JANUARY 2013
about integrated healthcare
Valuable volunteers celebrated
Special thanksgiving event held see page 4 queen’s nurse award winners sure start reducing bullying panto time New Year, New you
MESSAGE 2012 was our toughest yet most successful year to date. Well done to everyone for your contribution to all the things achieved for patients, service users, carers and each other. Our Partners and Stakeholders notice this, and appreciate the additional effort that is coming from you all as do I, as does your Board. We are all very proud to be leading Nottinghamshire Healthcare. Each Positive magazine captures the depth and range of what we do and a summary of what has been achieved can be found in the centre of this issue. Our calendar year is indicating a strong financial position for 31 March 2013, but things are getting difficult, particularly over the past few months with more demand on our services. Our position will be strong and get us off to a good start into the new financial year 2013/14 – a year which will be important to us. Finally, we have got the chance to go to full Foundation Trust, still very much part of the NHS, but with a little more earned autonomy. This builds on the NHS Foundation Trust Standard achieved on 1 November 2010. Our consultation this year received 450 responses encouraging us to do it, keeping the patient at the centre, to integrate further, and to keep the leadership, involvement, innovation and partnership work we do as key strengths. 2013 is going to be about renewal and the ingredients we have include the right distributed leadership approach, being outward – looking and being innovative. We are lucky to have so many innovative staff and stimulus to do more from The Institute of Mental Health, East Midlands Leadership Academy, our new Learning and Education Training Board [LET ‘B’], our CLAHRC and the East Midlands Academic Health Science Network. All of these will be important sources of stimulus and all support the quest for progress in the new NHS system.
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FROM THE BOARD The NHS Constitution is centre line for me, reminding us of the purpose of the NHS: to save lives, improve health, work at the limits of science, human knowledge and skill when people are in most need. We have a unique NHS signature with a very diverse range of services including Rampton Hospital, our High Secure Service. We need to retain the autonomy we have by becoming an NHS Foundation Trust but give the assurance that we have all our risks covered and mitigated as much as possible. We will be using the NHS Foundation Trust assessment and authorisation process to improve the organisation and lock in the progress we have made together. When we become authorised we will use the earned autonomy but use it with assurance. Our Trust Board, our new Council of Governors, our new Commissioners and our Regulators will all require that. Most of all though we will require of each other that we show our continued care, compassion and communication to patients, service users, carers and our colleagues. I know we will continue to get that right within the positive culture that exists at Nottinghamshire Healthcare. I hope you have all had a really good seasonal break and that like me you are ready to achieve so much more together through 2013. Dean, I and all members of the Trust Board look forward to supporting all your achievements and helping you move through some of the challenges throughout the coming year. In this way we will renew ourselves and our organisation to deliver the best possible care and advice for patients, getting the best positive practice in and working through our services; using our autonomy but providing assurance for the future. Best wishes,
Professor Mike Cooke CBE, Chief Executive
National Rural Health Network launched in Nottingham A ground breaking conference of health professionals and eminent academics convened in Nottingham in November at Nottingham Forest Football Club to launch the new Rural Health Network. The Network will enable health professionals to share effectively best practice, innovation, learning and excellence in respect of rural health services and health commissioning countrywide, involving every sector supporting health. The concept emerged from discussions between the Rural Services Network, Nottinghamshire Healthcare and the Institute of Rural Health earlier in the year. The conference, badged “Challenging Times”, attracted over 100 delegates from various parts of
National recognition for new Queen’s Nurse Maureen Major Nottinghamshire Healthcare’s Maureen Major, Learning Disability Health Facilitator, has been given the prestigious title of Queen’s Nurse by community nursing charity The Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI).
the UK representing the NHS, local government, emergency responders and the voluntary sector. Baroness Byford, Secretary to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Rural Services, opened and chaired the inaugural conference. Lady Byford has extensive parliamentary experience in championing the interests of rural communities. Throughout the day she gave delegates her unique overview on important distinctions and particular challenges in delivering many services to rural populations. Keynote speaker, Mike Cooke, Chief Executive said: “Excellence in rural health provision centres around establishing clearly what patients
want and then ensuring that the needs of staff are properly met by the organisation so that they can deliver. It’s vital to link physical and mental health service delivery. Around the country there are many good examples of such excellent activity but dissemination of that innovation, good practice and that vital link up is not as effective as it might be. “The overwhelming response from the delegates was most encouraging and there is already an offer on the table to stage a second conference in 2013 in another region. I am delighted to be associated with this important initiative and Nottinghamshire Healthcare will be actively supporting this project as it develops over the coming months.” Baroness Byford with the principal conference speakers, left – right: Baroness Byford with Chris Slavin, Chief Executive, Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust; Nick Daibell, General Manager Adult Mental Health, Nottinghamshire Healthcare; Nick Payne, Consultant, The Rural Services Network; Dr Virginia Pearson, Joint Director of Public Health, NHS Devon and Devon County Council; Sharon Eaton, Higher Level Business Manager, Adult Mental Health, Nottinghamshire Healthcare; Julie Hall, Director of Nursing and Operations, Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust; Dr Deb Lee, Consultant Paediatrician, West Cumberland Hospital and Chair of the Remote and Rural Special Interest Group; Professor Mike Cooke CBE, Chief Executive, Nottinghamshire Healthcare; Professor Chris Packham, Associate Medical Director, Nottinghamshire Healthcare.
The title is not an award for past service, but indicates a commitment to high standards of patient care, learning and leadership. Nurses who hold the title benefit from developmental workshops, bursaries, networking opportunities, and a shared professional identity. Maureen was one of 62 new nurses nationwide who were awarded the title at the charity’s awards ceremony, held at The Commonwealth Club in London in November, bringing the total number of Queen’s Nurses to over 300. QNI Director Crystal Oldman said: “Congratulations are due to Maureen for her success. Community nurses operate in an ever more challenging world and our role is to support them as effectively as we can. The QN title is a key part of this and we would encourage other community nurses to apply.”
Maureen Major receives her prestigious award
New developments from the Continence Advisory Service The Continence Advisory team covering Mansfield, Ashfield, Newark and Sherwood has been working on various developments to enhance the patient experience of the service. To improve the accessibility of information for colleagues, the team has launched a new intranet site, with assessment documents, charts, treatment pathways, patient information leaflets, catheter practice guidance and more, including the referral criteria for the Specialist Continence Advisory Service. Go to the Heath Partnerships Intranet site, select ‘Department Directory’, ‘Health Partnerships’, then ‘Services’, then ‘Continence Advisory Service – North’. Referrals to the service are now via the Single Point of Access (SPA), and the new contact number is 0300 456 4951. Other service developments to improve the quality and patient experience include: • Continence Discharge outcome data on SystmOne has been revised, we can now identify how many patients are discharged ‘Continent’ • The Catheterisation Practice Guidance for Male, Female and Supra-pubic catheterisation was updated in September 2012. Are you working to the up-to-date guidance? All catheterisation undertaken by a healthcare professional must be performed by an aseptic non touch technique • Pad weighing was re-introduced in October 2012 within patients’ own homes and Care Homes, as part of the assessment and re-assessment • Continence Appliance Formulary order form is to be piloted in Newark and Sherwood • A Community Nurse led Continence Clinic Audits programme has commenced across the north of the county. For further information see the Intranet or contact the Continence Advisory Service at Ashfield Community Hospital on 01623 784785.
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Why volunteer?
‘’The most important thing in life is having a purpose. Volunteering does this for me I now have a purpose in life and I am helping people. Everything comes from the heart!” — Geoff
‘’I feel important as a governor for Learning Disabilities and it makes me feel worthwhile as I am helping people.” — Governor member Barbara Glover
“The pride it gives you while you are trying to change your life and also changing other people’s lives too at the same time is so rewarding!’’ — Lisa
Trust says a big In November, staff from across the Trust invited all volunteers to a Thanksgiving event as an official ‘thank you’ for the incredible gift of time donated by volunteers which amounted to around 70,000 hours a year! The afternoon started with two short films highlighting the wonderful work
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of volunteers across the Trust and showed the breadth and diversity of their placements, in which they undertake a wide range of roles in a huge variety of locations from ward visiting to being on the Expert Patient Programme. The volunteers were then awarded certificates of appreciation by Chief Executive Mike Cooke. Two of the longest serving volunteers, Sarah Louise Collier
Joanna and Mike cut a celebration cake with members of staff and the volunteer team
thank y and Sylvia Cameron were also presented with bunches of flowers.
Joanna Rapson, Volunteering and Befriending Manager commented: “This is the first event which we have been able to invite volunteers from across the Trust; from Rampton Hospital visitors to Governor Members, involvement volunteers to Community Befrienders. Our volunteers do so much for the Trust and we wanted
“I have been a tea bar assistant at Millbrook unit for the last 10 years. I have realised that being here with other volunteers has shown me the good work of others too. Volunteering has taken the place of my mental illness and helped me to live in recovery. I’m facing the future with confidence” — Vince
“I do the teas and coffees for people at St Francis day care unit. I find the work very rewarding I can sit and listen to older people’s stories about the past. I come away singing after the little church service! I also do admin at the Nottingham Recovery College. I love it!”
— Jane
“It gives me a purpose in the morning to get up. The brilliant thing that really gets to me is when people get up and speak at the Expert Patient Programme. Watching people’s faces when they realise we have things in common. People move on from suffering from a condition to living with a condition” — Pat
“I have volunteered for fifteen years, volunteering makes me feel happy. It puts everything into perspective and I feel proud to have made a difference in someone’s life.’’ — Rampton Hospital befriending scheme volunteer Sarah
k you to all its volunteers to thank them all for everything they do to enhance the work of the paid staff, complement the service provided and improve patients’ lives. They really are the icing on the cake! We hope this event is the first of many celebrating the vital role volunteers pay at Nottinghamshire Healthcare.” If you are interested in becoming a volunteer with the Trust, please call 0800 752 1415 or email volunteering@nottshc.nhs.uk
“I’ve been volunteering at CAMHS at Thorneywood for three years on a Monday evening to spend time with the young people. We watch DVDs, play pool and have a chat together. I get so much from it and sometimes it’s difficult but I enjoy it.’’
— Derek
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Award winners The annual Institute of Mental Health publication prizes were announced at this year’s Institute Foundation Anniversary Celebration and they saw John Robertson and Christine Collinson pick up the award for best overall publication. The prize was awarded for their paper in Health, Risk and Society titled Positive risk taking: whose risk it? An exploration in community outreach teams
in adult mental health and learning disability services. The award of best publication when the author has no more than six previous publications, went to Puja Kochhar for his paper on Autistic Spectrum Disorder traits in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in the journal ‘Child: Care, Health and Development’. The category of best publication flowing from work during doctoral studies, or as part of a doctoral dissertation was won by Elena Ratschen for her paper in the British Journal of Psychiatry titled ‘The smoking culture in psychiatry: time for change’. Kevin Baker picked up the award for best publication by an employee of the Trust. He was recognised for his ‘Assessment of intellectual disability with deaf adults’ paper which was published in the International Journal of Mental Health and Deafness.
The award winners are pictured with Prof Peter Bartlett, Chair of the Institute’s Publications Committee
Leadership in Action – celebrating Celebrated in Britain every October for the last 25 years, Black History Month (BHM) is an opportunity to promote knowledge of Black history and experience, share positive Black contributions to British society and to celebrate Black cultural identity.
