Louisa Powell - Hospital Manager

Louisa is a Registered Mental Health Nurse, with 15 years’ experience. Prior to starting with Cygnet Louisa worked as a Service Manager for Forensic Community Services and Inpatient Clinical Manager of an NHS MSU.

Having first worked in care at 16 years old; Louisa’s interest in Mental Health Nursing started whilst studying BA (Hons) Criminology and Social Policy. After graduating in 2005 from the University of Kent she joined Greenwich University to complete her nurse training. Prior to joining Cygnet, Louisa’s career was in Forensic Mental Health, and she has experience in senior level leadership in both inpatient and community services.

In 2018 she led the development of Kent’s first Forensic Outreach and Liaison Service, working closely with the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Provider Collaborative and she has recently completed her MBA (Leadership Practice) and Senior Leaders Apprenticeship with The Open University. She is an accredited Charted Manager and Member of the Chartered Management Institute.

Louisa is passionate about providing excellent patient care and delivering services which drive excellence outcomes for both service users and staff.

Laurie Burleton - Clinical Services Manager

Laurie is a Registered Mental Health Nurse with 10 years’ experience. Prior to working at Cygnet Laurie was a Service Manager for a Staff Mental Health Wellbeing Service which supported all staff members across the local area.

Laurie first began her career in care working as a support worker within learning disabilities services in 2011 whilst studying to become a nurse. She qualified as a Mental Health Nurse in 2013 and gained an MA in Healthcare Practice in 2017 to strengthen her leadership skills, academic rigour and abilities to link research to evidenced-based practice. Laurie has a passion for patient centred care and has experience of working senior leadership roles, including within an NHS MSU as a Matron.

Alison McCulloch - General Manager

Alison joined Cygnet Hospital Maidstone as Head of Admin in May 2018. Prior to this Alison spent almost 14 years working for a local training company where she managed a training centre which supported unemployed adults develop skills and gain qualifications to help them get back to work. Alison graduated from Greenwich University with a degree in Business Administration. Alison was appointed general manager of the hospital in May 2021.

Dr Doreen Attard - Medical Director and Consultant Psychiatrist

Dr Attard is a Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist with expertise in Adult Forensic Mental Health. She is the Responsible Clinician on Saltwood Ward, the Adult Male Low Secure (LSU) service at Cygnet Hospital Maidstone. Dr Attard joined Cygnet Health Care in February 2017 and then Maidstone in December 2018. She has been the Medical Director for this service since June 2020.

Dr Attard completed her core and senior training in the South West London and St Georges training scheme. She has significant experience in working within various different specialties and levels of security within forensic mental health, as well as within the criminal justice system and prisons. Over the years, she has worked both within the NHS and the independent sector. Dr Attard has been involved in various service development projects within the general adult services, as well as male and female forensic services, and has significant training and experience in management.

Dr Attard has a special interest in medicolegal practice and a passion for mental health law, as well as other areas of law in general. She has significant experience in conducting expert witness reports for the Courts, as well as independent reports for defense and prosecution cases. She holds a Masters Degree with Commendation in Mental Health Law, as well as a Bachelors Degree in Law, both with the Northumbria University School of Law. Whilst continuing with her full time roles as a Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist and Medical Director, she continues to study law via long distance learning, and also completed a Masters Degree in Medical Law and Ethics with the University of Law.

Dr Ramesh Muthuswamy - Consultant Psychiatrist

Dr Muthuswamy has completed his higher training at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust where he worked in Liaison, Forensic, Perinatal, Acute Psychiatry and Specialist Eating Disorders services at St Thomas, Royal Bethlem and Maudsley hospitals. He also has special interests in eating disorders and completed his training in Quality Improvement. He received his Certificate of Completion of Training ( CCT) in General Adult Psychiatry with Liaison Psychiatry endorsement. He has also completed his Masters in Psychiatric practice at the University of Hertfordshire with distinctions in 'Recovery Model of Psychiatry' and ‘Service Improvement Project’ for patients with ASD.

