Directors
Member Directors
Joyce Mouriki, Chairperson, I am a service user. I brought up two girls in Greece where I had lived for twenty years and where I had first became ill. I subsequently returned to Scotland eleven years ago now and still receive services in Lanarkshire where I am the Vice Chair of the local service user and carer organisation which I helped to co-found and has been in existence for over ten years. I am the Chairperson of Voices Of eXperience and helped found that organisation, being first on the interim management committee, and now on the board of directors. I am employed in Patient and Public Involvement with NHS Quality Improvement Scotland and I have been engaged in involving service users, informal carers and voluntary organisations in the mental health work programme. More recently, as well as leading on mental health involvement, I have taken on the role in promoting patient and public involvement in the wider work of the NHS in Scotland. I also sit as a general member of the Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland.I have personal life experience of mental health problems.
Francis Fallan, Vice Chairperson, My background was initially in mining as I left school and went to the traditional job alongside my father in the coal industry, however in the 1960`s the coal fields in Scotland were quickly closing, and I choose to take up training to become a Psychiatric Nurse, so my career started in 1963 at 18 years of age when I became a student nurse. After having to retire from the NHS as a Senior Staff Nurse after 30 years on health grounds and recovered sufficiently after some 5 years, I was invited by the late John Miller to become involved in the Mental Health service/user carer involvement process in 1995. I am a member of various voluntary organisations including, The Volunteer Centre North Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire Partnership Board, NHS Lanarkshire Mental Health Service Improvement Board, Local Advisory member to Lanarkshire Area, Scottish Health Council, member of the Service Users/Carer Group of the Mental Health Tribunal Appeals Service, Scotland, representing VOX members, Chair of North Lanarkshire Disability Forum., Chair of Greater Shotts Healthy Living Centre. I was awarded with the UN International Volunteer of the Year Award in 2001 by the then Scottish First Minister Jack McConnell MSP, and represented my local constituency of Airdrie & Shotts as the elected local hero at the opening of the Scottish Parliament in 2004.
Shaun McNeil, Company Secretary, Shaun McNeil is a Mental Health Service User Activist and is employed as the Managing Director of Advocacy Matters (Greater Glasgow) Limited, the largest Mental Health Advocacy Project in Scotland. He worked as a Manager in Supported Accommodation and prior to that was a Registered Mental Nurse. He has a Batchelor of Science in Mental Health Practice and is a member of the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH), MIND, Mindlink, Interrelate, Lanarkshire Links and the Depression Alliance Scotland. Shaun is a media volunteer for the “See Me” and “Choose Life” campaigns. Shaun is the Co-Founder of VOX (Voices Of eXperience) and is the Board Secretary; he represents VOX on the Scottish Parliaments Cross Party Group on Mental Health and the Scottish Governments Mental Health Delivery Plan Group and also chaired the Service User and Carer Group during the National Review of Mental Health Nursing “Rights, Relationships and Recovery. Shaun has appeared on television, spoken on radio and submitted and participated in articles in the printed press and professional journals. He is also a columnist for the Royal College of Nursing’s “Mental Health Practice” journal and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (Scottish Division) and the Service Users Recovery Forum of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Shaun has an acute awareness of the challenges of a mental health diagnosis and has personal experience of mental health problems, he has worked in the field of mental health in a voluntary and paid capacity for over 25 years and is committed to promoting the person as the expert in their own recovery, in equality, non-discrimination and protecting/enhancing the rights of people with mental health problems. Shaun has made himself available, as much as possible, to assist in the support and guidance of the staff of VOX and is excited about, and looks forward to, continuing the central role within the organisation and in VOX’s real potential to strengthen the voice and promote the participation of people with mental health problems in Scotland.