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As part of the Trust’s commitment to our diverse communities, both in employment and in the delivery of our services, a number of initiatives were held across the Trust.
and Minority Ethnic (BME) people were placed on email footers, and patient and staff celebrations were held at Rampton Hospital, Wathwood Hospital and Arnold Lodge.
A BHM flag flew at Duncan Macmillan House, pen portraits of famous Black
The celebrations concluded with a Trustwide event headlined by the Sheriff
of Nottingham, Councillor Merlita Bryan and Chief Executive Mike Cooke.
More than 50 service users, carers, community members and staff attended ‘Everyone’s a Leader’, highlighting the fact that we all have leadership abilities, no matter who we are.
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Local screenwriter joins Trust to support Alcohol Awareness Week The Trust was joined by local screenwriter, William Ivory, to support this year’s Alcohol Awareness Week, 19-25 November, and raise awareness of the effects of alcohol misuse. A special screening of The Lost Weekend, the 1945 Academy Award winning film which follows the life of a dependent drinker, was shown at The Broadway Cinema. William Ivory joined Trust representatives, and introduced the film, which
was followed by a panel discussion with a range of experts chaired by John Holmes from BBC Radio Nottingham. Mark Holmes, Nurse Specialist in Substance Misuse at the Trust, said: “We were really pleased that William Ivory could support us in this important initiative. The screening brought up some really interesting discussion and highlighted the need to continue to provide support in this area and raise awareness
of the treatment options provided by the Trust and their partners.” William Ivory said: “I’m delighted to have an opportunity to help the Trust in their extraordinarily important work. Alcohol misuse is a pernicious and growing problem… It’s only by raising awareness of the potential problems around alcohol, as the Trust does, that we can hope to encourage people to drink sensibly and support those who have
Black History Month Councillor Merlita Bryan captivated the audience as she spoke of her leadership journey since coming to the UK from the Caribbean as an 11 year old and becoming the first BME female Sheriff of Nottingham. Mike Cooke shared the story of his recent journey
to South Africa, highlighting the development of the new South African Constitution and the richness and vibrancy of the people he met. Radio Kemet (97.5FM) interviewed some of the attendees live on air, enabling engagement with
the wider community. Organised by members of the Trust Race Equality Steering Group, the event was described by Community Psychiatric Nurse Antony Bernard as “fruitful and informative, embracing and celebrating our community and as always valuing its input.”
succumbed to its very real temptations and now need help and guidance towards recovery.” In addition, the Trust held a number of other events during Alcohol Awareness Week. They included an information stand at the Queen’s Medical Centre and an open afternoon at Oxford Corner, where people could find out more about the support available and sign up to Alcohol Concern’s ‘Dry January’ campaign.
If you would like more information about the Race Equality Steering Group and how you can get involved, please contact Sandra Crawford or Lynne Corcoran on (0115) 9691300 or via Trust e-mail.
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The Evaluation Panel judging the bids, Sharron Allen is pictured standing far left
Innovation and inspiration through the Integration Challenge The inspiration driving the Integration Challenge can be traced back to its launch in April 2012 at a healthcare summit to celebrate exemplary practice in the integration of physical and mental healthcare. Double Olympic Gold Medallist Dame Kelly Holmes provided the keynote address, and Chief Executive Mike Cooke, launched the organisation’s first ever Integration Challenge to ensure ‘no mental health without physical health and no physical health without mental health’. A total of 69 innovative and inspiring contributions were received from staff, patients, partners and key stakeholders, each supporting a local initiative that is patient-focused, clinically-led and inclusive. During October, an independent, crossprofessional and very lively Evaluation Panel reviewed the bids. Volunteer Sharron Allen was part of the panel. She said: “I have enjoyed working on the Integration Challenge Evaluation Team, it gave me the opportunity to ensure that all projects had service user/patient and carer needs at their core.” The winning proposal was submitted by Deborah Thompson, Community Matron with the Trust and Barchester Healthcare.
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This proposal supports an Acute Care Liaison Team which seeks to deliver physical healthcare and medical support to mental health patients across the Trust in partnership with the community, acute and social care sectors. The aim of the initiative is to minimise and prevent avoidable hospital transfers and acute A&E admissions, improve patient experience, promote safer patient care and encourage greater collaboration and engagement across the local health, community and social care sectors. A specific business case will now be developed for implementation. Other successful bids included: • The expansion of the Nottinghamshire Veterans’ Service in the Offender Health Directorate • A satellite physical health clinic on the Highbury Hospital site and a partnership bid from the Trust’s ‘Let’s Talk Wellbeing Service’ (IAPT) and the Clinical Sleep Research Unit at Loughborough University to provide a national resource for patients affected by insomnia. These proposals will be developed in collaboration with the Institute for Mental Health (IMH) and/ or CLAHRC. • £10,000 has been agreed by the Trust and the Institute of Mental Health for a Managed Innovation Network
(MIN) for a three year period. This MIN will promote the ‘positive mental health and wellbeing’ of patients, with additional partnership opportunities with Sports Nottinghamshire and Notts County Football Club. The bids attributed to the Divisions, have been clustered into six main categories and will focus on Dementia Care/Mental Health Services for Older People (MHSOP); Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT); Trauma and Abuse; the further integration of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS); Physical Health and Primary Care; and a small but generic category for other bids. Dr Pat Williams, Transforming Community Services Transition Manager and Clinical Psychologist, one of the Integration Challenge Team Leaders, said: “The Integration Challenge is unique in that it both engaged and inspired a wide range of stakeholders to work collaboratively with each other to develop improved and innovative opportunities that can positively enhance the experience and outcomes for patients who use our services – and this is a legacy we can all be immensely proud of. “Congratulations to all those who supported this superb agenda.”
Waste Compliance Standard ambition The Energy and Environmental department has teamed up with Infection Prevention and Control to deliver an ambitious programme of waste segregation system improvements throughout the Trust. Principal among these changes are the introduction of new clinical waste streams, to reflect recent amendments in the law, and increased awareness of sharps safety to reduce needle stick injuries. “The most visible changes for healthcare staff will be in their clinic rooms,” says Stephen Lee, Environmental Manager. “Clinical waste traditionally went into yellow bags and yellow bins and that was it. Under the new system, depending on the wastes you are dealing with, there can be one of up to ten different coloured containers it might need to go into.” The penalties for getting waste segregation wrong are severe – responsible individuals can be jailed, Trusts can receive an unlimited fine and individual areas or services can be prosecuted. Stephen added: “The message is, if your area has not been audited by the Energy and Environmental team in the last year, we need your help to ensure your waste systems are fully compliant.” Contact Stephen or Martin on 0115 9691300 ext 10522, or email Stephen.lee@nottshc.nhs.uk.
Celebrating
Sure Start
volunteers and parents November was a great month for celebrating volunteer contributions and parental achievements from Sure Starts throughout Nottinghamshire County. Nottinghamshire County Council hosted a civic reception at County Hall to recognise the contribution of volunteers who give their time freely to support services delivered by the Children, Families and Cultural Services Department. Volunteers from across Sure Start Ashfield attended and enjoyed the evening. “Volunteering has helped increase my confidence,” said Anne Bowler, a volunteer at New Woods Children’s Centre. “The night was brilliant. It was good to get a chance to meet and speak to other volunteers and Council leaders.” New Woods and Summer House Children’s Centres parents were also recognised for their achievements at the Active Ashfield Sports Awards, hosted in Festival Hall, Kirkby in Ashfield. Laurette Hurst and Laura Weston said they “felt privileged” to be nominated for The Everyone Active Change 4 Life Award, which recognises individuals who have made significant changes to their lifestyle through attending physical activity and nutritional initiatives. Both enjoyed the night and said it was good to see so many people being recognised for their achievements.
Main: Anne, volunteer for New Woods Children’s Centre Inset top: Parents Laurette Hurst and Laura Weston, who were nominated for a Change4Life award.
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The MHRN team
Trust ‘buddies-up’ with assistive technology The Trust is using the latest developments in assistive technology to enhance services and support service users to have more control over their own recovery. Staff have been receiving training to use a special phone app which can further support people accessing psychological therapy services. So far, 80% of employees working in the Trust’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Let’s Talk Wellbeing service in the City are trained to use Buddy and have been seeing encouraging results with patients using it appropriately and consistently making it a positive addition to treatment. 70% of staff in the Let’s Talk Wellbeing service in the County have just finished their training and an initial small trial in the area has proved successful. Buddy is designed as a tool to support therapy. It enables clients to use text messaging to keep a daily diary of what they are doing and how they are feeling.
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They can then use it to keep track of their mood and the behaviour and activities that affect it. The app also acts as a handy reminder of therapy appointments and timescales in relation to goal setting and achieving milestones by agreed timescales. Therapists can benefit from an insight into the client’s life in between sessions which frees up more session time for goal setting and discussing behaviour change. By providing the client with more control and insight into their own condition, the app enables a more effective recovery. Dr Maureen Tomeny, Clinical Director of Let’s Talk Wellbeing services said: “I believe technology assisted therapy has to be the future and have seen first hand the benefits it can bring in supporting therapeutic interventions. We are very keen to adopt new and innovative ways in which our service users are able to take more control of their own recovery journey yet have the reassurance that the clinical experts are there to support them if required.” The Trust is also trialling another new system ‘Flo’, in partnership with Productive Notts. Similar to Buddy it acts as a handy reminder for appointments and prompts for personal health checks. As well as benefiting the individual users, a reduction in missed appointments adds to service efficiency and cost effectiveness. Other key future developments planned at the Trust include a pilot in the use of Skype based consultations for individuals who prefer not to attend a hospital or clinic to access therapy.
