A senior occupational therapist has been appointed to a new part-time mental health advisory post within the National Social Inclusion Programme (NSIP).
Naomi Hankinson, who has more than 20 years' experience in her profession, will take up the role with the National Institute of Mental Health in England (NIMHE) and the College of Occupational Therapists (COT).
She will provide key professional input on the work of the cross-government NSIP, which is overseeing and co-ordinating the implementation of actions set out in Social Exclusion and Mental Health, a report published by the Social Exclusion Unit in June 2004.
Naomi will also ensure effective links are made with the college's new strategy for occupational therapy in mental health services, recently commissioned from the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health.
'I am delighted to be taking on this role and will be aiming to engage occupational therapists from across England in this project,' she said.
Naomi said her skills and experience would be deployed within the programme's national team and in many of its key work areas, including employment and day service modernisation.
Naomi will provide professional input to the cross-cutting theme of workforce and professional development, leading joint work between NSIP and NIMHE's workforce development programme.
'I believe we need to be very careful that we don't just see social inclusion as work related, so I am keen to use this opportunity to focus on the whole person and how they integrate into society. It is not just about getting a job, and occupational therapy can have a major impact on this,' she said.
Naomi is being seconded from her position as board lead for AHPs at North East London Mental Health NHS Trust, and funded by the COT.
