Jasmine Todd - Hospital Manager

Jasmine qualified as an Occupational Therapist in 2015, she has a wide range of experience working with people with complex physical and mental health conditions, across supported living, day services, hospital services, and community rehabilitation services.

Prior to joining Cygnet Jasmine gained experience in managing and leading teams over different sites and opened a new community day service for people with learning disabilities.

Jasmine joined Cygnet in 2020 to lead the Occupational Therapy Team. In 2022 she became Head of Therapies and managed and supported the wider therapy team, shortly after this she also became Regional Lead OT for the South West, where she managed and led the regions Head OT’s and helped to develop the OT provision across the region.

Jasmine has now stepped up to Hospital Manager at Cygnet Brunel. Jasmine is both person and task focused so is a well-balanced and approachable leader. Jasmine enjoys developing her team and encouraging a client centred approach to promote staff and patient wellbeing and whilst ensuring the service runs effectively and provides high quality care.

Dr Kumi Pillay - Medical Director.

Dr Kumi Pillay trained as a Psychiatrist, completing membership to the Royal College in 2010. There afterwards completing further training in Neuropsychiatry at a regional Neurological Rehabilitation (Burden Centre) inpatient unit. He then set up and led a specialist Neuropsychiatry inpatient service in South Wales for 8 years.

He completed his Masters in Clinical Neuropsychiatry at Birmingham and his dissertation was the first research project to look at psychiatric co-morbidities in those affected by Huntington’s Disease and the impact on length of stay.

He spent a year at a regional Neurological rehabilitation Level 1 service in Bristol as Consultant Neuropsychiatrist before joining Cygnet Health Care at Brunel as Medical Director.

Dr Dave Barker - Regional Medical Director

Dr. Dave Barker is a very experienced and senior Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist.

In his career, he has held many senior roles including: Deputy Regional Medical Director for Cygnet South and Southwest He started the Southwest CPD Programme for the doctors, and is currently the Director of Medical Education for Cygnet Healthcare nationally.

Dr. Barker is well-known to the Brunel team, as he has held the role of Responsible Clinician here since 2023. Before this, he was the Medical Director of Cygnet Hospital Taunton and also worked periodically at Cygnet Hospital Kewstoke in Weston-super-Mare.

Dr. Barker enjoys nurturing medical juniors and helping them develop their careers. He successfully mentored several consultants who are now holding Medical Management roles.

His particular area of interest is in Philosophy in Psychiatry. He also has clinical experience in Learning Disabilities, Neuropsychiatry, General Adult Psychiatry and Forensic Psychiatry. He currently chairs the Acute and PICU Steering Group for Cygnet Healthcare.

In his free time, Dr. Barker reads Philosophy and takes a keen interest in high-end fashion. He is a friendly, jovial and really approachable clinician.

Dr Henk Swanepoel - Lead Neuropsychologist

Dr Henk Swanepoel has been working in the neuropsychological, clinical and forensic field for over 20-years. As a qualified neuropsychologist and clinical psychologist he has extensive experience in the assessment and treatment of brain injuries as well as mental health disorders.

Being a published, double doctorate in neuropsychology and forensic psychology, Dr Henk has lectured and supervised on graduate and post graduate level as a senior lecturer at various universities. Dr Henk is also CAMAG certified by the American Board of Independent Medical Examiners in the evaluation of permanent impairment.

He has a special interest in traumatic brain injuries, neurodegenerative disorders, drug and alcohol abuse, mood disorders, psychosis and personality disorders. His areas of expertise include neuropsychological assessment and rehabilitation, as well as forensic evaluations. He follows an evidence based treatment approach in his goal to make a difference in the lives of his patients.

Dr. Reenee Tan Oliveira - Associate Specialist in Neuropsychiatry

Dr. Reenee Tan Oliveira is the Associate Specialist in Neuropsychiatry at Cygnet Brunel. She has worked within Psychiatric services both within the NHS and the private sector in the Southwest Region since 2008.

Ever since she completed Core Training in Psychiatry, she worked in the SAS grade in Neuropsychiatry in the NHS, followed by various community and inpatient NHS services before joining Cygnet Healthcare in January 2019. She is also Section 12(2) Approved since 2015, and has submitted her AC portfolio to the Approvals panel.

Outside of work, Reenee enjoys cooking, plays backgammon and swims at the local health club.

Jenny Short - Speech and Language Therapist

Jenny qualified as a speech and language therapist in 2002. She has a wide range of experience working with people with complex physical and mental health conditions, across supported living, outpatient, hospital wards, and community rehabilitation services.

