Mental Health and Wellbeing Special Interest Group Members

Ursula is an Associate Professor in Paramedic Science, Deputy Head of Department of Midwifery and Health Sciences, and the Academic Lead for Practice Simulation for Faculty of Health and Social Sciences at Bournemouth University. She has previous clinical and teaching experience within the NHS and the voluntary sector in the United Kingdom and South Africa. She has specialised in urgent and emergency care work across the lifespan and continues to practice clinically within the NHS as an advanced paramedic prescriber.
Ursula has a PhD from the University of Southampton and started her academic career with a BA (Hons) in Psychology and English as well as an MPhil degree from Stellenbosch University, South Africa. 
Ursula moved to the UK in 2009 to take up the position of Clinical Tutor and Training Officer at South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust. She was seconded as a Lecturer Practitioner to the FdSc Paramedic Science degree from 2009 to 2012. She then went on to complete her BSc (Hons) in Urgent and Emergency Care in 2012 at Bournemouth University, and from there, joined the university full time as a lecturer and programme lead of the Paramedic Science undergraduate degree. Ursula has also led and contributed to the development of an MSc in Trauma Sciences at another institution before returning to Bournemouth University to work within the Nursing and Clinical Sciences Department and Midwifery and Health Sciences.
Ursula is the (Patient) Mental Health Lead for the College of Paramedics and represents the College by sitting on several specialist committees with external stakeholders. 
Her research interests include mental health, paramedic practice, primary care, emergency care and inter-professional education.

Katie Pavoni, Associate Professor, City St George’s University of London

Katie Pavoni is a Paramedic, Associate Professor, and course director for the BSc Paramedic Science at City St George's, University of London. She is also the department pastoral lead and launched the first ‘Student Paramedic Blue Light Champion' scheme in the country. In her clinical work, Katie is a Mental Health Practitioner (Paramedic) for South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

Katie is a co-academic lead for the College of Paramedics’ ‘Future Workforce Mental Health Project’ where she has co-designed a national mental health and wellbeing curriculum for pre and post registration paramedics, a national wellbeing support tool and a mental health and wellbeing education package for mentors and preceptors for early career paramedics. In 2023, Katie won a prestigious National Teaching Fellowship for her work in paramedic mental health. 

In addition, Katie works with the British Red Cross and has designed national and international prehospital mental health education and was previously the National Lead Safeguarding Officer for Samaritans. She is currently a trustee of the Blue Light Card Foundation.

Katie holds an MSc Advanced Practice (Mental Health) and is undertaking her PhD in Mental Health research. She is passionate about challenging stigma and improving the culture of patient and practitioner mental health.

Emma Geis, Course Lead, Keele University

Emma is the course lead for the MSci Paramedic course at Keele University and a co-academic lead for the ‘Future Workforce Mental Health’ project for the College of Paramedics. Emma’s background is as a London-based operational paramedic. She then worked as a Training Officer for the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust and has since completed a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in Mental Health and MSc in Medical Education.  Emma is currently studying for a Professional Doctorate in Health Education focusing on emotional labour within healthcare academics.

 

Richard Corrall, Head of Clinical Practice (Mental Health), West Midlands Ambulance University NHS Foundation Trust

Richard is the Head of Clinical Practice (Mental Health) at West Midlands Ambulance University NHS Foundation Trust (WMAS). He leads on the delivery of mental health care to a population of six million, across five thousand square miles. Richard is also Chair of the National Ambulance Mental Health Group; a subgroup of the National Ambulance Service Medical Directors Group. 
A paramedic by background, Richard has specialised in the delivery of mental health care within the ambulance service since 2016 and has an MSc in Mental Health Practice. In 2021, Richard led a review and complete re-write of the JRCALC ‘Mental Health Presentation’ guidelines, alongside colleagues. Richard has also co-written chapters on mental health and mental capacity in the book entitled, ‘ABCs of Prehospital Emergency Medicine’. 
In recent years, Richard has been focused on the development of new and improved specialist models of care within the ambulance service, leading the development of specialist mental health paramedics and the wider ‘Mental Health Response Vehicle Programme’ within WMAS. This implementation has seen a radical transformation in the delivery of person-centred and holistic care to those presenting to the ambulance service with mental health needs and has resulted in a significant reduction in the conveyance of patients with mental health needs to Emergency Departments.

