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Nottinghamshire Healthcare

NHS

NHS Trust

FEBRUARY 2011

about mental health and learning disability

Mike Harris Learning and Development Centre Officially Opened

Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke attends celebration – see page 4 LORD BRADLEY ALASTAIR CAMPBELL NEWARK SPORTS DAY VALENTINE’S TIPS FOOTBALL FEVER ARNOLD LODGE MUSIC FESTIVAL

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FROM THE BOARD

Last month we were visited by Kenneth Clarke who came to Rampton Hospital to officially open the Mike Harris Learning and Development Centre. It’s usual for a new building to be named after someone who has died or is retiring but I am planning on neither of those yet! I am immensely proud of the centre and the facilities that we can now provide for our staff and indeed the local community. Kenneth was really impressed by the new facility and also with the Hospital in general when I took him for a tour that afternoon. We were also praised by Lord Bradley recently for implementing many of the recommendations from his report relating to mental health and the UK judicial system. It is great to be recognised as an example of best practice and I congratulate everyone involved in this work.

Trust welcomes Lord Bradley In November Trust colleagues and service users were treated to a visit from Lord Bradley, the author of the landmark Bradley Report into mental health issues within the UK’s judicial system. Lord Bradley carried out a review of people with mental health problems or learning disabilities in the criminal justice system and issued his report on the topic in April 2009. As part of his initial review work Lord Bradley visited Rampton Hospital, so when the new national David Wilson Unit was completed, Dean Howells, Associate Director of Nursing, Forensic Division, invited Lord Bradley back to revisit the hospital. “I was very pleased to visit the Trust and Rampton Hospital,” said Lord Bradley, “and particularly to see the David Wilson Unit, which provides specialist care for men with a learning disability. This is an excellent new facility and I found the commitment of the staff fantastic.” Lord Bradley met staff and patients at the new unit and then met members of the Trust Board at the Mike Harris Learning and Development Centre. In the afternoon he

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We are delighted to have been named the top health organisation in this year’s Stonewall Workplace Equality Index and 12th overall. This really is a great achievement which reflects the commitment the Trust has made to be one of the best employers in the country for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people. Plans for our annual celebration of staff achievement, the OSCARs are well underway. The shortlisted nominees have been announced and we are all very much looking forward to a great evening on 17 March to honour those who have made outstanding contributions to our services.

finance and the group then discussed the Trust’s long term strategic plan. Much of the feedback reported that there was a great deal more energy to the session as the members become more familiar with their roles and I saw some really promising ideas and discussions being generated.

Finally, the first Members’ Council meeting of 2011 has taken place. It was preceded by a training session for the Governor Members on the NHS and

Mike Harris, Executive Director Forensic Services

attended the multi-agency Nottinghamshire Bradley Report Implementation Board meeting, where he gave an overview of the key recommendations from the report followed by an extensive question and answer session which gave all stakeholders an opportunity to talk through the issues directly with Lord Bradley. “I was extremely impressed by the work being led by Dean Howells and the Nottinghamshire Bradley Board in implementing many of the recommendations I made in my report,” said Lord Bradley. “The enthusiasm to provide joined up clinical pathways for offenders is extremely impressive. I look forward to continuing to support Dean and the team with this initiative.”

Dean Howells is leading the joint approach to implementing the recommendations from the Bradley report. He said: “It was a real pleasure to welcome Lord Bradley back to the Trust. The Bradley Implementation Board had a fantastic opportunity to discuss offender pathway issues directly with Lord Bradley and ensure that the innovative work taking place in Nottinghamshire was fully recognised at a national level. I look forward to continuing to drive forward the Bradley report recommendations with multiagency colleagues in the county.” The independent review was commissioned to examine the extent to

w p i p b T i h d c r i l a t i t L S Ly H

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Left to right: Professor Clair Chilvers; Alastair Campbell; Amanda Farr, High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire; Professor Nick Manning.

Alastair Campbell to support research funding into mental health which offenders with mental health problems or learning disabilities could, in appropriate cases, be diverted from prison to other services, and the barriers to such diversion. The review kept a broad remit and incorporated the range of mental health problems and learning disabilities across the whole of the criminal justice system. It makes recommendations to government including the organisation of effective liaison and diversion arrangements and the services needed to support them. The Trust is working to implement recommendations from the report. Left to right: Mike Harris, Executive Director of Forensic Services; Mike Cooke, Trust Chief Executive; Lord Bradley; Lynne Collins, Community Services Manager; Dean Howells, Associate Director of Nursing, Forensic Division.

