I provide organisational consultancy to healthcare organisations and professionals.

I qualified as an organisational consultant with Tavistock Consulting in 2006 and have worked with NHS and independent sector providers in this capacity since then. Over the last two years I have stopped clinical work in order to concentrate on consultancy, research and teaching.

My work covers consultation to medical directors, leadership teams and boards; reflective practice and facilitated groups for clinical teams; support for staff and teams following a patient suicide or patient-perpetrated homicide; work with services during and after serious incident reviews and regulatory action; and teaching and training on suicide, self-harm, homicide and their effects on clinicians and organisations.

Experience And Background

My background is twenty years in NHS mental health services as a consultant psychiatrist and consultant medical psychotherapist, across inpatient, psychiatric intensive care, outpatient, liaison, forensic and prison settings, and as National Director of Therapies for the Priory Group for 18 months. I am a psychoanalyst and group analyst.

At the Royal College of Psychiatrists I chaired the Working Group on the Effect of Suicide and Homicide on Psychiatrists and the Patient Safety Group, and led the development of the College’s guidance on the care of staff following a patient’s death by suicide or a patient-perpetrated homicide, now incorporated into England’s National Suicide Prevention Strategy. I have facilitated a support group for consultant psychiatrists affected by suicide for over fifteen years.

Engagements range from a single facilitated session to ongoing consultation over months or years.

What organisations say

Whilst working at Priory Group, Dr Gibbons helped hospital and ward teams cope with patient suicide. Dr Gibbons supported teams by looking at the reactions of healthcare professionals to suicide. Her unique approach to suicide and her research has given teams a non-judgemental perspective on their experiences. This was helpful and very supportive. It allowed teams to learn lessons from these tragic events without feeling blamed or persecuted.

Dr Leon Rozewicz

Medical Director, Priory Hospital North London

Rachel worked with management at our mental health unit to help a staff team explore and process the psychological impact of a complex clinical situation. We found Rachel to be professional but warm and approachable. Her consulting skills are backed by comprehensive knowledge and broad clinical and management experience but she wears her credentials lightly. In her work with us, she created a setting in which everyone involved could safely express their feelings. She listened with sensitivity and empathy to the staff who had been affected. She contained the emotions that were evoked and helped the staff and management teams reflect on the psychodynamic processes. Her work helped us to learn and to work through a difficult and challenging period.

Dr Damian Gamble

Medical Director and Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist, Priory Healthcare

I am a director of a large private sector mental health hospital. We had deep seated challenges that were highlighted by regulatory action by CQC but which I felt had deeper organisational reasons. I worked with Rachel in seeking to rethink the improvement approach moving from quality assurance to quality improvement. In particular, the coaching style that Rachel brought enabled the leadership team to perform better, and in turn lead the hospital in a clearer, more cohesive (and thoughtful) style. As a result of Rachel working with us, I am convinced that we provide a better working environment for our teams, and in doing that, better care and treatment for our patients.

Hospital Director

Private sector mental health hospital

I provide organisational consultancy to healthcare organisations and professionals.

Experience And Background

What organisations say

To discuss work with you or your organisation, please use the contact page.

Resources