Biographies

Christina Walsh
Regional Executive Director

Christina has been a Registered Nurse since 1990, and has worked in the independent care sector since 1993. These services have covered a variety of patient groups including younger adults, dementia, elderly and mental health services. Throughout her career Christina has worked in various roles and experiences within the independent sector. She has been in Senior Management roles since 1996. She is an experienced Unit Manager and Regional Manager, who has vast experience of managing services to ensure high standards of care are developed, maintained and that the service continually evolves in order to meet the changing needs of the patients. She has been a registered Manager with Health Authority, National Care Standards Commission and Commission for Social Care Inspection as well as Registered Responsible Individual for large portfolio of care services. Christina has also completed a large number of post registration courses including the Registered Managers Award.

Christina started with PiC in November 2007, after moving from Bupa in order to expand her knowledge & experience in Brain Injury Services to help grow and develop the existing services in Essex & Northampton.

Dr Sean Khine
Consultant Psychiatrist

Dr Khine has been practicing psychiatry in people with a learning disability for many years. He has a wide experience and management of people with a learning disability with a special interest in Autism. He is a member of the National Autistic Society.

Dr Harsha Fernando
Consultant Psychiatrist

Dr Fernando has been qualified since August 1974 – he trained in medicine and surgery and was clinical lecturer in neuropsychiatry. Dr Fernando specialised in psychiatry. He developed and opened a medium secure service for Psychiatry of Learning Disability in East Anglia. Dr Fernando is a member of the British Association for Psychopharmacology and committee member for the Psychopharmacology Section of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Emma MacKenzie Bedford
Unit Manager

Emma joined Oaktree Manor as Unit Manager in 2009. In 1989 Emma qualified as a general nurse who specialised in coronary care and then moved onto cardio thoracic ITU, working at Harefield Hospital in London until 1992 when she started her RMN conversion training at Buckinghamshire College of Brunel University. In 1993 Emma started working for the independent sector at PiC (Kneesworth House) as a staff nurse and progressed to a Night charge nurse. Emma helped with some of the commissioning of the then Redford Lodge Hospital and worked there as a night charge nurse until June 1996. Emma was then working for Rockley Dene Homes Ltd as a commissioning manager and helped commission a 91 bed nursing home in Cricklewood, London (this was the final phase of the closure of Shenley Hospital) and a 50 bed nursing home in Cambridge (part closure of the Ida Darwin Hospital and part private patients).

At this stage Emma was the Registered Manager for the Cambridge home and worked closely with the then registration authority in developing inspection standards. Emma returned to Kneesworth House Hospital in April 1998 as a night co-ordinator until June, 2002. At this time Emma also became involved in audits and policy writing. Emma moved to Cygnet Healthcare where she was employed as a Unit Manager of a private unit with 36 beds. There Emma also acted up for the Clinical Director and Mental Health Act Coordinator in her absence. In February 2006 Emma started working as Head of Nursing at Rowan House Hospital (Care Principles). At the same time Emma was seconded to the then HCC as a peer reviewer and took part in the pilot nations LD audit as well as the audit proper and the revisit audit last year. Emma is also the secretary of the National Forensic Audit group.