Mental Health Act Review Group: Membership
The Scottish Government has set up an independent group to carry out a limited review of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003. The group is chaired by Professor Jim McManus and its membership is drawn from a number of backgrounds.
Chair
Jim McManus is professor of Criminal Justice at Glasgow Caledonian University. He was previously chair of the Parole Board for Scotland and the first Prisons Complaints Commissioner. He regularly works for the CPT, a branch of the Council of Europe which inspects detention facilities, including psychiatric hospitals, throughout Europe and was the co-editor of Mental Health and Scots Law in Practice (Greens, Edinburgh, 2005).
Members
Shaben Begum is the Director of the Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance. Previously she managed the Patients Advocacy Service at the State Hospital. She has been involved in a number of groups concerned with the implementation of the Mental Health Act.
Iain Boddy trained as a psychiatric nurse in Dumfries & Galloway and worked in a variety of clinic specialties before working with Admission & Assessment of elderly, functional mental illness. He moved to work in Quality Assurance/Clinical Governance and from there to a number of management roles across the community. Iain took up his current post as General Manager for Mental Health Services in 2000 and during that period has managed the integrated, joint service for both health & the local authority.
Carolyn Little is a carer. She is Chairperson of the National Schizophrenia Fellowship (Scotland) and also Project Coordinator for User and Carer Involvement (UCI) - a Scottish Charity operating across the Dumfries and Galloway Health Board area which ensures that people who have mental illness, dementia and learning disabilities and their carers, have a voice. Carolyn sits on several local and national groups including the Mental Health Legislation Reference Group and she was a member of the West of Scotland Forensic Advisory Group. In her capacity as Chair of NSF (Scotland) and personally, Carolyn has contributed at several conferences, facilitating workshops and giving presentations. Carolyn took part in the Prospect Training programme in Holland in 2002 – this was organised by EUFAMI (European Federation of Associations of Families of People with Mental Illness), learning about the delivery of training to peers. Prior to becoming Project Coordinator of UCI Carolyn was a freelance writer and continues to contribute to various publications on mental health issues.
Jamie Malcolm was the first full-time Nurse Commissioner appointed to the Mental Welfare Commission. He previously worked as the Nursing Officer at the Commission. He has experience in forensic and acute psychiatry, has worked at the State Hospital, and was a member of the MacLean Committee on serious violent and sexual offenders. He has been closely involved in the Commission's work on the implementation of the 2003 Act.
John Mitchell is consultant liaison psychiatrist in North Glasgow, based at Stobhill Hospital. He is clinical director for north and east area Glasgow Mental health services. He was for a period seconded part time to the Scottish Government to assist in the creation of the Code of Practice to the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003. His clinical interest lies in the area of mental disorder and physical illness interaction.
Isabel Montgomery is a solicitor with a background in civil and criminal litigation. Since 1999 she has taken on a decision making role in various Tribunals. She is currently President of the Private Rented Housing Panel for Scotland, and also sits as a part-time Immigration Judge sitting in venues throughout the UK. She is a part-time chairman of the Tribunal Service hearing a variety of Social Security appeals, and is a convener and appraiser within the Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland. She is also a trained mediator.
Graham Morgan is the advocacy project manager for Highland Community Care Forum, working mainly with Highland Users Group (HUG) and, to a lesser extent, People First Highland. HUG represents the views of people with a mental illness and People First, the views of people with learning disabilities. Graham was previously involved with the Edinburgh Users Forum, East Lothian Involvement Group, Midlothian Users Forum and, to a lesser degree, with the Royal Edinburgh Hospital Patients Council and West Lothian Users Forum. A number of years ago, Graham helped establish McMurphy's, one of the first user run drop-in centres in the UK. Graham is a board member of Vox (Scotland's national user voice) and a member of the management group of See Me (Scotland's campaign against stigma). He also served on the Millan Committee that carried out the review of the 1984 Mental Health Act. Graham was awarded an MBE for services to mental health some years ago. Graham is a user of services and has been sectioned in the past, but not under the present Act.
Annie McGeeney is currently employed as Fieldwork Manager Mental Health in South Lanarkshire Council. Since qualifying as a Mental Health Officer, Annie has worked in a variety of mental health settings and is an active participant in a range of working groups involved in progressing the mental health agenda in Scotland.
Hilary Patrick is qualified as a solicitor and has worked in mental health law and policy for many years. She was a member of the steering group for the Promotion of the Incapable Adults Bill and of the Millan Committee, which reviewed mental health law in Scotland. She has written widely on mental health law and her latest book was published in 2006. Ms Patrick is an Honorary Fellow in the Law School at Edinburgh University.
