Meet the team

Sara Brewin – Service Manager for Allied Health Professionals, Recovery and Inclusion

Sara started her LPFT career in 2003 as a Community Support Worker in one of the adult Community Mental Health Teams and then in 2011 qualified as an Occupational Therapist.

Sara is very passionate about mental health, recovery and inclusion, and very much values the role that collaborative working plays in a person’s recovery. Before becoming the Service Manager for the IPS Employment Team, she was the IPS Team manager for three years and is still very passionate about supporting and enabling the service to continue to grow.

Outside of work, Sara enjoys being a mum, spending time with family and friends, and going on local walks to keep her mind happy and healthy.

 

 

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Jasmine Fawcett – IPS Team Manager

Prior to becoming the Team Manager, Jasmine was a Senior Employment Specialist for Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust and before that an Employment Specialist. This placed Jasmine in a great position to support IPS staff members in their roles as Jasmine understood the challenges they might face in supporting service users, for example the impact of how rural Lincolnshire is on gaining employment. Our team covers all localities within LPFT and has staff from different backgrounds, which means they are able to bring a variety of different skills and knowledge to the team.

Supporting others to live well with mental health conditions has always been important to Jasmine, which led her to study Psychology at University. Before and after graduating Jasmine experienced working in a number of roles, including retail, care, the university, physical healthcare, working with young people, volunteering for Samaritans and working in clinical research. Jasmine loves her role now but states she definitely did not love all of her previous jobs, which really made her appreciate what a difference the right role and employer can have.  Jasmine feels it is really rewarding supporting our service users to gain employment that is right for them and seeing what a positive impact this can have on their lives.

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Sarah Jones – Interim Team Manager / Senior Mental Health Employment Specialist, covering the North area and based in Lincoln

Sarah gained her degree in Psychology and Criminology and prior to joining the team she began working for Lincolnshire County Council’s Special Educational Needs Department, which led her to a therapeutic role supporting children and young people within Lincolnshire Children’s Services.

Sarah was working at United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust before joining the team and this is where her passion for supporting patients grew. Sarah has lived experience as a carer for her father who has Parkinson’s disease and his journey with the associated mental health struggles.

Sarah is extremely passionate about mental health and believes getting back to work in a job you enjoy is hugely beneficial. Sarah enjoys supporting people through their own journey and finds it immensely rewarding watching people grow and become confident in their own abilities.

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Vicki Masson – Senior Mental Health Employment Specialist covering Central Lincolnshire, based in Sleaford

Vicki began working for Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust in 2005. She has had various roles within the Trust and has managed to gain qualifications and learn new skills along the way. Vicki worked in Grantham Community Mental Health Team for many years and loved being able to support people on their individual recovery paths.

Since joining IPS in 2021 Vicki has supported service users into work and helped others retain their paid employment.  Vicki feels it is such a valuable service and a very rewarding job.

She feels privileged to be part of someone’s journey into work and is passionate about making a difference to people’s wellbeing and recovery.

 

 

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Sheila Imbriano – Senior Employment Specialist, covering the South area, based in Grantham

On leaving education Sheila completed an apprenticeship in hairdressing. Whilst raising her family she worked in nursing and residential homes, initially as a cleaner but she then grew to realise her passion for supporting others. Sheila started working for Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust in 2000 as a Nursing Assistant providing therapeutic groups within day services on the Beaconfield Site in Grantham. Career progression throughout the years as a community support worker and a housing support worker led to her becoming involved in the pilot for IPS employment support in 2015.

Having a varied career path, an appreciation of supporting others to become independent and her own lived experience, she understands the importance of a good work life balance and she promotes this within her work at every opportunity.

Sheila has a busy family life as a mother of four and a nana to eight grandchildren. Sheila enjoys music, baking novelty cakes, football and formula one racing.

 

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Michelle Wilkinson –  Senior Mental Health Employment Specialist, Lincoln

Michelle brings over 15 years’ experience from the Probation Service, supporting individuals in both community and custodial settings.  Her work has spanned rehabilitation, addiction recovery, mental health, housing, finance, relationships, structured programmes and employment. 

