Suicide and Critical Care: Recognition, Response, and Recovery

Michaela Jones

Lead Nurse Associate Director and ICS Nursing Professional Advisory Group, Chair.

Michaela joined North West London ACC Network as Lead Nurse /Associate Director at the end of January 2024 having spent almost 6 years as a matron at Southampton University Hospital Cardiac ICU. She has worked in critical care for over three decades where much of her career has been at UCLH and Cambridge.

Michaela has always had a passion for education, training, workforce and leadership.

Michaela is an elected council member at the Society and chair of the Society’s Nurse Professional Advisory Group. She is a member of the Critical Care National Network Nurse Leads Forum (CC3N), Critical Care Nurse Education Review Forum, a subgroup of CC3N and a member of UK Critical Care Nursing Alliance.

: @sisterswan

Brian Hogan

Consultant Intensivist

Dr Brian Hogan is the lead clinician for liver critical care and consultant in intensive care medicine. Prior to working at the Royal Free London, he was a consultant hepatologist and intensivist at King's College Hospital.

He specialises in critical care for liver disease, liver failure, those needing liver transplant and patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension.

Andy Bates

Critical Care Research manager/Doctoral Research Fellow

Andrew Bates is an NIHR funded Clinical Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Southampton.

His doctoral thesis involves investigating the use of trauma-focussed psychological therapy to improve the mental health recovery of critical care survivors.

His mixed methods approach includes in-depth interviews with patients experiencing symptoms of traumatic stress, which has drawn him to explore the underlying causes.

Helped by an expert supervisory team, Andrew is also investigating whether our patient’s ongoing traumatic stress may, in part, have biological origins, starting in the ICU.

Victoria Metaxa

Consultant Intensivist and Trauma , UK

Dr Victoria Metaxa is a full-time Critical Care and Major Trauma Consultant, at King’s College Hospital in London. She is a King's College London Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer, and has a PhD in neurosciences and an MA in Medical Ethics and Palliative Care from Keele University. Her clinical interests include bioethics, end-of-life care, critical care outreach and the management of patients with haematological malignancies. Dr Metaxa is a member of the European Society of Intensive Care (ESICM) Ethics section, and the representative of the section in the e-learning committee. She is the UK National Outreach Forum board Secretary and a member of the Legal and Ethical Advisory Group of the UK Intensive Care Society (ICS).  

Rowena Carter

Consultant psychiatrist, Kings College Hospital

I am a consultant psychiatrist who trained at South London and the Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. I currently work as a liaison psychiatrist at Kings College Hospital with a special interest in critical care medicine and as lead for the critical care psychosocial team. In addition to my clinical role, I am Training Programme Director for the School of Psychiatry and lead on supporting trainees following violence and aggression in the workplace. I am joint chair of the Royal College of Psychiatry wellbeing committee, violence and aggression division, and for the last four years have been working on projects related to the impact of workplace violence and aggression on the wellbeing and retention of trainee doctors.

Euan Sandilands

Consultant Physician, UK

Euan is a Consultant Clinical Toxicologist and past Director of the Edinburgh unit of the National Poisons Information Service (NPIS). The NPIS provide clinical advice to healthcare professionals across the UK on the management of poisoned patients via the online database TOXBASE, and a national 24-hour telephone line.

He is one of a small team of toxicologists providing direct clinical care for patients admitted to Scotland’s only dedicated poisons unit in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, while also contributing to the national on call rota providing clinical advice to healthcare professionals across the UK.

He has a keen interest in medical education. He is an Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer with the University of Edinburgh and the Assessment Lead for Edinburgh Medical School. He also sits on the Medical Schools Council national standard setting committee for the upcoming UK MLA exam.

Katie High

Currently working as a Clinical Psychologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital for children, with a specific interest in supporting families, and members of different systems who are providing care to individuals who are experiencing psychological difficulties and distress. Dr High has conducted research related to the experience of individual’s bereaved by suicide, as well as having supported research into the experiences of individuals who have provided care for loves ones who have attempted suicide. Suicide continues to be a stigmatised topic and one which individual’s, including healthcare professionals, may be reluctant to, or feel unable to talk about. It is important to feel equipped to have and hold these conversations to ensure that individual’s and their experiences are not silenced. Through her work Dr High aims to ensure these conversations take place and hopes to support others to do so also.