Dr Catherine Monaghan FRCPE has been announced as an Inspiring Physician for 2019, for her service to patients in Hartlepool, Stockton and County Durham. She was presented with her award by the College in Stockton-On-Tees, during our UK medical conference on Wednesday 15 May. 

Dr Monaghan with Dr Deepak Dwarakanath

Dr Monaghan is a consultant in acute and respiratory medicine at North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Trust, and is clinical director for out of hospital care. She has been influential in setting up the Trust’s “Hospital at Home” service for patients with chronic respiratory disease, including those with COPD and severe asthma.

Hospital at Home has achieved excellent outcomes, and has improved care for people while allowing them to be treated at home rather than in hospital.  It has been of particular benefit for patients in the Hartlepool are who have further to travel for inpatient care.

Dr Monaghan has also been involved in setting up a therapy-led approach to identifying and assessing frail patients in the emergency department. This has led to rapid, safe, supported discharge and reductions in length of stay at hospital.

Finally, Dr Monaghan has been recognised as an excellent, fair and supportive supervisor, working with overseas graduates and doctors to support their transition into the NHS in England.

Professor Derek Bell, President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, said:

Dr Monaghan was nominated by her colleagues to be one of our Inspiring Physicians for 2019 – a title which she deserves for her sheer commitment to improving care for patients in Hartlepool, Stockton and some parts of Durham. But Dr Monaghan has also had a vital role to play in preparing and inspiring the next generation of doctors at North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Trust. It was my pleasure to present Dr Monaghan with her Inspiring Physicians award, and I wish her every success in her continued work to drive care quality improvement for patients.

Dr Monaghan said:

I was completely overwhelmed to hear the RCPE have named me an Inspiring Physician for 2019. I have committed my working life to pursuing my ambition of becoming a doctor, and my personal life to bringing up three wonderful daughters, addressing many challenges along the way. To have received this news on International Women’s Day is certainly poignant, and has prompted some reflection. Growing up as a student at a local comprehensive in Thornaby, the insinuation was that I should probably set my ambitions a bit lower. Since then ‘why should it not be me’ has always been my mantra in my career. I am now a consultant in acute and respiratory medicine, a Clinical Director, an advisor around Quality Improvement in healthcare, and now I have been named as an Inspirational Physician by RCPE. The sky really is the limit.

Paul Gillen

Contact: Paul Gillen p.gillen@rcpe.ac.uk 0131 247 3658