Name: All-Wales Approved Mental Health Professionals (AMHP) conference
Start: 2026-10-15T09:15:00Z

Where and when

15 October at The Angel Hotel, Cardiff
18 November at Venue Cymru, Llandudno

Please note: both conferences will follow the same programme.

Who this event is for

This conference is for all AMHPs across Wales.

It will be an opportunity to contribute to AMHP development and learning and will be a chance for you to network. The conference celebrates the AMHP role and the vital role practitioners play in contributing to the well-being of the population.

What we’ll cover

The conference will focus on experiences and challenges of the AMHP role. Our guest speakers are:

Robert Lewis - Lead Mental Health Social Worker for the Department of Health and Social Care

Robert will present the latest developments and future direction of mental health policy. He’ll give an overview of Mental Health Act Reform, including the proposed changes, expected timescales, and development of the Code of Practice from an English perspective. Robert will also discuss workforce challenges affecting the AHMPs and will look at approaches to Section.13 duties, the consideration of requests for Mental Health Act assessments and the main factors driving this development.

Alberto Salmoiraghi - Consultant Psychiatrist for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board

Alberto will present the current evidence of how poor service design affects mental health care. He’ll give an overview of the mental health and well-being strategy and explore the case for more integrated services, considering how better co-ordination can improve outcomes and experiences for people who use mental health services.

Michael Brown Author of the Mental Health Cop blog

Michael will discuss emergency powers and the public consultation proposals to extend police powers under Sections 135 and 136 of the Mental Health Act. He’ll consider the impact of similar approaches in countries where these powers have been adopted.

John Gittins - Senior Coroner for north and mid Wales.

John will present cases from his experiences in inquests where mental health has been a significant factor. He’ll discuss key themes arising from these cases, including the Prevention of Future Deaths Reports (Regulation 28) and coronial processes. The session aims to support practice-based learning by highlighting lessons from real cases and identifying opportunities to improve services, reduce risk, and help prevent future deaths.

Our speakers

Robert Lewis

Robert Lewis is the Mental Health Social Work Lead in the Chief Social Worker for Adults office at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). He has over 30 years of frontline experience across many social and health care settings, including in statutory mental health services, further and higher education, and the voluntary, community, social enterprise and independent sectors.

Before his current role, Robert was an AMHP Service Manager and Co-Chair of the National AMHP Leads Network. In these roles he worked closely with the DHSC, ADASS, the Local Government Association and NHS England to improve practice and drive system changes. Robert led the development of the National AMHP Service Standards and played an active role throughout the Mental Health Act (MHA) review. He helped develop the Nominated Person concept and provided both verbal and written evidence to Parliament on mental health law reform.

He is currently supporting the implementation of the MHA 2025 and its Code of Practice. He’s also keen to promote anti-racist practice and the Section 13 agenda, which aims to reduce the use of compulsory powers through person-centred practice and system change.

Alberto Salmoiraghi

Alberto Salmoiraghi qualified in medicine and surgery at the University of Milan, where he wrote a thesis in experimental research in psychiatry. He joined Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board in 2007 as a Consultant Psychiatrist and is now the Medical Director for Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Division in north Wales.

He is also the clinical lead for the Huntington’s Disease clinic. He’s an active academic, being Honorary Clinical Professor at Bangor University Medical School and Visiting Professor at Wrexham University. He is also the National Clinical Lead for adult mental health at NHS Wales Performance and Improvement.

Michael Brown

Michael spent 27 years in policing, mostly in senior operational roles where he manages incidents and served as a public order and firearms commander. He’s now a doctoral researcher at the University of Birmingham, researching Right Care Right Person and mental health police contact deaths. He also lectures in criminology at the University of Worcester.

He worked as the mental health co-ordinator for one of the largest UK’s largest police forces, and as the national mental health coordinator for the College of Policing and National Police Chiefs Council.

John Gittins

John Gittins has been the Senior Coroner for north Wales (east and central) since 2013. He’s currently the Chief Coroner’s Regional Leadership judge for Wales, the Welsh Affairs secretary and the Vice President of the Coroners’ Society of England and Wales.

He’s also one of around 25 coroners nationally who are part of the Major Incident Cadre of Coroners appointed by the Chief Coroner to deal with the likes of mass fatalities, terrorist attacks and the multiple deaths of UK citizens abroad.

Book now: 15 October

The Angel Hotel, Cardiff

Book now: 18 November

Venue Cymru, Llandudno

The views and opinions expressed at these sessions are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organisation they represent, or the views and opinions of Social Care Wales. This programme may be subject to change due to circumstances beyond our control.