Regional Groups | North East

Dr Lynne Patience
HPC Registered Clinical Psychologist
Older Adult and Adult Neuropsychology Services
Psychology Department
North Corridor
St. Georges Park
Morpeth
NE61 2NU

Tel: 01670-501848

PSIGE North East Region

The membership of the North Eastern region PSIGE group now belongs to one of two huge trusts - Northumberland, Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust and Tees, Esk and Valley NHS Foundation Trust which between them stretch from North Yorkshire to the Scottish borders. The PSIGE network continues to be an invaluable forum in which to discuss the process of change and the placement of psychological services within these large and continually evolving organisations.

The NE PSIGE group continues to respond to the requirements of these trusts to develop Older People's psychological services to provide an equitable service across the trust through, for example advising directorate leads, taking on new responsibilities, and working flexibly to cover areas that have been historically neglected in terms of service provision. This has often led to the building of multidisciplinary networks around specific service development issues and nurtured forums for discussion which may also inform future service development, for example, how to continue to provide flexible and targeted services to a rapidly growing older adult population in financially straitened times.

The group continues to provide teaching and placements on the Newcastle and Teesside doctoral training courses. Both of these courses have been implementing extensive changes to their programmes and we continue to maintain strong relationships with key university figures in regards to placement capacity and teaching requirements. The NE PSIGE continues to have a strong voice in these discussions as a result of a history of effective placement organisation by PSIGE members ensuring the provision of specialist older people's placements for all trainees.

The group runs bi-monthly on a Tuesday afternoon and we have re-structured the group to alternate business meetings with a themed discussion around current pertinent issues.

Next Meeting:

Tuesday 9th February, 14.30-16:30, St. Georges Park, Morpeth
Future dates TBC

Dr Lynne Patience, Chair