Positive November 2010

Nottinghamshire Healthcare

NHS

NHS Trust

NOVEMBER 2010

about mental health and learning disability

What an achievement!

Trust hits Foundation Trust standards See Message from the Board

NEW LOOK ST FRANCIS WORLD HEARING VOICES DAY WELLY-WANGING TRUST SURVEY RESULTS WHO ATE ALL THE PIES AND CRISPS?

MESSAGE On Tuesday 2 November we received formal notification that Nottinghamshire Healthcare has been successful in its assessment against Foundation Trust standards.

I am absolutely delighted.

I feel so very proud to be part of an organisation that does so many things on so many fronts so well, day in, day out.

We are very lucky to have a great group of multi disciplinary staff, many innovative partnerships and of course patients, service users and carers in front of us – those who have benefited from our

FROM THE BOARD services, advice and support in the past, those who do now and those who will in the future.

Congratulations and thank you to you all for the wonderful team effort in achieving NHS Foundation Trust standards.

I look forward to you all sharing in the greater power and influence we now have in determining our future. In short we were assessed for autonomy and we now have it!

Fittingly at this time of celebration, our

annual awards which recognise the efforts of staff and volunteers have opened for nominations. If there is an individual or team you think go the extra mile for others, then please nominate them for an OSCAR. Nominations for the 2011 awards must be received by 19 November, so don’t delay in submitting yours. Further details can be found on page 18 of this newsletter or on the Trust intranet and website.

Mike Cooke, Chief Executive

Social work conference a success National

network comes to Nottingham

In September, Rampton Hospital Social Care Service hosted the fourth annual high secure social work conference.

It was organised by practitioners for practitioners and was well attended by social workers from Broadmoor, Ashworth and the State Hospital in Carstairs.

Entitled ‘Re-Affirmation of Social Work Values – Embracing the New’, the conference allowed social workers to revisit their core role and identify ways to maintain and promote their professional identity whilst responding to future challenges. There was a varied and contemporary programme which covered lively subjects including improving the experience of carers, inter-professional capability (good experiences of working within multi-disciplinary teams), the marriage of mental health and criminal justice and the findings and recommendations of the Social Work Task Force.

Representatives from the Trust with colleagues from Broadmoor and Ashworth High Secure Hospitals.

Harris, Executive Director, Forensic Services, spoke fondly of his experiences of working with social workers.

In a climate of financial stringency, the conference provided an injection of enthusiasm, motivation and appreciation that money just can’t buy. Feedback was that it: ‘was informative, fun and inspiring’, ‘made me remember why I became a social worker’ and ‘left me feeling re-motivated’ The hard work which went into the – praise indeed. organisation of the conference was apparent throughout and was greatly appreciated by all delegates. The venue was comfortable, welcoming and hospitable; the speakers and workshops were interesting and relevant, and there was a positive, motivated and rejuvenating feel to the two days. Experiences and anecdotes flowed freely; examples of good practice were shared and support and advice was readily available.

Julie Gardner, Associate Director for Social Care, welcomed colleagues and guests at the conference dinner, and Mike

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Community development workers and equalities leads at the national network event.

On 23 September, the National Community Development Worker Network moved outside of London for the first time and held a meeting in Nottingham at Duncan Macmillan House. The meeting was chaired by Hári Sewell, National Equalities Lead for the National Mental Health Development Unit, and was hosted by two Trust staff: Samina Naz, Community Development Worker and Catherine Conchar, Head of Equality and Diversity.

The network brings together community development workers and their equalities leads from all over the country and provides updates on key themes such as national policy and current economic challenges within the mental health arena. The network also allows members the opportunity to explore new ideas and share the plentiful good practice available.

We were impressed by the professionalism shown by all staff.

Left to right: Dr Kumara Ranasinghe, Staff Grade Doctor; Dr Angelo De Alwis, Trainee Doctor; Dr Birgit Vollm, Rampton Hospital; Mr Priyantha Boralugoda, Nurse.

Sri Lankan visitors take tips from Rampton Three Sri Lankan visitors spent three weeks visiting colleagues at Rampton Hospital, picking up ideas to take back home.

The two doctors and one nurse were here on an internship from the forensic section of the National Institute of Mental Health in Sri Lanka. The visit was arranged by the Global Initiative for Psychiatry, funded by the World Health Organisation and coordinated locally by Birgit Völlm, Clinical Associate Professor

and Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist, and Marie Betts, Visitor Coordinator.

The visitors wrote of their experience: “In Rampton Hospital we saw a centre of excellence in forensic psychiatry. The hospital’s commitment to performance, providing evidence based services and the continuous process of measuring outcomes, was extremely impressive.

“The level of security was extremely high compared to secure hospitals at home.

“The services and the facilities were varied and stimulating. We noted with surprise the level of autonomy that staff strived to offer patients in their rehabilitative processes despite the restrictive environment. Staff were always respectful to their patients’ needs and tried to accommodate them in their care pathway as much as possible.

“At Rampton we have seen how the input from different professions can contribute to accurate risk assessments and effective treatment pathways.

“Throughout our stay we were treated extremely well by everyone. Staff took time off from their busy schedules to take us around, explain treatment plans and make us feel welcome and comfortable in very unfamiliar surroundings.

“We hope to implement many of the treatment processes we have experienced at Rampton. We have many ideas that we would like our management to consider.

