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Neuropsychology Service

photo of neuropsychology consultation

Neuropsychology Service
Castle Circus Health Centre
Abbey Road
Torquay TQ2 5YH

 

Tel: 01803 217726
Email: Neuropsychology Service

The office is not staffed full time, so if you call you may get our answerphone. Please leave a message as it is checked regularly.

We believe that whatever has happened to someone, life is inherently valuable. We aim to help you understand and manage difficulties and to see the value of your life, despite the obstacles you may experience.

What is Neuropsychology?

Neuropsychology is a specialist branch of clinical psychology and our focus is on helping people who have been affected by brain injury or illnesses that interfere with cognition (thinking).

We work closely with medical colleagues in neurology and with occupational therapists, speech and language therapists and physiotherapists in the two community neuro-rehabilitation teams that cover this locality.

Who do we see?

We see people with a range of disorders including:

  • Brain injury acquired from accidents, stroke and tumours
  • Degenerative conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Huntington’s disease and some dementias
  • Other neurological conditions such as epilepsy
  • People who have cognitive problems which need further investigation

What we do

Many of the people referred to us will have been sent for a neuropsychological assessment.

This assessment is a measurement of your ability to do a number of different mental tasks and covers areas such as your memory, concentration, and language, problem solving and planning.

These types of thinking skills are often affected by brain injury or illness and the assessment can help uncover strengths and weaknesses which we can use to plan the most appropriate intervention for you.

Sometimes the assessment will assist other healthcare professionals in making a diagnosis.

Some patients have specific problems on a day to day basis such as managing fatigue, controlling anger or adjusting to altered roles as a result of their condition.

We see some of these patients for therapy in the service but we also work with colleagues in the clinical health psychology department and the mental health service to ensure that the therapy is most suited to the problems that you are experiencing.

Coming for an assessment

You will be asked to come to Castle Circus Health Centre where you will see one of the clinical staff. They will ask you to sign a consent form to make sure that you understand why you have been referred and that you agree to the assessment.

At the first appointment, the psychologist will ask questions about the injury or illness, how it has affected you and your background so that we can build a picture of you as an individual.

When we assess someone’s thinking skills, we normally invite them back for two or three follow-up appointments so that we can carry out some tests.

What happens after the assessment?

The Psychologist will arrange for you to have feedback about the assessment. They will write a report and send a copy to your referrer and to your GP. If you wish, you may also have a copy.

After the assessment the Psychologist may help in a number of ways:

  • They may identify particular strategies you can use to help you manage problems such as memory difficulties.
  • They may refer you on to another healthcare professional or agency with, for example, physiotherapy or social services with recommendations for future care. The Psychologist may also use the assessment to help plan your care.
  • They may offer psychological help to you or your family in managing emotional or behavioural problems. This would take the form of meetings either individually with you or with others and would use a talking therapy to work on problems. This may be with one of our team or with colleagues in mental health services.
  • You can also make a self-referral to TALKWORKS by calling 0300 555 3344. They provide individual therapy.

Getting referred

You can be referred to the service by the following people or agencies:

  • Your GP
  • A hospital consultant
  • Social Services
  • Specialists working in neuro-rehabilitation teams
  • Care homes

To be eligible for our service you need to be resident, or your GP practice must be in, the catchment area of our Trust.

We do not take self-referrals. If you think you would benefit from our service, please discuss this with your GP. We are always happy to discuss referrals with GPs and other health and care professionals.