Sally Danson - Hospital Manager

Sally qualified as a learning disability nurse from the University of Cumbria in 2014 and had worked as a support worker prior to this. Sally started her career in nursing working within a children’s hospice setting. She then moved to the NHS within mental health and worked on a low secure ward for three years before joining the team at Newton House, Blackpool.

Sally started in 2017 at Newton House in the role of a staff nurse and was successful in the interview process to be senior nurse in 2018. In 2020 Sally was promoted to deputy hospital manager supporting an interim manager for 12 months before taking on the role as interim hospital manager in 2021. Sally was then successful at the interview in 2022 for permanent hospital manager and has completed this role since.

Sally has completed her Level 5 in Leadership and Management with a distinction and is currently supporting the team at Newton House through the transition of joining Cygnet Health Care.

Zoe Worthington - Head of Care

Zoe qualified as a Social Worker from University of Central Lancashire in 2019. Zoe started her career in front line child protection services.

In 2021, Zoe took a big career change and joined the team at Cygnet Newton House as a Hospital Social Worker focusing on safeguarding procedures, leading on flow of discharging patients back into the community and promoting family involvement in patient care.

By the end of 2024, Zoe felt ready for the next step in her career and was successful in securing the role of Deputy Hospital Manager at Cygnet Newton House.

Sherfeena Ashraf - Psychologist

Sherfeena is an HCPC registered Counselling Psychologist who joined Cygnet Newton House in October 2025. She brings experience from a range of clinical settings, including CAMHS and adult learning disability and autism services. She takes a compassionate and evidence based approach, providing person centred care that reflects each individual’s needs, strengths and therapeutic goals.

Sherfeena is committed to supporting people throughout their recovery journey by promoting resilience, psychological wellbeing, and meaningful personal development. She works collaboratively within the multidisciplinary team and is committed to supporting service users in making positive progress and working towards reaching their full potential.

April Wilsher - Occupational Therapist

April began working in inpatient mental health in 2017. She has worked in a variety of different service lines such as personality disorder, acute and PICU before moving to Cygnet Lodge Salford in 2019. In 2023, April Qqualified as an Occupational Therapist from the University of Salford. During her time at Cygnet Lodge Salford, April created strong community links with the local council and was part of a project to raise money for MIND. April focused on creating vocational opportunities, such as seeking volunteering roles in the community for patients.

In July 2025, April joined the Cygnet Newton House team as a specialist Occupational Therapist, returning back to her roots by the sea. April is passionate about engaging people in occupations that are meaningful and purposeful to them. She enjoys thinking outside of the box and being creative with her interventions. April has formulated a therapy programme that focuses on skill development and promoting independence, whilst incorporating a balance of self-care, leisure and productivity. April is enthusiastic about service development and remaining patient focused in her practice.