“Our institution in Sri Lanka is looking forward to working very closely with Rampton Hospital and its wonderful staff. Thank you everyone for an unforgettable stay.”

Trust OTs promote interagency learning Jane Hopkins and Lyndsay Beck, Occupational Therapists (OTs) within the Mental Health Services for Older People directorate, received over £7,000 funding from NHS Nottinghamshire County to provide interagency/interdisciplinary training.

Both OTs work in partnership posts alongside staff from Nottinghamshire Healthcare and from other trusts, social services and the third sector to provide effective, high quality services to older adults. The OTs argued that it was essential that all members of this wider team worked together well and had the necessary skills to meet service users’ and carers’ needs.

Using the funding, Jane and Lyndsay organised two days of free training for 30 staff and a follow up session. The first day focused on depression; the second covered alcohol use, anxiety and schizophrenia.

Previous training has sometimes focused on dementia with little coverage being given to other common mental health conditions which affect older adults.

The courses were very popular and within four days both sessions were full and running waiting lists.

Delegates included occupational therapists, physiotherapists, nursing and health support staff, social workers and community care officers, staff from intermediate care, social services residential home care staff and third sector care agencies.

Feedback was very positive with delegates commenting how it had increased their awareness and skills and challenged their ways of working. They also noted how positive it was to be working in groups of different disciplines and to be able to share experiences with others in the wider team.

Jane and Lyndsay also used the funding to run training sessions at local day centres in the Broxtowe area which provide services for older adults with mental health needs. They are hoping to build on their experiences if further monies become available in the future.

Left to right: Rita Burns, Executive Assistant to Janet Sheard; Marie Kilduff, PA to Ruth Hawkins, Executive Director of Finance and Performance; Catherine Conchar, Head of Equality and Diversity; Janet Sheard, Executive Director Nursing and Allied Health Professionals.

Trust celebrates Black History Month Since 1987 Black History Month (BHM) has been celebrated in the United Kingdom each October. BHM provides opportunities for people from all of our diverse communities to promote knowledge of Black history, culture and heritage, share positive Black contributions to British society and heighten Black people’s confidence in and awareness of their own cultural heritage.

A Black History Month flag was flown from Trust Headquarters at Duncan Macmillan House and a film evening held in the Involvement Centre on 28 October. It is hoped the film evening will become part of a regular series of events.

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Let’s Talk – Wellbeing in Bassetlaw Adults across Bassetlaw who are feeling low, anxious or stressed can now get help through a new service launched on 1 October 2010.

Let’s Talk – Wellbeing provides a range of treatment for people with mild to moderate mental health problems, using highly effective talking therapies delivered by trained psychological therapists to help people towards recovery. The service is provided by Nottinghamshire Healthcare and Rethink for NHS Bassetlaw.

Simon Smith, Executive Director of Local Services at Nottinghamshire Healthcare said: “This new service will provide essential support for people with common mental health problems such as anxiety or depression. With greater access to psychological therapies, we will be able to help more people with their recovery and improve their overall health and wellbeing.”

The service will be open from Monday to Friday, 8.00am – 8.00pm, and is available at all GP surgeries in Bassetlaw and a number of community venues.

Anyone wanting help is encouraged to speak with their GP who can make a referral to Let’s Talk – Wellbeing. For more information visit www.letstalkwellbeing.co.uk

25th anniversary of Alfred Minto House On 10 September, Alfred Minto House hosted a special party to celebrate 25 years of service.

Established in 1985, Alfred Minto House is staffed and run by national charity Turning Point and has become synonymous with community forensic residential rehabilitation in Nottingham.

Guest of honour at the anniversary celebrations was the eponymous 80year-old Dr Minto, a forensic psychiatrist of great repute who worked at Mapperley Hospital for many years and then in 1980 as the medical superintendent at Rampton Hospital. It was at Rampton that he conceived the idea for a community hostel for patients unnecessarily stuck in high security due to the lack of suitable provision for stepdown facilities.

Dr Minto spoke about how he and the general manger at Rampton came up with the idea and funding for the hostel and how psychiatry has changed over the years. He was pleased to see that the House had maintained the original vision to provide a pathway into the Left to right: Dr. Alfred Minto, Founder of Turning Point; Dr Jeremy Resnick, Clinical Director Low Secure and Community Forensic Service; Zeela Peters, Regional Business Director of Turning Point; Gaye Flounders, Manager of Nottingham Turning Point.

community for forensic patients and helped to de-stigmatise forensic psychiatry.

Dr Jeremy Resnick, Clinical Director, Nottinghamshire Low Secure and Community Forensic Directorate, attended the event. He said: “As a forensic psychiatrist with the Trust, I have been working with Alfred Minto House for 15 years and can testify that it has never backed down from taking on the most challenging and interesting patients, providing quality, safety and care within clear boundaries. Staff at Alfred Minto House have always shown an optimistic interest in the clients, tolerance, respect and imagination and a willingness to work with us as an NHS organisation.

“Alfred Minto House really lives up to its mission of turning lives around and is hugely valued by the Nottinghamshire Community Forensic Directorate.”

We wish Alfred Minto and the House a very happy anniversary.

Releasing Time to Care: benefits and challenges Over the last few issues of Positive we’ve updated you on some of the progress in the Releasing Time to Care programme. This month we explain more about the benefits and challenges.

