Rosaleen Beattie

Rosaleen is a recently retired Consultant in Palliative Medicine, working in Hospice, Hospital and Community Teams; and was also a Health Board Medical Director, and Professorial Fellow in Healthcare Ethics.

She has enormous enthusiasm for the work of The Mungo Foundation, caring for the whole person, in improving and enriching the lives of the most vulnerable in society.

She has a special interest in the effects of adverse childhood experiences, including deprivation and abuse of all kinds, and the ongoing effects on physical and mental wellbeing and ill-health, even beyond the individual, through epigenetics; and was formerly on the Board of Children 1st. She is aware how the adverse effects of mental ill health on physical health are poorly recognised; and conversely how physical illness affects mental well-being is often overlooked.

A particular professional focus has been on issues of consent in healthcare, especially for those whose capacity is impaired or diminished, or those whose ability to communicate is compromised. An additional specialist focus has been on the difficulties which can arise for people with additional learning needs, neurodiversity, dementia, and mental health problems, in communicating distress in healthcare, particularly pain; and having that distress recognised.

All of these are frequent topics for undergraduate and postgraduate teaching.