CEO International Mental Health Collaborating Network (UK)

John has worked in community mental health development for years as a clinician, manager, policy maker, change agent and educator. In the 1970’s he worked in South Wales as a manager in 3 hospitals changing the culture and services. In 1976-1988 he was the General Manager of Devon Health Authority, developing the first comprehensive mental health service in the UK resulting in the closure of 3 psychiatric institutions.

He then became a senior policy adviser in the Department of Health reviewing previous mental health policies and formulating new policies and initiatives. In 1992 he established and directed the Center for Mental Health Services Development at Kings College, London.This was established by the DoH to assist in the implementation of policy.

He was the Director of Operations and Service Development at North Birmingham Mental Health Trust that pioneered the mental health community functional teams that later became national policy and implemented throughout England.

Together with colleagues across the world he established the International Mental Health Collaborating Network(IMHCN) in 1993, an International NGO and is the current Chief Executive. He has been and is still a mental health adviser to Ministries of Health and Health Authorities in: Australia,New Zealand,India,Malaysia,Serbia,Romania,France,Italy,Ireland, Argentina.

He has been a senior consultant with WHO in Kosova, Albania and Macedonia and program manager for WHO in Palestine.

He has been a Senior Lecturer at Brunel University and Kings College in London and in others around the world over the last 40 years.

He provides consultancy and training on Whole Life-Whole Systems and Recovery/Discovery, organisational and community development, the management of change in the UK and other countries.