Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Employment Service

Meet the team

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 has put her in a great position to support the staff members now in those roles as she understands the challenges they might face. Supporting others to live well with mental health conditions has always been important to her, which led her to study Psychology at University. A varied working career has followed, allowing her to appreciate from her own lived experience what a difference the right role and employer can have on someone’s mental health. She finds it really rewarding to support service users to gain employment that is right for them and seeing what a positive impact this can have on their lives.

Vicki Mason – Senior Mental Health Employment Specialist, Sleaford

Vicki started working in the Trust in 2005 and has had various roles and managed to gain qualifications and learn new skills along the way. She 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 to retain their paid employment. She finds it to be such a valuable service and a very rewarding job.

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

Sheila Imbriano - Senior Employment Specialist

Sheila started working for LPFT 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 Individual Placement and Support (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.

Suzanne Tomlinson - Mental Health Employment Specialist, Personality and Complex Trauma and Community Rehab Team

Suzanne has always had a passion for helping people to build a better future and gain employment and was keen to work within IPS for some time before joining the team.  She has worked in a number of job sectors, including Aviation and the Finance Sector.

For 19 years Suzanne worked in Custodial Services as a Careers Adviser and Employment and Induction Tutor.  She has also worked within the NHS in Social Care High Secure Services. Suzanne’s focus is to help people to improve their lives and helping them into meaningful employment and a job sector of their own choice.

Suzanne has an avid interest in history, particularly European Royal History in the Victorian era. She is also very interested in fragrance, its ingredients and origin, and how it is made.

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

Lesley is passionate about making a positive difference in people's lives and finds her role very rewarding, she 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 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.

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. Becci started working for Individual Placement Support (IPS) in November 2023 covering the Boston area. Becci takes pride in her job and strives to support individuals to meet their career goals.

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, and most recently leading on Careers Education in secondary schools. She is currently studying HR Management with the hope of better understanding recruitment practises and employment law. 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 hopes to bring 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 son, partner and overly energetic Border Collie ‘Mazie’. She likes live music, cooking, ‘upcycling’ furniture, and if she can’t get away up a mountain at the weekend, she’ll be found in the garden growing vegetables.

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

Leah has accumulated 5 years of continuous NHS service and has always had a keen interest in the mental health sector. She believes that employment is a crucial component in the overall recovery process; she feels as though she am a prime example of this with live-in experience and having knowledge of being an IPS service user. She finds that being an Employment Specialist is very rewarding, especially being part of a service users journey to recovery and encouraging them to believe in themselves.

Julie Measures – 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 has been central to her work, a factor that motivated her to enter the IPS service. Julie also has experience of running her own business.

Michelle Wilkinson – Mental Health Employment Specialist, Grantham

Michelle’s background is with the Probation Service for 15 years working with people within the community and within custodial settings which included rehabilitation, addictions, mental health, accommodation, finance, relationships, programmes and employment.  With a passion for supporting others through their own journey, Michelle feels honoured to be able to work with people wanting to retain or gain employment to assist with their mental health and wellbeing.  

Julie Salt – Mental Health Employment Specialist, Louth

Julie has been an Employment Specialist since 2020. She 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.

Outside of work she enjoys spending time with her ‘grand pups’ – two adorable Golden Doodles who bring a lot of pleasure and mischievousness.

Amy Pesterfield – Mental Health Employment Specialist, Stamford

Amy has worked for Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s recruitment team since 2016, before joining the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Team as an Employment Specialist in 2021. She is covering Lincoln North and Gainsborough for a colleague whilst she is on leave and will soon be permanently covering Stamford. She loves to chat and support people and gets a buzz when people achieve their goals with her being a part of that journey. Amy loves her role as she truly believes the ‘perfect’ job is out there for everyone as well getting the opportunity to engage with everyone.

Zoe Robertson  – Mental Health Employment Specialist, Spalding

Zoe began her Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust career as a bank Support Worker in 2016, then went on to qualify as a Mental Health Nurse. Her mental health background includes rehabilitation, substance misuse, and a variety of inpatient wards. She began working for the Individual Placement and Support Service in August 2020 and is passionate about supporting service users to find meaningful employment.

Karen Hallett – Mental Health Employment Specialist, Boston

Karen initially trained in ladies hairdressing but found that it wasn’t for her and started work for the civil service. She started working in Jobcentres in 1989. Karen has a passion for helping people find the right job for themselves and seeing how it helps their self-esteem and general outlook on life. Outside work, Karen loves watching cookery programmes and travelling.

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

Sara started her Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust 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 Individual Placement and Support (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.

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 & 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.

Kelly Thornton - Mental Health Employment Specialist, Grantham

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 having trained 15 years ago 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 two whippets and gardening.

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 your own 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.

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.

Sarah Jones, Mental Health Employment Specialist, Lincoln North and Gainsborough

Sarah is new to the team and is a Mental Health Employment Specialist covering Lincoln North and Gainsborough for a colleague whilst on leave. Sarah has lived experience as a carer for her father with Parkinson’s disease and his journey with the associated mental health struggles. Sarah is immensely 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.

Natalie Wells -  Mental Health Employment Retention Specialist, South Lincolnshire

Previous to joining the IPS team Natalie worked in a Community Mental Health Team as an Assistant Practitioner for three years, teaching Emotional First Aid, running a peer support group and supporting a caseload of service users. Before this she was a prison officer for 12 years, working her way up to management. Her special interests are all rehabilitation based (employment, training and education, dual diagnosis recovery, peer support and collaborative working). She tries to inspire people on their recovery journeys by sharing her own lived experience of ill mental health and is very passionate about the power of peer support. Her favourite thing to do is to read/watch true crime or snuggle up with her beloved cat and nap!

Danny Sheehan - Mental Health Employment Specialist, Lincoln North

Meet Danny, a dedicated professional with a passion for making a difference in people's lives. His previous expereince includes working as a veteran support worker and lobbyist, where he provided critical assistance and advocacy for the rights of veterans. He has also worked as a specialist work coach at Job Centres where he's been a youth coach for those in complex situations, and a long-term health condition specialist. His role helped countless young individuals find their career paths, and as a health journey specialist, he's supported people to get the right benefits and improve their wellbeing. Adding to this experience, Danny holds undergraduate qualifications in psychology and humanitarian aid. Danny thrives on making connections, understanding unique stories, and finding ways to support and empower those he works with. His work is driven by compassion, and his commitment to improving the lives of others.

Fay Smith - Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Employment Service - Admin Support\​​​​​​

Fay has worked in the NHS since 1981 in various roles in both physical and mental health services and joined the IPS Service in November 2022 as an Administrator. Fay enjoys her role of supporting the Employment Specialists and the service users and appreciates the benefits that paid employment or volunteering can bring to your life and mental wellbeing.

Leah Charnock – Peer Support Worker, Sleaford

This is Leah’s first job role within the NHS. Before this, Leah worked as a Customs and Trade Advisor for 3 years. Leah previously used the IPS Employment service, working with Natalie Wells. Having an employment specialist support and guide her, led her to her role as a Peer Support Worker within the IPS Employment service, 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 massively important step to your recovery, of leading a happy and healthy life.

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