Marilyn Mukuna - Hospital Manager

Marilyn has worked in senior healthcare management for several organisations and has an established track record of improving services.

A qualified nurse and a MSc in Finance with experience as a management consultant, she has applied her combination of skills to ensuring both quality and commercial success in hospital management.

Always pursuing excellence, she is driven by a desire to create environments in which both service users and staff thrive. Her coaching qualification and interest in leadership have helped her to create positive work cultures, establishing a track record of building strong relationships and engagement at all levels.

Marilyn says her proudest achievements are in the roles she has played supporting/coaching colleagues into successful careers and turning around hospitals that were in special measures. When asked what her interests are, she says: “People. I’m fascinated by humans. Everything else follows from that.”

Dr Kumi Pillay - Medical Director

Dr Kumi Pillay trained as a Psychiatrist, completing membership to the Royal College in 2010. There afterwards completing further training in Neuropsychiatry at a regional Neurological Rehabilitation (Burden Centre) inpatient unit. He then set up and led a specialist Neuropsychiatry inpatient service in South Wales for 8 years.

He completed his Masters in Clinical Neuropsychiatry at Birmingham and his dissertation was the first research project to look at psychiatric co-morbidities in those affected by Huntington’s Disease and the impact on length of stay.

He spent a year at a regional Neurological rehabilitation Level 1 service in Bristol as Consultant Neuropsychiatrist before joining Cygnet Health Care at Brunel as Medical Director.

Dr Ivan Leong - Consultant Neuropsychiatrist

Dr Ivan Leong is a Consultant Neuropsychiatrist at Cygnet Brunel, with over 11 years of experience working in psychiatry across a range of clinical settings. He completed his specialist training in General Adult Psychiatry and holds an endorsement in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, developing a broad experience in managing complex mental health presentations alongside physical and neurological conditions.

Ivan has a particular interest in neuropsychiatry and the complex relationship between the brain, behaviour and mental health. His clinical interests include acquired brain injury, neurobehavioural difficulties, cognitive and emotional changes following neurological illness, and the assessment and management of complex psychiatric presentations. He is passionate about providing thoughtful, individualised care that considers not only a person’s diagnosis, but also their personality, life experiences, relationships and goals for recovery.

Alongside his clinical work, Ivan has been actively involved in research, quality improvement and service development. His research interests have included neuropsychiatry and traumatic brain injury, apathy following brain injury, alcohol-related brain damage, Huntington’s disease and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). He also has an interest in improving psychiatric training and developing services that support clinicians to deliver safe, evidence-based and compassionate care.

Ivan believes that good neuropsychiatric care is fundamentally about understanding the person behind the illness. He particularly enjoys working within multidisciplinary teams, bringing together different perspectives and expertise to help patients achieve meaningful improvements in their quality of life, independence and wellbeing.

Dr Henk Swanepoel - Lead Neuropsychologist

Dr Henk Swanepoel has been working in the neuropsychological, clinical and forensic field for over 20-years. As a qualified neuropsychologist and clinical psychologist he has extensive experience in the assessment and treatment of brain injuries as well as mental health disorders.

Being a published, double doctorate in neuropsychology and forensic psychology, Dr Henk has lectured and supervised on graduate and post graduate level as a senior lecturer at various universities. Dr Henk is also CAMAG certified by the American Board of Independent Medical Examiners in the evaluation of permanent impairment.

He has a special interest in traumatic brain injuries, neurodegenerative disorders, drug and alcohol abuse, mood disorders, psychosis and personality disorders. His areas of expertise include neuropsychological assessment and rehabilitation, as well as forensic evaluations. He follows an evidence based treatment approach in his goal to make a difference in the lives of his patients.

Dr. Reenee Tan Oliveira - Associate Specialist in Neuropsychiatry

Dr. Reenee Tan Oliveira is the Associate Specialist in Neuropsychiatry at Cygnet Brunel. She has worked within Psychiatric services both within the NHS and the private sector in the Southwest Region since 2008.

