The AMHP Leads Network has appointed fresh leadership to represent the views of those responsible for approved mental health professional (AMHP) services.
Christina Cheney and Robert Lewis have stepped down as co-chairs after just over two years at the helm.
Kirsten Bingham, AMHP lead at Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust, remains as co-chair, a position she was appointed to earlier this year, with three colleagues also stepping into the role:
- Jill Hemmington, course lead for the AMHP programme at the University of Central Lancashire.
- Darrell Johnson, service lead in Salford, Greater Manchester.
- Dominic Marley, AMHP lead for Brighton and Hove.
The network's role is to provide representation for leads across England and Wales and influence policy on issues facing AMHPs.
Impact of network under outgoing chairs
Under Cheney and Lewis's leadership, the network has:
- Highlighted AMHPs' role in preventing Mental Health Act assessments and admissions, called for data to be collected on it and argued that strengthening this function could significantly reduce use of the MHA.
- Sought to influence the planned reform of the Mental Health Act 1983, including by arguing that the new Labour government should seek to reduce detentions under the existing act to provide time for it to take a more radical approach to legislative change than is currently planned.
- Raised concerns about pressures on AMHPs, including by warning that the service was having to absorb work from elsewhere in the mental health system.
- Flagged issues about the impact of the police's 'right care, right person' policy, under which they will not attend mental health incidents unless a crime is suspected or there are significant safety concerns.
- Joined forces with the children's and adults' principal social worker networks to seek to shape policy on social care and social work.
Highlighting the value of the AMHP role
In a parting statement, they described undertaking a role as a "privilege" and welcomed their successors as "brilliant colleagues".
They added: "We are both passionate about the AMHP role and hold the belief that AMHPs, AMHP leads and AMHP services should be involved at every level of service and policy development locally and nationally.
"While there was always more we could have done, we hope that we step down at a really healthy time for the network. We can all offer something, the more that do, the easier it is."
Cheney, formerly AMHP service manager in North Yorkshire and assistant strategic lead for adult social care mental health for NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board, has taken up a new role as strategic lead for mental health, prisons and multi-agency public protection arrangements in East Riding.
Lewis has been AMHP service manager at Devon council since 2015.
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