Alastair Campbell, best known for his role as Tony Blair’s spokesman, Press Secretary and Director of Communications and Strategy, firmly believes that speaking openly about mental illness helps to de-stigmatise it. In his award winning documentary ‘Cracking Up’ he spoke candidly about his own breakdown. His novel ‘All in the Mind’ has also won considerable praise.

individuals and the economy, mental health research receives only a fraction of the funding that supports research into other long-term chronic diseases.”

He spoke about his own experiences when he came to Nottingham last month to attend the High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire’s fundraising dinner to support research funded by Mental Health Research UK (MHRUK) and carried out at The University of Nottingham’s Institute of Mental Health. Alastair Campbell was joined at the event, on Wednesday 12 January 2011 at The University of Nottingham, by George Hugh-Jones QC, a barrister specialising in clinical negligence and professional disciplinary work at the General Medical Council and General Dental Council.

Professor Nick Manning, Director of the Institute of Mental Health, said: “While acknowledged internationally as one of the key global health burdens, mental health has struggled to find the necessary funding available to other areas of health research. However we know that improvements to health can be created through the painstaking and dedicated work of the research and clinical community, and we are grateful to the efforts of the High Sheriff and Mental Health Research UK in supporting Nottingham’s work in this field.”

High Sheriff Amanda Farr, who has worked in the county in the field of mental health for many years, said: “I am hugely grateful to Alastair Campbell and Mr Hugh-Jones for their support. I am also particularly keen on fighting stigma related to mental illness and supporting research. The burden of mental illness is widely underestimated and despite the huge impact of mental ill health on

The charity dinner highlighted the work of the Institute of Mental Health at the University which was set up in 2006 as a national centre of excellence to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illness. In partnership with the Trust the Institute offers leadership and innovation backed by world class expertise.

MHRUK was set up by, among others, Professor Clair Chilvers, formerly Trust Chair and Director of the Mental Health Research and Development Portfolio at the Department of Health. The charity’s aim is to promote excellence in mental health research and it works with other charities and bodies involved in mental health to fund research into the underlying causes of mental ill health and treatments for mental health problems.

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Kenneth Clarke is shown around the Centre by Mike Harris

Kenneth Clarke opens new centre at Rampton Hospital The Mike Harris Learning and Development Centre at Rampton Hospital was officially opened by Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke QC on Friday 14 January.

The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice also toured the state of the art centre for training and conferences and visited other areas of the Hospital. Kenneth Clarke said: “I was honoured to have been asked to open this new facility and really enjoyed visiting the Centre. I was also interested to visit other parts of Rampton Hospital and see some of the services offered in one

of the country’s high secure hospitals; I was really impressed by what I saw.” The Centre is named after Dr Mike Harris, Executive Director with Nottinghamshire Healthcare, who has responsibility for the Forensic Division of the Trust. It offers multi use training rooms, a specially designed conference room and catering facilities. It is also the base for one of the best forensic libraries in the country.

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Apply now for new Masters programme Funded places at no cost to participants are available on the new Institute of Mental Health Masters programme in Psychological Therapies for Psychosis, beginning in April 2011. Course places on the three-year MSc are funded for all East Midlands health professionals by the regional Deanery – meaning they are ‘free’ for students and at no cost to service budgets. This is a tremendous opportunity for practitioners to enhance their learning and professional careers, helping develop pragmatic approaches to

The Centre also provides a great exhibition space for a range of art work from Hospital patients and local artists. It is hoped that not only will the Centre prove to be a useful resource for Trust staff, but also be well used by the local community. The building was designed to be environmentally friendly and one third of its energy is taken from renewable sources. Members of the Learning and Development Department with Mike Cooke at the Centre opening

opportunities for practitioners to develop their leadership roles and change management skills. They will emerge from the course with a comprehensive toolkit of skills and approaches to progress their practice and their career.”

working with service users based on cognitive behavioural principles. This is the second year that the Institute has offered this Masters, building on the success of the first cohort of students in 2010. Ray Woodcock of the Institute’s Teaching Team said: “It is the only Masters of its kind being offered in the East Midlands. This programme will help equip professionals to meet the challenge of working with people who experience psychosis. What sets it apart is that the modules also cover

This programme is also available as a two-year postgraduate diploma. Applicants must have at least a 2:2 (Hons) degree to apply and two years’ minimum practical experience working with people experiencing psychosis. To apply, please contact Suzanne Howard, Academic Programme Administrator on 07917 837430 or email suzanne.howard@nottshc.nhs.uk. The Institute runs a number of other educational programmes. For details visit the website at www.institutemh.org.uk/-education/home or contact Suzanne.