David Davis FCPara, Chief Clinical Information Officer, London Ambulance Service NHS Trust

David is currently the Chief Clinical Information Officer at London Ambulance Service NHS Trust where he leads on digital clinical safety and a number of products within the organisation. Prior to this, David was the Clinical Director for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention/ Response at NHS Sussex and also Deputy CMO Director, where his work included strategic commissioning and clinical oversight of mental health, including suicide, section 136 and acute care.  Between 2018 and 2021, David was Head of Integrated Governance at South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust where he led governance for the 999 and NHS 111 call centres.  During the Covid-19 pandemic, David worked with the College and a number of other individuals and organisations to secure paramedics access to NHS Practitioner Health, as well as charitable funding to provide support for paramedics and ambulance staff.

Previously, David has worked as a consultant level paramedic in clinical informatics, working as a clinical lead in the Digital Urgent & Emergency Care Team at NHS England. He led the joint NHS England & Health Education England NHS111 Workforce Development Programme which, in Summer 2018, published a national Blueprint for the NHS111 and Integrated Urgent Care workforce in England.

Further to working as a national clinical lead for Allied Health Professionals at NHS England, the Department of Health, and Health and Social Care Information Centre, David gained a Master’s Degree in Digital Health Leadership from Imperial College, London. He subsequently became a Fellow of the British Computer Society. 

For a number of years, David has represented the College of Paramedics at the NHS Pathways National Clinical Governance Group and the Emergency Call Prioritisation Group. He has previously held the roles of Chair of the Honours & Awards Committee, Stroke Lead, Parliamentary Lead, and Director of Communications. David is a Fellow of the College of Paramedics.

As a spokesperson on mental health, he has given evidence at the Home Affairs Select Committee on behalf of the College of Paramedics around Mental Health Policing and was also a Peer Inspector and member of the mental health steering group for Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies and Fire & Rescue Services. More recently, he has been involved in round table discussions around acute mental health care and is actively involved in lobbying around the role of paramedics in the care of patients with emergency mental health needs.

David is a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Paramedic Practice, a member of the South East Coast Clinical Senate, and still regularly undertakes frontline operational shifts on ambulances.

Sasha Johnston, Academic support lead and Research Paramedic, South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

Sasha Johnston is an experienced paramedic who completed an NHS England Allied Health Professional (AHP) Clinical Fellowship and is currently undertaking a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funded DPhil in Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford. Her research focuses on ambulance employee mental health and wellbeing, aiming to strengthen organisational support systems within the profession. Sasha has held various ambulance service roles both in the UK and the Caribbean, including frontline lead paramedic and research paramedic. She advocates for paramedic mental health and emphasises that person-centred approaches and co-production are key factors in bridging the gap between employees and the services designed to help them.

 

Andrea James, Partner, Keystone Law

Andrea James is an English and Irish qualified solicitor and an expert in professional discipline and healthcare regulatory law. The main focus of her work is defending professionals at fitness to practise proceedings before their regulatory bodies, particularly paramedics before the Health & Care Professions Council.

Andrea has acted for the College of Paramedics since the inception of its fitness to practise insurance scheme in 2012 and has represented healthcare professionals experiencing every kind of adverse mental and physical health. She is particularly interested in the impact of fitness to practise proceedings upon the health of previously well registrants and how registrants can best be supported through what is often a long and arduous legal process.

