About the staff

 

Oliver McGeachy - Chief Executive

Oliver McGeachy has lived in and around Guildford for the past 20 years. He started his working life as a journalist on local newspapers in his native Dunbartonshire and went on to develop his career in PR, marketing and publishing, mainly in Edinburgh and London, until the mid 1980’s. Oliver has always been active on both the Surrey and national voluntary sector scenes. He was, for a number of years, a Trustee and Vice Chair of Oakleaf Enterprises. He was Vice Chair of the South West Surrey Community Health Council until it was disbanded a few years ago and he served on various health and social services-based working groups and committees in the County over the years, including the West Surrey Health Authority Mental Health Directors Group.

At a national level he has worked on a consultancy basis for a number of Government departments, was a member of the National Users and Carers Group throughout it’s lifetime and was author of a parliamentary paper on the activities of the NUCG.

Oliver is passionate on three particular fronts – service user consultation and involvement promoting the role of the of the voluntary sector within the community, and encouraging more effective joint working and networking between the statutory and voluntary sectors.  These are all issues which he will carry forward into Headway Surrey.

 

Lee Bennett - Services Manager

 

Lee has worked for Headway Surrey since September 2003 after studying Applied Psychology and Sociology for four years at the University of Surrey. As part of his university placement Lee worked within a mental health setting as an Assistant Psychologist at Wingfield Assertive Outreach Clinic, working with adults on an individual and group basis. Lee has also worked for St Faiths and Pilgrim Housing which supported and cared for young children and their mothers from challenging backgrounds.

Lee is responsible for co-ordinating client based services, including the centre in Guildford and has tried to expand the range of cognitive activities undertaken. He is passionate about supporting this client group and is keen to help individuals achieve more than they first thought they could.

Lee feels he has the essential qualities required for a co-ordinator namely empathy, patience, good communication and organisational skill and a sense of humour! He has always tried to encourage individuals in their move towards greater independence.

Lee is currently developing a training package for support workers and has recently been undertaking further study to gain the relevant qualifications for teaching adults.

 

Christine Hussey – PA to Chief Executive

Currently being written

 

    

Hayley Cook – Community Support Worker/Befriending Co-Ordinator

 

Hayley  joined the team in November 2009, having previously worked in freight logistics, organising express freight transport across Europe for the manufacturing industry, predominantly the automotive sector.

However, when Hayley and her family decided to relocate from Kent she also decided on a change in career. As a Psychology graduate specialising in Neuopsychology and cognitive development, she already has an understanding of brain injury and the effects it has on cognitive skills and so savoured the new opportunity that was presented at Headway Surrey.

She enjoys the challenges faced at Headway but also the rewards gained working with the clients and within the small friendly team.

 

Sue Freestone – Support Worker

 

Sue joined the Headway Surrey Team in November 2009 and her role is to provide support here at Headway House and out in the community. Sue has a number of years experience of working with people with special needs especially the elderly and in social care, she has NVQ 2 and 3 in health and social care.

Sue is devoted to her family, two dogs and two cats and spends as much time as possible gardening when she is not at Headway Surrey. Sue is enjoying working with the challenging but very rewarding client group and being part of the team at Headway Surrey.

  

Jo-Ann Webster - Support Worker

Currently being written