HPFT, Customer Magazine, Issue 50

Issue 50/Winter 2016

Matters

HPFT provides support to those with mental and physical ill health and learning disabilities

TRANSFORMING LIVES

10th Recovery Conference

ART MATTERS

Showcasing talent

SUSIE ORBACH

The world has gone crazy about bodies

VALUING DIVERSITY

Our Black History Month event

Kelly Smith MBE Heading off disaster

PCONTENTS M

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Conferences

World Eating Disorders Day with Susie Orbach

Conferences

10th Recovery Conference

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Art Matters

Celebrating art by those with a lived experience of mental health services

News from Our Services

Spot the Signs – Preventing Suicide Award Winning Art in Norfolk HPFT Welcomes Buckinghamshire Learning Disabilities Team Essex Stressbusters

News from HPFT

15 16-17 18-19

A message from the Chief Executive What is the Sustainability and Transformation Plan?

Alliance signed with Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust Research and Development Needs You The New Leaf College

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Campaigns

Winter Warmth

Good to Great Our exciting 5 year strategy

Valuing Diversity Our brilliant event celebrating our BME staff

Get Involved

Become a member Join our governors

Training and Recruitment

Think Ahead – Training Social Workers Come and join our team

About us

Our Vision Our Mission Our Services Contact us

OUR NEW LOOK by Alison Smith, Marketing and Events Officer

Welcome to an exciting new issue of Partnership Matters Formerly known as News from HPFT, the Trust’s membership magazine has had a brand new makeover with a new design and a great new name. Partnership Matters is all about engaging with our members and connecting with the community.

SOCIAL

Follow us on Twitter @HPFT_NHS Like us on Facebook @hpft.nhs www.hpft.nhs.uk

We love hearing from you

We’d love to hear your thoughts on the new style magazine or any other subject you’d like to raise so please get in touch Email: comms@hpft.nhs.uk or write to us at the address on the back page.

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The world has gone completely crazy about bodies” says Susie Orbach

The guest speaker at our Eating Disorders training day gives an impassioned seminar

HPFT

were lucky enough to have celebrated author and body confidence campaigner, Susie Orbach, to present a training day for those working with people with eating disorders.

Susie painted a vision of a world that has “gone completely crazy about bodies.” She continued “All bodies have become part of the national and global conversation. We are all busy bodies. We’re busy about our own bodies and we’re busy about the bodies of other people.” Susie continued, “There are enormous problems about bodies. We don’t know what to eat or when to eat it. There is an eating disorders industry and commercial industries prey on the body.”

“67% of girls won’t go to school if they feel unhappy about their bodies!”

Susie cited the glamour and style industries as some of the culprits for the problems affecting people’s body image today. An industry “where each advert is photoshopped in excess of several 100 times.

Beauty is seen as essential and perfectible. The cosmetic industries have experienced a huge growth rate targeting younger and younger and older and older women. Young women think about their bodies every five minutes! And 67% of girls won’t go to school if they feel unhappy about their bodies!”

“The western body is sold all over the world” Another worrying development is the rise in cosmetic surgery. “The western body is sold all over the world. In Asia people are having leg operations to make them taller and in Iran there is a growing trend for westernising noses. In Singapore 50% of girls have an operation for a double eyelid so they can pass as western. All this is becoming normalised” she said. She cited a book called ‘My beautiful Mommy’ which was written by a cosmetic surgeon to help patients explain their transformation to their children.

“We are training our kids to feel insecure about their bodies. Don’t go on about your own body in a negative way, children pick it up. Let your children see you enjoying your own physicality.” she said.

Susie finished on an impassioned note saying “Whoever we are is good enough.”

Susie is a captivating speaker. Cassandra Manning, from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, said. “I am so pleased that I attended. It’s been very interactive, with live learning and people talking about their own experiences.”

“Eat when you’re hungry. Stop when you’re full. Enjoy every mouthful.”

Speaking of eating disorders, Susie asked “How did anorexia go from being visible but being invisible to being a brand? The pro-ana sites, which promote anorexia, proclaim it as a pride thing.”

Another of Susie’s targets were the food industries “which sell food as an aspiration or a treat. They take the cream out of milk and then sell it back to us as a treat. The diet industry is hugely profitable and depends on a 97% recidivism rate. If dieting worked you’d only have to do it once!” she said.

On obesity she was equally adamant. “In 1995 a coalition of nutritionists put together an obesity task force. Obesity became a disease entity. They made it possible to shame people rather than look at the underlying issues.” Susie said that health services “should stop going on about obesity. It instils terror and it does not work!”

She said that they should put up posters saying “Eat when you’re hungry. Stop when you’re full. Enjoy every mouthful.”

If you or someone you know has an eating disorder contact: Hertfordshire Community Eating Disorders Service Rosanne House, Parkway Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire AL8 6HG Tel: 01707 364000 www.hpft.nhs.uk

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Heading off disaster cover story

“

Connections were massively important to me”

says Kelly Smith MBE

Guest speaker at HPFT’s successful 10th Annual Recovery Conference

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HPFT

achieved their goal of making this year’s 10th Annual Recovery Conference the most successful thanks to the support of all those involved and to captivating guest speaker Kelly Smith MBE, England Women’s football all-time leading goal scorer.