Benefits to staff teams: Releasing Time to Care has provided ward teams with an opportunity to reflect upon ward organisation and processes. During the foundation modules teams ensure environments are used to their full potential and are ‘user friendly’, so assisting in the delivery of safe and supportive high quality services. The programme also encourages teams to record evidence of clinical improvements and identify future goals.

Staff wellbeing is one of the core objectives and through Releasing Time to Care teams review clinical supervision opportunities, staff satisfaction and stress. They become proactive and informed with a greater understanding of the impact of events to allow planning accordingly. It is important that Releasing Time to Care is owned by the whole ward team and colleagues have concluded that the programme is empowering teams with a sense of ownership, pride and the ability to make a difference.

New look for St

The day hospital at the St Francis Unit, Nottingham City Hospital recently unveiled its fresh new look with a celebratory event.

The open day showcased the refurbishment to the day hospital and the main unit reception, highlighting improvements to the environment and developments in treatment options while demonstrating some of the good practice in the unit and partnership work with voluntary organisations.

Chief Executive Mike Cooke and Chair Clair Chilvers were given a tour of the improvements by Paul Carruthers, Day Hospital Manager and Rosalyn Horspool, Care and Environment Coordinator. They also received an overview of available services and information from partner organisations including The Alzheimer’s Society, Age UK and the Chaplaincy Service.

The day culminated in the official ribbon

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Benefits to our patients and carers: Through Releasing Time to Care ward environments become better organised so they are more productive and efficient. Standardised operating procedures are put in place along with clearly stated roles and responsibilities. Releasing Time to Care aims to drive quality, working hand in hand with CQUIN, Essence of Care, PEAT and other key standards. Releasing Time to Care project information and other data are displayed on wards for patients, carers and visitors so that they can see what’s going on and visually share a typical day in terms of activities and processes.

Increases in direct patient care time mean patients have more opportunity for one to one interventions as well as therapeutic activities.

Wards have received very positive feedback with visitors stating that the improvements are evident.

Challenges: Communication is pivotal within Releasing Time to Care and a strategy on all ward areas is vital to success and project sustainability. Project facilitators have used a range of communication strategies to ensure weekly meetings occur and are communicated.

Releasing Time to Care hosts Swedish visit On 30 September the Releasing Time to Care Team hosted an international visit by delegates from Sweden.

The visit was arranged by the Institute of Innovation and Improvement, which developed the “Productive series” and wanted delegates to see first hand the practical outcome of implementation. The Trust was chosen by the Institute due to the success of the project across the Trust.

The delegates were shown round four clinical areas –

Rowan 2 and ATU at Highbury, and Thurland and Darwin at the Wells Road Centre. Staff on the wards were able to show the delegates what had been achieved by their teams since implementing Releasing Time to Care.

The Swedish delegates were impressed by the clinical areas and the work that had been undertaken.

As part of the visit the delegates also received presentations from the project team about implementation across the

Sustainability: The project team has considered sustainability and implemented a post facilitation sustainability cycle. This ensures that all areas receive formal ongoing support from a named facilitator who meets with ward managers, Releasing Time to Care module leads and matrons. As with all wards, monthly reports are forwarded to teams, matrons and managers.

The unit was last redecorated more than ten years ago and people had commented that it looked bare and unwelcoming, they found it depressing and it needed brightening up. Along with refurbishing the reception area, the overhaul included new consulting rooms and splitting the old concert hall into two rooms: the Dove Therapy Suite and Robin Conference Suite. These rooms are multifunctional and available for treatment and therapies or for conferences and The old reception meetings. The offices

The Swedish clinicians are hoping to use the Releasing Time to Care package within their hospitals on their return, and they fed back that the visit had been extremely useful to their team. Many thanks to the ward staff in the areas visited for their time in helping with this event.

Louise Randle and Amanda Land (project facilitators) with Swedish delegates.

Francis Unit

cutting and formal opening of the main reception – conducted by Mike Cooke and Modern Matron Sharon Howe – and the day hospital reception, where Mike was joined by the Trust’s Volunteer of the Year, Eric Monk.

Trust and a question and answer session gave them an insight into the challenges of implementing a project across a whole organisation.

very pleased to see the more attractive waiting area, more seating, nicer flooring and the attractive small garden.”

Left-right: Mike Cooke, Clair Chilvers, Rosalyn Horspool at the official opening

and kitchen have also been redecorated and the garden area renovated.

Feedback from recent visitors included: “The reception area is much improved, more spacious, lighter and more welcoming – well done!” and “I was

The refurbished reception

The day hospital is focused on providing time limited evidencebased interventions, including cognitive stimulation therapy, the recovery model, cognitive behavioural therapy, and a six week patient assessment.

Outpatient clinics including memory clinics are held throughout the week. Staff at the unit believe the improvements to the environment reflect the quality services they aim to provide.

“We are really delighted with the new look of the unit,” said Rosalyn Horspool.

“It’s now a welcoming and therapeutic environment for all patients and visitors. This is just the beginning and we hope to continue updating and improving our services and the working environment.”

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The first meeting of the Members' Council

Chinese guests visit Trust services A group of 20 mid-career Chinese professionals visited Trust services at the Queen’s Medical Centre as part of a 13-week programme created by the British Embassy in Beijing.