Sudheer Lankappa
Trust tops the charts for DPIM recruitment The East Midlands and South Yorkshire regional centre of the Mental Health Research Network (MHRN), based within the Institute of Mental Health, is currently supporting a national study into the genetics of schizophrenia and alcohol dependency. This excellent work, led by local Principal Investigator Sudheer Lankappa, has positioned the organisation as the top
recruiting Trust in England for both schizophrenia and alcohol dependency. The DNA Polymorphisms in Mental Illness (DPIM) study aims to identify mutations in genes which may influence treatment effectiveness. In the future, it is hoped that this information can be used to tailor treatment options for patients. The study opened to recruitment in the Trust in September 2011, with a local target of 150 for schizophrenia and 25 for alcohol dependency by 2017. Recruitment is well ahead of schedule having already broken the 100 mark. Jo Higman, Clinical Studies Officer, said: “This success could not have been possible without the tremendous support of Sudheer Lankappa, acute in-patient services, recovery teams, alcohol services such as The Woodlands and Oxford Corner, phlebotomists and service
Robotic Assisted Therapy in Transylvania In November, Dr Maureen Tomeny represented the Trust at the international conference ‘Current and Future Perspectives in Sleep and Circadian Rhythms Research’, as the guest of the Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Babes-Bolyai University, Romania. The visit included collaborative discussions with The International Institute for the Advanced Studies of Psychotherapy and Applied Mental Health, one of Europe’s leading centres in robotic and virtual reality psychotherapy. Through this collaboration, the self-help insomnia material developed for an Randomised Control Trial by the Trust and
Loughborough collaborative, and shown to be effective, has now been translated for a pilot in Romania. As part of the visit Maureen was delighted to be introduced to Probo and Robonova robots, friends of children with autism. These were developed by a multi disciplinary team of psychologists and engineers from two European universities: Babes-Bolyia University Romania and Vrije Universiteit Brussels. In 2011 the robots were tested for the first time for therapeutic effect at the Autism Transylvania Association. Early indications suggest that the presence of the robots, who interact through language, simple emotions and
users. We’re delighted to be the top recruiting Trust in England to this valuable area of research, making a significant contribution to the understanding of genes in mental health. Our position as top recruiting Trust to this study demonstrates how Nottinghamshire Healthcare values research and innovation.” For further information and to help support further recruitment, please contact Jo Higman via 0115 823 1333 or email Jo.Higman@nottshc.nhs.uk
Dr Maureen Tomeny, Nottinghamshire Healthcare (centre) with Dr Bogdan Voinescu, Babes-Bolyai University (left) who chaired the conference, and Professor Kevin Morgan, Loughborough University (right).
movement, can help autistic children to learn different social behaviours. Maureen reported: “This was thrilling as I have been keen to develop a multi disciplinary research platform for HRI (human-robot interaction) for some years. I met with an engineer involved in our multi centre Somnia research programme to discuss the possibility of robotic pet assisted therapy for people with depression. We were not sure how to move forward, but now that I have seen HRI in action, I am convinced of the potential benefits for robot assisted therapy for depression and will look for ways to push this forward. For me, Transylvania is no longer just famous for its vampires!”
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National Institute event held in Nottingham Professor Joan Busfield from the University of Essex delivered the keynote address at this year’s Institute of Mental Health Foundation Anniversary Celebration, speaking about implications of the new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Professor Nick Manning, Institute Director, opened the event which in a landmark moment was held for the first
time in the Institute’s own new building. More than 100 visitors attended throughout the day’s activities. The event theme of ‘Reflections on the Field of Mental Health’ also heard from Dr Arun Chopra on social exclusion and mental health, Dr Kapil Sayal and Dr John Taylor on classroom-based cognitive behaviour therapy (the PROMISE study), and from Dr Chiara Samele on initial findings from a study looking at mental health across Europe.
County Health Partnerships Staff to be given Access to Trust I.T. Systems Transition work is underway to provide County Health Partnerships (CHP) colleagues with Trust email addresses, new logon details and access to Trust folders and systems for instance the Intranet and Safeguard. Briefing sessions are underway across the five Localities to inform staff of the changes and potential impact, giving them the opportunity to ask questions
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and be engaged in the transition process. If you are a member of staff in CHP and have not attended an IMT transition briefing session and would like to find out more information, contact your General Manager or service lead. CHP colleagues will be provided with these facilities in Spring 2013.
In the afternoon, delegates were able to attend a seminar on proposals being put together to establish an East Midlands Academic Health Science Network, facilitated by the Industry Project Lead for the application team, Carl Edwards. Two new arts exhibitions were officially opened at the Foundation Anniversary Celebration event – Pugs in Space by Mavis Enron and an inaugural Secret Corridor exhibition on D Floor by The Thursday Group.
OSCARS shortlisted nominees announced Nominations for the OSCARS 2012/13 closed on 16 November 2012. We had 149 nominations this year which was our highest number yet! Judging of the nominations took place in December and these have now been shortlisted. As usual there was a very high standard of nominations which made the judging challenging. A list of all the shortlisted nominees can be found on the Trust and Health Partnerships’ intranet sites (a link can be found on the homepage) and on the Trust website, www.nottinghamshirehealthcare.nhs.uk One winner has been selected from the shortlisted nominees in each category and they will be announced at the awards ceremony on 21 March 2013.
Recovery Team gets research active The City Recovery Team is increasing its involvement in mental health research, and most recently took part in the PRIMROSE study focus group, held at the Stonebridge Centre.
The study focus is on the prediction and management of cardiovascular risk for people with severe mental illness, with the aim of developing a tool for primary care clinicians working with this group. It is hoped the tool will enable improved physical care outcomes for these clients, who have been shown to have increased cardiovascular disease risk factors including diabetes, smoking and obesity.
The PRIMROSE Programme Manager, Alexandra Burton commented that the Community Mental Health Nurses, who brought their expertise and experience to the staff focus group, made a significant and valued contribution to this research project. “Since the establishment of our Research Liaison Nurse posts, Jon Lander and I have felt very supported by our clinical colleagues,” said Veronica French. “Many of them have been actively promoting opportunities for service users to participate in mental health research.” City Recovery Nurses, from left, Chiedza Matumbike, Anna Holyk and David Perks participating in the PRIMROSE focus group.
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Business Intelligence Project given go-ahead The Trust Board has approved a project which will allow the Trust to store all of its information centrally, making access to information and performance management tools easier. The project will create a new electronic information store called a data warehouse, which will allow users to generate reports and dashboards that will make sense of the massive amounts of information stored across the Trust. A supplier, Ascribe, has now been appointed to begin the developmental process of establishing the data warehouse and populating it with the information needed by the Trust. Ascribe has a great deal of experience at providing data warehouses to mental health trusts, business intelligence skills and a knowledge of the NHS. The new system will replace the existing Applied Information (AI) database and all reporting done from it. Not all reports or dashboards will look as they do now, but the information in them will all be included. There will also be many new reports,
especially those that integrate data from a number of the source applications to create scorecards, to make performance management easier. The existing information available to AI is mainly RiO data. The new warehouse will contain information from RiO, SystemOne, ESR, Training Database, Integra, Cost Master and Safeguard, making it a central storage area with more useful and linked information. The project will populate the warehouse and produce reports in stages. Deliveries will start in April 2013 and finish April 2014, so there will be frequent new developments available. At the end of the project the Trust will be able to further customise reports and dashboards, allowing the information to work to our benefit and new source systems can be included to provide even more information. This system is an investment for the future and has the capability to grow and change to meet the Trust’s information requirements. It also has the capability to identify data quality issues and help improve the quality of information. Information is an extremely valuable Trust asset and this development will both help to support staff in doing their jobs and enable the effort involved in inputting data into systems to be more usefully utilised.
Thousands set to take control with personal health budgets People across Nottingham City could be among thousands of NHS patients who will be given the freedom to design their own care plan with a personal health budget. A personal health budget is money given to an individual to help them design and pay for a package of care and support from clinicians and others, with the support they need to make informed decisions and select the care that works for them. Personal health budgets have been piloted at 20 sites – including Nottingham City – for the last three years. Now, an evaluation report has found that the quality of life for people with them has improved, with some even seeing a drop in their attendance at hospital. The benefits seemed to be felt more strongly by people with the highest health needs. As a result, personal health budgets will initially be targeted at people who are already receiving NHS Continuing Care (around 56,000
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people) and others who clinicians feel may benefit from the additional flexibility and control that personal health budgets offer. Personal health budgets can be used to help tailor care to a patient’s individual needs, which can help to improve health outcomes. For example Louise, 90, has Alzheimer’s disease. Her personal health budget pays for personal assistants to care for her at home. Her daughter, Mary, has said that Louise’s quality of life has “increased exponentially”. The roll-out will mean that by April 2014 up to 56,000 people on the NHS Continuing Healthcare scheme will have the right to ask for a personal health budget if they choose. Personal health budgets may also be offered to some people in Nottingham City with long term conditions.
Suzanne Foulk
Helen, Janet and ward staff
Goodbye from B50 Staff working on Ward B50 at the Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC) have said goodbye to the ward staff who are employed by Nottingham University Hospitals who will remain
at QMC when the ward team moves to their new base at Highbury Hospital. Ward Manager Helen Forrester and some of the staff and patients bid a sad
Reducing bullying for a safer environment Suzanne Foulk joined the Trust as Anti Bullying Project Lead for the Forensic Division in September 2012. Whilst recognising the good work previously carried out at Rampton Hospital, the role will expand across the Division with regular bi-monthly staff forums, workshops for patients, staff training and Anti Bullying
farewell to ward domestic Janet Clarke; who has worked on the ward for 23 years. Helen said: “We will miss Janet and all the staff that have worked on B50 over the years; thank you to
Champions promoted across all sites, including developing positive links with Offender Health staff. “Bullying can have serious direct consequences for the victim, leading to low self-esteem, depression, and sometimes even violent behaviour. The appointment of a full time Anti Bullying Project Lead demonstrates the ongoing commitment by the Forensic Division towards a goal of further reducing patient on patient bullying,” said Suzanne. “We must all aim for a safer environment for patients and staff by working towards ways of further reducing bullying behaviours between patients. We will be re-launching the Anti Bullying Champion’s role and looking at creative ways for patients
everyone from domestics, porters, phlebotomists, maintenance and the chap that calls every day through the week with the papers. A really big thank you to you all.”
who are the victims or witness to a bullying incident to feel safe to report incidences of bullying to their named nurse or other members of staff. “I will also be leading policy development and implementation of the Division wide Anti-Bullying Strategy. This role includes the development and monitoring of reporting, auditing systems and procedures and supervising and supporting local anti-bullying champions in the delivery of staff and patient workshops.” The post is currently funded for two years, and is aimed to build a lasting awareness across the Forensic Division. If you would like to know more about the project, please email Suzanne. Foulk@nottshc.nhs.uk
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The Team’s Vitamin D stand
Health Visitor students reach out County Health Partnerships has more than doubled the number of nurses sponsored to undertake the Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (SCPHN) degree course in Health Visiting at Derby University, from eight a year to more than 22 a year. The move is aimed at supporting the Government’s commitment to increasing the number of health
Talk about a great deal on mobiles! Have you updated or upgraded your mobile phone contract recently? Considered all the options and read all the small print? Have you ever thought about what making such a decision might mean for an organisation with around 2,500 handsets? That’s how many are used by Trust staff, and the organisation spends around £360,000 a year on mobile usage, including voice and data devices, across a mix of contracts.
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visitors by 2015 and launching a new four-tier service for the profession going forward.
on the importance of Vitamin D supplements for key members of the population.
The 52 week course asks students to achieve key learning outcomes in practice. As part of this a group of students on the current cohort have been reaching out to local people.
Health Visitor Implementation Plan Lead Joanne Young said: “The event was very well received by all ages and it was felt to be a very worthwhile experience for the students. Thank you to everyone who took part and a special thank you to the students who were so approachable and welcoming.”
The Team facilitated an awareness raising event in a local shopping centre
Head of Procurement John Williams explained: “We need to ensure we exploit technological advancements while getting the best value for money from our mobile devices, so we led a competitive tender process, in collaboration with Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. “The winning bid came from Everything Everywhere (EE), and over a two-year term the new agreement will deliver both organisations a combined saving in excess of £600,000.” The contract includes cheaper line rental and simplified billing, savings if users keep their existing handset, and the bundling of individual credits, so that low volume users offset high volume users. Possible future developments also include upgrading devices to the
fourth generation (4G) network, and investigating 4G efficiency savings. The phased implementation of services over the coming months will be driven by EE in conjunction with ‘hands-on’ Trust staff. EE have a team dedicated to working with business customers to ensure a seamless switchover, and they will manage the porting of phone numbers and new devices or SIM cards will be delivered ahead of the porting process. The Trust’s project team consisted of Mark Robinson, Procurement Senior Category Manager, Alison Wyld, Senior Directorate Accountant and Robin Talbot, IT Manager. Mark said: “We will work closely with EE to roll out the new contract with minimum disruption, and ensure we make the most of future opportunities that 4G technological advances offer.”