Over 200 people attended the event, which was held at Robertson House in Stevenage. The theme of this year’s conference was ‘Connecting People: Parity of Esteem and Wellbeing’. This has a particular resonance nationally and locally.

Mental Health and Learning Disability services up and down the country have at last begun to win for themselves a sense of equality with physical health providers in the commissioning of services but there is still much to do.

“Talk to your friends” Kelly Smith MBE Kelly Smith MBE spoke movingly about her battles with alcohol and her recovery. She stressed the importance of having a support network to cope with what life throws at you. “Connections with people were massively important to me” she said. Kelly told a rapt audience how an injury whilst she was in the USA had left her feeling lonely and isolated. She said she felt it hard to cope with the loss of her sport and “I didn’t know which way to turn or who to turn to yet I still had to be a role model.” So she ended up turning to alcohol.

“I was so far gone I didn’t know how to seek help.” Thankfully the England Manager suggested that she speak to someone. “So I was lucky I had that support” she said. Despite initially being worried about how friends would respond when she told them she was having problems, she said that “these networks have been very supportive.” Kelly encouraged people who were experiencing difficulties to “talk about it. Talk to your friends.”

Great workshops and inspiring speakers The event featured contributions from professionals in the field of mental health as well as service users, and a volunteer for HPFT, who spoke about his struggles with schizophrenia and read out a poem summing up his experiences called ‘Stigma’. There were some excellent workshops throughout the day which covered everything from recovery and living with dementia to getting support and connecting people.

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The HPFT choir provided a beautiful choral interlude whilst in a video, which was played during the event, Helen Glover drew upon her background in social work and her lived experience of overcoming the impacts of life adversity.

There was lots of positive feedback on Twitter: “Feeling inspired by Connecting People, safety planning and now the lovely HPFT choir.”

“Very inspiring hearing Kelly’s personal story” and “Great recovery conference today. Well done!”

Tom Cahill, HPFT’s Chief Executive said “Increasingly we are seeing the need to move towards more integrated approaches to health and social care. We know mental illness does not happen in isolation and that the interdependence between all aspects of an individual’s wellbeing needs to be nurtured, understood and supported if we are truly to reach our goal of enabling people to lead healthier, happier and fulfilling lives.”

New Leaf College The event also marked the launch of HPFT’s Wellbeing College called New Leaf which gives people life skills to enhance their recovery. The college is based on the recovery college model in place across the country.

For details: www.newleafcollege.co.uk For more information about recovery: www.hpft.nhs.uk/welcome To get help contact our Single Point of Access: Tel: 0300 777 0707 8am – 7pm Out of Hours Tel: 01438 843322 5pm – 9am

Left to right: Rachel Perkins (Imroc), Kelly Smith (MBE), Tom Cahill (Chief Executive HPFT)

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really good to be selected. It’s a bit of recognition and it means my work’s good enough” he says.

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“The Purple Lady”, Hollis says “is a vision. I’ve seen it many times and in different locations, only appearing for a few seconds but always with a pleasant and calming feeling.”

Hollis added that “you get lost in what you’re doing when you paint.

It’s a very good pastime and it’s a good way to vent.”

Art Matters Alison Smith reports on HPFT’s first ever Open Studio

In September I attended a private viewing of an exhibition called ‘Body, Mind, Soul: a visual journey through a lived experience’.

All the artwork was by people who had experience of mental health services. The exhibition, which was in partnership with the University of Hertfordshire’s Art Therapy Department, was part of the annual Herts Open Studios event. The art was selected through application by HPFT’s art panel which was made up of services users, artists, carers, staff and members of the University of Hertfordshire.

What impressed me the most was how talented the contributors are, the incredible range of styles they use to communicate their ideas and how beneficial art has been to them. In my conversations with some of the artists one theme reoccurred – ‘the need for recognition.’

Hollis Dixon: ‘Purple Lady’ Hollis Dixon, is a former service user, who currently volunteers for HPFT. Hollis had three vibrant works of art at the exhibition. “It felt

Paul Simmans: ‘Life’ Another talented artist that I met was Paul Simmans. Paul is a printmaker and has sold a large number of his pictures. “My pictures are autobiographical. They’re about life” he says.

“I did art therapy for 5½ years. It’s the best therapy I could have done. When you have a picture in front you you can talk about all sorts of issues.” Paul says.

“Printmaking is very hard work” he continues “and it’s messy but when I’m working on my ideas at home it’s very enjoyable and this is the final recognition.”

“Recognising talents of the people we serve” People reacted very positively to the artwork. Mark Edgar, HPFT Governor, thought the exhibition was “great” and said it’s important to “engage with what you enjoy and to do it for yourself. An illness can define you but recovery is not just about being a label it becomes your identity.”

Chris Lawrence, Chairman of HPFT, expressed his gratitude to the University of Hertfordshire and Herts Open Studios. He said we need to “recognise the gifts and the talents of the people we serve” and he encouraged the artists to “carry on doing more.”

