Spot light Summer Welcome2022 to the new magazine from Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust. Read about… • The progress we have made to reduce out of area placements • How you can get involved in developing our strategy • Our work towards becoming a net zero carbon emissions Trust • How you can join us as we continue on our journey to create a diverse and inclusive place to work
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As the expert mental health services provider within these two systems, we will be continuing to ensure mental health is given parity of esteem with physical health and work with our partners to drive positive change to improve the health and wellbeing of our local communities. You can read more on page 3. In this issue of Spotlight, I invite you to read about our work to reduce out of area placements, how we are reducing our carbon footprint and our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. These are just a preview of some of the fantastic stories we are proud to share in Spotlight. Do get in contact with our Communications Team if you have any feedback or suggestions for our next issues: awp. Bestcommunications@nhs.net.wishestoyouall, Dominic Hardisty Chief Executive
Since the last edition of Spotlight magazine, there have been significant changes to the way the NHS operates. July saw the establishment of the new Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) for Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire (BSW) and Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG).
From the Chief Executive It is a great pleasure to share with you our latest thisofatarepositivethereNHSyears,challenginghaveSpotlight.magazine,Whileweallfacedafewparticularlyfororganisations,aresomechangesweproudtocelebrateAWPandasnapshottheseareincludedineditionofSpotlight.We
Our strategic objectives are:Welcome to the latest edition of Spotlight magazine, a quarterly publication from Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP).
I am really pleased to unveil our new draft Trust strategy, which sets out how we aim to become the highest quality mental health and learning disability provider in the South West, delivering outstanding care, through outstanding people and providing sustainable services that are delivered in partnership. The strategy has received our Trust Board’s full consideration and our next steps will be a series of engagement events with our stakeholders to give you the opportunity to consider our approach and provide comment. We will then incorporate your feedback into the final draft which is due to be published in 2023. You can read more about the strategy on pages 6 and 7 and we would welcome your feedback.
are delighted to have appointed Alison Smith as our new Deputy Chief Executive, who joins us from NHS Hampshire, Southampton and Isle of Wight Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), now ICB. You can read more about Alison’s background and experience on page 3. Our aim remains to become ‘Outstanding AWP’ and we continue to make progress towards achieving this. In the most recent inspection of our core services by the Care Quality Commission (CQC,) there were significant improvements in our ratings for specialist community mental health services, as well as for children and young people and wards for people with a learning disability or autism, which are now both rated as good. The CQC also looked at the management and leadership of our Trust to answer the key question – is the Trust well led? While the overall rating of the Trust remains at requires improvement, we are really pleased to have moved to good for the well led domain. The CQC noted a very clear picture of improvement,steadywhich is fantastic news.
2 Spotlight Summer 2022
Welcome
Dominic Hardisty, AWP Chief Executive, said: “I am delighted that Alison has joined us here at AWP and I know she will be a great addition to our Executive Team. I am looking forward to working with Alison as we continue on our journey to become an outstanding Trust and to ensure we continue to improve the care and treatment we provide to people with serious mental illness. I am sure she will be out to meet you all as soon as she can.”
working Meet our new Deputy Chief Executive
We are delighted to have welcomed Alison Smith into the AWP family, as our new Deputy Chief Executive. Alison joins us having previously worked in a number of Trusts as a provider of care, and most recently from NHS Hampshire, Southampton and Isle of Wight Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), now ICB. Alison has a wealth of experience having previously been the Managing Director for the Isle of Wight, as well as the Programme Lead for Children’s Services, Maternity, and Learning Disabilities and Autism across the Integrated Care System (ICS). As well as deputising for our Chief Executive, Alison is leading on ICS management and is the AWP Executive Lead for the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire (BSW) ICS. She is leading and supporting on the delivery of corporate objectives to ensure we achieve an ‘outstanding’ rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), and ensuring our services are sustainable.
Strengthening our
We have been working with our partners across our two health and care systems in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire (BSW) and Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) for many years now. In July, we saw the establishment of the new Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) for BSW and BNSSG. This positive change will increase integration with our partners to Partnership working allows us to work closely with our colleagues in other NHS Trusts, local government, GP practices, community mental health teams and the voluntary sector to provide more joined-up services and agree plans for local people’s needs. As the experts in treating serious mental illness, we are working with our partners to implement the Community Mental approach to close the gap between primary and secondary care. This means that people can access the right care at the right time when they need it most. As our plans continue to develop, we will be providing opportunities for you to get involved, so please keep checking our website – www.awp.nhs.uk – for the latest information. partnership
REDUCING OUT OF
Whilst this was a focus for us throughout July, the work does not stop there, as we are committed to ensuring we continue to reduce our out of trust placements further and make a difference to the lives of the people we care for.