With a deep commitment to person-centred support, Michelle is passionate about empowering people to navigate their own path – whether returning to work or finding employment for the first time. 

She feels privileged to walk alongside individuals as they build confidence, rediscover strengths and take meaningful steps toward recovery and independence.

 

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Lesley Sheehan – Mental Health Employment Specialist, Early Intervention in Psychosis, Grantham Locality Team

Lesley is devoted to making a positive difference in people's lives and finds her role very rewarding.  Lesley feels truly honoured to be part of a Service User’s journey into paid employment. Lesley thrives on making connections with people and finding ways to both support and empower those she works with. Her work is driven by empathy and compassion and she is committed to improving the lives of others. Having a varied career path, she has an appreciation of supporting others to become more confident and independent and with her own lived experience, she understands the importance of a good work-life balance and she cherishes promoting this within her work at every opportunity.

Lesley is very passionate about mental health and wellbeing, recovery, diversity and inclusion and she very much values the role that collaborative-working plays in a person’s recovery journey. Lesley is also passionate about supporting people to find suitable employment which she strongly believes plays an important role in mental health recovery and that it has a positive impact on overall wellbeing; that it’s as important to look after our mental health, as it is our physical health. Lesley is also a Health Care Support Worker, NHS Bank Staff, and works on adult mental health wards around Lincolnshire.

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Rebecca "Becci" Ellis – Mental Health Employment Specialist, Perinatal Team

 

 

Becci has worked for the NHS for over 20 years, where she has mainly worked as an Adult Nurse. She started working for Individual Placement Support (IPS) in November 2023 covering the Boston area. She takes pride in her job and strives to support individuals to meet their career goals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Elaine Dutton – Mental Health Employment Specialist, Lincoln City Community Mental Health Team

Elaine started her career journey wanting to be a Forensic Psychologist, probably after watching too much Cracker on TV! Instead, her journey took her from an undergraduate degree in psychology into adult education and community rehabilitation. From there she worked in education in various roles for many years, including youth work and tutoring in alternative provision, teaching psychology in mainstream school, pastoral care and enrichment programmes, finally leading her to Careers Education in secondary schools. Empowering people to make informed decisions about their own lives, to do what they love and be happy and healthy are what Elaine has worked towards in all her previous roles and brings this passion to her role with IPS.

Out of work Elaine is rarely found inside, preferring the outdoorsy world of hiking, camping and exploring the countryside with her partner and overly energetic Border Collie ‘Mazie’. She likes live music, cooking, ‘upcycling’ furniture and if she cannot get away up a mountain at the weekend, she will be found in the garden growing vegetables.

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Leah Dobbs – Mental Health Employment Specialist, Spalding Integrated Place Based Team

 

Leah has worked for the NHS for several years and has always had a keen interest in the mental health sector.  Leah believe employment is a crucial component in the overall recovery process and feels she is a prime example of this, with lived experience of being a previous IPS service user.  Leah feels that her role of Employment Specialist is very rewarding, especially being part of a service users journey to recovery and encouraging them to believe in themselves.

 

 

 

 

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Julie Warman – Mental Health Employment Specialist, Gainsborough

 

Julie has been an Employment Specialist with LPFT since April 2023.  For most of her career she has worked in the education and employment sectors as a qualified Careers Adviser, helping adults and young people to work through barriers to achieve their aspirations and find their purpose.  Mental health and wellbeing have been central to her work, a factor that motivated her to enter the IPS service. Julie also has experience of running her own business.

 

 

 

 

 

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Julie Salt – Mental Health Employment Specialist, Louth

Julie is passionate about mental health, recovery and the importance of work for mental health in facilitating recovery.  Julie says that being in work is important for general health and well-being: it gives us a purpose as well as a wage, promoting independence, as well as enabling social contacts.

Julie has experience teaching French and Psychology, progressing to managing a department in a local authority education service offering educational opportunities to the local community.

