Health Psychology Department
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
The Health Psychology Department provides countywide services to patients,
their families, staff & organisations based on the evidence relating
psychological factors to physical health and the delivery of health services.
The Health Psychology Department at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the
most well established services of its kind nationally. Reflecting the Health Care Community’s awareness
of the importance of attending to hthe psychological needs of patients as a fundamental part of the
therapeutic work of the NHS.
Value of Psychologists in Physical Health Care
All illnesses have psychological and emotional components and as more and more complex medical
treatments are developed, the patient’s psychological experience will become similarly more complex
and demanding. By helping patients and carers understand their condition as fully as possible, develop
ways of managing it constructively and psychologically adjust to its impact, the course of their illness
becomes more stable, the patient’s well-being is improved and their demands on hospital and community
services is lessened. There is convincing evidence that psychological interventions reduce overall
medical costs by addressing the resource-intensive needs of people with complex problems (Chiles,
J.A. 1999). In contrast, poor psychological care results in poorer health, greater disability, increased
length of in-patient stay, increased inappropriate admissions, increased grievance & complaints and
poorer adherence to treatment (Bennett, P. 2000; Nicholls K, 2004).
Psychological care within a physical health setting involves a wide range of evidence-based
interventions designed to promote health, illness self-management and improved quality of life.
Psychologists are trained to develop and provide specialist interventions at an individual and group
level, often as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
In addition to patient-centred individual, group and programme-based interventions, Psychologists also
provide consultative advice, supervision and education of healthcare staff. The NHS requires healthy
staff, who are capable of expressing compassion, communicating clearly, and understanding the
emotional demands of a serious illness on the patient and their family. Teaching healthcare staff to
assess and respond to the broader psychosocial needs of patients prevents problems from becoming
magnified, entrenched and resistant to amelioration.
Finally, given their doctoral training, Chartered Psychologists are well placed to supervise and run high
quality service evaluation/audit and original research.
To summarise, whilst psychological care is provided by all NHS staff, having experienced Psychologists
integrated into healthcare services makes a significant contribution toward the NHS’s ability to
provide appropriate care to patients in a cost-efficient manner.
The psychological services provided to people with physical health problems are at GHT both
organisationally and clinically distinct from those provided to people with mental health problems by
2gether NHS Foundation Trust.
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Countywide Health Psychology Services
Psychology
Staffing1
wte
Service
Funding
Who can refer
Acute Stroke
Bariatric Surgery
Brain Injury
0.4
0.3
1.95
GHT
CGH and GRH stroke unit staff
GHT
Hospital Consultant.
Countywide
Chronic Fatigue
0.2
Comm. Stroke Grps
0.2
GHT & Glos
PCT
N. Bristol
Trust
Glos PCT
Dermatology (general)
Neurology
Older adults
0.18
1.65
0.6
GHT
Hospital Consultants
GHT
Countywide
GHT
Pain Management &
Rheumatology
2.92
GHT &
Hereford
PCT
GHT
Hospital Consultants, or
MDT staff of those consultant’s patients
Pain Clinic Consultants, Rheumatology Consultants for
certain conditions. Service for people of
Gloucestershire and Herefordshire
Open access
Long Term Conditions
(Life after Stroke grps.)
Renal Medicine (ESRF)
Specialist Weight
Management Service
Trauma & Orthopaedics
Children’s services
0.55
3.65
Paediatric diabetes
Palliative Care & Oncology
Open Access to NBT Chronic Fatigue Service, which
covers Glos residents.
MDT staff via stroke co-ordinator
GHT & Glos
PCT
Joint service with Dietetics.
0.1
GHT
Hospital Consultants.
0.33
GHT
Hospital Consultants
Palliative Care,
Oncology (including skin
cancers) & HIV
2.2
GHT & Glos
PCT
Haematology
0.4
0.2 GHT
0.2 Linc
Open access for patients with psychological needs in
oncology, palliative care HIV and haematology
services. Includes families/carers caring for a
terminally ill patient or bereavement.
