We’re really pleased to welcome Lisa, our new Executive Director of Nursing & Quality at Everyturn!
Lisa joins us from Cumbria, North East, Tyne and Wear NHS, and is a registered mental health nurse, an approved clinician, and holds a Masters Degree in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Recovery in Psychosis and Complex Mental Health, and a PGCert in mental health law. Before her role with CNTW, Lisa was a Nurse Consultant for many years, specialising in community and step down models of care.
As a clinically led provider of mental health services, it is important that we have strong clinical leadership at executive level. Including Nursing in the title recognises the vital role nursing plays in the quality, safety and delivery of our services. This is not about prioritising one profession over another. Nursing is the largest regulated professional group within our services and plays a critical role in quality, safety and service delivery. Our services are delivered by a diverse range of colleagues and the role will provide leadership for quality and clinical practice across the whole organisation, ensuring all disciplines contribute to shaping and improving our services.
As we welcome Lisa, we also want to say an enormous thank you and heartfelt farewell to Niloufar, who’ll be leaving her role with us as our current Executive Director of Quality & Safety, after an incredibly dedicated and impactful two years.
Adam Crampsie, Chief Executive here at Everyturn said:
“As we say hello to Lisa, I also want to thank Niloufar Hajilou for everything she has done over the past two years as our Executive Director of Quality and Safety.
“Niloufar made a tremendous contribution to Everyturn, strengthening our approach to quality, governance and clinical leadership, and helping us navigate a period of significant growth. We all wish her every success for the future.
“I am delighted to welcome Lisa Strong as our new Executive Director of Nursing and Quality. Lisa brings extensive senior experience in mental health services, quality improvement and clinical leadership, alongside a clear commitment to delivering the highest standards of care and experience. Lisa is passionate about ensuring the experiences of people who use our services shape how we improve, innovate and deliver support, and about making lived experience a central part of decision making at every level of the organisation.
“Lisa joins us at a particularly exciting time, as we prepare to launch our new 10-year strategy and celebrate Everyturn’s 40th anniversary. Her leadership will be instrumental in helping us deliver our ambitions for the decade ahead, ensuring quality, safety and excellent care remain at the heart of everything we do.
The executive team and I are very much looking forward to working with her as we shape the next chapter of Everyturn’s journey.”
Lisa Strong, Executive Director of Nursing and Quality at Everyturn said:
“I’ve always believed that the best mental health care begins with seeing the person before the problem. That belief has guided me throughout more than 30 years as a mental health nurse and leader – and it’s what has brought me to Everyturn.
“From my very first conversations with Everyturn, I had a strong sense that this is an organisation with both its heart and its ambition in the right place. The values weren’t just written down, they were visible in every conversation I had.
“I’m excited to work alongside people who genuinely care about making a difference and to help build on the incredible work that’s already happening. For me, quality and safety aren’t just about systems and processes; they’re about creating cultures where people feel able to speak up, keep learning and continually improve together.
“I’m looking forward to spending time with colleagues across all our services at Everyturn. To listen before leading, understand what matters most to our teams and to the people who use our services, and work together to turn good ideas into meaningful change.
“Most of all, I’m excited to be part of an organisation that’s prepared to think differently. I believe that when we combine kindness with curiosity, courage with humility, and ambition with compassion, extraordinary things become possible.
“Over the last three decades I’ve worked across frontline NHS mental health services as a proud staff nurse, community psychiatric nurse, consultant nurse, and approved clinician. More recently, I was the Deputy Director of Nursing and Quality at Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Trust.
“While my roles have changed, what motivates me hasn’t: creating services where people feel safe, valued, listened to and treated with dignity.
“I’m endlessly curious about people, leadership and how organisations can create environments where compassion and quality go hand in hand. I care deeply about human rights, psychological safety and helping teams to do their very best work.
“I also enjoy teaching, writing and speaking about compassionate leadership and mental health care.
“I’m grateful for this opportunity, and I can’t wait to get started in my role as Executive Director of Nursing and Quality this September.