We are delighted to have seen a significant reduction in our out of area placements in July. The number of people being placed in out of Trust beds within our geography has been reduced from 35 to 26 and the number of people being sent to private hospitals outside of our geography has reduced from 20 to 13. Sarah Branton, Deputy Chief Operating Officer, at AWP, said: We know that placing people a long way from home doesn’t help recovery. This has been a significant piece of work for us and our teams have shown real energy and effort, working incredibly hard to achieve these results.
We know that when patients and service users face delays with admissions or are placed a long way from home it can be highly distressing for them and their loved ones. Throughout July, we have been working hard to ensure we reduce our out of area placements by ensuring we make the right clinical decisions about admission, using the right interventions during admission and ensuring the right clinical discharge planning is in place for people to be discharged safely as soon as they are able. We have worked closely with police to provide advice and support to officers involved in incidents where someone is in crisis to find less restrictive alternatives to use of Section 136 of the Mental Health Act. A key element of our crisis/intensive teams is their focus on gate-keeping all admissions to make sure that alternative methods of providing care and treatment are fully considered prior to admission. As part of gate-keeping, clarity on the purpose of admission and the therapeutic benefit of the admission helps to focus thinking and helps ward teams to be focussed from the point of admission. We have been working closely with our partners to find community solutions to help people to be discharged from hospital as soon as it is safe to do so, as well as providing support to ensure they settle back into the community.
OF AREA TREATMENT
Dominic Hardisty, Chief Executive, at AWP, said: Reducing out of area placements is a key priority for us and this has been a fantastic piece of work. Out of area placements are not beneficial to our patients, use a lot of NHS resources and cost a significant amount of money, so we are really committed to continuing to bring the numbers down further. In just one month, our teams and services have made a real impact and I would like to thank everyone involved in this important piece of work.
5Spotlight Summer 2022
6 Spotlight Summer 2022 We are delighted to be able to share details of the draft AWP Strategy 20222025. This document is the outcome of many months work for lots of people across the organisation. It is the first step in setting out our vision for the future, sharing our draft strategic direction and objectives, the challenges and opportunities we face, our clinical, people and quality strategies, our approach to transformation and how things like finance, estate and digital can support us to achieve ‘Outstanding AWP’. Our strategy is an ambitious one: to become the highest quality mental health and learning disabilities provider in the South West, delivering outstanding care, through outstanding people and providing sustainable services that are delivered in partnership with our network of partner organisations. We know however that this is only the first stage and that is why we are going to go through three months of engagement with our colleagues, patients/service users, partners, local population andJoinstakeholders. us on our journey towards
You can find more information on our website: www.awp.nhs.uk
Deliver through outstanding people We will make AWP a great place to work and learn, providing an environment where a skilled, positive and motivated workforce can provide outstanding care.
Provide sustainable services We will ensure services are properly resourced to meet rising demand and acuity, and capitalise on opportunities for innovation. Deliver in partnership We will deliver care as a joint endeavour with patients/ service users, family, friends and carers, including the voluntary sector. Our vision Deliver high andusers,patients/servicefirstdisabilitiesautismmentalforcompassionatequality,carepeoplelivingwithillhealth,andlearningandbechoiceforourcarers,staffpartners.
7Spotlight Summer 2022 becoming ‘Outstanding AWP’
Passion Doing our best all of the time Respect andunderstandingListening,valuingwhatyoutellme Integrity Being open, honest and straight forward Diversity Relating to everyone as an individual Excellence Striving to provide the highest quality support Our purpose To improve the lives of the people we serve. Our four strategic objectives Strategy on a page Our 2025 plan 2025 Goals We aim to improve the lives of people with serious mental illness, autism and learning disabilities and be the first choice for our patients, service users, carers, staff and partners. We have determined the draft version of the strategy by understanding our context, national and local drivers of change and our challenges and Thisopportunities.understanding has led to the development of our clinical and quality strategies, which reflect our service priorities and our transformation Ourprogramme.draftstrategy has had the full consideration of our Trust Board, but we have not yet engaged with our colleagues and stakeholders. Over the coming months we will be engaging with patients/service users and their families/carers, partners and stakeholders to ensure the strategy is coproduced and meets the needs of the people we look after. We want to ensure that the views of all our stakeholders are represented in the final version of our strategy, which we aim to publish in 2023. We need to hear from you. To read feedbackandon the strategy please use the QR code, or if you would like to request a printed version of the awp.communications@nhs.netcontactdocument
We will also be hosting a number of events in September for you to come along to and meet with us. Details of these will be shared on our website and via our social media channels. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your feedback and contribution and helping us shape our strategy so that we can become Outstanding AWP. Together we are AWP and together we will be outstanding.
