Claire Griffiths - Hospital Director

Having worked in care settings for a number of years as a Healthcare Support Worker Claire enrolled on the Diploma in Nursing Course at The University of Nottingham in 2004. She later returned to the same university to complete her Nursing Degree in 2013.

Claire has held a number of roles in the organisation over the last 16 years. Starting as a nurse at Cygnet Sherwood House, progressing to Head of Care before taking her first managerial role in 2012.

Since 2012 Claire has managed an Acquired Brain Injury service, Mental Health Hospital and Learning Disability Hospital.

One of Claire’s proudest achievements as Hospital Manager was at Cygnet Sherwood Lodge in 2019, where the service received an ‘Outstanding’ in all key lines of enquiry (KLOES) CQC rating.

Another career highlight was opening Cygnet Joyce Parker Hospital in 2020, a CAMHS service with four wards (PICU, Acute and Low Secure).

Claire remains very proud of the services and teams she has worked with and is looking forward to opening another successful service in the East Midlands.

Dr Homayun Shahpesandy - Medical Director & Consultant Psychiatrist

Dr Shahpesandy completed his medical education and training in the former Czechoslovakia before moving to the United Kingdom in 2005.

He was awarded a PhD from the Comenius University, Bratislava, and Master of Science degree from the Maastricht University in the Netherlands. Dr Shahpesandy was awarded Postgraduate certificate in Cognitive behavioural therapies by Southampton University and Certificate in Leading and Innovation in Healthcare, by the Northeast Leadership Academy.

Dr Shahpesandy has broad teaching experience has participated in several Quality Improvement and service-development projects. Dr Shahpesandy is a very experienced clinician having worked in a variety of psychiatric settings, including acute inpatient psychiatric services, liaison psychiatry, psychiatric intensive care, old age psychiatry and learning disabilities.

Dr Shahpesandy is very passionate about his work, dedicated and person-centred. Dr Shahpesandy is impassioned about poetry, history of medicine, travelling, and sports.

Jeff Ashby - Clinical Manager

Jeff began his healthcare career in 2009 as a support worker in a residential home, before going on to study mental health nursing at the University of Nottingham. He graduated with a BSc in Mental Health Nursing in 2014 and has subsequently gained clinical experience in both CAMHS and adult services, including acute, PICU and secure ward environments.

Jeff joined Cygnet 2020 as a bank nurse at Cygnet Hospital Clifton, before taking up a substantive position in the recently opened Joyce Parker Hospital in early 2021. Whilst at Joyce Parker, he substantively held positions as Clinical Team Leader, Ward Manager and Clinical Manager. As Ward Manager, he ran Pixie Ward (General Adolescent Unit) and Dragon Ward (Low Secure Unit) at different times. He was Ward Manager at Pixie’s launch, and continued to run it for the next sixteen months and the success of that ward remains one of his proudest achievements. As Clinical Manager, he demonstrated a clear increase in clinical and training compliance across the unit. He subsequently transferred to Cygnet Hospital Sherwood in 2024 as the Clinical Manager of the new service.

Outside of his direct clinical experience, Jeff completed the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme in 2018 and subsequently worked substantively as a non-clinical senior manager in an acute NHS trust from 2018 to 2021. He also holds an MSc in Healthcare Leadership from the University of Birmingham & University of Manchester, as well as a number of qualifications in change and project management. He has recently been accepted on to an Independent Prescriber Programme at the University of Lincoln, as well as starting the role of Visiting Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing at Birmingham Newman University.

Zoe Elkington – Principal Forensic Psychologist

Zoe has worked in a variety of forensic and forensic mental health settings over the last 22 years and joined Cygnet in 2009 working predominantly in male high dependency rehabilitation services. Zoe has also supported the wider psychological services within the organisation across different service lines. Zoe joined the team at Cygnet Hospital Sherwood in January 2024 as head of the psychology department.

Zoe is passionate about working in forensic mental health and adopts and promotes trauma-informed practice into the care and treatment provided by the psychology department and the wider staff team. Zoe has a breadth of experience in assessments and interventions for males experiencing a diverse range of difficulties and is committed to delivering person centred care utilising a variety of therapeutic approaches to achieve this.

Zoe is also passionate about developing and training the next generation of psychologists by providing opportunities to gain experience as well as providing clinical and academic supervision.

Adam Robinson - Lead Occupational Therapist

Adam has worked at Cygnet for 14 years, 10 of these as a qualified Occupational Therapist. During this time Adam has worked across many Cygnet sites and service lines including male mental health, community mental health and secure forensic male personality disorder services.

Prior to working at Cygnet Hospital Sherwood, Adam worked at Cygnet Aspen House, service specialising in high dependency inpatient rehabilitation for women who have severe and enduring mental illness, as an Occupational Therapist.