Gillian O’Farrell

Registered Mental Health Nurse (RMN)

Quantum Reports (Care, Aids and Equipment)

Loss of Service Reports

Brain Injuries (Traumatic and Acquired)

Epilepsy

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

Chronic Pain

Mental Health (Adult and Paediatric)

Learning Difficulties

Nursing and Care Standards

Risk Assessments

Cognitive Impairment

Dementia/Alzheimer's

Orthopaedic and Limb Injury

Narcolepsy

Challenging Behaviour

Registered Mental Nurse (1986)
MA Nursing (2005)
BSc (Hons) Psychology (1983)
Post-Graduate Diploma Management Studies (1998)
ENB 956 Coping with Violence and Aggression (1994)
ENB 998 Teaching and Assessing in Clinical Practice (1992)
ENB A74 Control and Restraint Trainer (2001)
BA (Hons) English Literature (2018)

Royal College of Nursing (RCN)
Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC)

Dorset Healthcare University Trust Nursing Practice Award: Improving the Patient and Carer Experience (2008)
NHS Dorset Health and Social Care Awards 2008/09 - Winner Leadership for Improvement Category
Health and Social Care Awards Southwest Region Regional Finalist Leadership for Improvement Award (2009)
Dorset Healthcare University Trust Award for Inspirational Leadership (2011)

Senior Nurse in Mental Health retiring in 2012 after working for psychiatric settings for 26 years. This included 20 years inpatient experience, as well as experience working in the community as a Community Mental Health Nurse in adult and older persons services and in Assertive Outreach.
Have worked as an expert witness since 2012.
2 years’ experience as a NHS Continuing Healthcare Assessor at multiple institutions, this involved the assessment of patients with a wide variety of complex health and/or social care needs.
1 years’ experience as a Serious Adverse Incident Investigator at Dorset Healthcare University Foundation Trust, conducting rigorous investigations into serious adverse incidents across the trusts.
A further 1 years’ experience as a Community Mental Health Nurse, a Bank project manager and a patient safety advisor also at Dorset Healthcare University Foundation Trust.
European Mental Health Nursing Conference 2004 - 'Developing a Practice Development Unit on a mental health ward'
European Mental Health Nursing Conference 2004 - 'The role of the trained nurse in an inpatient unit: can the demands of the job leave time to meet patients’ therapeutic needs?'
National Mental Health Nursing Conference 2004 - 'Introducing the Tidal Model onto an inpatient acute ward'

Gillian has worked as an Expert Witness for over a decade since retiring from the NHS. She has a range of experience in care assessments and has a forensic eye for detail gained during her time working as a Serious Incident Investigator for an NHS Trust. She particularly enjoys cases that require the use of her assessment skills developed during her career in mental health.

In her spare time, she studies literature and is learning to play the piano.