Our values make us who we are (PRIDE) AWP 2022 2025 Strategy |88 |AWP 2022 2025 Strategy Provide outstanding care We will continually improve and provide high quality, safe care to help people achieve the outcomes that are important to them.
Our Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), at Callington Road Hospital, in Bristol, was recently praised by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The inspector spoke with the male patients and staff on Hazel Ward and provided extremely positive feedback. They noted ‘a compassionate, caring and responsive service is being delivered to service users and carers in highly challenging situations.’ Hazel Ward provides inpatient mental health care, assessment and comprehensive treatment to people who are acutely unwell due to serious mental illness.
We opened Cedar Ward, an inpatient unit for people needing specialist dementia mental health care in Bath and North East Somerset after investing almost £3 million. We have upgraded facilities at Hillview Lodge, which is based on the Royal United Hospital site, in Bath, and relocated our 12-bedded specialist dementia unit, Ward 4, from nearby St Martin’s Hospital. Ward 4 was our only remaining dormitory-style ward, but due to its age and layout, it was not suitable to be reconfigured.
Our Early Intervention in Psychosis team is delivering psychoeducation groups to support carers. The sessions include information about psychosis, family work, early warning signs and relapse prevention, as well as treatment, therapy and support available for carers. One carer welcomed the sessions, saying: “You have a fabulous team and we are grateful for everything you are doing to support our son – it is such a daunting experience to go through by ourselves.”
North Somerset
8 Spotlight Summer 2022 News from across the Trust Bristol
Charlotte Hitchings, AWP Chair, and Dominic Hardisty, AWP Chief Executive, with the Cedar Ward team
South Gloucestershire Our Recovery Through Sport programme, which uses football and other physical activity to reduce social isolation, received the Project of the Year Award at the Gloucestershire Football Association and McDonald’s Grassroots Football Awards for the third time in a row. The programme was set up to provide football sessions for those under the care of our Early Intervention in Psychosis team. Josh, who attends the Recovery Through Sport sessions, said: “The programme has made me feel positive about negative experiences and relieved the shame I felt around talking about my own mental health.”
Bath and North East Somerset
9Spotlight Summer 2022 News from across the Trust
CAMHS
Our Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in South Gloucestershire are offering group sessions to parents and carers to help them respond effectively to incidences of aggressive, violent and self-destructive behaviour in children and young people. The Non Violent Resistance (NVR) programme has so far been offered to 16 families where children aged between 12 and 18 display aggressive behaviour to parents and carers or engage in high risk behaviours. The programme has been well received, with one parent commenting: “It has helped my relationship with my child. I don’t explode out of frustration anymore even when she is being difficult. We kind of work it out together rather than just fight.”
Wiltshire Our Mental Health Control Room Triage Team, was singled out for praise, in a recent report about the efficiency, effectiveness and legitimacy of Wiltshire Police, by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS). Mental Health Practitioners are based in the police control room 24/7 to provide support around referrals and signposting to the most appropriate mental health support for people in crisis. The service aims to prevent people in crisis being taken to a place of safety under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act.
The Forget Me Not Centre, which provides care, treatment and support to people with a diagnosis of early onset dementia, has relocated to the Rosewood building, at Sandalwood Court, in Swindon. Service users take an active part in running the centre, taking part in activities such as hiking, gardening and cookery. The facilities include a pamper room and art studio, as well as kitchen, dining room and lounge, providing service users with the opportunity to take part in activities they enjoy as well as maintaining practical skills while managing the symptoms and effects of dementia.
