Meet Our Team

Paul Newton
Managing Director
Paul is a learning disability nurse with over 35 years experience. He has spent most of his career developing and implementing new models of care and local services for people with learning disabilities. This has included community based assessment and treatment units, crisis and assertive outreach teams, forensic learning disability inpatient and community services. Paul's passion is to develop person centred services that support individuals with complex needs to live fulfilling and rewarding lives as part of their local communities.
Derek Benn
Operational Director
A learning disability nurse with over 20 years of experience working with people with learning disabilities and complex needs within inpatient and community based services. Derek's particular interest is involving people in their care and service development. He was a winner in 2014 of the NHS Leadership Academy's Patient Inclusivity Award.
Alastair Jeeves
Head of Corporate Development and Governance
Alastair qualified as a learning disability nurse in 1989. Since then he has managed inpatient, community and day services for people with learning disabilities. He has been responsible for a number of service development and change projects across Teesside and County Durham. He believes that person centredness is the key factor in delivering high quality services for people with learning disabilities.
Norma Wood
Advanced Behavioural Practioner

Norma worked for Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust for over 21 years.  She was initially appointed by the Trust as a nursing assistant supporting people with complex health needs and behaviours that challenged the service.  Shen then completed her nurse training in 2004 with the support of the Trust and was employed as a Behavioural Learning Disabilities Nurse Practitioner supporting both children and adults.  She continued in this role working with adults, and in 2013 gained a Masters in Positive Approaches to Challenging Behaviour at Wales University.  Norma started working for PIPS in January 2019 and continues her commitment to ensure that everyone has a good quality of life through a Person Centred Approach. 

Anthony Birmingham
Service Manager

Anthony has worked with people with a Learning Disability and Autism since starting as a support worker in 2011. Anthony qualified as an RNLD in 2016 and worked within assessment and treatment services. Anthony came to PIPS in 2017 with a desire to enable those stuck within hospital placements a chance to move back to the community and improve their lives. Anthony has focussed his professional development on Positive Behaviour Support undertaking postgraduate study in the area of ABA and PBS. Anthony represents PIPS within several local and regional communities of practice and working groups around PBS, helping to develop and shape practice of PBS both within PIPS and in wider Social Care services within the region.

Karen Harkin
PCAS Practitioner
Karen is a learning disability nurse with over 30 years' experience employed in positions as Staff Nurse, Charge Nurse, Acting Nurse Specialist and most recently as Registered Team Manager. Karen has developed her career and supported individuals in learning disability services in hospital and community settings, including generic learning disabilities inpatient departments. Throughout her career Karen has been involved in clinical coordination and facilitation of person focused formulation, leading to the production of clear care plans and clinical intervention through leadership. Karen has had experience of supporting individuals from admission through to discharge. She has supported individuals and staff through the change process, planning and providing support to ensure a person's transition to their new home is successful. Supporting them to move forward, working with new care providers to enable them to get to know individuals and to support them to move forward from inpatient setting to community based person centred care provision. Karen will always ensure that she follows a person centred approach to enable people to reach their full potential. She will utilise her skills, knowledge and experience to ensure the best outcome for people.
Jessica Farrell
Team Manager - Middlesbrough

Jess is a General Nurse that gained her nursing degree and built the foundations of her career in Canada before moving to the United Kingdom and joining PIPS in 2017.  Jess has 10 years’ experience in the care sector, both within inpatient and community-based services. Throughout her career, she has developed in roles ranging from Staff Nurse and Care Coordinator, progressing into roles of Health and Wellness Manager and most recently a Deputy Team Manager and Team Manager within the PIPS Middlesbrough service.

Jess has built her career and skillset throughout a wide range of experiences working within elder care, specialized dementia, complex care units, palliative oncology, rehabilitation supporting individuals living with acquired brain injuries and most recently learning disabilities.

 Having been involved in both the delivery as well as implementation and oversight of person-centred approaches throughout the entirety of her career, Jess has partnered these approaches with links to various local services with the aim to achieve as much autonomy, opportunity, and quality of life as possible for both the individuals she supports and the teams she leads.

Nicola Swales
Team Manager - Younger Persons Service
Nicola has supported children and young people within a low secure setting since qualifying as a Learning Disability Nurse in 2015. More recently Nicola has supported a young person in a bespoke package which she enjoyed greatly. Prior to completing her nurse training Nicola was employed as a Nursing Assistant for 8 years in a Learning Disability Forensic Hospital.
Andrew Parkes
Team Manager - Loftus
Andrew is a learning disability nurse with over 17 years of experience. Andrew's main experience of nursing has been within community and in-patient learning disabilities forensic services. Andrew also has significant management experience both working within the NHS and the private sector. Andrew also has other significant experience of working with people with complex mental health and challenging behaviour needs. The main aim in Andrews career is to support people coming out hospital to have a more meaningful life within the community.
Kat Richardson
Team Manager - Stockton

Kat gained a BSc in Psychology and Education Studies and began her career working with children with special educational needs.  Kat moved into adult services and has supported adults with learning disabilities and mental health issues since 2000.  Kat has gained her level 5 certificate in Leadership and Management and is currently completing  Level 4 course in Facilitating PBS into support teams.  Kat is currently managing three services in Hartlepool which at full capacity supports eight service users to live independently within their own homes in the community. 

Meghan Connelly
Corporate Support Officer

Meghan joined PIPS in 2017 working as Deputy Team Manager at the Dales and has previously worked for Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust and care services as a Associate Practitioner.  Meghan now works as a part of the office team providing PA support to the management team and working closing on Training.

Hannah Daniell
Administration Assistant

Hannah joined PIPS in August 2016 as a Business Administration Apprentice. Hannah is responsible for Payroll, HR, Recruitment and Training as well as supporting the wider Admin Team. Outside of work Hannah enjoys travelling to new places with family and friends.

Emily Newton
Administration Assistant

Emily joined PIPS in July 2017 with previous experience in teaching.  Emily is responsible for recruitment, training and providing administrative support to ensure efficient operation of the office.

Emma Young
Office Assistant
Emma has previously had experience working in the HR Department of a local Council. Emma is responsible for scanning and photocopying documents, welcoming visitors, ordering stationary, sorting incoming and outgoing mail and helping to keep the office clean and tidy. Emma likes drama and acting and is a member of a local theatre company.