Dr Ian McPherson, Director
Ian McPherson is Director of the National Mental Health Development Unit. This requires providing strategic leadership to the organisation and managing the central team and national programme leads to ensure NMHDU builds effective partnership working with the Department of Health, other government departments, regional government offices and Strategic Health Authorities. Also with bodies representing NHS Trusts, Local Authorities, and all other major stakeholders in mental health.
Previously Director of the National Institute of Mental Health in England (NIMHE), Ian has been involved with NIMHE since it was founded in 2002 to support the implementation of the National Service Framework for Mental Health. In NIMHE, as well as Director, he undertook various roles including regional director and lead director on improving access to psychological therapies, primary care, commissioning, older people, and health and social care in criminal justice.
A clinical psychologist by professional background, Ian worked as a practitioner, researcher and trainer for 13 years, before moving into service development and management. He then had 9 years experience as Director of Mental Health for two large NHS Trusts providing a full range of services for up to half a million people, before taking up his post with NIMHE. Through this, he gained significant experience of leading change both in the commissioning and delivery of mental health services and in reconfiguring and integrating health and social care organisations.
Contact: Ian McPherson
Melba Wilson, OBE
The Mental Health Equalities programme is led by Melba Wilson OBE, with Sue Waterhouse leading on Gender and Women and Polly Kaiser on Mental Health in Later Life. Melba has had a broad public policy portfolio in health and social care, in both Executive and Non-Executive capacities in the statutory and voluntary sectors, including chairing a Primary Care Trust.
Kieron Murphy
The Supporting Effective Mental Health Commissioning programme is led by Kieron Murphy. He has a strong background in health and social care commissioning including as a Primary Care Trust Chief Executive and Director of Adult Social Services, as well as significant experience as Director in a Mental Health Trust.
James Seward
The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme is led by James Seward who has been the national programme director of the DH's IAPT work since 2005. James has worked for NIMHE and then NMHDU since 2002, leading the Mental Health Access, Booking and Choice Programme and then as Deputy Director of Service Improvement. Prior to that he was in NHS management, latterly in commissioning roles.
Jim Symington
The Improving Mental Health Care Pathways programme is led by Jim Symington who had a long involvement with NIMHE as a programme director with the London Development Centre and the National Lead for Legislation, as well as a member of the DH Mental Health Act Implementation Advisory Group and a senior advisor to a number of policy development groups. Previously, he worked as a commissioner of mental health services and as a practitioner and manager in both NHS and social care.