We loved it!!! Two members of the Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team, Lyndsay James and Amy Johnson, have been singing the praises of the five-day Behavioural Family Therapy (BFT) course they attended in October. The BFT approach involves working with the whole family and drawing on their expertise, knowledge and resources, as well as enhancing problem solving and communication skills. This helps to maximise positive feelings and leads to a shared understanding of each other’s experiences. The course, facilitated by the Family Intervention Service’s Andrea Emmens and Jacquie Cullen, together with Julia Danks from the Meriden Family Programme, involves learning the different components of BFT, including successful engagement strategies, assessments, communication skills and problem solving. Learning was divided between theoretical and discussion based sessions, as well as practical role play exercises, offering the opportunity to experience and demonstrate the BFT process and structure.
“Completing this course highlighted to us the importance of working alongside the whole family to ensure they feel supported, valued and listened to”, said Lyndsay. “We learned how important it is to encourage families to focus on their existing strengths and skills to empower them to manage stress as a family unit.” Amy added: “Since completing the course we hope to be able to work with families using the BFT approach. We are planning to offer communication skills and problem solving skills workshops to service users and within our carers’ group.” Teresa Ford, team leader said: “I am really happy to support Amy and Lyndsay with this work and I would encourage other team leaders to ensure their staff access the training. It can only benefit families and carers.” Summing up, Lyndsay and Amy said: “We found the course an excellent personal development opportunity. We loved the role play exercises, they were really enjoyable and a great learning process. We would recommend this course to anyone committed to working with families. We loved it!”
Congrats on Jane’s NICE appointment Jane Swan, Senior Medicines Management Advisor at Health Partnerships has been selected as a member of the guidance development group for the production of NICE good practice guidance for patient group directions. This good practice guidance provides advice and support for those using medicines across the NHS, helping health professionals in their work, and is based on the best available evidence. Pictured above:
Members do not Jane Swan represent their organisations but are selected for their expertise, experience of working with multidisciplinary colleagues, their understanding of evidence based healthcare and the systems and processes associated with healthcare decision-making. Changes to NHS organisational structures, and to the way in which healthcare services are delivered, mean that amendments to medicines legislation are required to enable the continued use of PGDs after April 2013, when PCTs will cease to exist. Jane said: “I’m delighted to have been appointed to this national group, and am looking forward to starting work.” Sir Andrew Dillon, NICE Chief Executive said: “I would like to extend a very warm welcome to NICE. Your experience and expertise in this field is greatly valued for this important piece of work.”
l-r Lyndsay James and Amy Johnson
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l-r Mike Harris, Julie Repper, Mike Cooke, Helen Ashwell, Adaeze Bradshaw and Rachel Murnaghan
Nourishing: Recipes and Reflections on Recovery A special book of recipes and reflections on recovery by patients, service users, carers and staff has been published. Nourishing is the result of a unique Trustwide project involving cookery and storytelling activities. The primary aim of the project was to generate interest about homecooked food, change unhealthy eating behaviours and to share, identify and empathise with a personal journey or a personal memory; breaking down barriers and promoting social inclusion. It is hoped that the book will help to raise awareness, reduce stigma and celebrate positive strategies for dealing with mental health problems, physical health conditions and educational needs in a person’s recovery journey. The book features 77 recipes which for the contributors evoke a particular memory. These memories are mostly uplifting, often thought provoking and deeply personal to the individual. Nourishing has been endorsed by local Michelin starred chef Sat Bains and was officially launched at an event at Waterstones in Nottingham. At the launch, author
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Helen Ashwell spoke about how a special recipe can illustrate a noteworthy or remarkable time or moment in someone’s life and how the strength of food, family, cultures and traditions can help support people dealing with mental and physical health conditions. While putting the book together Helen met with the contributors to discuss the stories behind the recipes and held group sessions to share recipes and cook the dishes. She said: “I noticed how by bringing people together to share their stories and food, barriers were broken down and people felt a sense of empowerment through the exchange of recipes. I witnessed many warm interactions and this warmth permeates the pages of the book.” Trust Chief Executive Mike Cooke opened the event by reminiscing about his own family traditions around food and how these interactions have been an important marker for him in his personal and professional life. Nourishing contributor Rachel Murnaghan spoke about her involvement in the project by saying how much she had enjoyed being part of the experience and how food and family have helped her through some difficult times. Other speakers included project sponsor Executive Director of Forensic Services, Dr Mike Harris, Trust Recovery Lead Julie Repper, and contributor Adaeze Bradshaw who all shared their personal involvement and the importance of the book. The book is available to buy from Waterstones in Nottingham and the Trust Communications Department at Duncan Macmillan House or Rampton Hospital. For more information please contact Helen Ashwell or the Communications Team on 01777 247548 or 0115 933 4530.
— review of the year —
2012 Achieving Positive results throughout the year
2012 has been a great year for the Trust. So much has been achieved and there have been many successes to celebrate.
Januar y • Trust named top mental health, learning disability and community service provider in Environment Agency report on carbon reduction schemes • IMH launches new Centre for Health and Justice, IMH reaches 5th anniversary • Trust joins Nottinghamshire Veterans’ Partnership • Rampton Hospital Centenary Year
March • Nottingham City Let’s Talk Wellbeing launched • Successful reducing length of stay pilot at Lings Bar Hospital • Excellent rating for
May
• Trust celebrates NHS Sustainability Day • IT service desk receives national accreditation status from Connecting for Health
February
• Stonewall ranks Trust 13th overall, 2nd best in healthcare sector and top in the East Midlands
Rampton Hospital in security audit – 98% • CHP recognised for work with apprentices • Anti stigma event for young people at Rampton Hospital • BHP in partnership with Nottinghamshire County Council open a sensory room in a children’s community resource centre • National NHS staff survey – high response rate and positive result • Staff engagement levels put Trust in top 20% nationally • 9th annual OSCARS – 360 people attended, 129 nominations over six categories
• IMH opens new building • Information Revolution launched • Personality Disorder Care Pathway event at Rampton Hospital • ECT clinic at Millbrook Mental Health unit receives ‘Excellent’ rating
Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust
for partnership development at The Forest site • Health and Social Care Bill • Trust supporting approved by Parliament East Midlands Centre for • New Violence Reduction Excellence for Sports and and Security Training Exercise Medicine Centre opens at Rampton • Nottingham Panthers Check Hospital it Out Campaign launches • Princess Royal visits End of Life suite at HMP Whatton • Groundbreaking ceremony with Barchester Healthcare
April
• Integrated Healthcare Summit and ched laun integration challenge nded • Involvement IBP event – 116 atte s plan ness busi to s onse resp and 266 l ona • Involvement runner up at Nati for how Patient Experience Network awards back received feed on act and rt repo we measure, volunteer programme in partnership • CHP breastfeeding peer support munity award with Sure Start is a hit and wins com of Rampton Hospital Centenary part as s tree 100 of • Ceremonial planting ned at Lindsay Close • Therapy and Treatment Centre ope et FM • Trust starts partnership with Kem
June
• Community nurses in Ashfield and Mansfield pilot mob ile working • Wathwood Hospital top for quality and Arnold Lodge 8th • Kirkby Children’s Centre awarded Employer Star out of 69 medium secure units awa rd for outstanding across the country commitment to training and development of staff at Access Training awards • New and improved facilities at Bassetlaw Hospital Ward B1 • Refurbishments at Millbrook • Physiotherapy groups in Mansfield and Ashfield reduce waiting lists • Carers’ Week • BHP improves efficiency with Productive Community Services • Lings Bar 20th anniversary
N
• M • H a • C t
• • • •
nary
Here are just some of the highlights from a very Positive year...
July • Wathwood Lodges officially opened • Mental Health Awareness training delivered to
September • Nottingham Recovery College officially opened at its Duncan Macmillan House site – 821 students have accessed 278 courses, 600 new students registered in 2012. New Worksop campus in partnership with
November
people working for Trust taxi supplier • Trust taking part in DH national pilot treatment programme for sex offenders in partnership with HMP Whatton • Rampton Hospital Centenary – flowerbed unveiled and family sports day and old fashioned fete event – 500 people attend • Official opening of Prospect House • Invest to Lead 4 ends – 370 delegates – 1020 over all programmes • BHP launches community based continence clinic
Framework registered 52 students in its first month • Launch of FT consultation – 449 responses • Section 17 restaurant at Wathwood Hospital welcomes diners • Forensic Services Anti Stigma campaign launched • Workskills project at Rampton Hospital launched • Trust is a winner in National Patient Feedback Challenge
House ttingham Council ership event at No rtn ip pa sh er ith ifa rtn Pa ult M rse • ily Nu ips to deliver Fam • Health Partnersh shire oject across Nottingham tice Award for pr d for General Prac te ina in m s nt no tie am pa te P PD • CH t of CO ard of managemen to improve stand eld ansfield and Ashfi dcast primary care in M event and live broa rty pa h alt he as Ide t igh Br d an ign • Kemet ness campa launches HIV aware covery • The Health Shop d reflections on re an es cip re – h nc lau ok • Nourishing bo sary with the Trust • BHP first anniver
August • AGM and Annual Members’ Meeting – 554 people attended with more then 80 exhibition stands including Rampton Centenary history exhibition • CHP community nutrition team delivers cooking sessions to firefighters • Olympics celebrated across the Trust
October
• Rampton Hospital official centenary time capsules buried • Events and exhibitions held for Mental Health Awareness Weeks Centre • Refurbished Lister and Porchester wards opened at The Wells Road nt Treatme and ent Assessm ies Disabilit Learning for breaking • Ground Unit at Highbury Hospital • Trust Governors take part in Invest to Govern event with the East Midlands Leadership Academy • CAMHS to deliver new eating disorder service for young people
December
• 500th patient opinion posting • Ben Ross, HMP Nottingham named Social Worker of the Year (Adult) • Nursing Times awards – Mark Holmes, Nursing in Mental Health winner and LD nurses shortlisted in Learning Disability Nursing Category, Lynne Cotterill shortlisted Nurse of the Year • Kirsty Hilton – National IT superhero, fourth place • Corporate Comms – Invest to Lead shortlisted and AGM winner of Best Live Event – External
Review of the Year 2012
— review of the year —
2012
Looking back over the fantastic achievements of 2012, several key themes emerge:
Patient and public engagement, involvement and satisfaction We are passionate about involvement and it is at the heart of everything that we do. We were delighted to be a winner in the National Patient Experience Network Awards and in the NHS Patient Feedback Challenge. Our work with Patient Opinion goes from strength to strength; 500 people have shared their stories and experiences of the Trust. This year volunteers gave up an incredible 70,000 hours of their time to support our service users. Quality and accreditation Many individual services have received quality accreditations. We were delighted with top ratings in the Quality Network for Forensic Mental Health Services Cycle 6 Annual Report. Also, our PEAT scores for privacy and dignity were once again reflective of the quality environments in which
NHS Sustainability Day
we deliver services. A continuing commitment to quality was reflected in re-accreditations including the NHS Litigation Authority Level 2 and Investors in People. Our Members’ Council has continued to develop; it is our third stage of governance and an important extra level of scrutiny over Trust decisions.