Institute wins international study The Institute of Mental Health has won its first major European study – a contract worth €300,000 to look at the study of mental health across member states. The two-year programme will see the Institute liaise with mental health leads across 29 nations to look at how closely work across the different countries is aligned to the European set of standards on mental health, known as PACT. The study on ‘Mental Health Systems in European Union Member States’ was awarded by the EU’s Executive Agency for Health and Consumers. It will be a complex piece of work involving obtaining and analysing data sets on

mental health from different countries as well as a considerable amount of translation and interpretation. Gerry Carton, Institute Associate Director, said: “Winning this study underlines just how far the Institute has progressed and puts us centre stage in Europe as a leading authority on mental health. This reflects very well on the Institute as a whole and shows how our increasingly high profile reputation is leading to more and more collaborative work on an international scale. I would like to particularly thank Dr Chiara Samele, Ginette Taylor and Lorna Viikna, who all put a huge amount of time and effort into a complicated submission.”

Gerry Carton

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A Christmas fayre with a difference The mental health department at Bassetlaw Hospital held a Christmas fayre with a difference in December.

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Organised by staff from Ward B2, the fayre was billed as a celebration of the excellent relationships between the mental health services in Bassetlaw and the voluntary sector. It provided a market place of community support groups and the opportunity for service users to get involved. MIND held a raffle for an enormous chocolate Santa; Young Potentials ran a guitar and bongo session; Staying Well held an information stall and handmade jewellery and cards were on sale. A tombola proved very popular with no prizes left at the end of the event.

Top right: Handmade items for sale at the fayre. Above l-r: Danielle Mountain, Care Support Worker; Lisa Richardson, Activity Co-ordinator; Amy Sowter, Care Support Worker.

Arnold Lodge staff gain loggist qualifications Congratulations to Lynnette Farmer, PA to Clinical Director, and Minal Chudasama, Workforce Development/ Clinical Governance Administrator. Both Arnold Lodge colleagues have gained the BTEC Intermediate Award in Accountable Log Keeping for Emergency Procedures. The pair gained this nationally recognised qualification through taught sessions and self study. They also had to submit a portfolio to evidence their familiarity with the concepts and theories of emergency management. The loggist is a fundamental role in the command and control team during a major incident. Loggists take notes to capture the decision-making process that may be used in any subsequent legal proceedings or inquiry.

Before the event staff and service users from the ward decorated the room and made craft items including trinket boxes, tissue boxes, mugs and picture frames to sell on the day. Ward staff and their families kindly baked a selection of buns, cakes, sausage rolls and mince pies.

The fayre was very well attended by community team members and medical staff as well as by service users from Ward B2 and from the community, the majority of whom stayed for the full two hours. Overall the event was a huge success with lots of Christmas spirit, plenty of laughter and the sound of Christmas songs being sung along to music played by Young Potentials. The event raised £40 but the greater success was the amount of information given out from the voluntary agencies and the number of service users who signed up to become involved.

Clinic receives Royal C Colleagues at the Electro Convulsive Therapy (ECT) Clinic at the Queen’s Medical Centre are celebrating after being accredited as ‘excellent’. The ECT Accreditation Service (ECTAS) was launched in May 2003 by the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Its purpose is to assure and improve the quality of the administration of ECT. ECTAS has the support of the Royal College of Nursing and the Royal College of Anaesthetists and is used by the Care Quality Commission to inform its inspection activities when assessing mental health services. Accreditation is voluntary and shows that the clinic meets required standards. Mike Ajewole, ECT Clinic Manager said: “By attaining Level 1 (Excellent) accreditation, this means that our clinic is one of the best and the clients receive the best quality of treatment we can provide. The team has worked very hard to achieve this standard and passion for excellence is their driving force. We are delighted and I would like to thank the team for all their efforts and dedication.”

l-r standing Kevin Appadoo, Staff Nurse, Ken Bramman, Operating Theatre Assistant, Andy Hutchinson, Consultant Anaesthetist, Anna Harper, Staff Nurse, Dr. Jonathan Waite, Consultant in charge, ECT. Front seated Mike Ajewole Clinic Manager. Team members not pictured are Dr. Ben Dimambro, Consultant Psychiatrist, (deputising for Dr. J. Waite), Dr. Ellen Evans and Dr. F. Al-Dairi, Anaesthetists.

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Newark sports day open to all Staff, services users and carers are invited to attend a sports activity day in Newark this month. The event will take place at the Magnus School Sports Centre on Tuesday 22 February from 10am to 2pm and will be an opportunity to relax, have fun,

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meet new people and get some exercise – all in one day. Organised as a follow-on to the success of a similar event held in August, activities on offer will include an obstacle course, welly wanging, archery, races and a penalty shoot out competition. Live music and drinks will also be available and all activities are designed to be suitable for adults with a disability. The day is open to anyone and no booking is needed, but it will help the organisers if they know approximately how many people to expect. If you plan to attend please advise Vince Cross on 01636 610727 or email vince.cross@nottshc.nhs.uk.