Prior to joining Cygnet, Jenny worked in the NHS as a specialist speech and language therapist and also as a research associate with North Bristol NHS Trust and the University of Bristol. She is a named author on a number of papers including the international consensus guidelines for SLT management of Functional Neurological disorder.

Jenny joined Cygnet in 2023 to lead the Speech and Language Therapy Team. She enjoys leading a holistic, service user –led and evidenced based SLT team, including setting up Conversation Café and Nature Group.

Poonam Poonam - Lead Physiotherapist

Poonam is a highly experienced physiotherapist specialising in neurological rehabilitation. With a Master's degree in Physiotherapy (Neurological Rehabilitation) and over 15 years of hands-on experience.

Throughout her career, Poonam has had the privilege of working with prestigious international hospitals, where she has honed her skills in both inpatient and outpatient settings with emphasis on TBI and degenerative neurological disorder patients. Her extensive experience includes managing a wide range of neurological conditions, providing personalized rehabilitation plans, and utilising the latest techniques and technologies to enhance patient recovery and quality of life.

In addition to her clinical practice, Poonam has also contributed to the academic field. She has served as a Teaching Associate, where she supervised the research projects of physiotherapy students. Her role in academia reflects her commitment to advancing the field of neurological rehabilitation and mentoring the next generation of physiotherapists.

She joined Cygnet Brunel as lead physiotherapist in May 2024. She is a valued member of the Brunel team, where her expertise and commitment to patient-centred care make a significant impact on the lives of those she serves.

Mairéad Daly - Head of Occupational Therapy

Mairéad qualified as an Occupational Therapist in 2017. She has a wide range of experience working with people and children with complex physical and mental health conditions. She has worked in areas such as supported living, inpatient mental health services including PICU, hospital wards, neuro-rehabilitation and children’s disabilities.

Mairéad joined Cygnet in 2023 to lead the Occupational Therapy Team. She is excited about this role as it allows her to combine and apply her experience from her roles across acute stroke and mental health settings.

Ellice Johnson - Ward Manager for Pilot Ward

Ellice qualified from Keele University in 2017. She has over 10 years of experience both as a support worker and a nurse working in the private sector with experience of working within female rehabilitation services specialising in personality disorder. She joined Cygnet in Spring 2020 as a physical health nurse before being promoted to head of care in 2021, and then to Ward Manager.

As Ward Manager, her duties include any care management responsibilities delegated by the hospital director and promoting and encouraging a high standard of person centred care by leading the care team. Ellice offers education and support to enable good skilled nursing care and positive patient outcomes alongside mentoring and supervision of staff and monitoring of training compliance and implementation of policies and procedures.

Simon Maxwell - Ward Manager for Pilot Ward

Urmila Dewan - Ward Manager for Clipper Ward

Urmila is a dedicated and compassionate registered nurse with a B.Sc. in Nursing from Nepal, obtained in 2019.

After completing her degree, she worked for a year as a staff nurse in the neuro-medicine ward of a renowned tertiary hospital in Nepal. During this time, she gained invaluable experience in delivering high-quality patient care.

In pursuit of further professional development, Urmila took an English proficiency test and applied for NMC registration to practice as a nurse in the UK. Although the transition was initially challenging due to new country and healthcare system, she found great support from the diverse and inclusive culture at Cygnet.

She became a registered UK nurse in 2021 and began her career in the UK working on Yawl ward, followed by nearly a year tenure in Clipper ward.

With a strong commitment to providing exceptional nursing care, Urmila was honoured to take on the role of Ward Manager. Her focus is always on ensuring the best outcomes for service users, fostering a supportive environment for staff, and leading with empathy and a positive attitude. She believes that a warm smile and dedication to care can make a meaningful difference in the lives on those we serve.

Jamie Green - Clinical Manager

Jamie qualified in 2014 from the University of South Wales as a Registered Mental Health Nurse.

He has over 15 years’ experience in the mental health sector as a support worker and mental health nurse working in private and national health services. He has worked in a wide variety of settings, gaining experience in medium and low secure forensic settings, CAMHS, acute admissions and treatment, PICU and older adult services before moving into neuro-psychiatry.

Jamie joined Cygnet in April 2023 as Ward Manager before moving into his current role as Clinical Manager in January 2024. Jamie’s role at Brunel is to drive and embed the latest evidence based clinical practice to deliver optimal care ensuring compliance with statutory regulations and quality standards.

He is a compassionate and inclusive leader overseeing a vast multi-disciplinary and nursing team and plays a key role supporting the Hospital Manager clinically and operationally.