Sidney Nelson, Professor of Sculpture at the University of Hertfordshire, commented on how important art is as “an agent for social change and social transformation. I was blown away by the quality of the art. It has a dangerous edge of authenticity and there is a visceral sense of what it means to be alive.”

Hollis Dixon said that the exhibition was “an important way of giving service users recognition. It gives me encouragement and I hope it inspires others to do creative art. It shows staff that the people they are looking after are not just patients.”

Are you an artist with a lived experience of mental health or specialist learning disability?

If so, we have a limited budget to purchase and frame art including drawings, mixed media, paintings, photography, poetry and prints. We welcome applications for consideration by our art panel from all artists including children and young people on 1 February, 1 March, 5 April and 3 May 2017.

For application details email: hpft.art@nhs.net

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It’s the best therapy I could have done”

Paul Simmans, artist

Hollis Dixon

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Exhibiting my artwork has allowed me to turn despair into empowerment” Mary-Ann Stevens talks about her struggles with Bipolar Disorder and how art has helped her

Mary-Ann Stevens is an artist and former Kingfisher Court service user. As part of World Mental Health Day she exhibited some of her work at The Courtyard Gallery in Hertford. She talks about her struggles with bipolar disorder and how art has helped her find a way forward.

“Bipolar disorder has robbed me of my twenties. I am fighting hard to leave behind the terrible effects of being mentally ill. Drawing helps me to move forward, and allows me to make sense of my invisible illness” she says.

Mary-Ann continues “Psychosis is the worst experience I have ever had to endure. Hearing voices is a symptom as are visual hallucinations. The highs and lows of my bipolar disorder sometimes push me into a situation of absolute confusion with reality. It is very frightening.”

“I used art as a means of communication” During one stay in a psychiatric ward Mary-Ann says she couldn’t talk and that she struggled to understand her thoughts. “Life was hazy. I was frightened and confused. Even now I sometimes feel as if I’m sinking, too deep to console myself. A large black brick sinks to the bottom of the ocean.” Her parents and staff encouraged her to draw and gave her some art materials. “I used art to get people to understand” she says. “I’m a very visual person.”

“My sketches provide a visual insight into my battle with my condition. They present the opportunity to make sense of my mental illness through art.” Mary-Ann says that sometimes when she still feels too unwell to talk about what’s she’s going through “art is my only means of communication. It is, very important to my recovery from mental ill health.”

Mary-Ann says “Painting and sketching are quite different mediums to work with. Sketching is more portable. I can do it anywhere and anytime.” She continues “My art creates a mood and I really like using colours that don’t fit together because they create a feeling of uneasiness and they are saying something quite powerful.”

“Art is immediately calming” Mary-Ann says that “art forgives me my troubled mind. Art is immediately calming, giving me focus and a sense of achievement.

Mentally the process of picking up a pen each day has been immensely therapeutic and has contributed to my recovery.”

Mary-Ann’s parents and art teacher suggested that she exhibit her pictures. She adds “I also wanted to do something for World Mental Health Day.” She clearly enjoyed putting her artwork on display. “I never dreamed I could get to the stage where I could do this after so long in hospital” she says. Mary-Ann sold five drawings and three paintings at the gallery and says “I was shocked I’d sold anything.

Exhibiting my artwork at the gallery has allowed me to turn despair into empowerment.”

Mary-Ann had some encouraging words for would be artists too “Don’t be afraid to express yourself on paper.”

Mary-Ann is now doing an Art Foundation course in London. “It’s brilliant. I love it.” We wish her all the best with her studies.

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NEWS FROM OUR SERVICES

One of last year’s entries to the Koestler awards

Award winning art Service users from Astley Court and Broadland Clinic in Norfolk win eight Koestler Awards The Koestler Trust is the UK’s best known prison arts charity and aims to help offenders, secure patients and detainees lead more positive lives by motivating them to participate and achieve in the arts. To inspire participation in the arts amongst our service users, the Trust delivers awards and feedback, mentoring, exhibitions and events.

‘We Are All Human’ at the Southbank Centre was 2016’s annual national showcase of arts by offenders, secure patients and detainees. It is curated by internationally acclaimed writer, dub poet and musician Benjamin Zephaniah and will be the ninth exhibition in an ongoing partnership between the Koestler Trust and Southbank Centre.

performance pieces for The Koestler Awards and received some fantastic results. Service users from Astley Court received three awards including one silver award for a piece entitled ‘Face (3)’.

Broadland Clinic received five awards including one bronze award for a piece entitled ‘Show Me A Change’.

In September 2016, the Southbank Centre invited art practitioners from prisons and other criminal justice or secure settings to a Visual Arts Seminar to share best practice and enjoy an interactive tour of the exhibition. Astley Court’s silver award ‘Face (3)’ was presented as a virtual image to a group of around 60 visual art practitioners and Astley Court and Broadland Clinic’s Art and Music Tutor, Christopher Northall, was invited to comment on the circumstances of the artists working process.

The theme chosen by Antony Gormley for the 2017 Koestler Awards is ‘Inside’ and service users at Astley Court and Broadland Clinic are already looking forward to working on pieces to enter.

