We understand that an admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) can be very frightening, confusing and upsetting, for both patients and their loved ones, and many experience emotional distress during and after this difficult period.
The Critical Care Psychology Service at East Surrey Hospital provides specialist support to patients and their families to help with the psychological impact of critical illness and ongoing recovery. Our ICU Clinical Psychologist can offer psychological support at all stages of a patient’s Critical Care journey, including whilst in the ICU and when stepped down to the wards.
Following discharge from hospital, some patients and family members may struggle with ongoing distress, upsetting memories of the ICU, frightening nightmares, low mood, anxiety and/or difficulties adjusting to life after critical illness. Our ICU Clinical Psychologist therefore also offers outpatient psychological therapy to support patients and their relatives with these experiences, which can be delivered either face to face or online.
Crisis Support
Please Note: This is not a crisis service for urgent mental health needs
If you feel the crisis is an emergency and you are worried about your own or someone else’s immediate safety, please call 999 or go to your local A&E.
If you need urgent care, but it’s not life threatening: Call 111 and select option 2.
If you do not need to go to A&E, here are some options:
Your local Mental Health Crisis Helpline: A telephone service offering support to anyone experiencing mental health difficulties. This service offers 24-hour support, 7 days a week.
West Sussex Residents: 0800 0309 500
Surrey Residents: 0800 915 4644
Samaritans: Talk to someone about what you are going through 24 hours a day. Confidential and free. Call the Samaritans on 116 123
Shout: Offers a confidential 24/7 text service providing support if you are in crisis and need immediate help. Text SHOUT to 85258.
Dr Devon Rodwell
Principal Clinical Psychologis
- Those who are/were under the active care of the ICU/HDU at East Surrey Hospital
- Patients over the age of 18 and their family members
The service will consider those aged 17 years on a case-by-case basis and our ICU Psychologist will liaise with our paediatric colleagues and local children and adolescent mental health teams (CAMHS).
Referral Limitations
Occasionally, other services may be more appropriate to meet the needs of patients and relatives. Please see below for a comprehensive list of these circumstances:
- Where the psychological problems are unrelated to the ICU admission
- Where the primary needs are urgent mental health crisis support
- If the distressing experiences relate primarily to longstanding mental health, relationship difficulties or drug and alcohol abuse that predate the ICU admission
- Where support/counselling is being provided by another service
If you are a relative with a loved one currently in ICU, please speak to your bed side nurse and ask to be referred to the psychology service.
If you are a patient or family member who requires an outpatient appointment with our ICU Clinical Psychologist, please see the below contact details.
Direct Psychology Telephone
01737 768511 ext. 7223
07966 185492
Psychology Office Hours
Monday – Thursday 8am - 6pm
Your meeting with our ICU Clinical Psychologist may be by the bed side in the ICU or on the wards if you are inpatient, or in the ICU Psychology office if you are an outpatient. This could be a short chat or a longer appointment (usually no longer than an hour).
Your first appointment will provide a chance for you to share your experiences of ICU and discuss what support is available to you and what input you would like from our ICU Clinical Psychologist. You are welcome to bring someone with you to your first psychology appointment. To best meet your needs, our ICU Clinical Psychologist may also direct you to a specialist, community or charity service if they could provide more appropriate help. Appointments may be one-off or part of a larger number of sessions.
Our ICU Clinical Psychologist works very closely with the rest of the ICU team (doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapist and speech and language therapists) and wider hospital. Our ICU clinical psychologist may therefore need to share information about you to other team members or services to support your safety and wellbeing, but we will always seek to discuss this with you first.
ICU Steps: Information for patients and relatives on intensive care, recovering and coming to terms with surviving critical illness.
Our ICU Peer Support Group: Our ICU follow-up team based at East Surrey Hospital regularly facilitate a peer support group, to support patients and families who have previously spent time in ICU. You can choose to attend the group in person or via an online link. For further information about this group, please contact sash.icufollowup@nhs.net
Headspace App: Provides resources in mindfulness to help reduce stress, build resilience and improve sleep.
SAM App: Self-help techniques to help with anxiety, depression, loneliness and coping.