‘Chevening Young Leaders’ is a prestigious programme designed to support Chinese graduates to spend time in the UK studying local government and other public service provisions. The programme covers various priority policy areas for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, looking at government relationships with civil society reform, regulation and public services provision.

The group, from the All China Youth Federation, received a presentation from Trust Chair Clair Chilvers, which gave an overview of the Trust and detailed the admission and assessment process of the adult mental heath service in Nottingham.

“The visitors were impressed with our philosophy of care,” said Clair. “We spoke about empowerment and about giving opportunities, hope and control to our service users.”

The group also received a guided tour around the Trust’s services within adult mental health, looking at the Cassidy 136 suite and wards A44 and A43.

First Members’ Council meeting sets the tone for future success On Tuesday 28 September Professor Clair Chilvers welcomed 41 new governor members to the inaugural meeting of the Trust’s Members’ Council – 21 governors from the general public, 13 from partner organisations involved in delivering care with the Trust and seven governors representing staff.

Steve How, Public Governor Member, Nottinghamshire County, said: “This is a great opportunity for public engagement with the NHS and provides a new arm to the assurance of Nottinghamshire Healthcare. The essence of this new relationship is mutual accountability and transparency across the Trust.”

Mike Cooke, Chief Executive, was first up at the meeting, presenting an overview of what to expect from the future and the Trust’s approach to the current difficult climate. This immediately set the tone of the relationship between governors and the Trust – challenging questions from the governors, honestly answered from the core of the organisation.

Next there was a hint of further engagement with a discussion on Communities of Interest led by Paul Sanguinazzi, Head of Involvement.

Communities of Interest is a development encouraging involvement in key projects within the Trust such as support for people with recurrent depression.

The meeting was rounded off with a riveting talk by Professor Julie Repper, Recovery Lead, on patient recovery and how it is at the centre of all care provision within the Trust.

“It is difficult to convey the level of involvement in a few words,” said Steve.

“The room buzzed with energy and engagement and was a fantastic indication of things to come.”

World Hearing Voices Day Over 60 people attended Stepping Stones Recovery Unit’s celebration of World Hearing Voices Day on 14 September.

The Bassetlaw unit organised films, games, discussions and literature to tie in with the theme of “tackling the stigma of voice hearing”.

Many voice hearers, carers, family and friends discovered the wealth of support that is out there to help normalise their experience and some also contributed to a developing collage at the Stepping Stones unit, making them a permanent part of this evolving piece of art.

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Following Mike’s presentation governors were able to review the performance reports, looking at key quality indicators for care provision and the robustness of the financial plans. Again the Trust showed transparency and a willingness to engage and demonstrate accountability while governors challenged constructively.

Partnership and collaborative working came together throughout as Rosewood Involvement Centre, Mind and Rethink helped with the preparations and other individuals and organisations pooled resources to ensure the success of such a large event. Peter Bullimore, Chair of the Hearing Voices Network, provided books, leaflets and film and provided one to one surgeries on the day to address people’s individual issues.

Early feedback shows that the event was a success in providing service user satisfaction, awareness and involvement.

Comments included: “coming here has made all the difference to me; I feel I

ging an w yll e w to y r e h c ar m Fro at sports activity day

Ruth Hawkins, Deputy Chief Executive, with the new apprentices.

Ruth Hawkins welcomes first Trust apprentices Deputy Chief Executive Ruth Hawkins welcomed the first young apprentices to the Trust last month.

As with all new Trust staff, the 16 to 19 year olds undertook the Trust induction at Duncan Macmillan House. This followed a week’s prior induction by Prostart, the organisation that supports them to complete their NVQ Level 2/3 in business and administration.

All of the young people will be working in administrative roles around the Trust in departments including HR, Learning & Development, Supplies, Adult Mental Health and Allied Health Professionals.

The apprenticeship will span 15 months and we hope that upon completion the young people will be in a better position to apply for jobs and find work.

A summer sports day gave Holly Lodge staff, service users and representatives from partner organisations an opportunity to relax, have fun, meet new people and get some exercise – all in one day.

The sports activity day was held in August at the Magnus School Sports Centre, Newark, and was organised as a follow-on to the success of the summer 2009 event. Once again this was a major step forward for partnership working, with representatives from the NHS, adult social care and health, local authorities, Mencap and clients’ families all contributing to the organisation of the day.

popular wellywanging competition and giant tug-of-war.

One activity which proved very popular was the archery, organised by a professional archery club, with many clients trying to emulate Robin Hood.

Once again it was wonderful to see old friends meeting up with each other and everyone having a fun-filled day and asking when it would be repeated.

Many thanks to all who helped make the day a success: the leisure group team (Vince Cross, Daniel Barkes, Sue Johnson, Liz Moan, Chris Smith, Liz Moran, Raschel Sanghera), staff, carers, and support workers. Without you the day wouldn’t have happened.

Activities included running races, egg and spoon, wheelchair and three legged races as well as the ever-

We wish them all success in their studies and an enjoyable work experience in the Trust.

Fun at the Newark sports activity day

14 September 2010 have found out so much information”; “I had no idea there was so much available locally” and “it’s so good to talk to other people in a similar situation”.

Partnership working with the Hearing Voices Network has now been firmly established and Stepping Stones was buzzing with ideas for future collaboration including establishing a Bassetlaw hearing voices group, inclusion groups and gardening for good health. Stepping Stones looks forward to hosting these groups in the future – watch this space for more information.