Continually improving services and patient and carer experience We had 2,280,755 patient contacts over the past year. Our ratings and feedback from our Service User and Carer Survey shows a continual rise in service quality ratings. Sharing best practice Internally across the Trust and externally, with our stakeholders and partners. When we find something that works we make sure we implement it across services. Innovation and research Working with our partners at the Institute of Mental Health and CLAHRC we have
continued to drive forward research and new ways of working. The Trust’s Integration Challenge received 69 inspiring responses from patients, staff and external organisations. A great place to work We are really proud of our Stonewall ranking, staff engagement ratings and positive results in the NHS Staff Opinion Survey. Learning and Development opportunities have further developed over the year with a range of mentoring schemes, Clinical Leadership programmes and the fourth Invest to Lead programme. More than 4,000 people have passed through the East Midlands Leadership Academy. Responsive, open and honest We have listened to what people told us about our services and responded to feedback, both good and bad. The third Chief Executive’s Risk and Assurance Review received 52 responses helping to identify areas of concern to be addressed and where improvements could be made. Partnership working Partnership working has further developed in 2012, bringing with it benefits to services from improved quality and efficient ways of working and sharing best practice.
Filling the Rampton Hospital Centenary time capsule
Service users and staff at the Prospect House Panto
Panto time Prospect House Panto
Staff and patients from Prospect House pre-discharge unit held a special pantomime at The Wells Road Centre recently. The play was a great success and held in tribute to a staff member who is terminally ill. While working at the unit she had been the project lead for redeveloping the garden and in honour of her, the team is looking forward to completing this project in the New Year.
Spantomime Players are Scrooged Nicola Twamley explains all… “I had the privilege to be involved with the FOCUS drama group, The Spantomime Players as they prepared and performed the pantomime Scrooge. This version, written and directed by Tim Wood, had a talented cast drawn from service users, family
and friends. Held in the theatre at the Aspley Community and Training Centre where the Focus group is based, months of hard work definitely paid off with two performances to very appreciative audiences over the weekend of 14 and 15 December. “Not your traditional version of Scrooge, the show featured ghosts dressed as Shirley Bassey and Lady Gaga, a dancing snowman and Scrooge answering his critics on the Jeremy Kyle Show! Occasional scenes of pathos interspersed the traditional panto fun and hilarity. The cast displayed a huge range of talents, with some excellent singing, comic timing and acting skills. “I have never had the courage to perform on stage so I have always admired those who do (my involvement has been as a backroom girl, making costumes and props). Knowing the havoc mental illness can play with your confidence and self esteem, not to mention your memory and concentration, I have been
amazed by the courage and determination shown by the service users in the cast. The first time I watched the performance through at rehearsal, I found it incredibly moving just knowing the hurdles that some of the actors were overcoming in their performance.” Spantomime Players
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Assuring the highest infection control standards
Infection control and patient safety are at the heart of the work of the Health Partnerships’ Decontamination Service. In November, the dental decontamination team received a tailored training course from ‘The Assurance Hub’, which focused on recent guidance promoting the highest infection control standards.
The course was a great success and the trainer highlighted the excellent work of the Decontamination Support Team in devising a tray tracking system. “Our process ensures used instruments can be tracked through each stage of the decontamination cycle,” said decontamination support worker Peter Scott. “This is a difficult issue and the trainer congratulated us on having our system in place.”
Engaging young people as Members Deborah with Colonel Frank Seeley students
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County Health Partnerships’ Carer Coordinator Deborah Hall was delighted to accept an invitation from the Colonel Frank Seeley Sixth form
We’re the one that you want! The Bassetlaw Health Partnerships’ Resource and Information service is a one-stop-shop for all your Health Promotion information needs. The Team aims to help professionals keep informed, in touch and up-to-date on issues relating to the health and wellbeing of the population of Bassetlaw, by providing a comprehensive information and resource loan service, and offering support in delivering various health promotional activities. “We can help with identifying and suggesting appropriate resources, from display equipment to models, games, visual aids and supporting literature as part of the service,” said Resource Service Administrator Shirley Collingham. “Our clients come from a wide range of professional disciplines, including health, education, local authority, voluntary and private sectors.” You can register as a member by completing a simple membership application form, and all personal information is treated in confidence and within data protection guidelines. For more information on how the team can support your health promotion campaigns contact Shirley Collingham at the Health Promotion Unit on 01909 475955 or email resource.service@ nottshc.nhs.uk
to tell them more about becoming a Member of the Trust.
Therapeutic artistry A former patient at the Lucy Wade Unit at Milbrook Mental Health Unit has found therapeutic benefit in expressing his exceptional talent for art. Staff Nurse Helen Auld said “Gary has utilised his time at Millbrook very positively and has been identified by staff and clients as being a great source of peer support also. His artistic talent, we feel, should not go unnoticed, and we hope others will feel encouraged to try their hand at art as a medium for therapy.” Here are two examples of Gary’s art.
Deborah was given a stand in the main hall during a free period, and as well as recruiting 48 young people aged between 16-19 as Members, she chatted to many others about engaging with their local health services. Student Keiran Wake Smith (17), said: “It gives you a choice and sense of freedom about what happens instead of being dictated to by the people at the top.” Deborah added: “It’s so important to have young people as Members, and make sure their voices are heard.”
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The Forest Hospital: working in partnership with Barchester Healthcare
The Forest site in Mansfield is currently being transformed into a 50-bedded hospital (Forest Hospital) for people aged under 65 with working-age dementia, alcohol-related brain injury and Huntington’s disease. The Trust and Barchester Healthcare will work together to provide high-quality intensive
Centenary ends on a festive high Rampton Hospital’s Centenary year ended on a high as it celebrated with a festive Christmas Fayre supported by local companies. Children and staff from Rampton Primary School
Over 25 stalls were laden with festive gifts and produce enticing staff from the Hospital, their families and local villagers, to the event. Opening the event with a Christmas message was Dr Mike Harris, Executive Director of Forensic Services, followed by a countdown to the lighting of a Christmas tree which was kindly donated by Mitie Engineering, who has provided immense support throughout the Centenary year. But it was not just about the festive atmosphere and support that made this event a success but the fact that we were able to present a cheque for over £2,600 to the Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice. Dr Harris said: “It has been a great pleasure to have been part of the Centenary celebrations this year and this festive event is a fitting end to mark such a milestone. The generosity and support, not only at this event, but other Centenary events throughout the year has been tremendous and I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to raising such a huge amount for the Hospice. We hope
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you have enjoyed celebrating with us and had the opportunity to look back at the many changes the hospital has faced over the years. As we go forward into the future the Hospital will continue to strive to improve the wellbeing of our patients and to support them on their journey to recovery.” Many children had the opportunity to visit Santa at the event and joined in with Christmas craft activities. Rampton Primary School children gave up their evening to sing Christmas carols around the tree. Thank you to all those who joined in on what was a very cold but fantastic evening. Emma Vizor, Fundraiser at Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice said; “We’re thrilled to have received such fantastic support from Rampton Hospital this year and we’d like to thank everyone involved. “It’s a fantastic amount of money raised, and it will go towards helping us to support local children with a shortened life expectancy and their families.”
and rehabilitative care with a focus on personalisation and community living.
a workshop attended by staff from both organisations.
The new team at The Forest reflects the shared values of both organisations and the benefits of true partnership. The manager of the site and one of the unit leaders will be Barchester employees, while the modern matron and the other two unit leaders will be seconded from the Trust.
A formal Board was established to support different projects and service developments based on the quality, innovation, productivity and prevention agenda (QIPP).
This example of practical collaboration demonstrates that the NHS and the independent sector can work together to provide positive, integrated pathways for individuals with unique care support needs. The Trust and Barchester Healthcare began working together in a collaborative way in May 2008 following
Projects that have been developed include: • Shared leadership development, including a new opportunity for people within both organisations to exchange roles and spend a ‘week in the life of’ • Joint funding of a new Chair in Dementia with The University of Nottingham • A new nursing home supporting older people and people with dementia
in Newark that will work with the community team, to open in June or July 2013 • A Barchester service in Worksop to support people with enduring mental health needs Want to see The Forest Hospital for yourself? On Thursday 28 February 2013, there will be an opportunity for Trust staff to visit Forest Hospital so you can see first hand the range of facilities that will be available. Visits are scheduled for 10.00am, 11.30am, 2.00pm and 3.30pm. Places are limited and allocated on a first come first served basis. Email forest@barchester.com in order to book your place, stating which visit you would like to attend.
Left: Inside Santa’s Grotto – patients from the Hospital created the set pieces including an igloo made from recycled milk cartons
Above: Emma Vizor of Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice (far left) is presented with the cheque by Chris McFarlane, Sue Wood, Julie Spencer and Mike Harris
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Watching out for your winter health Last year in the UK, more than two million unnecessary visits to Accident and Emergency departments were made, many of them for conditions or symptoms that could very easily have been treated at home or by popping to a pharmacist for advice. This winter, the NHS is waging a campaign to remind everyone that simple illnesses, such as coughs and colds, stomach upsets, flu and period pains, or self-inflicted conditions such as hangovers, don’t need a visit to a GP or a prescription to sort them out. In most cases, you can treat yourself by using over the counter medicines or remedies freely available in supermarkets and chemists. So it’s a good idea to top up your home medicine cupboard with some basics – paracetamol or ibuprofen, a good cough medicine, your favourite cold remedy, throat pastilles and over the counter remedies for simple stomach upsets. If you’re not sure what you need, your local pharmacist will advise you. You can also find advice and information about a range of common winter health complaints from NHS Choices at www.nhs.uk.
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The BME and Dementia Community of Interest focuses on reaching out to raise awareness about dementia and develop links with different communities. As a member of this group, Deacon Anthony O’Sullivan suggested that a talk to the Catholic community about dementia would be beneficial, and arranged an event with parish priest Father Dolan. Despite the weather, carers, families and members of the Catholic community met up on a wet and windy November night at Sacred Heart Church on Carlton Hill to gather information and find out about what services are available to help people diagnosed with dementia. Emma Hutton and Angela Foster from Mental Health Services for Older People presented a short information session about dementia and answered questions. Maureen Mulholland, Marcia Russell and Javid Khalique from dementia services also shared their expertise with the audience. Trust staff also met people individually to offer a friendly chat, guidance and advice. The event was supported by volunteer Gladys Bombek and Jane Danforth from the Involvement Team.
Catholic community of Carlton. Thanks go to all the staff involved.
The evening was felt to be such a success that Father Dolan welcomed Trust representatives back in the future to share more of our work with the
For more information on how to join the BME and Dementia Community of Interest, contact angelafoster@nottshc. nhs.uk or call 01623 785427.
