Mental health charity appoints chief executive
Mental health charity Rethink has appointed Paul Jenkins as chief executive. He joins with a brief to build awareness of both the charity and the issues it tackles.
Jenkins, currently director of service development at the NHS Direct Special Health Authority, replaces Cliff Prior, who is leaving to become chief executive at UnLtd, the foundation for social entrepreneurs.
Jenkins will be responsible for ensuring that there is continued Government support for investment in mental health and modernising services, as well as building membership among people affected by mental illness and forging new partnerships. He will also expand the charity’s activities.
He says: “Mental health stands at a crossroads. Behind us is a history of crisis and compulsion; long years when millions of people experienced the worst of mental health care – locked away, forgotten, abused. In front us, is a future that is now realisable – where people with mental health problems, however severe, can have real hope of recovering a full and meaningful life.”
Rethink has over 8,000 members and operates over 350 services in England and Northern Ireland. It works with over 5,000 people with severe mental illness.
