Meet the Team

Gita is a clinical psychologist and has specialised in working with older people and adults in Glasgow, Salford and now Lancashire. Gita's current role is as Associate Director for Psychological Professions at Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust. This post combines a governance and leadership role with management. Gita's current clinical work is within the Lancashire Traumatic Stress Service. Her current clinical and research interests are in post-traumatic stress and staff health and wellbeing.

Gita has developed a well-being training package for staff – Looking After You, Looking After Me (LAMLAY) and has presented at conferences in this area. She is also a member of the New Savoy Conference/BPS/DCP Wellbeing Steering Group working on the annual wellbeing survey and the collaborative learning network. Gita contributes to national and professional bodies including committee work and roles at NICE (PTSD guidelines update, Quality Standards), BPS Division of Clinical Psychology and is joint national Staff Wellbeing lead for Positive Practice in Mental Health. She is also joint lead on a regional Schwartz Rounds project aimed at extending Schwartz Rounds across the North West.

Liz Kell is a qualified Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner, having completed her initial training as a Primary Care Graduate Mental Health Worker in 2004. Since this time Liz has worked in primary mental health services and IAPT services as a PWP, a supervisor, a PWP lead and a Clinical Service Manager of a PWP IAPT service, before moving to the University of Central Lancashire where she is currently a Principal Lecturer and has been course leader for the PWP training provision since 2016.

Throughout her career Liz has been involved in a number of regional and national networks supporting PWPs and other new roles. Liz has actively campaigned for and supported the recent PWP registration development. She is co-chair of the BPS PWP Training Committee, and was previously Chair of the BABCP Low Intensity Special Interest Group where she now remains as an active committee member. Liz has been involved with the Northwest Psychological Professions Network since its launch in 2013, initially representing the PWP workforce, chairing the first PWP community of practice and Senior PWP network. She supported the development of Senior PWP networks in the North East and Yorkshire and Humber and supported a number of PWP North Conferences. She has been Co-Chair of the NWPPN since October 2021.

Kirsty completed the DCLinPsych at Newcastle University and has specialised in working with adults in community eating disorder services across Lancashire and Greater Manchester. Kirsty is also Lead Clinical Tutor and Programme Lead for an Evidence-based Psychologically Informed Care training programme which is hosted by the Psychological Therapies Training Centre at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. The course offers an opportunity to develop foundational psychological knowledge and skills for front line staff with no psychological training.

Kirsty is currently on secondment with the PPN as Clinical Fellow for the Psychological Professions. The 12-month clinical fellowship scheme is available to a range of professions on a part-time secondment basis and aims to develop clinical leaders of the future NHS. This year’s fellowship cohort is comprised of 9 clinical fellows from a range of professions including pharmacy, medicine, nursing, midwifery, physician associates, anaesthesia associates and operating department practitioners. The fellowship has 3 main broad objectives; to enable clinical fellows to lead on key projects that contribute to regional and national priorities, develop a range of essential leadership skills and immersion within the strategic organisation to broaden knowledge and skills in this area. Kirsty is embracing the opportunity to show and share with others how the psychological professions can make a real difference, applying psychological principles and evidence to the whole of health care, from patient and staff experience and wellbeing, to leadership, organisational structures and beyond.

Elspeth is a register Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (PWP), who has worked in NHS Talking Therapies (previously IAPT) for 15 years. During this time she has worked as a PWP, Senior PWP, Deputy PWP Clinical Lead and an operational Team Lead, with a keen interest in Supervision and Wellbeing of Staff, Safeguarding and the development of new roles in Services. Elspeth worked with Liz Kell on the Psychological Practitioners Community of Practice Kick Starter Event and now Co-Chairs the NW PPN Psychological Practitioners Community of Practice – representing PWPs. In this role, she is a reporting member for Psychological Practitioners to the NW PPN Workforce Council.

This New Roles Leadership Fellow post represents an opportunity to build on and develop understandings and opportunities for the new Psychological Practitioner roles. Both their clinical practice for the benefit of clients across the NHS system and also for Practitioners to grow and develop their careers.