Service users from Astley Court and The Broadland Clinic submitted a variety of artwork, creative writing and musical

“So much can be done to prevent suicide” Our World Suicide Prevention Day events provide information that could save a life To mark World Suicide Prevention Day HPFT’s Spot the Signs Team organised two interactive workshops in September aimed What emotional support can you offer? at giving people an insight into the causes of suicide and how If anybody you know displays these signs: to prevent it. It’s a staggering fact that 1 in 5 of us will experience • Listen and offer reassurance suicidal thoughts in our lifetime. In 2014 a total of 6,122 people • Stay calm and be patient committed suicide in the UK alone. That’s approximately 17 • Try not to make assumptions or judge people a day! But there is so much that can be done to prevent • Keep contact and ask how you can help suicide by ‘spotting the signs’.

The following could be signs that someone is planning to take their own life: • Talking about “feeling hopeless” and feeling “life is not worth living”

What practical support can you offer?

• Saying “my friends and family are better off without me”

• Providing support with practical tasks

• Looking for methods or the means to end their lives

You can provide practical help by: • Looking for information • Supporting with and attending appointments • Creating a support plan

• Putting all their affairs in order and seeming to be

preparing to die • Giving away prized possessions and saying goodbye

to loved ones • A sudden and seemingly full recovery after a period

of severe depression • Reporting thoughts and plans to take their own life • Reporting that they can hear voices telling them to

end their own life

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Where to get help If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal call: Your GP to make an urgent appointment Samaritans – 24 hour confidential support service Tel: 08457 90 90 90 Saneline – advice on mental health issues Tel: 08457 767 8000 between 6pm – 11pm HPFT Single Point of Access Tel: 0300 777 0707 8am – 7pm NHS Tel: 111 or Tel: 999 or go to your nearest A&E department

Welcome to Buckinghamshire Learning Disabilities Services In summer 2016 specialist learning disabilities services from Buckinghamshire’s Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust were transferred to HPFT. We welcomed their staff, who are now fully fledged members of HPFT. The move means service users with learning disabilities now have access to a wider range of specialist support and facilities provided at our state of the art unit Kingfisher Court.

We are also providing greater support in the community allowing people to have care closer to home and giving them the support they need to stay out of hospital.

Essex Stressbusters

Did you know 9.9 million working days were lost in 2015 due to work related stress/depression/anxiety?

According to the Mental Health Foundation 12 million people visit their GP with mental health problems every year and many are dealing with stress.

In November, Mid Essex IAPT, Healthy Minds and Health in Mind hosted stalls across Essex to promote Stress Awareness Day. The teams spoke to local people, encouraged them to complete a stress questionnaire, provided them with information on destressing and gave them a stress ball.

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Jess Lievesley, Director of Service Delivery and Customer Experience said

We are delighted to welcome service users and staff from Buckinghamshire. The staff bring with them a wealth of experience that we can learn from at HPFT and we have already received positive feedback from service users.”

Top Tips for Destressing 1. A Balanced Diet: watch out for hidden sugars and be sure to drink plenty of water.

2. Sleep Hygiene: it is important to listen to your body – don’t force yourself to go to bed unless you’re tired, but don’t fight it either if it’s early.

3. Relaxation: relaxation is important as it helps us feel less tense. Why not try yoga, breathing techniques or hobbies.

4. Speak Out: share the problem with family or friends, don’t try to cope alone. Talking it through will put things into perspective.

The Essex teams would like to thank local supermarkets for supporting this successful event.

Could we help you to destress?

For more information on workshops, online self help, guided self help with telephone support, individual sessions, CBT and other techniques aimed at helping you to find ways of coping and getting you back to your usual self contact: HPFT Tel: 0300 777 0707 www.hpft.nhs.uk Health in Mind North East Essex

Tel: 0300 330 5455 www.healthmind.org.uk/how-we-can-help IAPT Mid Essex

Tel: 01376 308704/01376 308705 www.hpft.nhs.uk/mid-essex-iapt Healthy Minds West Essex

Tel: 0300 222 5943 www.hpft.nhs.uk/healthyminds

Health in Mind, Adil Qureshi, Support Time and Recovery Worker, and Cindy Scott, Senior Administrator from Healthy Minds West Essex

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News from HPFT

It’s an exciting time for the trust

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It is an exciting time for the Trust as we move forward with our Good to Great strategy and put into place a five year plan to do even better and be consistently great. This is a time of change but also great opportunity and there is plenty to celebrate.

Going from Good to Great This year we launched our ‘Good to Great’ strategy and 2017 will see us continuing on our collective journey towards delivering great care and achieving great outcomes together. I hope, like us, you are excited about the next phase of our journey and the positive benefits that working together to innovate and improve will bring. On page 14 you can read about how we aim to do this.

Tom Cahill, Chief Executive

Celebrating 10 years of the Recovery Conference In October 2016 we were proud to celebrate 10 years of our Recovery Conference which saw Kelly Homes MBE, Britain’s former top female goal scorer, give an inspiring talk about the mental health issues she faced and how she overcame them. We also heard from service users about what recovery means to them and from service professionals about how important connections are in their journey.

Valuing Diversity Our excellent ‘Valuing Diversity’ event held to mark Black History Month highlighted what a diverse organisation we are and the benefits that this brings to the Trust. Our speakers talked about their experiences both in the community and the workplace. Many reflected positively on the support that they had received from the Trust but it was recognised that work still needs to be done to help staff overcome some of the prejudices they face.

Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) – Shaping the future Across the UK, health and social care services have been challenged to come together and work more closely than ever before to deliver more effective, joined-up and affordable services.

In Hertfordshire and West Essex, county and district councils, hospital trusts, mental health providers, clinical commissioning groups, ambulance services, primary and community care, the voluntary sector and a host of other organisations were asked to produce an improvement plan for the next five years, called our ‘Sustainability and Transformation Plan’ (STP).

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As we go to press we are about to launch our new Innovation and Improvement hub which will give staff an opportunity to see their bright ideas for efficiency and improvement invested in and realised.

Exciting times indeed.

Our own Chief Executive, Tom Cahill, has been leading the work on the Hertfordshire and West Essex STP. The plan maps the improvement journey that health and care services in Hertfordshire and West Essex need to take with the area’s 1.5 million residents, in order to improve their health and wellbeing and tackle the growing demand for high quality health and care services.

The plan was published in winter 2016 and the ideas, contributions and support of our members are vital if it is to become a success.

Alliance signed with Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust We have signed up with Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust (HCT) to work more closely together providing even better services for people in Hertfordshire.

HCT provide a wide range of physical health services in people’s homes, community settings and in its community hospitals across Hertfordshire and West Essex.

We are calling the partnership a ‘strategic alliance’ but what this essentially means is that we are combining our strengths, skills and knowledge to meet both the physical and mental health needs of the people we serve.

We already work with HCT on a number of projects delivering community care together and this partnership will put us in an even

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stronger position to meet the needs of our local communities.

Our Chief Executive, Tom Cahill is looking forward to greater collaboration between the two trusts. He said: “The partnership will give our community and mental health services in Hertfordshire a strong voice in designing care and support services across the county. We will also be able to further broaden and build relationships with people in local communities and other partners within health and social care.

For us at HPFT this is an important part of our Good to Great Strategy and delivering great care and great outcomes for people who use our services, their families and carers.

We look forward to working with HCT in this new way.

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Are you a relative of someone with psychosis or bipolar disorder?

If so our Research and Development (R&D) Team would like to hear from you. They are looking for more people to take part in the Relatives Education and Coping (REACT) trial. The trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the new REACT online tool kit which

has been designed to reduce the distress felt by relatives of people with psychosis or bipolar disorder.

Karen Irvine, the Clinical Studies Officer told us “We are very excited to be involved with this really important study. Relatives/carers play a key role in supporting people with these conditions, so access to a resource like this that would support carers and reduce their distress could prove invaluable.”

Participants need to be over 16 years old, have access to the internet and be able to understand written and verbal English.

If you would like to be involved in this trial or would like to know more about the role of the R&D team you can contact: Karen Irvine, Clinical Studies Officer Email: karen.irvine@hpft.nhs.uk

Welcome to New Leaf College; a wellbeing college for Hertfordshire New Leaf College (Hertfordshire’s Wellbeing College) opened its doors in October 2016. The College is designed to provide a range of courses and workshops to enable you to take better control of your wellbeing, learn some practical skills and provide an opportunity for reflection on your own situation and how you can build on your strengths to achieve better wellbeing.

contrast with therapeutic services provided within mainstream health services. The core principles of this model are based on:

All our courses and workshops are provided in line with the following principles:

• An educational rather than a therapeutic approach

• Hope – instilling hope for the future despite life’s challenges

• Inclusivity for people with health challenges, their relatives/

• Inspiration – hearing experiences of others to help you learn and

be inspired • Empowerment – equipping you with the knowledge and skills to

make the changes that are right for you Our courses are free of charge and available to anyone aged over 18 living in Hertfordshire. Courses are offered from various campuses across the county. We understand that there may be a range of accessibility needs so please do discuss these with us so that we can support your access to the college.

New Leaf College is built on the Recovery College model which means it operates on college principles, is self-selecting for students and solely focused on educational programmes, in

• Collaboration and co-production between people with personal

and professional experience of specific health challenges • Strengths-based and person-centred values

carers and staff • Helping people identify and reach their own goals

All college courses are designed and delivered in partnership with people who have experience of living with different life challenges.

This is to ensure this expert experience forms part of the curriculum of the college.

To find out more about the college, take a look around this website or contact the Team: Tel: 01442 864966 Email: info@newleafcollege.co.uk www.newleafcollege.co.uk

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Keep Happy and Healthy this Winter Follow our tops tips to get you through the winter months

Crunching

through colourful autumn leaves, waking up to bright frosty mornings or seeing the first dusting of snow, winter can be a lovely season. However, for those with physical or mental ill health it can be a particularly challenging and a very lonely time for those who are isolated, housebound or have no close family or friends. The lack of sunlight, the enforced confinement, Christmas jollity and excesses can add their own set of difficulties, such as financial pressures and increased risks for those with alcohol problems.

Seasonally Affective Disorder (SAD) SAD is the term used to describe low moods felt during winter months. It is estimated to affect one in 15 people in the UK between September and April but during the December to February months SAD is even more widespread.

