Joshua Tapp - Hospital Manager

Josh qualified as a Mental Health Nurse with a Post Graduate Diploma from Southampton University. Prior to qualifying, from 2010, Josh worked across Acute and PICU settings as a healthcare support worker within the NHS on the Isle of Wight. After qualifying Josh returned to the Isle of Wight to work as a Staff Nurse on a PICU.

Josh joined Cygnet Hospital Kewstoke in 2015, initially working as a Staff Nurse on the Acute service, supporting the team in AIMs accreditation. He was promoted to Clinical Team Leader in 2016 and went onto work across Acute and Low Secure, before working on a Female Personality Disorder service.

In 2018 Josh was promoted to Interim Ward Manager firstly for the Female Personality Disorder service and then a Female Locked Rehabilitation service, before being appointed Ward Manager of a Female Low Secure service.

In 2019 Josh transferred to Cygnet Hospital Taunton and took up the post of Clinical Manager, becoming part of the team that manages Learning Disability, Male Acute Working Age and Older Adult Acute services.

Josh is passionate about patient centred care and multidisciplinary work to achieve the best outcomes for patients in our care.

Mike Kambasha - Clinical Manager

Since qualifying as an RMN at de Montfort Univerisy in Leicester, Mike now has over 10 years practising as a registered mental health nurse with experience in a variety of psychiatric settings.

Mike joined Cygnet Hospital Kewstoke in November 2006 from the NHS, initially working as Clinical Team Leader within a male complex needs rehabilitation service. Mike was promoted to Ward Manager of a female service in April 2009 and has over 4 years leading a team that provide a structured therapeutic recovery programme for those whose psychiatric condition results in continuing or ongoing disturbed complex challenging behaviour.

Melanie Allen - Clinical Manager

Melanie qualified as a learning disabilities nurse in 2007 after studying at the University of the West of England. Prior to qualifying Melanie worked predominantly in learning disabilities services, mainly in autism. After qualifying in 2007 Melanie continued to work in Autism for the National Autistic Society. Melanie has a passion for working with individuals with autism and comes with vast experience.

In 2015 Melanie joined a Cygnet Hospital Kewstoke to broaden her skills and focus on mental health nursing. Many of the service users she cared for had dual diagnosis, and she was keen to understand more about how mental health can impact this. She loved mental health nursing and progressed from staff nurse to ward manager. She is now a clinical lead at Cygnet Kewstoke.

Melanie is passionate about making a difference in service user’s lives pushing forward service user centred care to achieve the best possible outcomes for service users in our care.

Dr Sai Achuthan - Medical Director

Dr Sai Achuthan gained his Primary Medical Qualification at Manipal University in 2012. He then went on to specialist training in General Psychiatry to be on a Specialist Register with GMC. Dr Achuthan has also obtained his Post Graduate Diploma in Clinical Psychiatry and a Fellowship in Addiction Medicine.

Dr Achuthan joined Cygnet in 2019 working on learning disability, acute and older adults’ services at Cygnet Hospital Taunton. Dr Achuthan has a special interest in rehabilitation services and has wide knowledge of rehabilitation psychiatry and providing care and support to a range of health needs.

In may 2022, Dr Achuthan later joined Cygnet Hospital Kewstoke as the Medical Director. He developed a special interest in treating female personality disorder and is currently the consultant on Knightstone Ward. He has presented at conferences with the Royal College of Psychiatrists and gained recognition for his work. His proactive approach in developing a collaborative working style lead him to receive the ‘Consultant of the Year’ award in the 2022 Cygnet Psychiatry Awards.

Dr Achuthan is passionate about creating a positive culture at the service, and working collaboratively to strive for the best outcomes for each service user.

Dr Ewelina Dobrzynska - Consultant Psychiatrist

Dr Ewelina Dobrzynska gained her Primary Medical Qualification at Wroclaw Medical University, Poland in 2001. She then went on to specialist training in General Psychiatry and she has been on a Specialist Register with GMC since 2008. In meantime, she also completed a Masters in Music Therapy in 2005 and Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy Postgraduate Course in 2008.

Dr Dobrzynska holds the PhD degree in psychiatry. In her research she explored needs of persons with different mental disorders, their satisfaction with services, social functioning and quality of life. She has published a number of scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals and presented results of her research at international conferences.

Dr Dobrzynska joined Cygnet Hospital Kewstoke in 2008 and throughout her time there she has worked on male and female low secure rehabilitation, female personality disorder unit as well as male acute and male PICU services. She has been the consultant on Knightstone Ward, a service for women with a diagnosis of personality disorder, since September 2017.

Dr Dobrzynska has a special interest in combining medication-based treatment with psychological interventions in order to achieve the best possible outcomes. Her practice is grounded in patient-centered, collaborative and compassionate approach to facilitate change and recovery.

Dr Sharon Collins - Head of Psychology

Dr Sharon Collins is an HCPC registered Counselling Psychologist and a Chartered member of the British Psychological Society. Sharon has experience in both NHS and private services; she has worked for a number of charities and for a manufacturing company supporting employees with their mental health. In addition, Sharon was an Associate Lecturer with the Open University teaching on their psychology degree programme.

Sharon works relationally which is encompassed within the broader psychodynamic tradition; the approach recognises the importance of relationships fostered throughout life and the impact relationships have on the development of self. Sharon works with a broad range of therapeutic models; these include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Behavioural Family Therapy (BFT). She is also a teacher of mindfulness and meditation. Sharon’s approach in therapy supports her special clinical interests in trauma and attachment.

Sharon leads a large team of Psychologists, Assistant Psychologists, Allied Therapists and students. They provide individual and group sessions to all service users using a number of different therapeutic approaches based on the service user’s idiosyncratic needs. The team frequently evaluates the service they provide in order to ensure that the service is relevant and meeting the needs of the service users.

Zara Powell - Lodge Ward Manager

Zara I started her Journey with Cygnet in 2018 when she worked as a 2nd year mental health nursing student. She qualified from Bristol UWE as an RMN in 2019 and took a permanent role within the hospital. Zara spent a short period of time on the female Acute service before spending 3 years on a personality disorder unit. In 2022, Zara was promoted to ward manager at the female rehabilitation service.

She is passionate about friends, family and carer involvement and is currently involved with the re think scheme within the hospital to promote collaborative working.

Joji John - Sandford Ward Manager

Joji trained as an RGN/RMN in India in 1998. He moved to the UK in 2002 and qualified as an RMN here in 2003. Initially he started his career in UK in an EMI nursing home in Taunton before he joined Cygnet Hospital Kewstoke in 2007. At Cygnet he developed his career from a staff nurse to Deputy ward Manager working across a number of services including Male PICU, Female personality disorder, female rehab unit, male and female low secure unit.

Joji has a passion for care, quality and service improvement. Away from work he loves to spend time with his family. And he is also a very talented farmer which he has inherited from his father. He has a passion for everything that he does even if it goes right or wrong- he shows commitment and enthusiasm every day.