College accreditation The accreditation process incorporates elements that research has demonstrated to be effective in bringing about quality improvement. After joining ECTAS, a clinic is given access to online review tools and then embarks on a 12-month review process, which incorporates self-review, a one-day peer-review visit by an external team, recommendation of accreditation status by the accreditation advisory committee and ratification of accreditation status by the Royal College of Psychiatrists Education, Training and Standards Committee.

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Accreditation is awarded for three years from the point of peer review, subject to satisfactory completion of an interim review at 12 months.

NHS commissioning group publishes annual report Staff, service users, patients and the public can now read about the work of an NHS organisation that has responsibility for planning, buying and managing all specialised health services for a population of 4.4 million people across the East Midlands. The East Midlands Specialised Commissioning Group (EMSCG) commissions specialised health services from NHS and independent hospitals, usually for patients with rare conditions, on behalf of all nine East Midlands primary care trusts (PCTs). The EMSCG has published its third annual report and financial summary both online and in hard copy. The report covers the period April 2009 to March 2010 and explains about the role of EMSCG and how it spent its annual £600m budget. It also contains news about its activities and achievements over the last financial year and outlines its plans for the future. Some of the specialised services for which EMSCG is responsible are children’s cancer, paediatric intensive care, neonatal, renal, and specialised heart services. These services benefit small numbers of people and tend to be expensive because of the complex nature of the treatments involved. Kate Caston, Director of the EMSCG, said: “Through the efforts of our Board, which is made up of representatives from each of the East Midlands primary care trusts, we have developed new and improved services which provide care for some of the most vulnerable people across the East Midlands. We have been nationally recognised for some of our work.” The EMSCG annual report is now available to download from www.emscg.nhs.uk. For a printed copy or to request the report in a different format please contact EMSCG’s corporate support team on 0116 295 0849 or email info@emscg.nhs.uk.

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Valentine’s tips from Thorneywood By Chloe Britton, Thorneywood Editor

Hello everybody! It’s that time of year again when you show the ‘love of your life’ how much they mean to you. This gave me the idea to ask staff and patients on the unit what comes to mind when they think of love. The range of answers shows that love is different to each and every person, and can be the biggest or smallest gesture.

Love is… …waking up to breakfast in bed with candles and presents …finding love letters in my shoes …chocolate! …a blue rose – unnatural, yet beautiful …someone putting up with you when you’re at your worst …that butterfly feeling when everything seems perfect …snuggling in front of the fire when it’s cold outside …romantic. If you are struggling to think of something to do for your Valentine here are a few simple but meaningful ideas: • Write them a letter telling them exactly how you feel with them • Take them out to their favourite restaurant • Run them a bubble bath with their favourite scent • Buy them a bouquet of flowers • Bake them some Valentine biscuits (or their favourite sweet treat).

Did you know? When I was researching Valentine’s day I came across some very interesting facts: • In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who would be their Valentine. They would wear this name pinned onto their sleeves for one week for everyone to see. This was the origin of the expression "to wear your heart on your sleeve”. • Richard Cadbury produced the first box of chocolates for Valentine's Day in the late 1800s. • Teachers will receive the most Valentine's Day cards, followed by children, mothers, wives, sweethearts and pets.

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Valentine’s stained glass window biscuits Here’s a recipe we tried that was given the thumbs up. • Preparation time: 15 minutes • Cooking time: 10 minutes • Makes 20 biscuits

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Pantomime art on Emerald A As part of a project within a social communication group, patients on Emerald A ward at Rampton Hospital agreed to plan and perform a pantomime. They chose the pantomime and began to discuss how it would be performed.

A number of the patients raised appropriate concerns about how a pantomime would be affected if a group member were unwell and they began to negotiate new aims for the project. The patients decided that they would continue with the pantomime theme but produce a piece of artwork to be displayed on the ward rather than a performance. In addition to demonstrating appropriate communication skills throughout the planning and revision process, the patients worked together to create and plan the artwork that is now displayed on the ward.

