Newbridge appoints nurse consultant in new outreach role
5 Jul 2011
Newbridge House has appointed a new nurse consultant who will take up an innovative new outreach role.
Rachel Matthews is a very experienced specialist in eating disorders in children and young people, having previously worked for Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.
The new appointment will enable Newbridge House to respond quickly to local needs, such as carrying out assessments of young people in their home area, rather than asking them to travel to Newbridge House.
Rachel will work closely with patients before admission, to reduce concerns and anxieties and continue involvement after discharge, to assist transition back to home and local community for each young person.
The role will also build upon existing links between Newbridge House and NHS services to ensure the referral process works well and patients’ needs are met.
Rachel has extensive experience of eating disorders and linking between primary care and specialist services.
Working for Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Rachel supported young people who had varying complex mental health problems, the majority of these were young people with eating disorders.
She progressed to become a Senior Primary Mental Health Worker followed by a specialist CAMHS clinician, offering consultation, liaison and training to primary care professionals.
Newbridge House chief executive Dr Richard Newland says: “We are very pleased to welcome Rachel to our experienced team at Newbridge House.
“Rachel brings extensive experience in the treatment of eating disorders, combined with understanding of both primary care and specialist services.
“We have established, good relationships with our referrers, but Rachel’s role has been created to provide a dedicated single point of contact and the ability to quickly respond to need, such as carrying out an assessment at short notice, even if the patient lives a significant distance from Newbridge.”
Rachel comments: “I’m delighted to join Newbridge which is widely recognised as an established, specialist centre for the treatment of young people with very complex problems and needs.
“The outreach role provides important new opportunities for improving the patient experience of being referred into a specialist service and equally, supporting them through discharge and back into their home and community.”