Design in Mental Health Network Welcomes New Trustees and Associates

Good design can heal.

That belief sits at the heart of everything we do at the Design in Mental Health Network (DiMHN). It guides our approach, shapes our collaborations, and inspires our members. 

This month, we’re delighted to welcome a new group of Trustees and Associates who bring outstanding experience, insight, and compassion to our growing community.

Their appointments mark an exciting moment for DiMHN as we grow our leadership and widen the expertise driving our purpose to improve mental health outcomes through better design.

Shaping the Future of Mental Health Design

Since its founding in 2006, the Design in Mental Health Network has brought together professionals from across healthcare, architecture, design, industry research, and lived experience. Our shared goal is to improve the environments where mental health care and support occur and, in doing so, improve the lives of people receiving and giving care.

This focus has never been more critical. Mental health needs are rising, while care settings are shifting from hospitals to community hubs, homes, schools, workplaces, and digital immersive worlds. The future is about designing every environment with good mental health in mind. At this pivotal moment, the need for inclusive, evidence-based design is more critical than ever. We are proud to see our membership expanding across the NHS, academia, design, and industry partners. Together, we share research, develop standards, and collaborate on projects that demonstrate how design can make a measurable difference.

Why Governance and Collaboration Matter

DIMHN

DiMHN is a registered charity led by a Board of Trustees. Our Trustees ensure strong governance, provide strategic direction, and uphold the charity’s purpose. Working closely with our Chief Executive, they guide DiMHN’s activities across research and learning, standards development, events, and international collaboration.

Our Associates are strategic ambassadors for DiMHN who contribute to the Network’s projects, advisory groups, and thought leadership. They help us grow the conversation about mental health design, ensuring that lived experience, professional expertise, and innovation sit side by side.

Welcoming new Trustees and Associates is a vital part of strengthening that ecosystem, ensuring diverse voices, insight, and skills inform the work we do.

Introducing Our New Trustees

Wayne Ashton

With more than 30 years of experience in the healthcare sector, Wayne brings a unique perspective that bridges frontline clinical work and strategic design leadership. Beginning his career as a paramedic, he has gone on to lead complex healthcare planning and estates programmes across the UK. Now Healthcare Planning Lead at Ridge & Partners, Wayne works closely with NHS Trusts on capital projects, business cases, and site masterplans — shaping the environments where care happens. His academic grounding, including an MSc in Planning Buildings for Health from the Medical Architecture Research Unit, underscores his evidence-led approach. Wayne’s experience as both practitioner and planner makes him an invaluable voice in driving design that truly supports recovery and wellbeing.
Meet all our Trustees here

Andrew Arnold

A Director at Gilling Dod Architects, Andrew is one of the UK’s most recognised names in mental health architecture. Over three decades, his practice has delivered some of the most influential and award-winning healthcare environments in the country. Andrew’s projects, including Red Kite View, Broadmoor Hospital, and Aspen Wood LSU, demonstrate how co-production and evidence-led design can transform therapeutic outcomes. His passion for innovation extends internationally, having advised on CAMHS and forensic facilities across Ireland and the US. With more than £1 billion of mental health developments delivered to date, Andrew’s expertise will be central to DiMHN’s work advancing best practice in mental health design.
Meet all our Trustees here

Geoff Neild

With over 40 years of experience spanning the private sector and NHS, Geoff brings exceptional operational and strategic insight. His 20-year NHS career culminated in a four-year tenure as Programme Director for Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, where he led a £150 million development programme creating new, modern inpatient facilities. A qualified coach, educator, and leadership graduate of the NHS Nye Bevan Programme, Geoff now runs Madel Rhein Ltd, offering consultancy to organisations across health and social impact sectors. His balanced understanding of design, governance, and implementation strengthens DiMHN’s mission to drive real-world change.
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Esther John

As a Chartered Clinical and Forensic Psychologist and Director of Minds in Session, Esther combines clinical psychology, leadership development, and organisational wellbeing expertise. For over two decades, she has worked globally across healthcare, education, and the charitable sector, helping organisations design cultures and spaces that support psychological safety and human flourishing. Her systems-level approach, blending psychology with design thinking, aligns closely with DiMHN’s purpose: improving mental health outcomes through environments that promote dignity, recovery, and inclusion. Esther brings an invaluable perspective on how organisational culture and physical space work together to shape wellbeing.
Meet all our Trustees here