Ingredients: • 150g butter • 60g caster sugar • 60g soft dark brown sugar • 60g golden syrup • 360g plain flour • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda • 1½ tsp ground ginger • ½ tsp ground cinnamon • 20 red boiled sweets Method • Heat the oven to 180ºC/fan 160ºC/gas mark 4. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. • Melt the butter with both types of sugar and the golden syrup. Sieve the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ground ginger and cinnamon into a large bowl. Add the melted butter and sugar mixture and mix together. • Knead the mixture for a few seconds until it comes together, adding a teaspoon or so of water if necessary. Take care to keep the dough soft but not sticky. • Flatten the dough into a round about 2cm thick, wrap with cling film, and leave to chill for 30 minutes. • Dust a work surface with flour and roll out the dough to about 0.5cm thickness. Use a heartshaped cutter to cut out individual biscuits. • Put each heart onto the baking tray, cut out the centre of each one and replace the empty space with a boiled sweet. • Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the baking tray. The boiled sweets will have melted, creating a stained glass effect.

Donna Snowdon, Staff Nurse (left) and Anita Matthews, Nursing Assistant (right) in front of the pantomime artwork.

Farewell Ray Burgess Ray Burgess, Procurement Manager, retired from the Trust in December after 43 years in the public service, 24 of those years working at Rampton Hospital. Saying farewell to colleagues, Ray said: “May I take the opportunity of thanking all of you for your support and friendship over the past years, which has made my working life within the Trust a pleasure. I hope you will continue to support my successor, John Williams, in helping to take the procurement agenda to a higher level.” We wish Ray a healthy and happy retirement.

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Football fever hits Highbury Hospital A team of Trust service users went head-to-head against fellow teams from Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire in a recent ‘Winning Mentality’ football tournament. The ‘Rowan Rovers’ football team consisted of four players from Rowan One Ward at Highbury Hospital, two from Macmillan Close and two from the community. Another team from Sommerville House was also representing Nottingham, competing alongside five Derbyshire teams. The tournament was organised by Pete Collins, Disability Football Development Officer at Derby County in the Community. Pete and his colleagues work closely in partnership with Derbyshire Mental Health Trust, Derbyshire County Football Association, the University of Derby, Chesterfield Football Club and Derbyshire Voice. The tournament was held at the Powerleague Soccerdome in Derby and the players were cheered on by a number of supporters from the Trust – patient Martyn Allen and staff members Sara Chamberlain, Elaine Edmunds and Mark McEuoy all went along to support their team. After the tournament the players and coaches enjoyed a buffet in the platinum club lounge at Pride Park, Derby County’s football stadium. “Overall the day was brilliant,” said Matthew Vickers, Staff Nurse, Rowan One, Highbury Hospital. “We appreciated the invitation from Pete, and it was great to be able to join in with a different mental health trust in a positive way.”

The Winning Mentality team

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Peaks Unit awarded grant to support learners with personality disorders The Peaks Unit is celebrating after being awarded a grant of £3,000.

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education providers to support people with personality disorders in further education. The grant was a result of recent work carried out by the Peaks Education Team to contribute to a briefing paper written by the National Institute of Adults in Continuing Education (NIACE). The document is

The funds have been allocated by the Learning and Skills Improvement Service to progress the unit’s work with local further

titled ‘Supporting People with Personality Disorder in Further Education’ and will be distributed nationally to all further education colleges and prisons. The Peaks Education Team aims to involve patients in the further education project by using their experiences of social exclusion and their personality difficulties to

Using service user views to improve our community mental health services The Trust is carrying out a survey to find out what service users think about the community mental health care they receive. A survey of community mental health service users was carried out as part of the national patient survey programme last year. This second survey uses a similar questionnaire and the results will be used to track any changes in service users’ experiences over time. The Trust can then continue to improve services and to find out if recent changes to services have led to an improvement in service users’ experiences. The results will highlight areas where the Trust performs well and other areas where there is still room for improvement. Surveys have already been sent out to a number of service users who have recently received community mental health services from the Trust, asking about their experiences. Questions cover various aspects of the service provided, including the quality of care and treatment, medication management, communication with health and social care workers, information provided, and day to day living.

Obtaining feedback from service users and taking account of their views and priorities is vital for bringing about improvements in the quality of care. Results from the 2010 community mental health service user survey showed that overall 80% of service users rated the care they received from the Trust as excellent, very good or good, placing it in the top 20% of trusts in the country. The survey also helped to identify areas where there was room for improvement. These were around care planning and day to day living issues such as physical healthcare, work, financial advice and benefits. The results of the survey will be presented in a form that does not allow any individual's answers to be identified. The results will be published in September 2011. Paul Sanguinazzi, Head of Involvement, said: “We hope that our service users will take the time to help us with this survey. Their views are vital in helping us to find out how we are doing and how we can improve. This is an excellent way for service users to help shape the services we provide in the future.”