Jade SouthronJess Cox
Specialised services
Secure services
Our secure services teams have been working to improve the ward environments for those with sensory needs. They have been working with service users and autistic experts-byexperience to review the sensoryenvironment and make changes where possible. Changes include reducing the number of posters displayed to reduce visual overload and adjusting the closing mechanisms on doors to reduce the noise. Small sensory areas have been created in each of the ward gardens and plans are in place to create relaxation rooms for those with sensory needs.
We are amongst the first NHS Trusts in the South West to employ Peer Support Workers to help people experiencing eating disorders in the community. Jade Southron and Jess Cox work for our STEPS Community Eating Disorders Service for adults, using their own lived experience to help support those under the team’s care. They help with practical activities like going to the supermarket or supporting challenging meals and developing group sessions.
Swindon
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10 Spotlight Summer 2022
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RECRUITMENT FOCUS Have you ever wondered what it is
From nursing, health care support work and occupational therapy, to administration, psychology and housekeeping, we have a variety of opportunities and a range of different speciality areas to suit everyone. We strive to provide outstanding care in inpatient and community settings through the commitment and dedication of our 5,000 passionate, kind and friendly staff. We think that the best way to get to know what it is like working for AWP is to speak to our people, so we have been meeting colleagues across the area to see what they had to say. “We are a team, we work together, we play to people’s strengths. Everyone feels like part of a team and a friend, rather than just colleagues.” Ben, Registered Mental Health Nurse. “I love working for the NHS. I feel proud that I work for the Trust and proud that I can support local people. I feel supported, I feel valued, I feel like I am part of a really good team.” Jo, Intensive Recovery Co-ordinator. “When you have moments with people, when they recognise your face or when they recall you, it’s marvellous. Making somebody smile who might not have smiled for a while and being able to support their family is a wonderful thing.” Charlotte, Registered Mental Health “WeNurse.are helping people rehabilitate back into the community and the progress they make from admission to discharge and being part of that journey is really rewarding.” Adam, Assistant Psychologist. out more about us If you’d like to hear more about what it is like to work with us, you can watch the short film we made whilst out and about with our teams by scanning the QR code on this page with your smart phone. you interestedare number of ways can find Follow us on social media, where share more insights into working with us, of recruitment events and opportunities join and @AWPNHS Facebook - @AWPNHS LinkedIn – search AWP Visit our website to explore and find out about how we support career development: nhs.uk/work-with-ushttps://www.awp. like
Supporting our armed forces
• support our staff who choose to be members of the reserve forces.
• support local cadet units, either in the community or in local schools, where possible.
• support the employment of veterans.
We consider ourselves very lucky to have Simon as part of our workforce and his contribution and dedication to helping others is admirable. We have always, and will continue to, support any member of staff who is a reservist by accommodating their training and deployment wherever possible, and we welcome applications from any veterans, their spouses and partners as part of our recruitment process.”
Members of the Armed Forces have a valuable role to play in shaping our work and helping us to make improvements.
• strive to support the employment of service spouses and partners.
In recognition of the opportunities, support and treatment we provide to veterans with mental health conditions, and our commitment to improving NHS care for veterans, reservists and serving members of the Armed Forces, we are delighted to have been named a Veteran Aware Trust by the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA). Research indicates that up to 50% of veterans can experience posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety and depression after leaving active service as a result of trauma, exposure to combat and injury. Their mental ill health can often be made worse by the transition to civilian life, the breakdown of relationships and the loss of social support networks, with many veterans vulnerable to social exclusion and homelessness.
The VCHA accreditation acknowledges our commitment to a number of key pledges, including: • ensuring that the armed forces community is treated equally, in line with the NHS’s commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant.
• actively participate in Armed Forces Day. Simon, who served 10 years in the Royal Marines, was supported to recover from a mental health condition by AWP. He is now employed by the Trust as a Support, Time and Recovery Worker, using his lived experience to help other people with mental health conditions to connect with others and build selfesteem and confidence. He said: “Recovering from a mental illness can be a long and challenging journey. There were times when I felt as if I would never feel good about myself to support others who are in a similar situation gives me a real sense of pride and purpose. I am really pleased to have been given a second chance at a worthwhile and fulfilling career.”
Sarah Jones, Deputy Director of Nursing and Quality, at AWP, said: “We know that veterans can experience very traumatic situations during their careers, which can lead to mental health difficulties. However, with the right help and support they can recover and lead fulfilling lives with an alternative career.
