Newcastle Hospitals is delighted to announce that Dr Sarah Brown has been appointed as an Honorary Associate Medical Director.
Dr Brown is a consultant liaison psychiatrist for Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust and leads the psychiatric liaison team in Newcastle, her appointment means she becomes one of the first Psychiatric Associate Medical Directors in an acute trust.
This unique appointment underlines the Trust’s commitment to providing high standards of care to people who have mental health needs.
Mr Andy Welch, Executive Medical Director at Newcastle Hospitals said: “I’m delighted that Dr Brown as agreed to join the clinical leadership team at Newcastle Hospitals.
“At least 1 in 4 people has mental health needs, and throughout the pandemic we have seen those needs become more acute. To continue to be an outstanding Trust, we want to make sure that we can provide the best care for everyone that needs us. Sarah brings a wealth of experience and will help us to focus on what will make a difference for patients”
Dr Brown trained in Newcastle and has spent her career in the North East. One of her first clinical placements during her training was with the self-harm team at the RVI, she loved this so much that she returned to work as an assistant during her holidays. Dr Brown continued to come back to work with the team as often as she could during her training and eventually took over the leadership of the team in 2012.
She now runs the psychiatric liaison team covering wards at both the RVI and Freeman hospitals as well as the RVI’s Emergency Department. The team offer round the clock support, seeing over 4000 patients each year. Dr Brown said “Providing mental health services in an acute trust is not without its challenges, but the progress we have made is a real testament to our shared commitment to making mental health everybody’s business – something that has really accelerated in the last three years.”
On being appointed Honorary Associate Medical Director she said: “I’m incredibly excited about this new opportunity, it makes a real statement of commitment to integration. In the turbulence of what continues to be a very challenging pandemic, I hope I’ll be able to make a real difference for our patients. Becoming one of the first Psychiatric Associate Medical Directors in an acute trust opens the door to much wider possibilities to influence and innovate as we develop and embed mental health support at every level.”
Rajesh Nadkarni, Medical Director at Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are delighted with this innovation which embeds mental health leadership into acute hospitals. It will truly enhance the experience and quality of care for those with mental health difficulties presenting with physical health issues in acute hospitals.”