provide a useful, supportive resource that will give staff in further education a better understanding of how to support individuals with personality disorders along their learning journey and so provide positive learning experiences. The project is due to be completed in March. The briefing paper is available to download from the NIACE website at www.niace.org.uk/sites/default /files/Supporting-People-withPersonality-Disorder-inFE.pdf

Support for employees at risk of redundancy The Trust has teamed up with GuideLine Career Services to offer advice and support to staff affected by risk of or actual redundancy. Two workshops have been scheduled so far: • Job Search and CV Writing, 1 March, 10.30am to 11.30am, Training Room 4, Duncan Macmillan House • Interview Techniques, 1 March, 1pm to 2.30pm, Training Room 4, Duncan Macmillan House GuideLine has links with Job Centre Plus, various training providers, Business Link and access to other government and agency assistance including government funding. All staff are qualified careers practitioners with up-to-date knowledge of the world of work and learning. The service aims to give individuals the knowledge and skills to secure alternative work or access further training or development. One-to-one sessions are also available. If you would like to book on to one of the sessions or find out more, contact Heather Porter, Skills for Work and Life Advisor in the Learning and Development Department at Duncan Macmillan House, 0115 969 1300 ext 11269 heather.porter@nottshc.nhs.uk

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Gemma Mills, Occupational Therapy Support Worker (left) and new events committee chair Steph Barksby (right) on the festival main stage.

Arnold Lodge hosts music festival Trust is top with Stonewall For the second year running, the Trust has been named as one of the top 100 employers in Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index, which features the best employers in Britain for lesbian, gay and bisexual people. The mental health and learning disability service provider was ranked in the 2011 Index as the best performing employer in the healthcare sector, coming top of all health organisations in the list and 12th in the overall index, scoring 182 points out of a possible 200. This marks an improved performance for the Trust moving from last year’s position of 19th despite increased competition with submissions from 378 employers this year compared to 352 in 2010. Catherine Conchar, Head of Equality and Diversity said: “This is a great achievement and shows how hard the Trust has

been working, building firmly on last year’s success. The result reflects our commitment to equality and diversity and demonstrates our ability to ensure that the services we provide reflect the needs of the people we serve. We are also proud to be an employer of choice for our diverse communities. We have taken our role as ‘The 2010 Most Improved Employer’ seriously and have enjoyed the opportunity of sharing best practice with other organisations to help support further improvements in this important area.” The Trust was scored on evidence submitted to demonstrate workplace culture and activity, covering both policy and practice. As one of the top 20 organisations, it was also independently evaluated through an assessment visit. The number of companies participating in the index – now in its seventh year – has more than doubled since 2006. Every organisation in this year’s top 100 offered diversity training that covered lesbian, gay and bisexual issues, and collected monitoring data on the sexual orientation of their employees.

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Arnold Lodge saw off the end of Summer with a bang as the unit hosted its ‘Lodge, Stock and 2 Pink Wellies’ music festival in October. Organised by the Events Committee, patients worked to transform the therapy services department into five music themed areas.

mixing and spinning the decks. Then there was the chill out tent with relaxing music, lights and massage chairs – the perfect place to relax.

Leading up to the event patients across the unit made decorations, created a festival map and designed information leaflets to let everyone know the variety of experiences on offer. The Workskills maintenance group even built an impressive dome ‘main stage’ for that true festival feeling while every patient created their own unique tie-dye T-shirt to wear on the day. The wards were tasked with creating a new musical instrument from rubbish or discarded items.

To end the day the patient bands performed on the main stage, rocking the sports hall with classics such as Wipe-Out, Sweet Chariot, Chasing Cars and Let’s Dance. The day was rounded off with a performance from a professional band, giving patients a chance to dance and enjoy the final moments of another thoroughly successful theme day.

On the day of the festival patients followed their maps to sample rhythms and melodies from around the world in the ‘Tipi Tent’, complete with African djembe drums and didgeridoos. The ‘In Dee Tent’ offered a chance to rock with an ‘open mike’ theme, guitars, singing and tambourines a-plenty. For those who were more techno minded there was ‘Grime Time’ with a professional DJ showing the ropes;

Special recipes wanted Trust staff, service users and carers are being asked to submit special recipes that are personal to them for possible inclusion in a new recipe book. Colleagues within the Trust are developing a recipe book and they would like to collect a series of recipes which have personal significance for staff, service users and carers. Recipes could be a family favourite, something you are proud of, from a special time in your life or they may involve a significant period in your life.

