Dr Arun Dhandayudham

Executive Medical Director

MBBS, MRCPsych, CCT (Addictions Psychiatry), PgDip (Mental Health Law), PgCert (Med Ed), MBA (Henley Business School), MFMLM

Dr Arun Dhandayudham leads on medical practice across WDP. Arun has been a Consultant in Addictions Psychiatry since 2005 and trained in Oxford and Cambridge. He was previously Clinical Director of the NHS Addictions services across Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire as well as Clinical Lead within CRI. Arun has extensive experience in setting up community drug and alcohol services, prison services and dual diagnosis services. He has an interest in online shopping addiction, PTSD and chronic arousal states such as pain and anxiety. He also sits on the Royal College of Psychiatry Addictions Faculty serving as Coordinator for the Regional Representatives network as well as Chair of the Addictions Faculty Patients and Carers group.

 

Jane Simons

Director of Care Standards and Practice Improvement

MSc Treatment of Substance Misuse, BSC Mental Health Nursing, BA Hons Sociology

Jane supports clinical, quality, and operational colleagues to enhance and improve outcomes of care and safety for those who access WDP services. 

Jane has worked in the substance use disorders and behavioural change field since 2005, initially as a nurse drug worker, progressing into local leadership in both clinical and operational roles. 

Jane is an Independent Nurse Prescriber and has also worked as Blood Borne Virus Nurse. At University of Birmingham, she completed her master’s research dissertation using a contingency management approach to increasing uptake and completion of Hepatitis B vaccination.

She has experience of senior leadership roles in both community and prison settings, working as clinical lead for a Category B prison, the National Director of Nursing for Addaction (now known as We Are With You), and most recently as the Director of Nursing for a substance use treatment centre in the Middle East.

In 2018, Jane was awarded a Florence Nightingale Foundation Leadership Scholarship, enabling her to study leadership at Harvard University and with The King’s Fund, on their Top Managers Programme. In 2019, she became a Queen’s Nurse. 

Jane has developed and implemented initiatives and strategies around reducing harms associated with substance use disorders, as well as strengthening nurse competencies, end of life care, and supporting teams in suicide prevention and self-harming behaviours. 

 

Dr Yasir Abbasi

Deputy Medical Director

MBBS, PG cert, PG Dip, EDPM, CCT (Addiction Psychiatry), FRCPsych

Dr Yasir Abbasi is WDP’s Deputy Medical Director as well as the clinical lead for WDP’s services in the North-West of England.

For more than a decade of being a consultant psychiatrist, Dr Abbasi has contributed towards the development of addiction services in the UK and United Arab Emirates (UAE), academia, and increased awareness about mental health and addiction.

Prior to joining WDP, Dr Abbasi was the director of addiction services at Maudsley Health in Dubai, UAE for three years. He delivered services in the country’s largest mental health facility at Al Amal Psychiatric Hospital and developed the addiction department, introducing one of the first community opioid substitute treatment services in the region.

Before his departure to Dubai, he was the clinical director of addiction services at Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust.

Dr Abbasi also set up the Painkiller Addiction Information Network (PAIN) charity in 2016 which was the only charity at that time raising awareness about painkiller addiction and supported the government to order a review into it. There was a Public Health England (PHE) review in 2019 and he was a part of the expert reference group.

He is associated with over 20 publications in peer-reviewed journals and has spoken widely at various national and international scientific conferences across the world. He also presented his views about addiction treatment on various media outlets such TV, radio, and newspapers.

Marylyn Nathan-Wilson

Chief Pharmacist

BSc Hons, MRPharmS, IPresc

Marylyn has been qualified for over 20 years and is a Specialist Substance Misuse and an Independent Pharmacist Prescriber. Marylyn is the professional lead for medicines management within the organisation. She is WDP’s Medicines Safety Officer, Home Office Responsible Person and Controlled Drugs Accountable Officer.

She is responsible for all professional pharmacy issues and ensuring the highest standards of corporate and clinical governance are maintained across WDP. Marylyn ensures all WDP services are adhering to CQC standards, legal regulatory and compliance standards in relation to medicines management. 

Before becoming WDP's Chief Pharmacist, Marylyn worked as the Director of Pharmacy at the Churchill London Clinic (2005 - 2010) and Chief Pharmacist for HMP Belmarsh, Thameside and ISIS ( 2010 - 2015). She has also worked with the South Maudsley NHS Trust and Central North West London Foundation Trust and her experience covers all aspects of substance misuse treatment, general health promotion and staff development. She has been involved in setting up smoking cessation services and minor ailment clinics in  prisons and general practice. She has a special interest in dual diagnosis and harm reduction measures.

Benedicta Xulu

Chief Nurse

Benedicta qualified as a registered mental health and general nurse in 1995 and has worked in the substance misuse field since 2002. She went on to study MSc in Clinical and Public Aspects of Addiction at King's College, London and later qualified as a Non-Medical Prescriber. She has worked as a lead nurse in various organisations, both custodial settings and in the community since 2010 until joining WDP as an organisational lead nurse in 2018.

Benedicta works closely with our central clinical team to ensure that our clinical services have robust processes and governance in place to operate safely and effectively.  She also provides clinical leadership to nursing staff across the organisation.