Commissioning Changes With the rapidly changing NHS landscape we thought it would be useful to give you a brief overview of the new arrangements. Clinical commissioning is the process of assessing health need, identifying the services required to meet the need and then buying those services from a wide range of providers, which may include hospitals, community services, pharmacies, charities and voluntary organisations. From April of this year, PCTs will cease to exist and for most of the
Trust our commissioners will be the local Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) for the majority of the services we provide. As the name implies these groups are clinical and made up of the GP practices where many of our patients come from. We already have good relationships with these groups in Nottinghamshire, as they have been in shadow form for over a year now. For the more specialist services we provide and the Trust’s Forensic Division, our commissioning will be done by the national NHS Commissioning Board. This will be devolved across the country through 27 Local Area Teams (LAT), who will work closely with the CCGs. Ten of the LATs will lead on the commissioning of specialist services, with the
Leicestershire and Lincolnshire team commissioning the Trust’s highly specialised services including Secure Psychiatric Services. A smaller number of LATs will carry out the direct commissioning of other services, such as prison healthcare, which the Trust also provides. In addition, the CCGs and the commissioning board have a legal duty to work with a new structure based in the local councils called Health and Wellbeing Boards. Their role is to do as their title suggests and improve the overall health and well being of the population. They will be supported in this by the public health teams that used to be part of the PCT who have now moved to sit within the local authority.
Attendees enjoying the event
Community of interest raising dementia awareness Positive January 2013
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New Service Launches in Nottinghamshire to Keep People Safe
adult by calling the County Council’s Customer Service number on 0300 500 80 80 and being put though to the MASH.
Children’s minister Edward Timpson MP officially opened a new Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) last month. Partners across Nottinghamshire have been working together with the County Council to make significant improvements to child and adult safeguarding, by establishing the MASH.
Once a safeguarding concern is received, the MASH team will work together to collate information from a range of different sources. As a result, agencies will be able to act quickly, in a more co-ordinated and consistent way, ensuring that vulnerable children and adults are kept safe. The team will also be on hand to provide information and advice to those who may have a safeguarding query or concern.
The MASH will improve the sharing of information between agencies, helping to protect the most vulnerable children and adults from harm, neglect and abuse. It
will see over 60 members of staff from the police, children’s social care, adult safeguarding and health working together in the same location. The MASH opened on 10 December 2012. It will act as the County’s first point of contact for all new child and adult safeguarding concerns which meet threshold guidelines. The thresholds have not changed, but new guidance has been published to explain the thresholds more clearly. A single, dedicated telephone number and secure,
online form is available for professionals to report a new safeguarding concern. Practitioners can contact the Nottinghamshire MASH on 0300 500 80 90, 8.30am5pm Monday to Thursday and 8.30am-4.30pm Friday. Outside of these hours, if there is a safeguarding emergency, contact the Emergency Duty Team on 0300 456 4546. The secure online form can be accessed at www.nottinghamshire.gov. uk/MASH Members of the public can also report safeguarding concerns regarding a child or
Further information is available at www.nottinghamshire.gov. uk or visit the Trust and Health Partnership Intranets.
Learning together about group work skills Group work skills were the focus of a training day attended by staff from Bassetlaw Health Partnerships, Adult Mental Health and the Rosewood Involvement Centre. The session, facilitated by Angela Pemberton, Therapeutic Skill Tutor from the Learning and Development Department, focused on skills and topics including: • How to set up, evaluate and monitor groups • The stages of development of a group • The variety of roles that different people can take on within a group. The audience was made up of service users, carers,
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volunteers and staff and much learning took place through the sharing of ideas and experiences of the variety of members of the group. “It’s been really beneficial for me to attend today,” said Amy Butler, Community Psychiatric Nurse with the Early Intervention Services in Newark. “I really liked the idea of having a Welcome Pack at carer support groups and this is something I am going to think about and focus on in the future.” Many of the attendees discussed the immense value of the event to them on evaluating and monitoring the success of their groups, and they took away many ideas on how to do this.
Another bonus was the networking. Gillian Bradley, Senior Practitioner Hospice Services, said: “It has given me a lot to think about, as I am currently evaluating my established groups.” Gill and Andrea Emmens, Family Interventions Co-ordinator from Adult Mental Health, are working in partnership to establish a new carers’ support group where any carers in the community will be welcome to attend whether they are caring for someone with emotional or physical long-term conditions. All attendees said they had found the training very beneficial, and were
very impressed by Angela’s facilitation. Stephen Fields, Rosewood Centre volunteer, said: “Angela made us all feel very relaxed and comfortable and it was a safe place to learn. I enjoyed it very much.” Angela will follow up this success by facilitating further Advanced Group Work Skills training. Thanks from all go to Nigel Groves, Rosewood Involvement Centre Manager for his hospitality and for enabling the event to occur at a local and accessible venue. For further information contact Angela Pemberton on angela.pemberton@ nottshc.nhs.uk or call 07825 680589.
Workshops are a sell out success A series of sell out skills-based workshops have been held by the Institute of Mental Health on the subject of ‘Making sense of unusual experiences – voices, visions and paranoia’.
Peter Bullimore at the IMH Teaching Team event on paranoia/hearing voices
Peter Bullimore at the IMH Teaching Team event on paranoia/ hearing voices
The workshops, staged in Nottingham and Leeds at the end of 2012, were run over two days with the first day concentrating on working through paranoia and the second day devoted to hearing voices. Education practice consultant Chris Tandy, teamed up with Peter Bullimore, mental health trainer and consultant with the National Paranoia Network, to put together the events which have attracted a great deal of interest among clinicians, peer support workers and service users. The Institute is already receiving offers from Australia and the USA to stage the workshops overseas. Peter has already delivered a similar training package in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Chris said: “These workshops are innovative, challenging and stimulating and offer the chance to hear from Pete who is an internationally recognised authority on the subject. We could have sold the events in Leeds four times over so will be looking to stage further sessions in the near future.” If you are interested in attending or booking future workshops, please contact Suzanne Howard on 01777 247 284 or email suzanne.howard@nottshc.nhs.uk. Further information on the work of the National Paranoia Network is available at www.nationalparanoianetwork.org
New Year, New You Christmas and New Year is traditionally a time of over-indulgence, but also of reflection. As a result around seven million people will have made a New Year’s resolution to improve their health, and making lifestyle changes like exercising more or cutting down on alcohol and cigarettes. For some people they wish to lose the extra pounds they gained, but for others it is a more serious and pressing issue affecting their health both physically and mentally. The County Health Partnerships’ Community Nutrition Team aims to improve the health and wellbeing of the local population through healthy eating and physical activity. Here is their advice and some tools to help anyone who wants to lose weight, and keep it off.
It’s important that as an individual you decide it is the right time to make lifestyle changes. Start by writing down all the reasons and motivations for wanting to lose weight. If now is the right time then now is the time to start. It is important to set realistic goals that are achievable as success boosts your confidence in your ability to lose weight. Losing just 5-10% of your weight has massive health benefits.
Key Tips Choose two or three small changes at one time as this makes changes more likely to be successful: • Eat three regular, balanced meals a day including breakfast. Try to have meals at planned times and only include snacks if you’re physically hungry • Aim to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables each day. One portion is about a handful • Choose foods and drinks that are low in fat and sugar, and limit sweet, fatty and salty foods
• Watch your portion sizes • Avoid eating at the same time as doing something else, such as when working or reading, as this can cause you to overeat • Aim to drink two litres of fluid per day, choosing low calorie drinks • It takes time for your brain to know your stomach is full so wait for at least 15-20 minutes before deciding you need more food. • Aim to participate in 30 minutes of activity five times a week to support the dietary changes you have made.
Good luck and remember, there is no quick fix. People who successfully lose weight and keep it off stay realistic and develop techniques to make their new lifestyle and activity habits an enjoyable way of life. For more information and recipe ideas, or to contact the team, visit www.eatwellnotts.nhs.uk.
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Caring for children and their families with complex health needs
Families enjoy the activities on offer
• Short breaks provided within the home or community venues including Sure Start Centres.
The Retford-based Paediatric Community Team, covering the whole of Bassetlaw, offers support for children and young people with complex health needs and moderate to severe learning disabilities, from birth to 19 years of age. They provide community nursing, short breaks, occupational therapy, learning disability nursing and Friends Together support groups. Activities are offered for children and families who struggle to access community social activities due to their complex health needs. A taster of what the Paediatric Community Team offers: • Respite provision from experienced Health Care Support Workers to
manage care such as tracheotomy management, enteral feeding, emergency seizure management and bladder/bowel care, with or without learning disability and behavioural issues. The care is overseen by the Community Children’s Nurses. • Popular events such as under 5s groups, outings, after school short break provision and one to one sessions including craft activities, games, sensory play, outdoor play and individual therapies. • Parent Carer Support groups, including specific support groups on Autism and Downs Syndrome.
“A day I will always remember” – patients share their experiences of an Arson Treatment Programme In November patients within the National High Secure Healthcare Service for Women (NHSHSW) at Rampton Hospital gave a presentation to their clinical teams of an eighteen month group arson treatment programme. The event started with a welcoming address by Dr Phyllis Annesley, Consultant Clinical Psychologist. Following this the group facilitators for the therapy programme introduced each participant before they did their own presentations. This was followed by a coffee break when guests were invited to write their reflections in books for all participants.
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After the break patients and facilitators presented a play on patients’ reflections of themselves at the time of their offending and now. Invited guests then had an opportunity to share their reflections and ask questions. The event ended with a closing speech and presentation of certificates by Dr John Wallace, Clinical Director.
• Access to the Sensory Room (funded by Friends Together) at Captain Jacks (a local activity centre). This has proved popular for short break individual sessions and joint work with other therapists to promote the health and wellbeing of the child. • Summer Breaks – in August the Short Breaks team offered trips to the Wheelgates Theme Park, with one-to-one care provided to manage individual complex health needs. • A weekly football session for children and young people with additional needs, in partnership with Nottinghamshire FA Family First Football and Ordsall Rangers Friends Together Football Team.
Patients’ comments on the day included: ‘It was a good but a nerve-racking experience. I liked the way the facilitators put us across as individuals and how we had worked over the eighteen months. I thought the idea of the books in the breaks was really inventive.’ ‘The presentation was a success, I really enjoyed the experience. I personally feel the presentation was a great idea, a chance for all the participants to show off their efforts and achievements. I felt slightly nervous but also very confident. I am very pleased I ended up reading out my feedback. It helped me with my self confidence. The presentation was a day I will always remember.’ ‘I think it worked really well. It was as rewarding for the guests as the people in the group. It was enjoyable.’
• Theatre trips – there was excellent uptake of two evenings to see ‘Puss in Boots’ Pantomime in December for children with complex needs. Friends Together also hosted a community pantomime event of ‘Rapunzel’ with numbers in excess of 100 attending this wider family event. For children who were unable to tolerate the loudness, business and brightness of a pantomime, there were two Christmas party events held at Sure Start centres in Bassetlaw. “We’ve received really positive feedback from families on the short breaks and activities we offer. All the short breaks are primarily about having fun for the children, and offer an opportunity for the child to socialise in a safe environment free from worry about health issues,” explained Sandra Birbeck, Children’s Complex Case Manager at Bassetlaw Health Partnerships, on behalf of the team. “We can reduce barriers to engaging in day to day activities, whilst providing parents with a break from care knowing their children are well cared for. This promotes better mental and physical health for both the children and their parents.” To find out more call SPA on 01777 274422.