In the main stage area some ‘rubbish’ sounds came from the STOMP workshop where great music was made from old water bottles, bins and any old rubbish around.

the Arnold Lodge Events Committee. James, Health & Wellbeing Coordinator, Primary Health Care, has now handed over the role to Steph Barksby, Technical Instructor, Therapy Services Department. “As founding chair of the Arnold Lodge Events Committee I’ve really enjoyed the role over the past two years,” said James. “I would like to thank everyone who’s put so much hard work into making each event bigger and better and I wish Steph all the best in her new role. I’m sure she’ll do a great job and have lots of fun.”

The festival also incorporated fundraising for Tickled Pink Day, raising money for breast cancer awareness. Through kind donations and the sale of fruit juices and snacks at the final performance the day raised £305, which was later presented by patients to a representative of the charity. The event was James Routen’s last as chair of

It is hoped the book will demonstrate how a special recipe can illustrate a noteworthy or remarkable time or a moment in someone’s life journey. Contributions from all members of the Trust: staff, service users, patients and carers, are welcome. For further information or to discuss your ideas please contact Helen Ashwell on 01777 247548 or email helen.ashwell@nottshc.nhs.uk.

Parcel delivery scam The Trust’s Counter Fraud Specialist has received notification from Derbyshire Police of a parcel delivery scam operating across the Midlands. Deliveries of goods are being made, to both private and business addresses, which the recipient hasn’t ordered. Their personal details have been used to purchase the items but they have no prior knowledge of the order. The recipient signs for the parcel and contacts the company concerned but in the meantime a male, claiming to be from a major delivery company, calls to collect the parcel stating it was delivered in error. The caller is very convincing and produces branded paperwork to support their claim. Invariably, the recipient hands over the parcel to the ‘delivery driver’ but later receives an invoice for the goods – usually electrical equipment for example, laptops. Please be vigilant when receiving goods either at work or at home and do not accept delivery of any parcels you are not expecting.

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‘Keep Rampton Moving’ challenge winners announced Congratulations to Rampton Hospital’s Personality Directorate ‘Walk 4 Life’ team, which has officially won the ‘Walk 4 Life’ pedometer challenge launched on 24 April last year. In November the ‘White’ team, which consisted of all five personality disorder wards, successfully completed the 874mile pedometer challenge, the equivalent of walking from John O’Groats to Lands End. Dickens Ward led the way by completing an impressive 488 miles. Hot on their heels in second place throughout the challenge was the ‘Red’ team (Women’s Services) who walked a valiant 760 miles. Patients and staff worked together throughout, maintaining their motivation and commitment to completing the challenge and gaining the valuable health and fitness benefits associated with the walking activity.

Dr Mike Harris, Executive Director of Forensic Services, officially handed over the grand prize of a treadmill to Dickens Ward Manager Debbie Stanton and her patient group during their Christmas Multi Disciplinary Team buffet. Also in attendance was Richard Phipps, General Manager of the Personality Directorate, and members of the Healthy Lifestyle Team. All other wards within the winning team enjoyed a fruit hamper. Amy Pritty, Healthy Lifestyles Programme Instructor and Women’s Service link, said: “Each ward within the Red team has been awarded a fruit hamper for their fantastic efforts in gaining second place in the challenge. Women’s Services and the Motivational Team did extremely well during the Walk 4 Life challenge, with all four

wards contributing and achieving regular ward walks built into their meaningful day.” Mr Ian Wilkes, Healthy Lifestyle Programme Instructor and link for the Personality Disorder Directorate, said: “A special mention needs to go to Ward Manager Debbie Stanton, Acting Team Leader Kerry Burton and Staff Nurse Julie Wright, who actively supported the patients in meeting the challenge. Congratulations to a fantastic team effort.” The Healthy Lifestyle Team is now looking at possibilities for another challenge to help keep Rampton moving and continue to initiate positive lifestyle changes that increase the physical activity levels of both patients and staff.

Left to right: Dr Mike Harris, Executive Director of Forensic Services, Evelyn Goodwin, Exercise Referral Co-ordinator, Richard Phipps, General Manager of the Personality Directorate and Debbie Stanton, Dickens Ward Manager, with the treadmill prize awarded to Dickens Ward.

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q What is your job title and role? a I am an Occupational Therapist working as part of Bassetlaw Community Learning Disability team. I work with individuals to identify their daily needs and then offer advice and support to them to achieve their goals. My aim is to improve people’s health and wellbeing through participation in occupation.

How long have you been with Nottinghamshire Healthcare? a 6½ years.

What do you see as your priorities for Nottinghamshire Healthcare? a I am coming to the end of my MSc in Occupational Therapy. My research is looking into the role of the occupational therapist with people who have learning disabilities and dementia at the end of their lives. I am increasingly being asked to support people who have additional diagnosis of dementia and I very much want to use my knowledge and skills to help care givers provide an enabling environment for these individuals.