Julie has lived experience as a carer through her daughter’s recovery journey in mental health services. Her approach is to always try to understand what it is like to be in someone else’s shoes and bring this perspective to her work roles.

Julie spent four years championing the carer perspective in a community representative role at Navigo mental health services. She delivered eating disorder training for the national charity, Beat.

Julie is currently championing collaboratively working in her ad hoc peer reviewer role with the Royal College of Psychiatrists on working age mental health wards. She also has experience of working at Safe Space (Mind), the crisis café in Grimsby.

In her role as Employment Specialist, Julie supports service users in community mental health services into employment or to retain their employment.

Outside of work Julie enjoys spending time with my grand dogs – two adorable Golden Doodles who bring a lot of pleasure and mischievousness. Julie also loves to relax having a long soak using her favourite bath products.

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Amy Woods – Mental Health Employment Specialist, Stamford

Amy has worked for Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust for several years, previously working in a corporate team where she was involved in the recruitment for new bank staff. Prior to this, Amy worked as a legal secretary.

Amy feels the most rewarding part of her role as a Mental Health Employment Specialist is engaging with the service users, helping to provide them with hope and confidence.  Amy feels very excited when service users achieve their goals and she enjoys being part of that journey.

Amy believes there is the right job out there for everyone, it’s just finding that job which can be a bit of a struggle but that is what she is there for.   Amy states that the great thing about being a Mental Health Employment Specialist is that no two days are the same and she loves the variety of interactions each day with others.

Amy is passionate about mental health as it is something that everyone needs to look after, also knowing that employment plays a huge part in an individual’s mental health.  Amy states everyone should understand that a deterioration in mental health can happen to anybody knowing that mental health conditions do not discriminate

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Zoe Ward – Mental Health Employment Specialist, Spalding

Zoe began her Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust career as a Bank Support Worker in 2016, then went on to qualify as a mental health nurse.  Zoe’s mental health background includes rehabilitation, substance misuse, and a variety of inpatient wards. Zoe began working for the Individual Placement and Support service in August 2020.  She is passionate about supporting service user’s to find meaningful employment, which she believes empowers them to move forward positively within their lives. Zoe states that employment offers people a sense of purpose, identity, stability, financial independence and a routine which are all essential to our service users’ recovery journeys and it is an honour to support people within this aspect.

Zoe also enjoys working part of a team who offer a wide variety in skills coming from different backgrounds, which provides a vast wealth of experience that make IPS team a caring and compassionate service.

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Karen Hallett – Mental Health Employment Specialist, Boston

Karen initially trained as a hairdresser but found that it was not a vocation for her so began working for the DWP job centres in 1989. Karen has a passion for helping people find the right job for themselves and seeing how it helps their self-esteem, mental health and general outlook on life.

Outside work, Karen loves watching cookery programmes and travelling.

 

 

 

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Dee-Anne Greensmith – Mental Health Employment Specialist, Lincoln South

Dee-Anne has been an Employment Specialist for the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Employment Team since 2018 and prior to this, in a variety of other NHS organisations including, Community Mental Health Teams, Integrated Adult Health and Wellbeing Services and Continuing Healthcare. She is passionate about supporting people to make their own choices, find a good job match for them and helping them to gain and retain meaningful, paid employment which makes a significant difference to their lives. She feels honoured knowing that she is helping with their recovery journey.

 

 

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Kelly Thornton - Mental Health Employment Specialist, Sleaford

Prior to joining the IPS Team, Kelly was an Assistant Practitioner in the Early Intervention in Psychosis team for three years. Previous to this, Kelly worked in CAMHS in an acute inpatient setting supporting children from the age of 13-18.

Kelly is a qualified Midwife and has always had a passion for working in mental health, having worked in a mother and baby unit which specialise in treating severe mental health problems. Kelly is passionate about supporting people to find suitable employment which plays a key role in recovery and has a positive impact on overall wellbeing.

Kelly is a mum to four children, and she is a carer for her youngest daughter who is neurodivergent. Kelly is committed to encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion. In her free time, Kelly enjoys walking her dogs and gardening.