 
Dr Jo Mildenhall, Paramedic Psychological Health & Wellbeing Manager, College of Paramedics

Jo has more than twenty-five years’ experience within the field of paramedicine and practitioner psychological health, with her interest in this area accelerating after having attended a significant rail crash as a paramedic in the early 2000’s. Back then, there was very little understanding of the psychological impact our work could have and support for responders was minimal. Having seen the hurt and distress experienced by her colleagues after significant incidents, particularly the rail crash, this spurred her towards creating change to ensure that responder psychological wellbeing is firmly on the agenda. 

During her career, Jo has gathered a wealth of professional lived experience from working as a frontline ambulance paramedic; a part-time role that she continues in today, and which gives her first-hand insight into the current challenges facing our responding colleagues. Jo’s main role now however, is that of Paramedic Psychological Health & Wellbeing Manager at the College of Paramedics; a position that sees her advocating nationally for paramedics in terms of their psychological health.
Jo holds a Master’s degree in Trauma Informed Practice, for which she studied at depth, psychological trauma as experienced by emergency services personnel including the impact of disasters, acute stress, posttraumatic distress, and growth. More recently, Jo was awarded her PhD. Her research, supervised by Professor Leo McCann, examined the individual and collective experiencing of trauma and adversity by NHS ambulance personnel during the Covid-19 pandemic, the role their employing organisation had in shaping their trauma responses, the psycho-emotional impact this had upon them, and how this affected their social relationships at work. By understanding how individual and collective thoughts, feelings and behaviours influence our emotional/ trauma responses, Jo hopes that this will lead towards a greater understanding of the psychological health of the ambulance workforce & contribute to proactive developments and enhanced supports within this sector. 

Jo holds a professional diploma in Integrative Psychotherapeutic Counselling, having studied at a centre specialising in complex trauma. She is also a Chartered Psychologist awarded by the British Psychological Society. After qualifying as a counsellor, Jo set up her own counselling business, providing therapy for members of the public, emergency services personnel and those in the military. She has provided therapeutic counselling to those who have experienced workplace trauma such as post office raids, industrial accidents, assaults, as well as workplace issues including bullying. 

In 2019, Jo was awarded a Churchill Fellowship, enabling her to travel to Australia and New Zealand to research world-leading psychological wellbeing supports and strategies for first responders. During her visit, she met with colleagues working in a number of different ambulance and police services, including their in-house psychology and chaplaincy teams, and also spent time at research institutes learning more about the current studies being undertaken in this field. The learning Jo gained from this research trip has been invaluable and has underpinned and informed her work here. 

Jo has authored and co-authored of a number of book chapters, and mental wellbeing-related articles published in peer-reviewed journals and is an international conference speaker. 

Louise Whittaker, Advanced Paramedic – Mental Health, Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust

Louise was the first Advanced Clinical Practitioner in Mental Health to join the Advanced Paramedic team at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust (YAS) in November 2023, along with critical care and urgent care colleagues. As an Advanced Clinical Practitioner, Louise has developed her experience by working across urgent, primary, and emergency care. Her role is to bring into existence the specialist paramedics in mental health at YAS. As of June 2025, 27 paramedics were in post, some having started their advanced studies at university and the remainder starting in October 2025. Louise is working with mental health trust colleagues, ICS leads and Sheffield Hallam University to create a new and exciting speciality for clinicians interested in mental health. She was pleased to discuss this with the Minister of State (Department for Health and Social Care) Karyn Smyth MP in early 2025.

Louise spoke at the Ambulance Leadership Forum (ALF) in 2025 about the specialist paramedic programme and is keen to ensure clinicians are supported in learning about mental health and the legal framework including Mental capacity Act 2005. It's clear that there is much to be done to help our members feel safe and competent in dealing with acute crisis, issues of mental capacity, and understanding the Mental Health Act.

 
Liz Harris, Head of Professional Standards, College of Paramedics

Liz has held the role of Head of Professional Standards since 2018, and her role in respect of this specialist interest group is to provide strategic oversight and leadership of the group aligned to the College’s strategic aim of ‘supporting paramedic mental health and wellbeing’.