Events

Sarah is a community paediatrician seeing children with developmental, behavioural and learning issues. She is also a designated doctor for Safeguarding and Medical Advisor for Fostering and Adoption. Whilst training Sarah became aware of the poor outcomes for children who grow up in care and developed a passion for working with children in care, those in need of safeguarding and those looking for permanent families through fostering and adoption. Through this work she has gained experience in the difficulties this cohort of children face such as developmental trauma, increased learning and developmental difficulties, the effects of antenatal drug misuse and Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). From 2019 Sarah led the creation of an NHS based Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder diagnostic service in the North East. Sarah is committed to ensuring children and young people get the right understanding and support through sensitive assessment and diagnosis.

Dr Anderson works within both the paediatric and adult regional sleep service in Newcastle exploring the links between sleep, mental health and ageing within her research in Newcastle University. She was the clinical lead developing the online insomnia programme Sleepstation, now available within the NHS. She sees and treats paediatric and adult sleep disorders, has published over a 100 research papers, reviews, book chapters and the book “How to Beat Insomnia and Sleep Problems”. She is past president of the Sleep Medicine section of the Royal Society of Medicine and is honorary medical advisor to the DVLA. She runs annual sleep training conferences in Newcastle and leads work to improve child and adult sleep in hospitals.

Dr Tandle is a community paediatrician in North Tees Hospital and sees children with developmental, behavioural and learning issues. In addition, he has specialist interest in children with musculoskeletal problems. He specialises in managing children with Hypermobility spectrum disorders especially Ehlers-Danlos syndromes and their associated complications such as chronic pain, fatigue and dysautonomia.
He has a particular interest in sleep disorders in children with autism, ADHD and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

Dr McCloskey is a registered pharmacist of the GPhC and PSNI with a range of experience working across the three main sectors of pharmacy- clinical practice, academia and industry. Upon successful completion of her pre-registration training Dr McCloskey returned to Queen's University Belfast and completed a PhD in pharmaceutics where she developed 'Self-assembled Peptide Nanomaterials for the Prevention of Biomaterial Infection'. This was followed by an industry-academia collaborative post-doc between the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI, Dublin) and the Galway-based nebuliser company Aerogen, a global leader in aerosol delivery. This work was also linked with a national patient focused medical device research centre, CURAM based at The National University of Ireland, Galway. Dr McCloskey is a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and Fellow of HEA. Links are maintained with clinical pharmacy through regular days in practice both in hospital and community settings.

Dr Leonard is a Consultant in Paediatric Neurodisability in the Great North Children’s Hospital managing children with epilepsy and a range of neuro-developmental conditions including autism.
Her involvement with innovative projects and the voluntary sector includes a music therapy group with Sage Gateshead and post diagnostic information video support with the North East Autism Society. She is executive of CoLab, a national initiative to improve the care of children with medical complexity, and has expertise in coproduction. She is a member of NHSE&I national Strategic Coproduction Group and participant in the NHS Citizen Advisory Group. She is an associate lecturer at Newcastle University, postgraduate supervisor and national trainer for British Paediatric Neurology Association childhood epilepsy programme. She has produced publications on personal health budgets, sleep deprivation in parents of children with disabilities and heart transplantation and outcomes of various childhood medical conditions. She spent 2 years designing and implementing paediatric services in the Turks and Caicos Islands. She is also a mother of 3, one of whom is a young adult with profound, complex disabilities and has personal experience of interacting with and engaging directly with Health and Social Care Services.

Dr Mockett is a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists working in the all age Learning Disability service in Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Trust. He specialises in neurodevelopmental conditions including severe intellectual disability, Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. He has previously worked as the Associate Medical Director for Children’s services.
Dr Mockett is an active medical educator. He is Training Programme Director in Intellectual Disabilities for Heath Education England North West. He contributes to the training of pre and post qualification doctors, nurses and Psychologists. He has a wide portfolio of presentations, nationally and internationally focusing and audit and research in neurodevelopmental conditions.
Dr Mockett is the Vice Chair North West of the Regional North of England Mental Health Act Approval Panel.
Independently Dr Mockett assess and treats whole life neuro development conditions, ADHD and ASD working for his own clinic. Dr Mockett prepares specialist legal reports in neurodevelopmental disorders for CMMedicolegal for both criminal and specialist negligence claims.