He is actively involved in service improvement projects to improve patient care and has given both oral and poster presentations at national and international conferences. One of his projects was nominated for the Douglas Bennett prize by The Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Dr Muthuswamy is the consultant Psychiatrist for the Bearsted ward, Psychiatry Intensive Care Unit for males. He is also a NHS consultant Psychiatrist for the Eating Disorders Service.

He held a Honorary Visiting Senior Lecturer post with Canterbury Christ Church University, Institute of Medical Sciences. He acted as a principal investigator for self-help interventions for patients with Anorexia Nervosa, a multi-centre national study and also worked as sub-investigator for a depression study in collaboration with Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London. He is passionate about quality improvement, leadership and medical education.

Dr Somasekhara Omkar - Consultant Psychiatrist

Dr Somasekhara Omkar completed his MBBS from University of Mysore, India in September 1997. He was awarded Membership of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 2004. He completed higher specialist training in Forensic Psychiatry in West Midlands with Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) in Forensic Psychiatry in December 2007. Dr Omkar joined Cygnet Hospital Maidstone in 2018.

Dr Omkar has expertise in female medium and low secure forensic environments, female rehabilitation and male and female PICU environments. He has been clinically managing patients with complex risks and needs. He is an accredited Lead Reviewer of Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Quality Network for Forensic Mental Health Services through the College Centre for Quality Improvement (CCQI). Dr Omkar has been Clinical Lead during an environment of implementing and managing change that led to a significantly improved CQC rating.

Dr Omkar is the Consultant Psychiatrist of Saltwood Ward, our low secure mental health service for men. Dr Omkar is passionate about engaging with the patient’s voice, collaborative risk assessments and ensuring outcomes are met.

Dr Walter Nzeakah – Consultant Psychiatrist

Dr Walter Nzeakah is the Responsible Clinician and Consultant Psychiatrist for Kingswood Ward, our male high dependency psychiatric rehabilitation service. He has completed a six-year Psychiatry specialist training program and is a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in good standing. He is approved by the Secretary of State for England under Section 12 as an Approved Clinician.

Dr Nzeakah is passionate about Quality Improvement and committed to enhancing patient’s experience of care. As the first Specialist Doctor appointed for Kingswood Ward, he was instrumental in developing and improving service delivery on the ward, contributing to the consolidation of admission, clinical review and discharge processes after the ward opened. He led on the project to achieve the Royal College of Psychiatrists endorsed AIMS Accreditation for the ward, spearheading the introduction and enhancement of multiple clinical standards and processes. This culminated in the ward achieving full accreditation in November 2021.

Dr Nzeakah also served as a Participating Physician & Clinician Rater in the World Health Organization (WHO) organized Ecological Implementation Field Studies for International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) Mental and Behavioral Disorders Section in 2017. He has completed short courses in Quality Improvement in Healthcare: The Case for Change organized by University of Bath and Leadership for Healthcare Improvement and Innovation organized by the University of Warwick.

Joe Njemo - Bearsted Ward Manager

Joe is a Mental Health Nurse who graduated from Canterbury Christ Church University in 2019. He has worked at Cygnet Hospital Maidstone for the past four years, he initially started as a RMN and has progressed to Ward Manager.

Prior to this Joe worked in an NHS PICU ward. Prior to qualifying as a nurse Joe worked as a Pharmacy Technician in a variety of settings including, community, prison and mental health wards.

Joe has a passion for working in PICU wards and is dedicated to improving the experience for our patients. Joe is currently the Ward Manager for Bearsted Ward.

Moreen Ajibola-James - Kingswood Ward Manager

Moreen qualified as a Registered Mental Health Nurse in 2013 at The University of Greenwich. Having worked as a nurse in a 50 bedded nursing home with older adults suffering from dementia, Moreen progressed as Deputy Manager and then took on as Acting Manager for a year. Moreen moved on to another dementia home as Unit Manager before moving on to the NHS.