Raf Hamaizia

Raf joins the DiMHN Board as a multi-award-winning campaigner and lived experience leader. As Expert by Experience Lead at Cygnet Group, he has spent nearly a decade pioneering co-production structures that empower service users to shape the environments and services they use. His creation of The People’s Council and Social Hubs has been nationally recognised by the CQC and Royal College of Psychiatrists for outstanding practice. Raf also served as a Topic Group Chair for the Independent Review of the Mental Health Act, led by Professor Sir Simon Wessely. His commitment to collaboration and equality will help DiMHN ensure that the voice of lived experience continues to guide how mental health environments are designed and delivered.
Meet all our Trustees here

Introducing Our New Associates

Ciaran Cuddihy

Based in Galway, Ciaran is a mental health nurse specialising in Practice Development, with a focus on creating safe, compassionate care environments. His interests in reducing restrictive practices and introducing digital health innovations, including VR nature immersion experiences and educational podcasts, demonstrate his forward-thinking approach. Ciaran’s belief in the therapeutic power of design resonates deeply with DiMHN’s mission to improve how mental health environments feel and function.
Meet all our Associates here

Liz Lavender

Liz is an interior designer and Expert by Experience with more than 20 years’ professional and lived expertise. Her work centres on sensory-informed design for people with autism, learning disabilities, and sensory processing differences. Collaborating with NHS England South West, Devon Partnership NHS Trust, and national networks, Liz’s projects show how simple, informed design choices can profoundly impact comfort and dignity. Her commitment to co-production and inclusion reflects DiMHN’s values of empathy and shared learning.
Meet all our Associates here

Dr Helen Day

A recently retired NHS Director of Nursing and Professor of Nursing, Helen brings exceptional experience in leadership, patient safety, and mental health care. Her research and practice have focused on how both physical and cultural environments affect quality of care, safety, and staff wellbeing. A former finalist for the NHS Inspirational Leader of the Year award, Helen now continues her contribution to healthcare innovation through roles that influence the design of safer, more compassionate mental health services.
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Dr Shelley James

An internationally recognised lighting design consultant, TEDx speaker, and author, Shelley’s work explores how light and technology affect wellbeing, safety, and independence. Through her consultancy Age of Light Innovations, she advises social housing and care providers globally on lighting strategies that support mental and physical health. Her research collaborations with Oxford University, UCL Bartlett, and the Lighting Industry Association demonstrate her commitment to evidence-based design, making her a natural fit for DiMHN’s research and education initiatives.
Meet all our Associates here

Nutmeg Hallett

An Associate Professor of Mental Health Nursing at the University of Birmingham, specialising in safety, staff wellbeing, and the reduction of restrictive practices in mental health services. With over a decade of clinical and academic experience, her work focuses on preventing harm, improving ward environments, and promoting restorative, recovery-focused care. Nutmeg leads and contributes to national research on staffing, debriefing after restrictive interventions, and the long-term impact of trauma, and serves on the NICE committee revising guidance on violence and aggression. Her evidence-based, compassionate perspective strengthens DiMHN’s work to create safer environments for everyone who lives and works in mental health settings.
Meet all our Associates here

A Community Committed to Impact

At DiMHN, we believe that lasting change happens when diverse voices come together. Every Trustee, Associate, and member plays a role in shaping environments that support better mental health.

We invite you to connect with us, contribute your expertise, and join our growing Network. Membership is open to individuals and organisations across the NHS, independent providers, VCSE, academia, and industry. Together, we can share evidence, raise standards, and continue to demonstrate that good design really can heal.

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Why Not Become a Member

  • A supportive and informed community
  • Stay informed with industry news and trends
  • Networking and collaboration opportunities
  • Access to research, real-world evidence and international learning
  • Build your professional and organisational profile
  • Discounted access to conferences and advertising for corporate members
  • Draw from the insights and experiences of our Lived Experience Advisory Network (LEAN)
  • It's free for individuals to join

Learn more about our Membership Engagement here>

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