See palliative care
Staff Support Services
GHT Staff Support
Psychological Profiling for
staff selection
1.4
0.15
GHT
GHT staff - Self-referral. Individual & group support
GHT
Executive Board and Senior Managers. Service also
includes 0.05wte Human Resources Staffing.
Total wte
17.18
Chronic, severe & life-threatening illnesses pose a range of practical & emotional challenges to
patients & their families. Psychological interventions are designed to improve patients’ own abilities to
cope & manage their illnesses in order to improve their health & quality of life. In the field of chronic
disease management, we have developed innovative, evidence-based and effective multi-disciplinary
methods of working to provide psychological care. More recent developments have included the
Specialist Weight Management Service (SWMS) and Chronic Fatigue Service.
 Contact information
Older Adults, Acute Stroke, Community Stroke Groups, Brain Injury & Neurology Services
Aileen Thomson, Consultant Clinical Psychologist
1
tel 08454 228552
e-mail Aileen.Thomson@glos.nhs.uk
Service staffing includes all qualified psychology posts. The department also has a number of Psychology assistant sessions.
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Pain Management, Rheumatology, Dermatology & Chronic Fatigue
Polly Ashworth, Consultant Clinical Health Psychologist tel 08454 228469
e-mail Polly.Ashworth@glos.nhs.uk
Trauma & Orthopaedics
Samantha Lindley, Counselling Psychologist tel 08454 228109
e-mail Samantha.Lindley@glos.nhs.uk
Children’s services: paediatric diabetes
Nicky Dobbin, Clinical Psychologist tel 08454 228117
e-mail Nicky.Dobbin@glos.nhs.uk
Palliative Care, Oncology (including skin cancer), HIV & Haematology and Renal Medicine
Sue Savory, Consultant Clinical Psychologist tel 08454 228506/225179
e-mail Susan.Savory@glos.nhs.uk
Bariatric Surgery & Specialised Weight Management Services
Gail Bohin, Clinical Psychologist (Clinical lead for SWMS) tel 08454 228110
e-mail Gail.Bohin@glos.nhs.uk
Staff Support Services are provided for all GHT staff. This includes a confidential individual support
service, together with staff development/ consultancy services specialising in group and team
interventions. The service also inputs at a more organisational level, often in partnership with Human
Resources to Trust policies and staff selection.
 Contact Information
Leslie Morrison, HoD. Consultant Clinical Health Psychologist tel 08454 228513 e-mail staffsupport@glos.nhs.uk
Staffing and support
The workforce delivering psychological services comprises clinical and counselling psychologists, health
psychologists, psychological therapists and assistant psychologists. Psychologists work across
services, divisions and clinical services are provided within a multidisciplinary framework. Most include
individual and group work with patients and carers. Psychologists work in more than one speciality and
with one or more psychology colleagues; this enables flexibility of working, cover for annual leave and
sickness, and facilitates discussion and ongoing professional and service development. We routinely
provide placements both clinical and research for trainee clinical, health and counselling psychologists.
The work of Health Psychology is led and managed by the department head and is supported by an
Administrative Team.
 Contact Information
Shelley Skidmore, Administration Team Manager tel 08454 228523
e-mail
Shelley.Skidmore@glos.nhs.uk
For more information on the services provided by the Health Psychology Department or to discuss
service developments contact Leslie Morrison, Head of Health Psychology, GHNHSFT.
Leslie Morrison,
Consultant Clinical Health Psychologist
Head of Health Psychology, GHT
Tel 08454 228523
e-mail: Leslie.Morrison@glos.nhs.uk
Jan 2012
References.
Bennett, P. (2000). Introduction to Clinical Health Psychology. OUP.
Chiles JA. (1999) The impact of psychological interventions on medical cost offset: a meta-analytic
review. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 6 (2), 204-219
Nichols, K. (2004). Psychological Care for Ill and Injured People. OUP. Maidenhead, UK.
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