Rob Rodgers, Charge Nurse at the unit,

would like to thank all who contributed to the event with a special mention for healthcare assistants Emily Millington, Gillian Lewis, Cheryl Dring and Samantha Gladman.

information about the Hearing Voices Network visit www.hearing-voices.org.

For any further information on activities or future events, or help in producing your own events, please contact Rob Rodgers on 01909 502851 or Andrea Emmens on 01909 502068. For more

Some of the people who attended the World Hearing Voices Day. Peter Bullimore is in the centre of the picture.

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Nottingham Mental Health Awareness Weeks 2010 October was a busy month for colleagues across the Trust and in partner organisations as they took part in a wide variety of events to mark the annual mental health awareness weeks, which ran this year from 4 to 15 October.

Fun and games at Rosewood

Intervention team, Rethink, Equilibrium group and Welfare Rights. A popular coffee morning was held and the Rosehip belly dancers performed in Mansfield.

Rosewood’s mental health awareness week was a huge success. Activities kicked off with a social ‘pie and pea’ evening followed by a quiz produced by a service user. On Thursday the focus was on information sharing and the centre was filled with stands from Framework, Early

Friday, the main event, was extremely busy with stands from Depression Can Be Fun (Helen McNallan), Family Interventions Service (Andrea Emmens), Physical Health, Reflexology and Community Development Workers as well as jewellery and nail art.

Rosehips performed again in the garden.

The Rosehip belly dancers.

On Saturday service users and carers came to the centre for lunch, karaoke and a social gathering.

The centre raised over £100 from the raffle and cake stand at the coffee morning which will go into the centre’s fund.

A tremendous amount of support came from service users, carers, volunteers, trust members, staff and partnership agencies, for which Rosewood is very grateful.

Making music and fighting stigma Work began in March this year on a second album of original music, titled ‘LABELS’, and two events during Nottingham’s Mental Health Awareness Weeks helped to launch it.

7 October saw the official launch of the album at Fopp Record Store in Nottingham. With over 70 people attending, the public event addressed the stigma of mental health while providing great tunes to dance to. Four bands played tracks from the CD while Fopp made sure that as many albums were sold as possible. Each track addresses stigma and the album appropriately begins with

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the title track “Labels” with a sing-along chorus of “see the person, not the label”.

The event wouldn’t have been possible without the help and cooperation of Fopp and Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies, who provided technical support and help with mastering and producing the album.

Raising awareness at the Involvement Centre An action packed day on 11 October launched three days of events at the Involvement Centre in Duncan Macmillan House including a car wash, cake and craft stalls, prize competitions and more. The events were a great success and raised over £300 for the centre fund.

Tuesday featured “The Human Library – The Professionals”, where members of staff volunteered to be human books. 61 ‘books’ were loaned, which equates to 30 hours of conversation between “professionals” and service users and carers. Everyone enjoyed the experience enormously. Look out for future human library events near you.

The final day of the celebrations saw the launch of “Compendium”, the first publication of the Positive writing group, which was described by one attendee as “two hours of pure bliss and enjoyment”.

The afternoon saw presentations for the winner (Nicola Page) and placed entrants of the art competition for the artwork for music CD ‘LABELS’.

A special thank you goes to all the service users, carers and involvement team staff whose hard work and dedication made the celebration a huge success.

The second gig took place at Worksop Library on 14 October. Trax FM hosted the evening and publicised it during the week before, while three performers – Rachel Fisher, Howard Wright and The Meercats – put in high quality sets and made sure that the first live gig in the library was one to remember.

‘The Sonic Doctors’ on stage in Fopp at the launch of ‘LABELS’.

Carer Support

Catherine Conchar, Head of Equality & Diversity (foreground) and Paul Sanguinazzi, Head of Involvement (background), on loan at the Human Library.

Borrowing people at the Human Library Three Human Libraries were crammed into the fortnight of Mental Health Awareness Weeks, with the most ambitious taking place in Café Art at Duncan Macmillan House on 12 October. Sharron Allen, a member of the Involvement Team, had come up with the idea of a Human Library in reverse. Usually service users are the books and are loaned out for conversations; this time Trust staff were being loaned out to service users, carers, students and the general public.

There was a real buzz about this event and the ‘sold out’ stickers indicating that the loans were full showed that there is scope for another reverse Human Library in the future.

The Carer Support Service spent time in Nottingham’s Victoria Centre on 11 October to raise awareness around mental health and specifically what support is available to family and friends (carers) of people who have a mental illness. The information stand was well received and many people approached the team for advice over the course of the day, taking away information about the support available. Thanks to the Peer Support Workers and Community Development Workers who attended the event and to all the staff who were on hand throughout the day.

Jude Greenaway, Carer Support Worker (sitting) and Ravinda Bilkhu, Carer Support Worker, Young Diverse Minds (standing) at the information stand.

Two other Human Libraries took place at Meadows Library on 9 October and at The Hut, Robin Hood Chase, St Anns on 14 October; this one supported by Amanni Tallawah. In total there were 82 loans over the fortnight.

Artful Minds St Mary’s Church in the Lace Market provided an impressive setting for this year’s annual art exhibition entitled Artful Minds. The exhibition was officially opened by the High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire at an event on 6 October, attended by over 50 people, with live music from the A42s band. The exhibition included paintings, photographs and prints by 32 artists who use or have used the Trust’s mental health services.