Colin Murchie, Treasurer, I have personal life experience of mental health problems. I have been the treasurer of VOX during the last two years and have been involved in the board training sessions, and the two sub-groups.I have the essential skills and knowledge to enable me to further assist in the development of VOX. In addition and as well as reading economics at University, I am a Qualified Accountant
Dougie Pickering, I have participated in all of the training which has been provided to board members. I believe that service users of Mental Health Services must have a strong and loud voice to ensure that services provided are effective, least restrictive and as comprehensive as possible. I was active within Ayrshire and Arran and presently sit on the service user group in the Mind Your Health project reviewing mental health services, and also represented this group on the Programme Board. I am the chairperson of Morven Day Services User Committee and a member of the Panel of Reference (service user and carer group). I am also a member of the East Ayrshire Public Partnership Forum, with my main interest being mental health. I have experience of chairing and actively participating in the groups mentioned and feel passionate enough to speak out about issues around Mental Health. I have been a board member of VOX since its official existence.
Ross Mcphail, I have been an active member of the board of VOX for the last two years, in addition to this I have been involved in the training, research and development sub-group and have attended a number of events and conferences on behalf of VOX. I am currently involved in the National Reference Group for Towards a Mentally Flourishing Scotland.
Chris Evans, I was co-opted to the new VOX board in the summer. Before moving to the highlands in 1988, I taught Chemistry for 15 years, since living on Ardnamurchan I have worked in social care with the elderly. I have been a support worker and a mental health advocate. I have been a member of the Highland Users Group since 1997. I now have a diagnosis of bi-polar and have experienced a number of episodes of severe depression. Last year my manic phase went so high that I was on a section in hospital for two and a half months. Twelve months later my recovery was such that I arrived in Sydney Australia to take part in the International Initiative for Mental Health Leadership. Currently I am an almost full-time volunteer for HUG but make sure I take time out for my hobby of sailing.
Non Member Directors (Advisors to the Board)
Dr Sandra Grant, I have been involved with VOX from the beginning as a member of the Interim Management Group, then Advisor. Although retired from the NHS I continue to work on a number of projects about mental health issues or later life, mainly for the Mental Health Foundation. My background is as a psychiatrist and psychotherapist before becoming Chief Executive of the Scottish Health Advisory Service, which reviewed the quality of services throughout Scotland for people with mental health problems, learning or physical disability, or who were elderly. I then reported on two national issues: the capacity of the service to meet the requirements of the new Mental Health Act, and ‘Equal Services?’ which explored race inequality in mental health services.
Richard Norris, I am the Director of the Scottish Health Council, which was established in 2005 to help improve the way that people are involved in decisions about health services and care and treatment. As well as being a champion for patient and public involvement in NHS Scotland, the Scottish Health Council monitors local NHS Boards to ensure they are working with, and listening to, people in their community. Previously, I was Director of Policy at the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH), where I was in charge of policy analysis, campaigns, information, and research. Prior to this in the mid 90s I was the Chief Executive at the Centre for Scottish Public Policy (formerly the John Wheatley Centre), an independent centre for policy development, based in Edinburgh, which amongst other things organised seminars and produced publications looking ahead at the policy priorities for a future devolved Scottish Parliament, and Scotland’s relationship with the European Union. I have also in the past worked in the printing and insurance industries. I also have a BA (Hons) in Politics and Government, and I am married with two daughters and live in Glasgow.
Alex Davidson, Joint Improvement Team Associate. Previously Head of Adult Services in South Lanarkshire Council Social Work Services and Area Manager in Easterhouse, Glasgow, and Motherwell. Currently working with JIT colleagues on Partnership and Integrated working, Capacity Planning for Older Peoples Services, Learning Disability, and Acquired Brain Injury in different NHS Board and Local Authority areas. Working on the Care at Home component of Reshaping Older Peoples Care for JIT. Consultant to the Self Directed Support Pilots run by the Scottish Government in Highland, Glasgow, and Dumfries and Galloway. Board member of Key Housing Association, PAMIS (in partnership with people with profound learning disabilities and their carers), VOX (Voices of Experience), mental health service users for Scotland), and Chair of the Scottish Muscle Network (a managed clinical network for neuro-muscular disease in Scotland). Independent Chair of Adult Protection Committees in Perth and Kinross and West Lothian.