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Clare Fuller - Mental Health Employment Retention Specialist, Lincolnshire North

Before joining the IPS team Clare worked for the Probation Service for 14 years actively supporting the rehabilitation of Service Users in the community and upon leaving prison. She has had the privilege of watching people on her caseload grow and understands the importance of being in the right job for positive wellbeing. Mental Health has been at the forefront of all work Clare has done and this is something she has a keen interest in and feels very passionate about.

 

 

 

 

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Jack Bennett - Mental Health Employment Retention Specialist, Lincoln City

Jack joined Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust in September 2024.  Prior to this role Jack spent 15 years working with people recovering from mental health difficulties, previously working at probation, homeless charities and with young people.

Jack is very passionate about supporting people in their recovery.  Jack states that the IPS team is a great team with a large array of specialists who excel at supporting each other to come up with solutions for our service users.  

He feels proud to be part of the IPS team.

 

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Nicola McGee - Mental Health Retention Employment Specialist, South Lincolnshire

 

Before joining the IPS team, Nicola worked for over 23 years within criminal justice, working within custodial settings as well as in the community with both males and females. Nicola has a vast experience of supporting a diverse range of people through many different challenges on their individual recovery journeys.  Nicola believes that with the right support and motivation, everyone can work towards making goals and dreams a reality.

 

 

 

 

 

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Kimberly Chapman - Mental Health Employment Specialist, Lincoln City Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) and Integrated Place Based Team (IPBT)

Kim joined the team in September 2025 as an Employment Specialist. She is a fierce advocate for inclusion, mental health and neurodiversity within the NHS. Using her own lived experience of challenges and barriers, she is passionate for an accessible and inclusive service.  

Kim’s personal lived experience means she is a great advocate and champion for service users, ensuring everyone feels, seen, heard and valued.

Kim has had various roles throughout her career, including Peer Support Worker for the Lincolnshire Wellbeing and Recovery College, but states nothing has ever compared to walking alongside a service user on their employment journey and watching them grow and progress. “I am proud to be part of a team that not only supports the service users but each other!”

 

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Lucy Miller - Mental Health Employment Specialist, Lincoln Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) Team

Lucy has a diverse working history, bringing a unique blend of experience across education, recruitment and healthcare administration. As a Secondary School Teacher, she developed a deep passion for education and supported students to shape their lives and work successfully towards their goals.

From there, she transitioned into Recruitment as a Consultant in the education sector. Lucy supported schools and educators to find job matches based on their values and strengths, which was incredibly illuminating and allowed her to develop new skills in a fast-paced environment.

Most recently, she worked as a Medical Secretary within a Community Mental Health Team. This role gave her valuable insights into mental health services as she supported professionals to deliver the critical care service users needed. This further cemented her enthusiasm for supporting the mental wellbeing and recovery journey of others.

Each of these rewarding roles focused on the needs of individuals and putting people at the heart of what she does. Lucy is versatile and committed to making a positive impact on society. She understands the important links between employment and mental health and strives to make a meaningful difference to people’s lives as an IPS Employment Specialist.

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Sarah Vines – Mental Health Employment Specialist, Skegness

Sarah is new to the IPS Team and is an Employment Specialist, predominantly covering the Skegness area. Her background combines experience in Human Resources Management and Community Development projects and engagement. Sarah is also experienced in supporting Unpaid Carers needs and rights. Sarah is passionate about providing the support to enable everyone to meet their full potential.

 

 

 

 

 

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Olivia Jackson - Mental Health Employment Specialist, Lincoln North Integrated Place Based Team (IPBT)

Olivia began working with the LPFT IPS team as a Peer Support Worker in March 2024. Drawing on her own lived experience of using the employment service, she brought a valuable reciprocal understanding to support others in overcoming the barriers to work that mental health challenges can often create.