Dr Kaushik Mukhopadhaya, HPFT’s Executive Director Quality and Medical Leadership and Consultant Psychiatrist advises, “It’s important that anyone needing help with a mental health problem gets support quickly.” Dr Mukhopadhaya recommends a few simple steps to maintain mental wellbeing during this time:

• Help someone else who might be having difficulties during this

period – you can change your own feelings of hopelessness by doing something positive for someone else • As soon as you start feeling sad or anxious do something

different to take yourself ‘out of yourself’ by going for a walk or having a cup of tea with a neighbour • Take a break from social media – everyone uses social media

to portray their life at its best, which can lead to unrealistic expectations about your own life • Volunteer at an animal shelter – unconditional acceptance by

animals can lift depression/low mood • Talk about your feelings and ease the burden by sharing with

those closest to you • Keep yourself occupied – it will help you get through the low

periods Flu Jabs – protection for you and those you care for Flu is an unpredictable virus that can cause mild or unpleasant illness in most people. It can cause severe illness and even death among vulnerable groups including older people, pregnant women and people with an underlying health condition such as diabetes. It is important to get the flu jab if you fall into any of these categories,

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are a carer or work with anybody that falls into these groups. HPFT encourages all staff to get the flu jab. For more information about the flu jab go to: www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/pages/ who-should-have-flu-vaccine.aspx Lend a hand this winter Hertfordshire County Council is asking residents to be good neighbours and help combat loneliness.

Loneliness can be experienced by people of all ages, although older people and those with physical and learning disabilities are particularly vulnerable.

The impact of social isolation can be significant; research suggests being lonely can be as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Better news is that getting to know and spending time with your neighbours has a positive effect on your health and wellbeing.

Colette Wyatt-Lowe, Cabinet Member for Adult Care and Health, said: “As the days draw shorter and temperatures drop, why not take time to check in on your neighbours, particularly those who are more vulnerable? Even small things like doing someone’s shopping, sharing a meal or putting the bins out, can make a big difference.”

Where to get help HPFT Tel: 0300 777 0707 8am to 7pm weekdays (closed during the Christmas and New Year bank holidays) If you are feeling lonely, give HertsHelp a call Tel: 0300 123 4044. They’ll be able to let you know about activities and support available near you, including lunch clubs, community groups and befriending services.

Hertfordshire County Council has launched a Winter Health website which contains great tips for keeping healthy during the colder months and also contact telephone numbers. www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/winterhealth Living Well Essex https://www.livingwellessex.org/health-and-well-being/takingcare-of-yourself/stay-well-this-winter/ West Norfolk Clinical Care Commissioning Group http://www.westnorfolkccg.nhs.uk/your-health/winter-health South Norfolk Clinical Care Commissioning Group http://www.southnorfolkccg.nhs.uk/seasonal-health/winter

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Take a break

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Good to Great – Our 5 Year Strategy 2016 - 2021

This

is an exciting and challenging time to be setting out on the next phase of HPFT’s journey. It comes on the back of significant changes to our services through a five year transformation programme leading to a ‘Good’ rating from the CQC in 2015.

Our Purpose and Mission Everything we do is aimed at providing consistently high quality, joined up care, support and treatment that:

Delivering on our Vision In moving progressively towards achieving our vision for Great Care and Great Outcomes over the next five years we will focus on the four linked areas. This is because we know that ‘Great Care and Great Outcomes’ are delivered by ‘Great People’ supported by a ‘Great Organisation’.

An organisation that creates the conditions for everyone to deliver, or support the delivery of, the very best care – embracing the principles of collective leadership, constantly learning and improving for the benefit of those we serve. We also know that no matter how good we are at HPFT, what is important to the individuals we serve goes beyond our four walls. To achieve together what really matters to service users and their families we must have ‘Great Networks and Partnerships’ with others involved in their care, support or treatment.

• Empowers individuals to manage their mental and physical

wellbeing • Keeps people safe from avoidable harm • Is effective and ensures the very best clinical and individual

recovery outcomes • Provides the best possible experience

We do this in partnership with individuals using our services, their families and/or carers, local communities and other providers and agencies. This is summarised in our mission statement:

We help people of all ages live their lives to their full potential by supporting them to keep mentally and physically well.

Our Vision Our conversations with service users, carers, staff, commissioners and the wider communities we serve have informed a simple but ambitious vision:

Delivering great care, achieving great outcomes – together Achieving our vision means: • Putting the people who need our care, support and treatment at

the heart of everything we do - always • Consistently achieving the outcomes that matter to the

individuals who use our services, and their families and carers, by working in partnership with them and others who support them • Providing the very best experience of joined-up care in line with

what service users and carers have told us makes ‘Great Care’

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Next steps The next steps are to: • Formally launch ‘Good to Great’ as our strategy with staff,

service users and carers and our wider stakeholders, and engage with them on our plans for delivery • Finalise the detailed supporting strategies that are being

developed • Develop our specific delivery plans for years two and

three of our journey from ‘Good to Great’

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HPFT’s inspiring Valuing Diversity Event BME Network Impact Staff organise an informative day to mark Black History Month

Over

60 staff attended the Trust’s vibrant and uplifting ‘Valuing Diversity’ event earlier this month. The day comprised of a range of excellent internal and external speakers, talented entertainers, U’Zambezi, and delicious Afro-Caribbean food. The event was opened by Dr Oliver Shanley OBE, Director of Quality and Safety and Deputy Chief Executive Officer. Oliver spoke about how proud he was that the Trust has one of the most highly motivated workforces in the country which was highlighted in the 2015 NHS Staff Survey. Oliver went on to talk about “the amazing contribution our BME staff make” and how important it was “to make everyone feel equally valued.”