Ever since she completed Core Training in Psychiatry, she worked in the SAS grade in Neuropsychiatry in the NHS, followed by various community and inpatient NHS services before joining Cygnet Healthcare in January 2019. She is also Section 12(2) Approved since 2015, and has submitted her AC portfolio to the Approvals panel.

Outside of work, Reenee enjoys cooking, plays backgammon and swims at the local health club.

Dr Sarah Aliu — Speciality Doctor in Neuropsychiatry

Dr Sarah Aliu is a dedicated Medical Doctor and Speciality Doctor in Neuropsychiatry at Cygnet Health Care, with over five years of postgraduate clinical experience, including more than three years of experience working within the NHS. Her clinical background spans neuropsychiatry, neurology, stroke medicine, emergency medicine, acute medicine, and neurorehabilitation.

Her experience includes caring for individuals with complex neurological conditions, acquired brain injury, cognitive impairment, and behavioural difficulties. This has strengthened her particular interest in the relationship between neurological disease, cognition, behaviour, and mental health.

Sarah adopts a holistic, compassionate, and patient-centred approach to care. She is committed to working collaboratively with patients, families, and multidisciplinary teams to provide high-quality, evidence-based care and support positive outcomes for people with complex neuropsychiatric needs.

Blessings Brian Sithole – Clinical Services Manager

Blessings qualified as an RMN in 2015. He has accumulated 10 years of experience in the mental health field and holds a Master’s degree in Mental Health from London South Bank University. Throughout his career, he has gained diverse experience across various mental health settings, including Acute services, Learning Disabilities, Older Adult care, and more recently, Neuropsychiatry.

He joined Cygnet in 2021 as an RMN, quickly progressing to a Clinical Team Leader within his first year, and was subsequently promoted to Ward Manager the following year, overseeing a 17-bed Acute Admissions Ward. In May 2025, he transitioned to his current role as Clinical Manager at Cygnet Brunel.

Blessings’ primary focus is on delivering exceptional, patient-centered care with a strong emphasis on reducing restrictive practices. He adopts a collaborative approach to team management and is passionate about staff welfare. A dedicated advocate for both patients and staff, his efforts earned him the Cygnet National Speak Up Award.

Poonam Poonam - Lead Physiotherapist

Poonam is a highly experienced physiotherapist specialising in neurological rehabilitation. With a Master's degree in Physiotherapy (Neurological Rehabilitation) and over 15 years of hands-on experience.

Throughout her career, Poonam has had the privilege of working with prestigious international hospitals, where she has honed her skills in both inpatient and outpatient settings with emphasis on TBI and degenerative neurological disorder patients. Her extensive experience includes managing a wide range of neurological conditions, providing personalized rehabilitation plans, and utilising the latest techniques and technologies to enhance patient recovery and quality of life.

In addition to her clinical practice, Poonam has also contributed to the academic field. She has served as a Teaching Associate, where she supervised the research projects of physiotherapy students. Her role in academia reflects her commitment to advancing the field of neurological rehabilitation and mentoring the next generation of physiotherapists.

She joined Cygnet Brunel as lead physiotherapist in May 2024. She is a valued member of the Brunel team, where her expertise and commitment to patient-centred care make a significant impact on the lives of those she serves.

Mairéad Daly - Head of Occupational Therapy

Mairéad qualified as an Occupational Therapist in 2017. She has a wide range of experience working with people and children with complex physical and mental health conditions. She has worked in areas such as supported living, inpatient mental health services including PICU, hospital wards, neuro-rehabilitation and children’s disabilities.

Mairéad joined Cygnet in 2023 to lead the Occupational Therapy Team. She is excited about this role as it allows her to combine and apply her experience from her roles across acute stroke and mental health settings.

Alex Kennelly - Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Alex qualified as a Speech and Language Therapist in 2021 from Plymouth Marjon University. Since then, she started her career within the NHS and gained experience working with patients across all stages of care from their acute inpatient admissions, rehabilitation and beyond into the community. In this time, Alex has worked across a wide span of clinical pathways including acute general medicine, stroke rehabilitation and early supported discharge services, progressive neurological conditions, head and neck cancer, and acquired brain injury.