• ensuring staff working in veterans services are highly trained to support
As part of the VCHA accreditation process, we also signed the Armed Forces Covenant, recognising the value that serving personnel, reservists, veterans and military families bring to their communities. As part of the covenant, we have made the following pledges to: • promote ourselves as an armed forcesfriendly organisation.
We have also been awarded a Silver Employer Recognition Scheme Award by the Regional Employer Engagement Board in recognition of our commitment to supporting the armed forces community.
• The LGBTQ+ Network has influenced the inclusion of more sexual orientation and gender identity markers on our patient records system, is promoting the value of declarations and will be supporting the roll out of a Trans Toolkit which supports our staff on working with Trans people.
•example:OurDisability Equality Network has helped refresh our guidance on reasonable adjustments in the work place and is working to promote greater awareness of hidden disabilities.
• The Trustwide Race Equality Advisory Network (TREAN) is influencing our work to tackle institutionalised racism and promote race equality through shaping our Independent Equality Advisors role for some of our internal processes.
• Our Faith and Spirituality Network is providing a forum for staff to discuss how faith and spirituality impacts on working life and their support to patients and carers, and they have also engaged with diverse faith communities in collaboration with Bristol Inter-faith Forum promoting mental health and wellbeing.
Mayor Bhatt, Equality Diversity and Inclusion Lead, Sarah Constantine, Medical Director and Jordan Snell, Project Manager, celebrating Bristol Pride.
• Our Gender Equality Network is introducing a sani-box initiative across the Trust and is aspiring towards attaining accreditation for AWP as a Menstrual Health Friendly Employer.
Mayur Bhatt, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead at AWP, said: “We want people to feel they are valued, that they have a sense of belonging to AWP and are included, treated fairly and justly in everything we do. Our staff networks have a voice - they are vibrant and increasingly becoming more visible. They provide safe spaces for people to talk about their experiences, and influence EDI work through their positive activism in the Trust, so that we can strive to become an organisation that is excellent in its EDI culture.”
At AWP, we believe that every individual has the opportunity to achieve their potential and everyone should treat each other with fairness and respect. For our staff, we are continuously striving to create an environment where diversity is valued and equality of opportunity is promoted. We want the people who work for us to feel valued and empowered to take action, tackle inequity and all forms of unlawful discrimination and have open conversations about equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI). Through our Trustwide EDI group, we have developed a five-year plan to build on our EDI work across four themes: career progression/recruitment, just culture, quality improvement and service delivery. We also want to be a more culturally intelligent organisation and consistently reflect on the method, quality and style of all that we do and how this impacts on our commitments to SinceEDI.the EDI group was established in 2020, we have created a number of equality networks for staff which are thriving. These networks have made a fantastic impact and have influenced EDI developments in many different ways. For
In recognition of our work, we are hugely proud to be ranked 28th in the Inclusive Top 50 UK Employers List, and we are also recipients of the Talent, Inclusion and Diversity Evaluation (TIDEmark) Silver award from the Employers’ Network on Equality & Inclusion (enei). Julian Feasby, Director for People, said: “I am very proud of what the Trustwide EDI Group has been doing to support and promote equality for all in AWP. It’s important for us to carry on making continuous improvements because inclusivity and diversity makes us stronger as an organisation.”
Creating an environment where everyone belongs
Making research part of everything we do
Hannah: Taking part in research in AWP could be anything
The most interesting study for me personally that we avoidancetreatvirtualtrial;GameChangewassupportedhavethethiswasusingrealitytohelpagoraphobicanddistress
Julian: Our colleagues at the University of Bristol and the University of Bath have done some amazing work developing trials to help treat common psychological problems in people with Aspergers and Autism. They have also worked with the Somali community to help the understanding of these conditions, to reduce stigma and help people get the assessment and interventions they need.
To read more about our Research and Development Teams and how you can get involved in research and-developmentwww.awp.nhs.uk/about-us/research-visit:
Coming from a background,psychology I have always been interested in improving things for people who struggle with dementia, their mental health or addictions, and understanding whether we are really offering the best care and treatment for them. For me, research is vital to improving things across the healthcare system, that begins with us having a strong research and evidence based culture where we challenge the norm, and feel comfortable doing so.