“

Jane Padmore

70% of dual heritage people are recorded incorrectly”

Dr Jane Padmore, Deputy Director of Nursing and Quality, discussed the positive and negative aspects of dual heritage, noting that dual heritage is the fastest growing group in the UK but “70% of dual heritage people are recorded incorrectly”. Jane was followed

by Herbie Nyathi, Outgoing Chair of BME Staff Impact Group, who talked about celebrating differences and how important it was to have knowledge of other people’s cultures

In the afternoon, Yvonne Coghill, Director of Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) Implementation at NHS England, took to the stage. Yvonne spoke of the inequalities BME communities face and said that WRES “leads to better care, outcomes and performance.”

Tom Cahill, Chief Executive of HPFT acknowledged that “there remain challenges around diversity for the Trust” but noted the recent appointment of Jinjer Kandola to the post of Deputy Chief Executive of HPFT. Tom emphasised the importance of having “the difficult conversations so all staff feel valued”.

Feedback from the day was positive but there was widespread agreement that there should be greater representation of non BME staff at the event.

The Anti-Bullying Pledge The event was also the occasion for the signing of the Anti-Bullying Pledge and the launch of the Anti-Bullying Helpline by Tom Cahill on behalf of the Executive and Neil Sheehan, our Staff Side Chair. This was warmly welcomed by those present.

If you are a member of staff and would like to join the Staff Equality Networks please email: equality@hpft.nhs.uk For information about the Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) please contact: Kor Chand, Project Lead for WRES Email: kor.chand@hpft.nhs.uk

During the day, guests heard the personal stories of some of our staff. Peer Experience Listener, Jaskawal Seyan, spoke movingly about how being diagnosed with MS had affected both her physical and mental wellbeing and discussed her journey to recovery. She was followed by Dr Kaushik Mukhopadhaya who spoke about his journey from India to a successful career in Britain. Kaushik cited his father as a major influence on his life. “He always said ‘Respect others and you will get respect from others’. If you believe in yourself it’s difficult for others to shake that.”

Thomas Makoni, Team Leader, told his story about he came into the nursing profession having faced racial issues in his previous role in finance and Elise Samuel, the new chair of the BME Network, reflected on her background and past influences and indicated her wish to work with other colleagues to make positive changes.

Roberta, Ivy and Reuben, Mental Health Nurses, enjoying our Valuing Diversity event

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Get Involved

Staff at our AGM which is open to members

We truly value the support and insight our members give us And we are encouraging more people to join our growing membership

Our

members enable us to strengthen our bond with our local communities and stakeholders assisting us to truly understand our local health economy and what our services mean for you. People become members for many reasons; some join because they are interested in supporting a local service which helps people in their community. Others may experience, live with, or know someone who is affected by mental and physical health issues or have a learning disability and some because they want greater involvement in the Trust.

Becoming a member helps to support a range of activities which are vital for the development of local services. We truly value the support and insight our members give us and are able to deliver better services because of them.

Get your friends and family to join us and make a difference As a Trust we welcome diverse opinions and always need new members to assist us on our journey from Good to Great. You may already be a member of our Trust but we would ask you to talk to your family, friends and neighbours and encourage them to get involved.

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Benefits of membership • Membership magazine twice a year • Advance information about events and

public meetings • Opportunity to have your say and to make a

positive contribution to HPFT’s services and the way we are run • Information about the role of members and governors • You can stand for election to the Council of Governors

Membership is FREE and open to everyone over the age of 14 - there is no upper age limit. So why not join us today?

Contact the Membership Office Tel: 01707 253903 Email: foundation@hpft.nhs.uk www.hpft.nhs.uk

PM/GET INVOLVED

Members and governors are vital to our success

“

Says Chris Lawrence, Chairman

As a Trust we recognise the vital role our members and governors play in the development and success of the Trust. You are the ones that hold us to account and help us to succeed so we can provide the best possible support and care to the people who use our services.

We were delighted in the summer to welcome a number of new governors to the Trust’s board. Already they are playing an active role and lending their experience and expertise to the way we both

run and develop our services. This year we have appointed Barry Canterford to the role of Engagement Governor. This new post has been created so that we can get the very best from our members by communicating with them directly and getting them actively involved in what we do.

Our new look magazine has been designed to directly engage with our members, governors and the wider community. We want it to be a flagship for the important work we do and to encourage more people to join us and play their part in the continued success of the Trust.

Our governors are involved in many events and it was good to see them in attendance at our excellent Art Exhibition featuring those who had ‘a lived experience of mental health’. Coming from a family of artists I was impressed with the standard of work. Art is an invaluable tool in the recovery process and it is so important to recognise the gifts and the talents of the people we care for.