‘The presentation was really good. I really enjoyed seeing how well I have done during the Arson Treatment Programme and reading my presentation out to everyone – I felt proud. Thanks to the facilitators and my peers for their support!’
Prison GPs focus on Hepatitis C The Trust was proud to be a major sponsor of a regional meeting for the Royal College of GPs Secure Environments Group in York in November. Prison GPs, nurses and other healthcare staff came together from 19 prisons and secure psychiatric hospitals around Yorkshire and the Humber and the East Midlands. This included a number of Trust staff.
was timely, being held on the day that the Chief Medical Officer’s first annual report was published, with a major focus on liver disease.
The main speaker was Professor Martin Lombard, the National Clinical Director for Liver Disease. He spoke on the challenge of Hepatitis C, a huge public health issue that prison healthcare staff are perfectly placed to engage with. One of the main messages was that we should be testing more and treating more, as new infections are still outstripping successful treatments and the national prevalence continues to rise, becoming a ticking time bomb of liver damage in years to come. The statistics can be quite staggering, with some estimating that around 20% of prisoners may be infected with Hepatitis C, compared with 0.6% of the general population. The meeting
Mark Pickering is lead GP at HMP Moorland and joint RCGP SEG rep for Yorkshire and the Humber. He said: “Being a prison GP can be a somewhat lonely road as the environment is challenging, and opportunities for interaction with others are often limited. There was stimulating discussion around perennial prescribing problems such as the management of chronic pain and frequent patient demands for drugs such as pregabalin. It is rare to get such a wide variety of prison GPs and nurses together in one room and there was a real buzz as people shared ideas and challenges. One GP commented, ‘What a great antidote to professional isolation.’”
The meeting also heard updates on the varying state of prison Hepatitis C treatment provision across the country, and discussed recent treatment advances such as the new protease inhibitor class of drugs for treating Hepatitis C.
The Women’s Arson Treatment Team would like to thank all the staff members who supported this event, particularly acknowledging the generous support of Mike Harris, John Wallace, Richard Phipps, Rachel O’Sullivan, Liz Gilley, Lisa Mulvey and the clinical and nursing teams within the Women’s Service. The whole event was filmed, and will be used to educate prospective patients and professionals about the Women’s Arson Treatment Group Therapy Programme.
Dr Mark Pickering speaking at the conference
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Therapy making a real difference The therapeutic activities available on the Lucy Wade Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit can make a real difference to patients. “We treat clients who are in a crisis or disturbed phase of mental illness who cannot be managed on an acute ward, and aim to provide a safe and secure environment with a high level of individualised care for every patient,” said staff nurse Jonathon Guy. “As well as encouraging patients to embark on a recovery orientated treatment process we actively promote participation in therapeutic activities.” Staff ask patients about their preferences and interests, and do what they can to support them in following those interests. This significantly encourages better self-management of mental health problems and identifies productive and positive coping strategies and distraction (Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health, 2008).
One patient, Jodie Spain, explains how the therapeutic activities made a difference for her: “Before coming into hospital I felt low in self-esteem. My life wasn’t under control and I felt lost. “When I came into hospital, writing poetry, doing artwork and other therapeutic activities that the staff on the Lucy Wade PICU provided has allowed me to gain confidence by increasing social interaction and peer support. “I feel the activities provided have been a calming experience during what has been a distressing and emotional time, and a way of coping through the distraction of negative thoughts. This has allowed me to change certain behaviours and feel like my ‘old self.’ I have developed new skills that I can use when discharged from hospital. “Overall it has provided a sense of achievement and an important part of my recovery. I feel proud.” A poem by Jodie Spain Wanting to go but having to stay, Feeling happy but things feel grey. Moments come, and then they go. Sharing with others the things I know. Being lost and finding a path. Feeling vulnerable but distraction with a laugh. But change needs to come, I need my life back. Get up; get going on the right track. Moving forward, don’t feel bad. Some days will feel lonely, scary and sad. Be the winner or lose it all. I’m going to fight on and stand tall.
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The Children in Need spirit was alive and well with everyone at the Thorneywood Adolescent Unit and Education base this year, where they not only held a cake sale, they also had a fancy dress day where you could donate £1 to dress up, but if you didn’t you had to pay £2 as a forfeit! Jeni Warby, who works at the Unit, said: “Everyone got into the spirit of the event and even the ward manager wore a ‘Onesie’ with pig tails! Costumes included everything from a mouse, to a cat to a ballerina to Pudsey’s mascot and even a Minnie Mouse. There were Onesies, zebras, a pyjama day, and even a Darth Vader brought specially for the event!” The staff had a great laugh at each other’s costumes and overall everyone had a brilliant day. The team raised around £140 overall and celebrated by doing the Gangnam Style dance on the roadside which raised a bit more! Jeni added: “Thank you to everyone who made such generous donations on the day.”
Children in Need fun at Thorneywood
Getting animated with cinema success
Budding young film directors at Thorneywood Adolescent Unit and Education base have enjoyed big screen success with their animated creations. Every Wednesday afternoon the Animation Group makes mini animations as a fun and relaxing lesson. Jeni Warby said: “We use stop motion by using all sorts of things like wipe boards, light boxes, clay models, Lego, and even photocopied faces. We’ve made some comical pieces and some spooky ones too.
Children in Need hits Thorneywood
“We decided as we had quite a collection to enter them into the Bang short film festival at the Broadway cinema. We didn’t expect to get anywhere as they had about 600 applicants, some of those professionals, so when we received an email confirming that some of our animations would be shown we were all ecstatic. “It’s a big achievement to get our work on an actual cinema screen and the fact that we would all be able to watch it was just amazing.” The work all got through to Crash Bang Wallop, a part of the festival for young people’s short films and one of the pieces was chosen also shown in Bangimation alongside work from film schools and professionals. Jeni concluded: “Actually seeing our work on the big screen was amazing, it was a massive achievement and we all really enjoyed it. Our animations got laughs, and a massive round of applause. Just the experience of being around other film directors and watching their movies, some from as far away as Spain, made us all proud! Look out for our names in the future, we may have some budding film directors in our midst!”
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Trust celebrates Patient Experience 500th posting on Patient Opinion The 500th posting about the Trust on patient experience feedback site Patient Opinion was reached at an open afternoon held at Oxford Corner as part of Alcohol Awareness Week in November. The involvement team spent an afternoon meeting service users and collecting their stories about substance misuse services and sharing them on Patient Opinion, www.patientopinion. org.uk, an independent site about experiences of UK health services. Real time feedback is increasingly popular as it goes straight to the heart of the organisation. Teams receiving feedback can instantly respond to service users and carers who are encouraged to share their stories in the knowledge that they will be read, acknowledged and responded to. The story posted by ‘TOPHAT’ on the day proved to be memorable as it was our 500th story about the Trust on the website. The posting can be read below. We believe it says it all about how recovery is possible and how vital the service at Oxford Corner has become for this individual.
“Some time ago I posted a story about my life and how services at Oxford Corner supported me through detox and associated health problems. After the detox I experienced symptoms of anxiety, lack of sleep and general focus and direction. “Today my life is totally back on track. I’m employing people again and working full time in my business as a builder. “My life has gone from strength to strength. Drink used to rule my life and now I’m still going to the pub. I’m not drinking alcohol but still enjoy the social side and my friends accept it. I’ve even able to go away with the lads and not drink. “Now I can actually visit my daughter who lives a distance away and the quality time I have with my daughter now really pleases me as she has only known me sober!
Response posted by Jackie Quenby, Deputy Alcohol Team Manager. Oxford Corner: “Thank you for your posting on Patient Opinion and for sharing more about your recovery journey. It is always nice to hear how people are doing after they have been discharged from Oxford Corner and it’s encouraging to know your life is ‘totally back on track’ and is ‘going from strength to strength’. A credit to you and your determination to overcome your problems with alcohol. I’m also pleased that you are able to attend the ‘Positive Outcomes’ group for the peer support and that you feel this is a natural progression in your recovery. Thank you again.” Thanks to Involvement volunteer Sharron Allen for helping to collect the stories and all the team at Oxford Corner. For more information about how to get involved with Patient Opinion contact: Jane Danforth, tel 0115 952 9430 or email jane.danforth@notthc.nhs.uk
“Oxford Corner has a self-help group called ‘Positive Outcomes’ and I attend the group since I was discharged. We can ask for professional advice if issues are raised in the group that we may need support with. It’s an anchor point and a natural progression in my recovery.”
Positive approaches to sexual health A physical and sexual health drop-in event has been arranged following a survey of adult mental health teams. Laura Hodgson from the Physical Healthcare team and Sarah Fairbank from the Sexuality, Relationships and Intimacy Forum are running the event from 10.00am-3.00pm on Thursday 17 January in the Conference Hall, Highbury Hospital. Clients, carers, staff and the general public will be able to meet representatives from the smoking cessation team; dental hygiene; eye care; the City Hospital Sexual
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Health Clinic; Harmless; The Health Shop; Domestic violence; Spirituality team and many other healthcare professionals. Representatives will be available to answer questions on physical health and sexual health issues, with opportunities to drop in for sample healthy snacks, collect information and have a free health check. Jenny Poole, team administrator said: “The Sexual, Relationships and Intimacy Forum developed a questionnaire to elicit staff opinion in Adult Mental Health on the sexual health issues that our client group face, such as contraceptive
use, awareness of resources and how sexual health is addressed in adult mental health teams. “We received questionnaires from community mental health teams, inpatient wards and residential units, the mother and baby unit, occupational therapy and EIP. Overall there was a lot of good practice, awareness of resources and opening up discussions, but even staff with proactive and positive approaches to this topic still felt they could be offering more to clients.” For further information contact Jenny Poole on 0115 876 0124.