Penny Coulson, Trust Arts Coordinator, who organised Artful Minds said: “This is the sixth year the Trust has held an exhibition to promote people’s artistic talents. The exhibition provided a fantastic opportunity for people to come along and view some inspiring pieces of work that help to portray a positive image of mental health and to challenge stigma. Thank you to all the artists who contributed to the exhibition and to everyone involved in making it a success”.

Amanda Farr, High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire and Professor Clair Chilvers, Trust Chair at the exhibition.

Out and about around Nottingham Other events that took place during Mental Health Awareness Weeks were: • The Framework Film Festival. A variety of films shown at the Broadway Cinema starting with Framework’s film ‘A Sense of Purpose’ • An open mic night hosted by Advocacy Plus at The Maze • A dual diagnosis conference in the Council House, • A Carers Support Service stall at the Victoria Centre to raise awareness of mental health • Rundance, which took place on World Mental Health Day in 10 locations in Nottingham.

To check out all that went on visit www.nottinghammentalhealthawarenes sweeks.org

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Trust achieves top score in national community survey

information people are given about medications. As a result there have been significant improvements in this area.

quality is promoted across every service.

Looking at both the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Picker reports the areas that we need to focus on are care planning and day to day living – areas that have an enormous impact on everyone in contact with our services. I’d like to thank our staff for all their hard work in putting our service users at the heart of everything we do and I look forward to continued improvement in the coming year.”

Overall 80% of service users rated the care they received as excellent, very good or good; 12% rated it as fair; 4% as poor and 2% as very poor. The Trust is in the Nottinghamshire Healthcare has been named as one of the top mental health top 20% for nine questions, in the mid 60% for 21 questions and in the bottom trusts in the country, based on the 20% for eight questions. The Local views of people who use its services.

Services Division has developed a detailed The Trust’s results in the recent Mental This survey is part of a series of annual Health Community Survey placed it in the action plan to ensure that areas where surveys required by the CQC for all NHS improvement is needed are addressed. top 20% of similar trusts in the country.

Mental Health trusts in England. The survey results are based on a random The Trust achieved the highest score in the Mike Cooke, Chief Executive, said: “The sample of service users who were seen results of this year’s survey are very country for telling people about the side between 1 July 2009 and 30 September encouraging. We now need to manage effects of medication. In response to 2009. 279 completed questionnaires were pockets where service user experience is feedback in previous years the Trust has returned. not so consistent and make sure that made a real effort to improve the

Excellent results in quarterly Trust survey Separate to the national community survey, the Trust also distributes its very own service user and carer experience survey. It is offered on a regular basis, for example, at each care review, or at the end of a treatment programme, discharge from a ward or on a quarterly basis.

Nearly 700 people responded between July and September 2010 with 85% rating services as excellent, very good or good.

Of the 697 responses, 532 were from Local Services and 165 from Rampton Hospital, Low Secure and Community Forensic Services within Forensic Services.

Below is a summary of the results from last quarter. The previous quarter’s figures are in brackets.

• Services were rated as excellent, very good or good by 90% (89%) of people in Local Services and by 70% (73%) in Forensic Services.

• Communication about care and treatment was rated as excellent, very good or good by 88% (83%) of people in Local Services and by 67% (66%) of people in Forensic Services.

• The percentage of people who said they were always treated with dignity and respect was 85% (83%) in Local Services and 63% (66%) in Forensic Services.

• The percentage of people who said

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they were either always or sometimes involved in decisions about their care was 88% (88%) in Local Services and 83% (78%) in Forensic Services.

• The percentage of people who said that our services had made their lives either a lot or a bit better was 84% (83%) in Local Services and 69% (71%) in Forensic Services.

• In Local Services the main things that people would most like to see improved are: Better information about what is happening; more 1:1 time with staff/ more time with staff; activities; waiting times/ access times; food • The best things about Local Services care were reported as: Staff caring/ friendly/ helpful; meeting other service users; food; the help received; being listened to/ involved with care • In Forensic Services the main things that people would most like to see improved are: More staff; more activities/education; staff attitude/treatment; staff to listen better; better communications • The best things about Forensic Services care were reported as: Staff caring/ friendly/ helpful; help with getting better; activities and facilities provided; treatment received; being listened to/ involved with care The survey is organised by the Involvement Team and analysis is carried out by the Institute of Mental Health. Since June 2009 3434 responses have been received.

Results are fedback to each team and directorate to help them ensure that they continue to provide a quality service.

q&a q

What is your job title and what does your role entail? a Essential Training Administrator/Booking Clerk. To book the workforce of Rampton onto their required Essential Training, recording attendance and offering help, advice and support if needed.

q

How long have you been with Nottinghamshire Healthcare? a Seven years by April 2011.

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What do you see as your priorities for Nottinghamshire Healthcare? a To be committed to the personal and professional development of all staff offering a good high quality service at all times.

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What is your employment background? a Oh all sorts really. I started work at 16 at the Old Arcadia Co-operative Society in Retford as a junior office clerk. I loved that old building and was sad when they

Operation ‘Respect Me’ causes a buzz at AGM The winning exhibition at September’s AGM (as reported in last month’s Positive) was the Equality & Diversity department’s ‘Operation Respect Me’.