In Speech and Language Therapy, the team support service users with a range of speech, language, social or cognitive communication and swallowing difficulties that can present due to acquired brain injury and mental health conditions. Alex enjoys the challenge of combining evidence-based approaches with functional and personalised interventions that meet the service user wherever they are.

Outside of her role, Alex enjoys travelling, hiking trips and running.

Paddy Dewar - Occupational Therapist

Paddy is a specialist occupational therapist who qualified in 2021 who has worked in neurological rehabilitation for over 4 and half years. Paddy enjoys the complex and varied assessment aspect of the role and enjoys formulating interventions tailored to the patient’s needs. Alongside OT, Paddy is trained in various professional domains including EMDR therapy and mindfulness practice.

Before working for Cygnet, Paddy led a team of staff to support a pair of individuals with complex needs through their transition into an environmentally adapted bungalow. Prior to this, Paddy helped setup an adapted bike scheme in Bristol called the Warmley Wheelers. This sparked his interest in occupational therapy as he was regularly problem solving and adapting equipment to meet service users’ needs.

Paddy has worked in a variety of care settings in Bristol over the years and has managed services across supported living for people with learning disabilities and autism.

Outside of work, Paddy is part of a Sea Shanty choir and enjoys saunas, cold water swimming, motorcycling and walking his dog Marmaduke!

Ellice Johnson - Ward Manager for Pilot Ward

Ellice qualified from Keele University in 2017. She has over 10 years of experience both as a support worker and a nurse working in the private sector with experience of working within female rehabilitation services specialising in personality disorder. She joined Cygnet in Spring 2020 as a physical health nurse before being promoted to head of care in 2021, and then to Ward Manager.

As Ward Manager, her duties include any care management responsibilities delegated by the hospital director and promoting and encouraging a high standard of person centred care by leading the care team. Ellice offers education and support to enable good skilled nursing care and positive patient outcomes alongside mentoring and supervision of staff and monitoring of training compliance and implementation of policies and procedures.

Urmila Dewan - Ward Manager for Clipper Ward

Urmila is a dedicated and compassionate registered nurse with a B.Sc. in Nursing from Nepal, obtained in 2019.

After completing her degree, she worked for a year as a staff nurse in the neuro-medicine ward of a renowned tertiary hospital in Nepal. During this time, she gained invaluable experience in delivering high-quality patient care.

She became a registered UK nurse in 2021 and began her career in the UK working on Yawl ward, followed by nearly a year tenure in Clipper ward.

With a strong commitment to providing exceptional nursing care, Urmila was honoured to take on the role of Ward Manager. Her focus is always on ensuring the best outcomes for service users, fostering a supportive environment for staff, and leading with empathy and a positive attitude. She believes that a warm smile and dedication to care can make a meaningful difference in the lives on those we serve.

Joni Michelle Abellana - Physical Health and Infection Control Lead

Joni is a highly accomplished registered general nurse with over 15 years of diverse, international experience spanning the UK, UAE (Dubai), and the Philippines. Currently serving as the Physical Health Nurse and Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Lead at Cygnet Brunel, she brings a remarkably well-rounded clinical perspective built across theatre, medical-surgical, homecare, and mental health nursing.

Joni combines her diverse background as a university nursing educator in the Philippines and a healthcare quality coordinator in Dubai to drive patient safety in a specialised neuropsychiatric setting.

With international expertise in clinical education, auditing, and global accreditation, Joni expertly manages acute deteriorations while championing a "parity of esteem" to ensure neuropsychiatric patients receive holistic, safe, and dignified care. Joni combines evidence-based practice with a deeply holistic approach, bringing a diverse set of clinical skills and a highly creative energy to her work. This allows her to design innovative solutions for complex challenges, creating a safer, more engaging, and higher-quality environment for her patients, her team, and Cygnet as a whole.