Biographies

Terry Heenan,
Head of Management of Violence and Aggression

Terry has worked for Partnerships in Care (PiC) for over 14 years and is based at the Head office in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire as Head of Management of Violence and Aggression (MVA).

His role is to oversee the MVA function across PiC Hospitals and Units. This requires maintaining and improving on best practice across the units which care for patients with complex mental health needs, including mental illness, personality disorders, learning disabilities and/or brain injury. It also involves operating to nationally recognised minimum standards and implementing the principles, practice, interventions and techniques of the General Services Association (GSA).

This role allows Terry to facilitate and oversee GSA tutor training for all PiC Hospitals and Units as well as liaising with and training external organisations such as other Independent Sector providers as well as NHS Trusts.

Terry is a member of the GSA Senior Tutor group and is on the GSA Board of Directors where he takes the lead for the association's physical skills core curriculum.

In October of 2003, Terry was invited to attend, on behalf of the Independent/ Private Sector, a Cross-Government Group on the Management of Violence and the use of Restraint, chaired by Malcolm Rae (OBE), National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE). The Group was formed following a request by a Health Minister, Jacqui Smith, and the Home Office Minister, Beverly Hughs, to improve and deliver a more consistent cross-government policy on the management of violence and the use of restraint.

Terry provides expert advice to:

• An expert reference group for The Counter Fraud and Security Management Service (NHS SMS)

He has also recently provided expert advice to:

• A steering group formed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE);

• An expert panel for the National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE) for a mandatory national accreditation and regulation scheme for MVA trainers.

In December of 2005 Terry and colleagues gained British Institute of Learning Disabilities (BILD) Accreditation for the Learning Disability sites within Partnerships in Care.

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