What is your employment background? a I qualified as an Occupational Therapist 22 years ago and have worked for the NHS ever since at various Trusts around the country. For 18 of those years I worked with adults who have learning disabilities, with the remainder of time working with older adults who have dementia.

What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given? a As I was growing up my Mum told me to ‘Take control of your life, decide what you want to achieve and go for it’.

q What is your favourite hobby? a Hill walking. q What keeps you awake at night? a Worrying about the things that I haven’t achieved that day.

q&a

This month we talk to Occupational Therapist Jenny Cooper q What is the last CD you bought? a Andy Abraham’s ‘Soul Man’. q What is your greatest achievement? a If I get to the end of April 2011, it will definitely be surviving five years of studying with marriage and family life intact.

q What makes you angry? a At home it’s the children answering back. At work it is the high levels of paperwork that get in the way of me seeing service users.

q What is your favourite film? a I don’t watch many films but I find I can switch off with a good romantic comedy.

q What is your idea of bliss? a Peace and quiet; time alone to switch off and relax.

What three words would you use to describe yourself? a Honest, conscientious, resourceful.

What is your favourite holiday destination? a The Lake District.

Who would you take to a desert island? a My husband; we might actually achieve quality time together.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years time? a Difficult question! I haven’t thought much beyond April 2011 and finishing my MSc; one step at a time.

q What are you most passionate about? q Do you have a claim to fame? a No not really, although I once a Achieving equality for people with disabilities.

bumped into Ian Botham dog walking.

q What single thing would improve your working life at Nottinghamshire Healthcare? a Faster computers!

How would you like to be remembered? a As someone who has made a difference to the quality of people’s lives.

Health Informatics Service update: Sharing demographic information

Framework-i system. The scope was limited to Adult and Learning Disability clients and the objective was that basic demographic information about clients who are referred to Social Services and who are also known to the Trust could be loaded directly into the Framework-i system. The work was conducted under the Information Sharing Protocol agreement between the two agencies.

searching functionality now interrogates the Trust’s data when a search of the Trust information is initiated, returning a full set of demographic information relating to the search. Corelogic implemented a loading facility to enable direct input of the returned data into the Framework-i system when a suitable match was identified. A point to point network connection is used.

In 2008 the Trust and Nottinghamshire County Council launched a jointly funded project to allow access to demographic information held within the Trust Patient Administration system (PiMS at that time; later RiO) via the County Council’s

The Trust produced a scoped data set from the overnight data warehouse extract from RiO, based on the format specification provided by Corelogic, the Framework-i suppliers. Using Web Services the Framework-i person-

Testing was completed in November 2010 and plans are now in place to demonstrate the functionality to existing Framework-i users in the next few months ahead of rolling it out with the next logical Framework-i release.

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Dr Jane Tarrant, Paws, Mike Cooke, Kat Page, Jo Horsley

Anti stigma - on 29 December saw the launch of the Trust’s “It’s OK to talk about it” campaign with the Nottingham Panthers ice hockey team at the Trent FM Arena.

Staff handed out information to the public as they came into the arena and talked to people about mental health and learning disabilities. Service users also helped man a stand which was quickly packed with members of the public getting involved – even Paws, the Panther’s mascot, was down at the stand helping to stamp out stigma. The anti stigma campaign was featured in the match night programme and staff and service users will be raising awareness at the arena at every home match for the rest of the season. Ten match programmes over the coming months will feature service users with a member of the Panthers

ice!

talking about mental health and learning disabilities. There will also be ‘shout-outs’ throughout each match with the message “one in four people are affected by a mental health problem and It’s OK to talk about it”. Trust Chief Executive Mike Cooke, the steering group that have coordinated the project and service users all watched the match from a VIP executive box and also judged and presented the man of the match trophies on the ice. The night was a fantastic start to an innovative anti stigma and community engagement campaign. The only downside was the Panthers’ defeat to Braehead Clan on penalties! A number of tickets for future games are available free of charge to service users, their families, carers and supporting staff. For more information contact Sharon Eaton on 01623 784770 or email sharon.eaton@nottsshc.nhs.uk.

WHO WE ARE... WE NEED YOU! You may have picked up this copy of the newsletter not knowing what Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust is. We provide mental health and learning disability services for the whole of Nottinghamshire. We also manage medium-secure units in Leicester and Rotherham, and the high-secure Rampton Hospital near Retford.

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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. 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. 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 May issue of Positive, please contact us by 9 April 2011. 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 9691300 www.nottinghamshirehealthcare.nhs.uk