I hope more governors and members will attend our events and I look forward to working with you all in the coming year.

Governors: linking the Trust to the communities it serves

There

are 39 Governors on the Council of Governors comprising both elected and appointed governors. There are 21 elected Public Governors, 5 elected Staff Governors and 13 Appointed Governors made up from a range of our stakeholders.

Our Governors are all members of the Council of governors which provides a way to directly link the Trust to the communities it serves through the active involvement and participation of patient, public, staff and organisations in the Council.

The Council of Governors have four sub-committees which assist the main Council with a variety of areas:

stakeholders to ensure that the voice of the member, service user, carer and the public is heard. The Chair of this Group is also our Engagement Champion who is supporting the Trust with building an effective and purposeful membership who actively engage with us.

• Performance Working Group – They discuss and consider

finance and performance information to better understand past and future performance and probe for areas of concern.

• Appointments and Remuneration Committee – The

committee carries out the procedure for appointment and remuneration of the Chair and Non-Executive Directors for approval by the full Council.

• Quality and Effectiveness Working Group – They discuss and

consider reports relating to the quality and effectiveness of the services that the Trust provides.

• Engagement Working Group – They discuss and consider how

the Trust can best engage with its membership and other key From Left to Right: Barry Canterford, Engagement Governor, Niki Prest, Board Secretary with Richard Pleydell-Bouverie, Verity Masters, Sarah Martinelli, Dr Michael Short, Chris Walmsley, and Chris Munt, governors, Chris Lawrence, Chair and Bob Taylor, governor.

For more information about becoming a governor and for details of the current governors www.hpft.nhs.uk/about-us/governors To get in touch with a public governor contact Niki Prest, Board Secretary: Email: niki.prest@hpft.nhs.uk Tel: 01707 253856

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Shining a spotlight on social work

This

issue we shine the spotlight on Kate Wilson, Consultant Social Worker for the Think Ahead programme.

We wanted to find out about the new social work scheme which launched in the Trust earlier this year.

What is the Think Ahead programme?

Think Ahead is a charitable organisation providing a fast-track mental health social work scheme across the country. They recognise that mental health is an urgent national priority and the programme is driven by the belief that social workers can make a real difference to people’s lives.

Think Ahead is committed to strengthening the role of social work in mental health nationally.

What is your role?

“

I believe this is a really exciting time for social work in the Trust”

I am the Consultant Social Worker for the Think Ahead programme. At HPFT we Helen Harker speaks to Kate Wilson, currently have four Think Consultant Social Worker for Think Ahead Ahead participants who are based in Stevenage – Deborah, Alistair, Thea and Ben. My role is as a practice educator, supporting and mentoring the students to help What are the benefits for the Trust? them learn and develop their skills. During this role I will not This is a great opportunity for HPFT. We have four fantastic, have my own separate caseload but will be there to hold motivated people who are committed to becoming social the cases which the participants will work on so that I can workers specifically in mental health. They have already support them and offer them advice. brought some great ideas and I think that we can learn a lot from them as they are learning some really modern social How does Think Ahead differ to traditional routes work interventions which can be shared with colleagues. I into social work? believe this is a really exciting time for social work in the Trust Their primary focus is mental health. There are currently and this programme is another way of building on what we 96 Think Ahead participants across the UK and they will all are doing at HPFT to give the best social work support to our spend the majority of their placement in a mental health service users. trust. At HPFT they will also spend 30 days with the Family Safeguarding Team over at Hertfordshire County Council in order to get a broader experience of social work. The fast track programme means that students will be qualified social workers by the end of their first year and will spend their second year working towards a masters degree.

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Take your career to new heights by joining HPFT

PM/TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT

Come and join a team of caring, compassionate and professional people at Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust – one of the leading providers of specialist mental health and learning disabilities services in the United Kingdom.

Right now we have a range of qualified and non-qualified posts available for individuals like you who wish to work for an organisation well known for their expertise and outstanding clinical services.

As an employee you’ll enjoy a great range of benefits designed to empower you with the resources, incentives and flexibility you need to enjoy success on the job and have a healthy work life balance.

Benefits include: • Holidays – 27 days annual entitlement on starting

(excluding Bank Holidays) • Coaching, mentoring and Continued Professional

Development opportunities • Online and retail benefits, cashback rewards and

child care vouchers • Gym membership • Pension scheme Join us and you’ll be part of a community that recognises your contribution – and inspires you to achieve even greater things.

For further information, please visit: http://careers.hpft.nhs.uk/

JOIN NOW!

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About Us Our Mission

We help people of all ages live their lives to their full potential by supporting them to keep mentally and physically well.

CONTACT US

Our Vision

Delivering great care, achieving great outcomes – together.

Our services

We provide mental health and social care services – including adults of working age, older adults, children and adolescents and specialist learning disabilities services.

Post: Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, The Colonnades, Beaconsfield Road, Hatfield, Hertfordshire AL10 8YE Email the Membership Office: foundation@hpft.nhs.uk Visit our website www.hpft.nhs.uk Follow us on Twitter @HPFT_NHS Like us on Facebook @hpft.nhs

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