Moreen started working for Cygnet in 2019 as a nurse on Saltwood (Low Secure Unit), and became Clinical Team Leader in 2020. Moreen enjoyed working with forensic patients, the community team, as well as working in collaboration with consultants and the multidisciplinary team at large. Moreen is currently the Ward Manager for Kingswood.

Joanne Austin - Roseacre Ward Manager

Jo has worked in varied mental health settings since qualifying in 2014, much of her experience has been in a rehabilitation setting and within long stay female wards. Jo has also spent time managing a specialised learning disability and autism ward where she gained experience communicating with individuals who find this challenging and learning how best to communicate with each individual.

Jo enjoys leadership roles and loves supporting teams to ensure quality care and advocating for people. One of Jo’s passions is DBT and loves using this model in her nursing practice and supporting others to use it within in their nursing care. Jo is now Roseacre’s Ward Manager and looking forward to developing the ward.

Conor Corcoran - Saltwood Ward Manager

Conor joined the Cygnet Hospital Maidstone team in 2024 as the Manager of Saltwood Ward. He gained his BSc in Mental Health Nursing in 2014 at Greenwich University and spent the following ten years working with the NHS. During this time Conor moved up from Staff Nurse to Deputy Ward Manager and enjoyed helping his ward develop an activity focused approach to recovery.

Prior to studying Mental Health Nursing Conor worked as a Health Care Assistant in a number of settings including CAMHS and Older Adults. This experience helped him develop his passion for supporting patients with mental health conditions.

Conor’s aim is to support a ward culture where patients are encouraged to maintain their interests, achieve their goals and thrive in the community.

Dr Ayesha Prout - Head of Psychology

Ayesha Prout is an HCPC registered Chartered Forensic Psychologist, with over 10 years’ experience.

Ayesha comes from the islands of Trinidad and Tobago, where she initially completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology (Hons) at the University of the West Indies in 2009. She then completed her Professional Doctorate in Forensic Psychology (D.Foren.Psy) at the University of Nottingham in 2014. Whilst there, Ayesha worked in a variety of settings including CAMHS, a low secure unit for men diagnosed with Personality Disorder and a medium secure psychiatric unit in the male mental illness service.

Ayesha returned to Trinidad and Tobago, where she was noted to be the only qualified Forensic Psychologist within the country. She has developed expert experience in psychological assessments, risk assessments, formulations and report writing for court processes, for both adults and children. After working for 6 years within the child protection arena, Ayesha developed a passion for understanding the role of adverse childhood experiences in the development of personality and psychiatric difficulties in adulthood, and how best to support such individuals.

Ayesha is very excited to join the Cygnet Hospital Maidstone team, as the values of the hospital align with her own in the delivery of quality service to those within their care. She is keen to aide in the shaping of the Psychology service within the hospital, alongside her team, and to develop close relationships with the wider MDT.

Neil Barker - Head of Occupational Therapy

Neil is an Occupational Therapist having qualified in 2010 with a Master’s Degree, and also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. Prior to joining Cygnet Hospital Maidstone in April 2019, Neil has worked in a variety of settings including adult Learning Disabilities, Adult Rehabilitation, and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. Currently Neil works within the Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit, and manages and oversees the Occupational Therapy service across four wards.

Within Maidstone, Neil has developed a published Occupational Therapy approach called Activity PRN, which supports individuals to participate in meaningful activities as and when required. This project is especially effective in increasing the accessibility and timeliness of activities for patients, as well as increasing activity engagement. Neil has also led in a collaborative project with patients to improve the hospital gardens, which has improved opportunities for physical activity and connecting with nature.

Paula Tappenden - Head of Social Work and Safeguarding Lead

Prior to graduating as a Social Worker in 2016, Paula worked as a residential support worker for young adults who were leaving the care system and working towards full independence.

