As we continue to learn about the science of mental health, the brain and about the importance of good mental health, psychiatry is being recognised as being an important branch of medicine.
As a psychiatrist you will have a huge positive impact on the lives of your patients and their carers. You will face new and interesting challenges every day, but always be able to face them with the support of your doctor colleagues and team around you.
You will always be learning as your medical, scientific knowledge and skills will constantly grow. You can work in a range of settings, from hospitals to people’s homes, anywhere in the world. As you progress through your career, you have more opportunity to shape the way you work; you can work part time or full time and can combine your career with a wide range of other interests.
Roseline Ataria is a dedicated psychiatrist working across multiple sites in Durham and Newton Aycliffe. With a strong passion for psychiatry, Roseline values the opportunity to work with a diverse range of patients, from children and adults to older people and those with learning disabilities. She believes in treating the whole person, considering biological, psychological, and social factors to provide the best possible care.
She finds great fulfilment in psychiatry, particularly in the opportunity to build long-term relationships with patients and witness the positive impact of her work on their lives. Unlike acute hospital settings, where patient interactions can be brief, she appreciates the ability to spend time with individuals, collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, and tailor treatments to truly enhance their well-being.
Dr Catherine Lomax is a psychiatrist working at Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust.
She studied medicine in Edinburgh before moving to the North East for her foundation training, later returning to North East and North Cumbria after a period of travelling. Catherine values the opportunities psychiatry provides to work as part of a team, spend time with patients, and support their long-term care.
Outside of work, she appreciates the region’s mix of coastline, walking routes, and welcoming communities, as well as the chance it offers for a good quality of life.
Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust – rated as outstanding by the Care Quality Commission and recently awarded health care provider of the year in the Health Service Journal awards. It is the third most active mental health trust in UK for research.
Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation NHS Trust – one of the largest mental health and learning disabilities trusts in the country which provides services across Country Durham, the Tees Valley, and York and North Yorkshire. The trust ranked sixth best for quality of training, out of more than 200 trusts in the UK, in the 2017 GMC national trainee survey. They also have strong links to Newcastle and Durham universities which have excellent reputations for research – nationally and internationally renowned.
Regardless of which trust you work in, as a specialty trainee in our region you will be employed by a single employer known as the lead employer trust (we call it the LET!).
We are here to make sure your employment, whilst training in the North East and North Cumbria, runs as smoothly as possible. We are hosted by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. Your statutory rights for continuous employment are held by one Trust holding contract of employment and remaining on one payroll system.
We work in partnership with NHS England to ensure you are supported throughout your career. We handle all human resources and payroll matters including payment of travel expenses, study leave expenses and most importantly, making sure you get paid!
We carry out all pre-employment checks and there is a dedicated helpdesk for you throughout your employment should you need to get in touch.
We manage all your statutory rights such as maternity, paternity and special leave. We work closely with all 11 NHS trusts and local general practices to ensure that your rotations go smoothly too.
Nine out of 11 NHS trusts are members of our regional collaborative bank which allows doctors to work additional shifts (at the level in the specialties they have the competence to work in). The system allows you to be paid weekly where your payslips are available on the electronic staff record (ESR) portal (where you will also see your monthly payslip).
Feel free to contact us if you would like to know more or have any questions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1-pfnc7n34