She thoroughly enjoyed the role and soon progressed to become an Employment Specialist, allowing her to continue the impactful work of IPS with genuine insight into the realities faced by service users. Olivia is passionate about offering a person-centred, uniquely tailored approach to help individuals find meaningful employment, an opportunity she believes empowers people to move forward positively in their lives.

She recognises that employment offers a sense of purpose, identity, social interaction, stability, financial independence and routine, all essential elements of recovery. Olivia is immensely proud to support people in achieving this, especially knowing first-hand how life-changing that progress can be.

She also greatly values being part of a team that brings together a wide range of skills, backgrounds and experiences, offering a wealth of knowledge and compassion to those they serve.

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Ceri Miller – IPS Administrator

Ceri has worked within Adult Mental Health Services for a number of years, providing administration support to a variety of teams and services. She has been with the IPS team in her current administration post since January 2025.  Ceri was drawn to the IPS team with its practical and person-centred approach.  She wanted to be part of a service that helps people rebuild confidence, find meaningful work, moving forward with their lives.

Outside her working role she loves time spent with friends and family and enjoys travel, experiencing different cultures and communities.  She loves nature and being outdoors and belongs to a local walking group and a social group to maintain positive wellbeing.

 

 

 

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Leah Charnock – Peer Support Worker, West Lincolnshire

This is Leah’s first job role within the NHS. Before this, Leah worked as a Customs and Trade Advisor for 3 years. Leah has lived experience of being supported by the IPS Employment Services. Having an employment specialist support and guide her, led her to her role as a Peer Support Worker within the IPS Employment Services, which she thoroughly enjoys.

With Leah having not only lived experience of poor mental health, but also using the IPS Employment Service, she is keen to help and inspire other people to get into paid employment which they enjoy, as she knows this is a major step to recovery, of leading a happy and healthy life.

When Leah is not working, she likes to spend her time travelling, visiting new places and having fun days out!

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Kelly Goulding - Peer Support Worker, South Lincolnshire

Kelly joined the team as a Peer Support Worker in October 2023 having previously worked in debt advice and education. Kelly is extremely passionate about supporting individuals with mental health conditions. As a previous user of the IPS service, Kelly recognises how valuable the service is in helping service users to find paid, meaningful employment and is extremely grateful to the service for helping her into a fulfilling career. Kelly is determined to use her own lived experience to instil hope that recovery is possible and to inspire others to find paid employment that feels purposeful and rewarding.

 

 

 

 

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Leah Booth - Peer Support Worker, East Lincolnshire

Leah has a background in working with families before joining Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LPFT) in 2024 as a Peer Support Worker within the Wellbeing and Recovery College Family Hub team. Drawing from her own lived experience of barriers and challenges, Leah developed a strong passion for advocating inclusion and ensuring that voices are heard and respected. She believes it is a privilege to walk alongside service users on their recovery journeys, supporting them and witnessing their progress.

 

 

 

 

 

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Hannah Reed - IPS Employment Specialist

 

Hannah has over 11 years of experience working within the NHS and joined Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LPFT) in 2021 as a Medical Secretary for the Psychiatry team. Prior to this, she worked within the Continuing Healthcare service in the Clinical Administration department.

In 2024, she transitioned to the IPS team, where she is passionate about helping individuals find and sustain paid employment. She strongly believes in the positive impact that meaningful work can have on mental health and wellbeing, and she is committed to supporting people throughout their recovery journey.

 

 

 

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Sophie Seetaram – East Retention Employment Specialist

A little background about me, most of my working career has been spent supporting adults with various physical and learning disabilities in both community and residential settings whilst raising my two girls. In 2020 I made the decision to progress my career and gained a BSc Psychology with counselling degree from the Open University. I enjoyed studying so much I decided to jump straight into a master’s and have just recently qualified as an Occupational Therapist.

I have chosen to come into the IPS service as an Employment Specialist due to the alignment between the service and OT, with both encompassing a holistic practice that seeks to work from a strengths-based approach to help individuals overcome barriers. I’m passionate about working in mental health because of the impact meaningful occupation and employment can have on identity, confidence and sense of purpose.

Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my girls or enjoying a good book!