Julian: I have been interested in research since I was fewresearch.thatatclinicalandundergraduateanthendidmytrainingaplaceprioritisedAyearsafter I qualified I moved to AWP and became lead for research in Secure Services. I became R&D Director in 2011 have been fortunate to work on studies aiming to understand and improve things for people in forensic settings, who have offended and who have deep seated trauma and relational problems (often referred to as personality disorder). They are often excluded and misunderstood and I believe research can help improve how we understand and work with people. Why is mental importantresearchhealth to Hannah:you?
for those with psychosis. I’m looking forward to working with the Trust to see how we can embed this into practice as the results were clearly successful. You can read more about that trial by visiting www. sciencedirect.com
Julian: I like things to be tried and tested properly so that I can trust that what I am doing is helpful or what I am using is definitely effective – whether that is the windscreen on the car, a medicine, a test for COVID-19 or a vaccination. So, research is how we go about doing that. What sorts of things doparticipantsresearch get involved in?
This is the real world impact of research and reducing exclusion at the same time – for me the gold standard of how we should work. What would you say to anyone thinking about working in mental health Hannah:research? Of course I am a big advocate of research and highly recommend a career or role in research to anyone thinking about making a change. Specifically in AWP we have a brilliant, hardworking, creative and vibrant team, all of whom I love working with. Being part of a department that is trying to make a difference for people who use services is very rewarding, and quite different from being in a clinical position.
I have been working in mental health NHS R&D for 12 years, and at AWP for the last 10 years. Before this I worked in business development but switched to working in NHS research after seeing both my grandmothers struggle with dementia. Treatment was so sparse and it was heart breaking to see how the disease changed their lives and all my family around them.
13Spotlight Summer 2022 At AWP, our Research and Development (R&D) teams support high quality research into the prevention, treatment and management of serious mental illness, addictions and dementia. With a team of research practitioners, research nurses and support staff, we ensure the smooth running of commercial studies and studies open in AWP that are on the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) portfolio. This includes helping AWP services to embed a culture of research and make research available to as many service users as possible. Here we meet Dr Julian Walker, Director, and Hannah Antoniades, Associate Director, for Research and Development at AWP: How long have you worked in mental health research and Hannah:development?
minimalSomedrugintoonecompletingfromaoffsurvey,takingparttestinganewortherapy.studiesinvolveinvolvement (say a one off questionnaire), others might include completing a variety of assessments or providing blood samples, taking part in new psychological therapies or taking medication. What is the interestingmostpieceofresearchyouhavebeeninvolvedin?Hannah:
Luke Champion, Energy and Sustainability Manager, said: “We are really pleased with the progress we have been making. Our Climate Emergency Group, which is made up of staff and service users, is an extremely passionate group, who have fully embraced our commitment to tackling climate change. We still have a great deal of work to do, but we have made some really encouraging progress and I am looking forward to the next phase of our work.”
• Energy use for heating and lighting
• Water use
• Single use plastics
• Encouraging staff, patients, service users and families to lead greener, healthier lives After securing a £4.5 million grant from the Salix Decarbonisation Programme, we installed LED lighting, solar panels, air source heat pumps, pipework insulation, new building management systems, air conditioning controls and new energy efficient electric radiators at a number of our sites. These measures have already resulted in a 256 tonne reduction in our carbon emissions for electricity and a reduction of 433 tonnes for gas, resulting in financial savings of over £361,000.
We have installed bike stands at our Bristol locations to encourage our staff to cycle to work, our community staff are using electric bikes to make visits to patients and services users, and we are using food and paper waste to create compost for our ward gardens.
• Recycling and disposal of waste
• Vehicle emissions from staff and patient travel and goods deliveries
In 2021, we declared a climate emergency and pledged to become a net zero carbon emissions Trust by 2030. Research suggests that the concerns about the climate crisis can cause feelings of anxiety, sadness and powerlessness, with three quarters of the British adult population saying they worry about climate change. As well as tackling climate change, we want to ensure we play our part in reducing the impact that extreme weather events, air pollution and rising temperatures can have on our mental health and wellbeing. Since we declared a climate emergency we have taken action in a number of areas, including:
Our plans for the future include bidding for a grant to support our Trustwide heat decarbonisation plans, ensuring our commitment to no longer fit gas boilers in any of our buildings is realised and to further explore other grant opportunities.
• Sustainable food sourcing
Our commitment to tackling climate change 14 Spotlight Summer 2022
• Energy from sustainable sources
15Spotlight Summer 2022
16 Spotlight Summer 2022
