I am currently employed by Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust where I have been working for 4 years as Chaplain Team Leader, mainly in an acute adult mental health setting. I am interested in demonstrating to staff how including spirituality as part of healthcare can make their work more effective, more rewarding, and potentially safer. I have given extensive training in the assessment of spiritual strengths and needs and in the provision of spiritual care.

Academically, I have a degree in Psychology with Management Science from the University of Stirling (1984) as well as a degree in Theology from the University of Durham (1989) and, I have recently completed  a Masters in Chaplaincy (Healthcare) at the University of Cardiff.

My first paid employment was as a Nursing Assistant at the Intensive Psychiatric Care Unit in Edinburgh. From there, I moved to the Isle of Wight where I took a lead role in setting up a couple of what were then called mental handicap teams, first as a psychology technician then as a social worker. During this time, I contributed to establishing an advocacy service. I developed a particular interest at the time in the burnout of healthcare staff.

Later, I worked for three years as Assistant Chaplain in Derby, a post I combined with responsibilities as a carer. For some of that time, I served as Chair of the Day Services Committee of Derby Mind.

I am ordained in the Church of England and have worked in a number of parishes in Leeds, Derby, and Sheffield, serving a total of 14 years in parish ministry and remain active in my local church.

I have set up a mental health working team of the Diocesan Faith and Justice Board. I am also establishing another group to explore how health service professionals and church workers can work effectively on a community project. I am also collaborating with a colleague towards developing an assessment tool for looking at the spiritual strengths and needs of people with learning disabilities.

I bring to all my work a combination of applied systems theory, psychology and theology. This helps me to discover effective solutions to often difficult problems such as how to ensure that spiritual care moves towards an equal footing with the more classic trio of psychiatry: medical, physical, and social care.

I have recently had an article accepted for publication in the journal Mental Health, Religion and Culture entitled ‘Training the Workforce in Spiritual Care’. That article takes a systems approach to consider how training can be effectively delivered.

I am married to Marie who works as Volunteering Manager with Christian Aid.

In my spare time, I enjoy walking and camping, photography, going for a pint with friends, or doing work on the house and garden.

My reasons for being a Trustee lie in my desire to see justice in our society and opportunity for those who repeatedly experience exclusion and lack of opportunity. I have had my own difficulties and, in the course of my work, daily hear first-hand accounts of the barriers and stigma that people experience. Serving as a Trustee enables me to contribute in ways that complement my paid work.

Mark Gamsu is Vice Chair of Sheffield Mental Health CAB. He has been on the trustee board for over 15 years. 

Mark works in Public Health and is currently a visiting professor at Leeds Metropolitan University and a national trustee for Citizens Advice.

 

 

Lanny Fairhall has been a CAB Trustee for 30 years. NHS mental health practitioner and manager. Experience and skills in development, governance and personnel.

 

 

Christine Gilligan is a senior lecturer at Sheffield Business School, Sheffield Hallam University. She teaches at undergraduate and post graduate level in the strategy and change area with a focus on complexity theory, sustainability and voluntary sector / social enterprise. She has been a board member of various voluntary organisations and was a non executive director of Sheffield West Primary Care Trust in 2000-2006.

I retired from Sheffield City Council in 2008 where, for 8 years, I had responsibility for obtaining and managing social care services for adults with mental health difficulties.  I have previously also worked as a Probation Officer, Social Worker, lecturer in further education and in economic development.  Prior to coming to Sheffield in 1995 I have lived in a number of places: Birmingham, my home town, Cardiff, York, Shropshire and the south of France.  I have 4 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren and enjoy reading, cinema, theatre and festival going, dancing and meeting up with friends. I am also a trustee for Sheffield Alcohol Support Service. 

Retired in 2009 from the University of Sheffield after many years of teaching, research and consultancy, mainly in Engineering Design. These days he volunteers with and is a trustee of several charities, involving mediation, music and renewable energy as well as volunteering for the CAB.