This interactive stand gave visitors the opportunity to experience the excitement and nostalgia of the 80’s children’s game ‘Operation’. The funny bone and charley horse were replaced with some of the disrespectful words and phrases that we strive to remove from our Trust e.g. ‘numpty’, a derogatory word for people with learning disabilities or ‘dyke’, a hurtful word for many gay women/ lesbians. Many of our patients, service users, carers, staff and communities who identified these words were featured on

the board within the outline of the County of Nottinghamshire, celebrating the rich diversity of the people we serve.

Removing the words required great skill and tenacity with a steady hand and a great deal of patience. This reflects our daily lives where some words are easier to remove from our vocabulary than others. The game certainly sparked off an element of competition and at least four Board members took up the challenge. It is amazing what you can tell from such a game and it was certainly easy to identify specific traits – the cool surgical hands of Peter Miller; the steadfast assuredness of Janet Sheard; the calculated risk taking of Paul Smeeton; the calmness and precision of Ruth Hawkins.

The ‘Operation Respect Me’ game at the AGM

Only three of the onehundred-plus participants were able to remove all of the words without setting off the flashing lights and buzzer – the unfortunate consequence of touching the metal strip outlining the words.

The game is now available with a choice of changeable overlays for other services to use. For more information please contact Catherine Conchar on 0115 9934543 or email catherine.conchar@nottshc.nhs.uk.

This month we talk to Edna Blades, Essential Training Administrator/Booking Clerk knocked it down to build a rectangular box in its place. I have worked in a sewing factory for Marks & Spencer making good old elasticated waist trousers for ladies, and a spell in 1978 in Medical Records as a temp. I also worked for a private business who supplied courses for team building/ leadership; as a weekend egg packer – horrendous (not eggsactly what I wanted!); chambermaid at a local hotel (kept me very fit); catering assistant on a building site for the refurbishment of Thoresby Hotel (an experience is all I can say); then afterwards in the coffee shop at Thoresby Hotel; a temporary 12 month administration post at County Council Retford; now I am at Rampton. I like my job and am happy.

q What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given? a If you are going to do something, make a good job and always follow your gut instincts – they are usually right. q What was the last CD you bought? a Paolo Nutini recently but I tend to buy people I like as their greatest hits, often 60s/70s from my era.

q What is your greatest achievement? a I don’t think I have had my greatest experience yet. Nothing is ever great enough for me to consider although my two grown up children are without a doubt.

q What makes you angry? a Unfairness, unkindness, rudeness, and litter dropping.

q What are you most passionate about? a Not letting people down. q

What single thing would improve your working life at Nottinghamshire Healthcare? a Being able to afford to work a four day week and still achieve my work load well.

q What is your favorite hobby? a I’m not a hobby type person. I am a Gemini star sign so tend to flit about. I’ll be mad keen to do something until I lose interest then will find something else. I like variety and not being pinned down to a time and a place, although I do read a lot and like gardening.

q What keeps you awake at night? a Nothing much, but if I am awake I hate the fact I am losing sleep. I enjoy my sleep; it is precious and not to be wasted.

q What is your favourite film? a I’m not really a big film watcher – it’s too long to sit in a chair and concentrate. I have been known to drift off in the middle of a film and miss a vital part then I can’t get to grips with the plot. My daughter, always to her annoyance, has to fill in the blanks. If I hear of something I fancy watching I will enjoy it.

q What is your idea of bliss? a After a busy day or week at work I love wearing my pyjamas. I would go everywhere in them if I could – it saves worrying what to wear to parties etc. I also love my bed; it’s a safe haven of comfort.

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What three words would you use to describe yourself? a Happy go lucky! That is three words.

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What is your favorite holiday destination?

A. I haven’t been on enough holidays to choose one. I flew in an airplane for the first time ever in September 2008 to Spain, but I am going on a Caribbean cruise next year after being persuaded by my daughter to do something special. I would like to travel more when I retire.

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Who would you like to take to a desert island? a My daughter and my son, they are most precious to me and I would feel comfortable with them. I guess a chef would be good too.

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Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time? a I expect I will be retired. I hope to see a bit more of the world and also have time for doing things I don’t have time for now.

q Do you have a ‘claim to fame’? a I seem to be very well known at Rampton, not sure how that became so.

People sometimes say I am better known than Mike Cooke not sure he would agree though. Also being born in Liverpool.

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How would you like to be remembered? a Just as myself!

Positive November 2010

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Valuing carers, families and friends: Family Interventions for Psychosis Service People who suffer mental ill health do not do so in isolation; their illness impacts on those around them too. The Family Interventions for Psychosis service has proven successful in lessening the duration and severity of relapse as well as helping to relieve the stress and burden of caring for someone with a diagnosis of a psychotic illness whilst teaching new skills in coping.

The Trust now has three family interventions co-ordinators across Adult Mental Health in the county. Andrea Emmens covers Bassetlaw/Newark/ Sherwood; Jo Daukintis covers Mansfield/Ashfield and Jacquie Cullen covers Broxtowe/Hucknall/Gedling and Rushcliffe. The team is committed to helping meet the needs of those service users who experience psychosis, and their families and carers.

Each family interventions co-ordinator

Community Learning Disability Nursing service (or ‘who A.T.E. all the P.I.E.S. and C.R.I.S.P.S.?)

Community learning disability nurses are registered nurses who belong to the only profession specifically trained to work with people who have learning disabilities. The profession has been continuously challenged from its inception to the present day and prides itself on being an evolving and modern human service.