Following graduation Paula spent two years at Medway Council, working as a generic adult social worker, though specialising in adults living with mental health issues. Paula then joined a hospital in Sussex which had a CAMHS service, with both a PICU and a Tier 4 ward.

Paula later worked for over two and a half years in the Community Forensic Social Work Team at Kent County Council and completed her training as a Social Supervisor (for individuals discharged under s:42 of the Mental Health Act). Paula joined the team at Cygnet Hospital Maidstone as Head of Social Work in May 2023.

Kimberley Kennerley - Administration Manager

Kimberley joined Cygnet Hospital Maidstone in October 2022 as the Administration Manager. She manages the Reception, Mental Health Act administrators and Medical Secretaries alongside being the point of contact for Clinical Bank Staff.

Kimberley has also spent time working in the probation service where she gained her Business Administration Qualifications. She enjoys leadership and managerial roles where she can problem solve, support her teams and empower the staff she manages.

Tina Stevens - Quality Assurance and Contracts Lead

Tina joined Cygnet Hospital Maidstone in May 2019, where she worked on Roseacre Ward and Bearsted Ward as a Support Worker. Tina later moved into the role of Referrals and Compliance Coordinator. Tina became the Quality Assurance and Contracts Lead in July 2022. In addition Tina co leads the Specialist Wellbeing Team with the General Manager and line manages the Activity Coordinators.

Tina consistently strives for excellence in patient care and service delivery that aligns with best practice and regulatory standards. Tina is currently studying to complete her level 3 team leader apprenticeship, she is a passionate leader and manager who strives to further develop for herself and her colleagues.

Rebecca Finley - Physical Health Lead

Rebecca started at Cygnet Hospital Maidstone as the Physical Health Lead in July 2023. Prior to this, she worked in the community as a Stroke Assessor, supporting stroke patients with their rehabilitation at home once being discharged from hospital.

Since leaving college in 2016, after studying Health and Social Care, Rebecca has worked in a secure mental health hospital, the prison service, A&E and phlebotomy.

Rebecca has always had a passion for care and supporting others, as well as promoting independence to patients within every care setting. She is keen to support patients and staff with their physical health and wellbeing whilst developing the physical health services available at Cygnet.

Joyce Garner – Head Housekeeper

Joyce has been a support worker in an Acquired Brain Injury Unit for 10 years prior to changing to a HK role, which led to becoming Head Housekeeper. She was Head Housekeeper at a Bupa Care Home for 7 years before moving to Cygnet Maidstone in August 2018 where she has gradually built up a team of housekeeping staff to keep the hospital cleanliness up to a high standard.

Lee Chivers – Maintenance Manager

Lee originally joined Cygnet in May 2016 as a maintenance assistant at Cygnet Hospital Godden Green. Prior to this he was a plumbing and heating engineer for 14 years. This trade and the skills learnt from it gave Lee the opportunity to achieve further expertise in terms of general maintenance of a building and health and safety regulations.

In June 2018 Lee was appointed Maintenance Manager of Cygnet Hospital Maidstone. Lee has a passion, not just for running a department and maintaining the high quality of standards within the hospital, but also for keeping up-to-date on the regulations required to keep the hospital and patients safe.

When not at work Lee enjoys playing and watching football, listening to music and going to music festivals, but most of all enjoy spending time with family and friends.

Lee Gardham - Head Chef

Lee has a wide range of experience working in hotels, restaurant, schools, café, food manufacturing and care homes and even worked briefly in France. He has spent most of his career as Head Chef in Care Homes improving the food and catering experience for all residents and staff.

Lee has recently volunteered for a local project providing cooked meals for vulnerable families in Maidstone. The service produced over 8000 meals for locals and at Christmas we produced a special meal and box with lots of treats in. The project was then developed into a cooking academy where the meal was sent out with all its ingredients weighed out and alongside that was a recipe and nutrition card with instructions on how to cook the meal.

Lee is proud to be in post at Cygnet Hospital Maidstone and is excited to work with the staff and residents to make the catering experience something to be proud of.