Sheila Clare Hollins, Baroness Hollins (born 22 June 1946),
is Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry of Learning Disability at
St George's, University of London
St George's, University of London (SGUL), legally the St George's Hospital Medical School, was a public medical school from 1733 to 2024 in South London, England. It merged with City, University of London to form City St George's, University of ...
, and was created a
crossbench
A crossbencher is a minor party or independent politician, independent member of some legislatures, such as the Parliament of Australia. In the British House of Lords the term refers to members of the parliamentary group of non-political peers. ...
life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...
in the
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
on 15 November 2010 taking the title Baroness Hollins, of
Wimbledon
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* Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London
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Places London
* W ...
in the
London Borough of Merton
The London Borough of Merton () is a London borough in London, England. The borough was formed under the London Government Act 1963 in 1965 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon and the Merton ...
and of
Grenoside
Grenoside is a suburb of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The suburb falls within the West Ecclesfield ward of the city.
History
The name Grenoside is derived from the language of the Anglo-Saxons. The name Grenoside, which was first ...
in the County of
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the north, the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north-east, Lincolnshire ...
.
Baroness Hollins founded the visual literacy charity Books Beyond Words in 1989 to produce word free books for people with learning disabilities. She is chair and series editor for Beyond Words.
Baroness Hollins has published extensively on the topic of learning disabilities.
She was President of the
Royal College of Psychiatrists
The Royal College of Psychiatrists is the main professional organisation of psychiatrists in the United Kingdom, and is responsible for representing psychiatrists, for psychiatric research and for providing public information about mental healt ...
from 2005 to 2008, succeeded by
Dinesh Bhugra
Dinesh Bhugra is a professor of mental health and diversity at the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London. He is an honorary consultant psychiatrist at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and is former president of the ...
. From 2012 to 2013 she was president of the
British Medical Association
The British Medical Association (BMA) is a registered trade union and professional body for physician, doctors in the United Kingdom. It does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The BMA ...
and was on the BMA Board of Science from 2013 to 2016. In 2014
Pope Francis
Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...
appointed her a member of the newly created
Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors
The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors is a pontifical commission within the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church instituted by Pope Francis on 22 March 2014 as an advisory agency serving the pope. Since 5 June 2022, the Commission ...
. The Baroness chaired the Scientific Advisory Board of the Centre for Child Protection
Centre for Child Protectionat the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome for 8 years and she was President of the Royal Medical Benevolent Fund from 2020 to 2024. Baroness Hollins was President of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists from 2018-2024 and she became President of the
Catholic Union of Great Britain
The Catholic Union of Great Britain is an association of Roman Catholic laypeople in England, Wales, and Scotland. It works with the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Scotland. The member ...
in November 2023.
Baroness Hollins successfully tabled an amendment to the Health and Care Act in 2012 which introduced parity for mental and physical health and mental and physical illness.
In 2011 she gave evidence to the Leveson Inquiry about the harassment and intrusion into family life caused by members of the media following her daughter’s serious injury in 2005.
On 17 March 2022, Baroness Hollins put forward an amendment to the Health and Care Bill in the House of Lords to pass The Oliver McGowan mandatory training into law. The Health and Care Act 2022 introduced a statutory requirement that regulated service providers must ensure their staff receive learning disability and autism training appropriate to their role.
In 2019 Baroness Hollins was appointed by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to chair the Oversight Panel to oversee Independent Care, Education and Treatment Reviews of people placed in Long Term Segregation. On 8 November 2023 Baroness Hollins published her final report "My heart breaks – solitary confinement in hospital has no therapeutic benefit for people with a learning disability and autistic people". The report highlights people with a learning disability and/or autistic people who experience enforced isolation in mental health and specialist learning disability hospitals.
Personal life
Hollins is married to Martin Hollins. She is the mother of four children including Abigail Witchalls, who was
stabbed and left paralysed in 2005, and has a son, Nigel. She is a
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
.
References
External links
Biography at Parliament.uk*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hollins, Sheila
1946 births
Living people
Crossbench life peers
Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II
Life peers created by Elizabeth II
British Roman Catholics
British psychiatrists
Academics of St George's, University of London
Members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors
Presidents of the British Medical Association
British women psychiatrists
Peers recommended by the House of Lords Appointments Commission