Get to Know Us

Medical Role Players have been providing our Communication Skills (OSCE) patient actors for many years now. Joanne and Byron have always been a pleasure to work with and are very reliable and prompt in responding to my emails. The actors have always been very professional, punctual and friendly and have done a tremendous job of roleplaying, providing a very real experience for our candidates. I would not hesitate in recommending Medical Role Players!

Sophie Donovan - Deputy Head of Examinations

The Royal College of Ophthalmologists

Dedication. Expertise. Passion.

We deliver a bespoke service at highly competitive rates, including a dedicated account manager and access to one of our team at all times

Byron McGuinness

Managing Director

Byron is our main client contact. As well as booking role players and assisting with the design of sessions, he advises on the content of scenarios from the patient's perspective.

Byron also leads communication skills training events for clinicians such as GP trainees, Health Care Scientists and dentists on behalf of Health Education England, University of Manchester and others.

With 25 years' experience in medical education, as well as being the former Deputy Lead for Clinical Consultation Skills teaching at Manchester Medical School, Byron has the knowledge and insight to assist new and established clients with all requirements for a successful event.

Joanne McGuinness

Joint Managing & Finance Director

Joanne is primarily the finance director of Medical Role Players, producing quotes for new clients and managing every aspect of our finance department.

She also has responsibility for particular client contracts and works closely with all our police forces, where she is the main contact for this work. Joanne also provides support for several other clients including the University of Manchester.

Joanne has a background in event management and finance. She has many years' experience in customer-focused roles.

Ian Townsend

Deputy Manager

Ian co-manages the work we do with the GMC. As well as booking role players, he attends scenario writing sessions with clinicians and GMC staff and leads the role playing team at assessments, ensuring quality control,

Ian has written various forum theatre scenarios and other communication scripts for clients such as NHSBT and UCLan University.

With a background in theatre, Ian is an award-winning playwright, director and producer.

Mark Jones

Supervisor & Lead Facilitator

Mark co-manages our work with the GMC. As well as booking role players, He ensures all relevant information is sent out, and leads the role playing teams at assessments, ensuring quality control.

Mark also manages the team of role players at GP Recruitment for Health Education East of England,

An experienced role player, actor, director and producer, Mark is currently writing his first novel.

Jill Myers

Administrator/ Facilitator & Role Player

Jills role includes general administration work within our contract with the
GMC. Ensuring the role players have up to date scenarios and all the
information they need for each booking. Collating Quality Assurance reports
from Facilitators and booking cover role players when needed. She is also a
regular Facilitator working to support role players during assessments and
observing their work throughout the day to ensure standardisation and
consistency.
Jill is an experienced actor, role player, and voiceover and is an Associate of the
Institute of Qualified Private Secretaries.

Samuel Thompson

Administrator/ Facilitator & Role Player

Sam Is the newest member of the MRP team. He works alongside Ian & Mark with GMC bookings and also helps out in the office.

Sam has worked within roleplay consistently since he was 21 years old and he has gathered a lot of experience in different areas within the sector as well as been Sage & Thyme facilitator trained.

Alongside working with MRP, Sam works as an actor and BSL communication support worker.

Sedrhat Momen
Consultant Psychiatrist,

Northampton Urgent Care

and Assessment Team

I have been using Medical Role Players for many years.
The actors are professional
and well-briefed. We ask them to depict common mental health problems and they do this well, treating the subject matter respectfully. They all actively request feedback to make sure they are portraying conditions accurately.
On the administration side there have never been any problems. I always get a
same-day response to any enquiries and when I have needed to arrange extra sessions at short notice, this has always been possible.

Richard Hankins
Head of Assessment
General Medical Council

Medical Role Players source high quality and well-prepared role players and their facilitators oversee performances throughout the day with efficiency and a keen eye. The team are friendly, approachable, and always ready to help.

Dr Mark Roy
PhD CPsychol(DHP), AFBPsS, HCPC Registered Psychologist, FHEA
School of Psychology UCLAN

We have been working with Medical Role Players (UK) Ltd for about five years now and
have found the simulation workshop time with actors to be one of the most important formative experiences that our students reflect on. We have found that the actors are highly skilled in embodying the clinical scenarios we create and have great flexibility, making subtle adjustments in the moment. As our relationship has developed, we have built in workshop exercises developed by the actors where the aim is to build confidence in clinical simulation.