Trust social worker wins national award A social worker from HMP Nottingham described as ‘exceptional’ has received national recognition by winning a top prize at the prestigious Social Worker of the Year Awards. Ben Ross, an Outreach Worker working within the Trust’s Offender Health team at the prison, was named Adult Social Worker of the Year as a result of his outstanding work with adults. Ben’s role is unique within the prison service, where he specialises in supporting individuals with mental disorders or learning disabilities leaving prison. The judging panel commended him for his role and felt he was showcasing excellent social work practice in challenging conditions. “I’m absolutely delighted,” said Ben. “I’ve been working at HMP Nottingham since January 2010 and it’s always an interesting challenge. To have my work recognised like this is just fantastic. I am very fortunate. I have a challenging and rewarding job in a fantastic team. It’s difficult not to be motivated and committed to what you do in this environment. I would not be in this position, however, if it were not for the foresight and courage of people within the Offender Health Directorate who were prepared to create what was and I believe still is a unique position within mental health services in a prison setting; providing a social work input for the team with an emphasis on supporting prisoners
with mental health problems to resettle into the community on release. “It’s an honour to be recognised in this way by one’s professional peers but it meant even more that my colleagues in my work place wanted to support the nomination. Secondly, being involved in the award process gives me the opportunity to tell people what we do at the prison and in the community. It is a challenging environment but I think our involvement there makes a real contribution to the mental health and social wellbeing of our service users; has an influence in the creation of a more humane environment for prisoners and staff and increases the willingness of community based services to engage with men who have been released from prison.” Following announcement of the awards at a ceremony in London, Ben was presented with his prize at a special gathering in front of colleagues and directors at HMP Nottingham. James Rook, managing director of headline sponsors and awards organisers Sanctuary Social Care Group, who presented the award to Ben said: “He is a very deserving winner as it is clear his supportive role with vulnerable adults is making a significant difference to the local community. I’d like to take the opportunity to congratulate him; he is a clear role model for the social work profession.” The Social Worker of the Year Awards are organised by a registered charity with the aim of improving the understanding and reputation of the social work profession. For more information about the awards, please see www. socialworkawards.com l-r Ben being presented with his award by James Rook
Free online support to improve diabetes care Every month in the East Midlands, ambulances are called to up to 500 people experiencing a hypoglycaemic episode. Four out of every ten are then taken to hospital for treatment, and unfortunately this is a rising trend. Hypoglycaemia is an abnormally low level of glucose in the blood, meaning the body does not have enough energy to carry out its activities. Hypoglycaemia, or a ‘hypo’ is most commonly associated with diabetes, and mainly occurs if someone with diabetes takes too much insulin, misses a meal, or exercises too hard. The East Midlands Cardiovascular Network is working with partner organisations to raise awareness of how to prevent and treat cases of hypo. The delivery of best practice, evidence-based care has the potential to significantly improve patient outcomes and save the NHS millions of pounds. It is estimated that hypoglycaemia costs the NHS nearly £17 million a year. A short video aimed at healthcare practitioners – available at www.emcvn.nhs.uk/diabetes – has been produced to raise awareness of the condition and the free online training that is now available. The video promotes a new web-based training module hosted by NHS Diabetes, which can be accessed via www.emcvn.nhs.uk/hypo The module helps clinicians understand the signs, symptoms and risk factors for hypoglycaemia as well as prevention and treatment. It is a flexible e-learning package that can be stopped and started as required and generally takes about 30 minutes to complete. Successful completion produces a certificate which can be useful for evidence of continuing professional development. Rebecca Larder, Director of the East Midlands Cardiovascular Network, said: “The Network’s new campaign highlights the fact that practitioners and people with diabetes, their carers and families, need to better understand the condition. Education on the causes, prevention and treatment of hypoglycaemia is essential for healthcare practitioners if we are to improve practice and improve people’s lives in the region.”
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q&a q What is your job title and what does your role entail? a I am a Therapeutic Skills Tutor in the Trust’s Learning and Development Department. A great deal of my time is taken up as the Learning and Development Recovery Lead. However, I work as a Link Tutor for a number of specific services and provide a wide range of educational and training activities. q How long have you been with Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust? a I have worked for the Trust and its precursors for 24 years. q What do you see as your priorities for Nottinghamshire Healthcare? a To keep trying to develop ways to really engage with people at all levels throughout the Trust to promote learning opportunities that are relevant and meaningful, whilst being interesting and enjoyable. q What is your employment
background? a Before qualifying as a teacher, I worked as a Registered Nurse for both Mental Health and Learning Disabilities. I have worked in the Learning and Development Department for over 11 years.
q What is the best piece of advice
you have ever been given? a Generally I like the saying that “the worst vice in the world is advice”. Although if I had to pick one it would be “Its better to regret something you have done, rather than regretting something that you haven’t”.
q What was the last CD you bought? a I would have to say maybe the last albums by Radiohead, Queens of the Stone Age or Sufjan Stevens. I also absolutely love dub reggae, but there are too many to mention.
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This month Therapeutic Skills Tutor Tony Mitchell answers our questions q What is your idea of bliss? a Simple things really. Whether I’m on
q What is your greatest achievement? a I’m proud of what I do and what I have done so far, but I think I’m still working on that and would prefer the people I have encountered to be my judge. q What makes you angry? a People who should know better but
are ignorant, uncaring, and lazy or have given up.
q What are you most
passionate about? a Seeing people develop and grow, knowing that I might have played some small part in them being able to recognise and realise their potential.
q What single thing would
improve your working life at Nottinghamshire Healthcare? a I’m very blessed to be part of a fantastic team and have a brilliant and supportive manager, so personally I couldn’t ask for more.
q What is your favourite hobby? a I’m a bit obsessive about music. I
must have over 20,000 albums and probably take it way too seriously. As well as listening to it, I love learning about the history and cultural development of music. One of my friends used to refer to me as a ‘pretentious music critic’!
q What keeps you awake at night? a Mostly this would be any worries
relating to the health and wellbeing of my family and loved ones.
q What is your favourite film? a Irreversible. A French film from 2002.
It is the most extremely intense movie that I have ever seen.
my own, with my loved ones or friends and colleagues – no matter what you are doing or where you are doing it, the times worth cherishing are when things just feel right and in those moments nothing could be better.
q What three words would you use to describe yourself? a Supportive, enthusiastic and opinionated. q What is your favourite holiday destination? a Barcelona or Tenerife. q Who would you take to a desert island? a It would have to be my partner as she is obsessive about going away on holiday and would never forgive me if I didn’t take her! q Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time? a Hopefully doing something similar to now. I think I have one of the best jobs in the Trust as I have to be autonomous and have a strong sense of freedom and responsibility in what I do. I get to work with lots of different people – staff, managers, service users, family members and carers – the best of all worlds. q Do you have a ‘claim to fame’? a Not really. I have been proud to have
met some of my heroes; the people who have inspired me in my work and personal development. In 2012 I had the privilege to work with Mary O’Hagan and Debra Lampshire, both from New Zealand, which was pretty awesome.
q How would you like to be remembered? a As a decent person. Somebody who was kind, considerate and supportive. Somebody whose sense of humour and jokes improved over time!
How can the Communications Team support you? The Trust’s Communications Team provides specialist advice and support to staff across all services to help them understand and fulfil their own responsibility for communications. The Team uses creative and innovative approaches in the development of corporate functions and high profile projects and can turn complex issues into easily understood information; including internal and external communication and has a proven track record in event management, media relations and campaign planning. Examples of what the team does: • Proactive positive media management including training and support to media spokespeople • Reactive issues management including briefings to Strategic Health Authority/Department of Health and parliamentary work • Trust event organisation e.g. AGM, VIP Visits, formal openings of new units, OSCARS • Development of corporate information
• Newsletters – Positive and Primary Care News • Management of Trust website • Supporting internal and external projects • Supporting service change through formal and informal consultation – in conjunction with Involvement • Leaflets – there is a policy and procedure in place for the production of patient information leaflets. For more information contact the Communications Team • Posters/print material Working with the Media The Communications Team works with staff, patients, service users and carers to protect patients from the glare of publicity and media intrusion, working to dispel the stigma associated with mental illness, learning disability and long term physical healthcare conditions. They work to maintain public confidence in the Trust and manage media misconception by being as open and transparent as possible, inviting the media on site when appropriate. Any media enquiries should be directed to the Team on 0115 993 4530.
Contact the team For communications help or advice contact a member of the team on 0115 993 4530. • Julie Grant, Head of Communications • Suzanne Aitken, Acting Deputy Head of Communications • Sue Wood, Communications Specialist • Sarah Gallivan, Communications Specialist • Frances Marshall, Communications Assistant • Emma Straw, Communications Officer • Debbie Barnes, Visits Co-ordinator, Rampton Hospital • Karen Watson, Administrative Support
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Care Pathways Project The Trust is launching a new project within the Local Services Division to implement mental health cluster care pathways during 2013. This is an important piece of work and is directly linked to Payment by Results (PbR). This national initiative is changing the way health services are paid for moving from block contracts to a system where funding is linked directly to care received. PbR has been in place for acute Trusts since 2004 and is being introduced into mental health care starting with working age adults and older people with other care groups such as learning disability and CAMHs to follow. All payments to the Trust for mental health care will be based on clustering, re-clustering and delivering services and interventions based on care pathways. Clustering is the means by which service users are grouped together, according
‘Meet the team’ breastfeeding event success An open day in November gave a real boost to the profile of a newly formed breastfeeding support group now running on the Carsic estate in Sutton-in-Ashfield. Local mums who benefited from the support group as well as midwifes and health visitors all turned out to support the event, organised by dedicated and passionate breastfeeding peer supporters Carla Johnson, Donna Wardle, and Katrina Daniel.
to diagnosis and the appropriate level of intervention and outcomes can then be applied. This means that care pathways need to be developed and implemented which may involve redesigning the way we are delivering services. The work will be developed with contributions from staff, service users and carers, GPs, Commissioners, social care colleagues and other stakeholders. A project steering group has recently been set up to monitor the development and implementation of PbR and pathways within the Division. The first meeting took place in December 2012. There will be staff briefing information and events as well as further training delivered during 2013. If you would like further information or want to get involved for example in developing and implementing care pathways please contact: • Claire Holmes: Interim PbR & Pathways Lead, claire.holmes@nottshc.nhs.uk • Bert Park: Clinical Lead & Clinical Director AMH, bert.park@nottshc.nhs.uk • Andrea Cain or Rachel Redford: Transformation Team Local Services, andrea.cain@nottshc.nhs.uk, rachel.redford@nottshc.nhs.uk
“We are working really hard to promote the group within the local community and want mums to know they do not have to suffer in silence,” said Donna. “We are mums who have been there in those difficult times and we understand the challenges mums face when trying to establish breastfeeding.” Accessing breastfeeding advice and support can be the key to a successful breastfeeding experience. The groups offer good company and support from volunteers who have had a wide range of breastfeeding experiences. The peer supporters receive training from Health Partnerships’ run Sure Start Children’s Centres, and help provide a support network which can really boost a mum’s confidence and help get breastfeeding established. The group runs every Thursday afternoon 1pm-3pm at Brierley House Community Centre. For more information call Huthwaite Children’s Centre (01623) 516 592.
WHO WE ARE... You may have picked up this copy of the newsletter not knowing what Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust is. We provide integrated healthcare services including mental health, learning disability and community health services. We also manage medium secure units in Leicester and Rotherham, and the high secure Rampton Hospital near Retford and provide healthcare in 11 prisons across the East Midlands and Yorkshire.
WE NEED YOU!
If you have any ideas or suggestions for the newsletter, please contact Suzanne Aitken in the Trust Communications Team on 0115 955 5403 or via email at suzanne.aitken@ nottshc.nhs.uk. We are always pleased to receive articles for possible publication, but ask that they do not exceed 300 words. Wherever possible when naming individuals, please include details of their job titles/roles and the organisation they are from. If any individuals other than yourself are mentioned in what you write or featured in accompanying photographs, please make sure you check with them that they are happy to be potentially featured. It is your responsibility to ensure this consent is given. Please send photos as separate image files and not in Word documents. Please note that the Communications Team has full editorial control and may have to edit articles appropriately. Therefore, if you want to see the final version please ensure you send your article in with plenty of time before the deadline and state clearly what you require. If you would like copies of any past editions of Positive, or if you are having any ‘distribution issues’ with the newsletter – whether you’re receiving too many copies, too few, or none at all – then please contact us. If you would like your story in the March issue of Positive, please contact us by 1 February 2013. However, due to space constraints we cannot guarantee the publication of all articles received by the deadline. Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, The Resource, Duncan Macmillan House, Porchester Road, Nottingham, NG3 6AA tel 0115 969 1300 www.nottinghamshirehealthcare.nhs.uk
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