RCOMH Steering Group Member - Maria Quinn
Position: Clinical Director, Allied
Health Professional Services
Organisation: Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS
Foundation Trust (NTW).
Biography
Maria is the Clinical Director for Allied
Health Professional Services and has been the AHP Lead for Children
& Young People for Northumberland Tyne & Wear NHS
Foundation Trust since 2007. She was awarded a Health Foundation
Leadership Fellowship (2007-2009) specialising in quality
improvement in the NHS and supporting National AHP mentorship and
networking.
Maria has been an occupational therapist (OT)
since graduating in 1990 from York. Initially working in mental
health in Waltham Forest, she moved to Newcastle as a senior OT in
the Regional Drug & Alcohol Service. In 1993 Maria set up the
Northumberland OT service in Child & Adolescent Mental Health
(CAMHS) and completed her MSc in OT, developing a model of clinical
reasoning. She went on to facilitate Continuing Professional
Development as Head OT for Research & Development. As Head OT
for In-patient services Maria contributed to the National Acute
Care and Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) Policy
Implementation Guidelines. She was Trust Head of OT in
Northumberland from 2000 until 2007, with an emphasis on developing
high quality services through empowerment and staff development and
designed new roles for OT with the DH Changing Workforce
Programme.
Maria has been a Company Director of the
British Association of Occupational Therapy (BAOT) and a Trustee of
the College of Occupational Therapists (COT). She was elected as
the English Board member on the BAOT Northern & Yorkshire
Regional Committee from 2003 until 2007. She chaired the BAOT
English Board and was BAOT/COT Council member for England
highlighting the key issues for the eight regions of England.
Maria has also trained as a Neuro Linguistic
Programming (NLP) Practitioner and Life Coach and as a carer, has a
deep appreciation for user led services.