury Rehabilitation prior
to taking up his post as Glasgow Royal Infirmary’s Head Injury Project
co-ordinator. Paul’s education and employment experience have provided him with
a theoretical and practical understanding of head injury rehabilitation. He I
aware of both Statutory an voluntary services which provide; social, leisure,
training, employment, housing, support, etc., to individuals with head injury
and their carers.
He also has an understanding of NHS rehabilitation services and private
organisations which provide rehabilitation services to individuals with a head
injury.
Paul has an understanding of the aims and objectives of the Scottish Head Injury
Forum and will endeavour to promote the work of the Forum to the best of his
abilities. As a current member of the management committee He is committed to
the on-going work of SHIF.
Janet Foggo
Janet qualified in Speech and Language Therapy in 1980 and worked in various
paediatric and adult posts in Glasgow, Blackpool and Lanarkshire.
She developed her interest and specialism in adult neurological work and
from 1990 until 1999 she worked at the Scotcare Brain Injury Unit (now Central
Scotland Brain Injury Unit) in Bonkle, Wishaw.
It was in this post that she developed an interest in brain injury
service development.
She was appointed as Project Leader to the West Lothian Community Rehabilitation
and Brain Injury Service at its inception in December 1999 and has been managing
the service since then. Janet
remains committed to developing services for individuals within ABI and their
families.
Dorothy
Strachan,
Dorothy is the Manager of the Momentum Pathways, Aberdeen Brain Injury
Vocational Services. She joined Momentum Pathways in 1996 as an Employment Support
Worker. In March 2002 she was
appointed as the Manager of the service.
Dorothy originally trained as a Registered General Nurse and worked for 14 years
in the National Health Service, prior to returning to University in 1992.
She graduated from the Robert Gordon University with a BA (Hons) Business
Studies in 1995.
Dorothy is involved in several groups in the area of brain injury, including:
The Brain Injury Grampian (carers) Support group, Aberdeen City Brain Injury
Task group and Grampian Brain Injury Strategy Group.
Elaine
Westwater
Elaine is the Manager of the Fife Traumatic Brain Injury Service, Fife Council
Social Work Service.
Elaine gained her diploma in Social Work in 1989 and has held many positions
throughout the Social Work Service in Fife e.g. adult/children disability
sections (physical and learning disability), Children and Family Teams
(assessment/care management and residential), in addition to working with the
elderly.
She has retained the position as Manager of Fife Traumatic Brain Injury
Service since September 1996 and has been responsible for providing a Fife-wide
social rehabilitation resource to adults who have sustained a TBI. Other
responsibilities include meeting the needs of relatives, carers, and friends’
where appropriate. Furthermore, to raise awareness with regards the nature and
effects of TBI.
Kay
Forbes
Kay is a speech and language therapist. She has been working with adult
acquired communication and swallowing disorders since 1995.
Her experience of clinical work has been in community, acute and rehab settings
in a number of hospitals and centres in Lanarkshire and Glasgow. She has had
significant experience in stroke, working closely with the Stroke MCN and
developing services with CHSS through their VSS groups.
Kay’s previous experience in management of part of a speech and language therapy
service and liaising with local authority, voluntary sector, etc., and service
delivery to an urbanised locality. She has a keen interest in neurology and has
an additional BSc in Anatomy.
Currently Kay works in the Central Scotland Brain Injury Rehabilitation Centre
with a wide spectrum of acquired brain injury problems ranging from mild to
minimally conscious.
Kay is excited by the
prospect of helping contribute to the head injury forum in the future
Alistair Stewart
Alistair is the Social Worker for West Dunbartonshire Council's Acquired
Brain Injury Team. He gained his B.A Social Work through Strathclyde
University and in 2008 completed a Post Graduate Certificate in Brain
Injury Rehabilitation. In his role as Social Worker he is dedicated to
making a difference in vulnerable people's lives and assisting them to
achieve their goals. In his spare time he is a keen fly fisher for trout in and
around
Glasgow.
