Professor Jenny Firth-Cozens of Allendale was recently bestowed with a lifetime award by the College of Doctors in Barcelona.

A clinical and organisational psychologist, Professor Firth-Cozens collaborated with the college over the space of two decades to help deliver and evaluate a service for sick doctors.

The College voiced their deep appreciation for the Professor, saying: "It is an honour and a privilege to award this distinction for your outstanding contribution at a scientific, academic and public communication level in favour of the health and psycho-emotional wellbeing of physicians and other health professionals, and to raise awareness of its importance."

Professor Firth-Cozens' final affiliations were as Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Northumbria, and a Visiting Professor at Imperial College London's Centre for Patient Safety and Quality.

She conducted research investigating the root causes of stress and depression among healthcare personnel and its impact on patient care for over thirty years.

Her influence extended to the establishment of support services for healthcare teams in London, Oslo, Barcelona and other regions of Spain and South America.

For three years she also followed staff at Omagh Hospital who had been involved in the 1998 bombing in the town, gauging the effects of working in such a local disaster.

Professor Firth-Cozens said: "There is no doubt that, if we want good quality care for patients we must ensure that staff are cared for too.

"We are lucky in Northumberland to have such an excellent NHS, but we must never take its staff for granted if we want to keep that excellent level of service."