Nottinghamshire has ten multi-disciplinary and multiagency community learning

works with carer link workers and family interventions for psychosis champions to ensure that awareness of carers’ and families’ issues is maintained at all times within their teams. They have also worked in partnership with the Care Programme Approach department to ensure that all recovery services paperwork includes dedicated questioning regarding family work.

This ensures that families and carers are made aware of the service and offered it if appropriate.

The team receives a steady stream of referrals and has produced an information leaflet for service users, families, carers and friends which explains the service and the process involved in family interventions.

Working in partnership with staff, local authorities and carers, they have also

disability teams (CLDTs) which act as gatekeepers, providing a seamless service to adults with a learning disability living in the community.

Community learning disability nurses are integrated within the CLDTs as well as within the Community Learning Disability Service.

On 16 September the team took the opportunity to ‘Catch up with Cooke’. They spoke to Mike Cooke, Chief Executive, about who they are, what they do, and how they do it within the context of the Community Learning Disability Directorate’s latest clinical strategy and other local and national drivers.

Community nurses in the

The Community Learning Disability Nursing service with Mike Cooke at ‘Catch up with Cooke’.

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Left to right: Family intervention coordinators Jo Daukintis, Andrea Emmens and Jacquie Cullen.

developed a carer awareness training programme which is now delivered across the Trust.

For more information about the service please contact: • Jacquie Cullen on 0115 952 4098 or jacquie.cullen@nottshc.nhs.uk; • Jo Daukintis on 01623 785700 or jo.daukintis@nottshc.nhs.uk; • Andrea Emmens on 01909 502068 or andrea.emmens@nottshc.nhs.uk.

CLDTs have important relationships with service users and deliver timely and evidence based practices at home, in the community and in inpatient settings. They use their professional and diverse clinical skills, knowledge and experience to: Assess the needs of individuals referred to our service Treat the identified problem/area of need, and regularly Evaluate the impact of their interventions on the: Physical Intellectual Emotional and Social health and wellbeing of each individual whilst

valuing their: Choices Rights Independence Social inclusion Presence in Society The community nurses enjoyed their time with Mike, and if you really want to know who A.T.E all the P.I.E.S (and C.R.I.S.P.S), we D.I.D. (Did and Invariably still Do).

For more information about the Community Learning Disability Nursing Team, please contact Deborah Yates or Bridget Smart on 0115 8542233 or email bridget.smart@nottshc.nhs.uk or deborah.yates@ nottshc.nhs.uk.

Patient Opinion live posting at AGM Lively discussion at the CLAHRC-NDL third sector summit.

University research group forges links with voluntary sector

Midlands for a ‘third sector summit’. The summit explored how CLAHRC-NDL’s work can be utilised by third sector organisations and examined how these groups can become meaningfully involved in the current and future work streams related to mental health, children and young people, primary care and stroke rehabilitation.

A health and social care research group based at the University of Nottingham is working to strengthen its links with voluntary and charity organisations across the East Midlands.

The session included introductions to the CLAHRC-NDL model and to current ways of engaging stakeholders. It concluded with a lively discussion workshop where attendees were able to consider the best way to continue to develop links between the clinical and academic parts of CLAHRCNDL and third sector organisations.

The group, known as the Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care – Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire (CLAHRC-NDL), is seeking to work more closely with third sector organisations to undertake high quality, applied research that improves the quality and effectiveness of health and social care delivery across the East Midlands.

On 30 September, CLAHRC-NDL brought together over 40 representatives from third sector organisations across the East

Learning and Improving in Partnership A volunteer with the Trust’s involvement centres has successfully completed an undergraduate course at Leicester’s De Montfort University titled ‘Learning and Improving in Partnership’.

The course was run in collaboration with Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust and NHS East Midlands and looked at various ways of improving services within the NHS and the private sector. It covered areas such as project management, Lean

CLAHRC-NDL is an initiative between the University of Nottingham and health and social care organisations in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire. Its aim is to get research evidence into practice more swiftly and effectively in order to improve the quality and efficiency of services within the region; delivering better care for patients.

For more information visit the website at www.clahrc-ndl.nihr.ac.uk.

Thinking, sustaining improvement and sharing ideas and was open to healthcare professionals, service users, carers and volunteers.

Paul Robinson, the volunteer who completed the course, said: “It was project based and I was able to apply what I learnt to my main volunteering role of supporting service users and carers with basic IT skills. I now feel that I deliver this support more effectively.”

he does. This is a fantastic achievement and very well deserved.”

Building on Paul’s success, four service user volunteers and three members of staff from the Trust have enrolled in this year’s cohort.

The involvement centres are working closely with the Trust’s Learning and Development Department to support service users and carers to access educational and vocational courses both within the Trust and Liz Walker, Involvement Development Manager for externally. Ongoing advice and assistance is available the Trust’s involvement to those volunteers who centres, which sponsored Paul, added: “Paul always take up learning gives 110% to everything opportunities.

The Patient Opinion website provides a forum for sharing experiences of Nottinghamshire Healthcare and the NHS. Stories are posted anonymously and the Trust concerned receives an email alert and the opportunity to respond.

Jane Danforth, Involvement Officer, said: “The site is an excellent way for the Trust to better understand what has really made a difference to people who use our services and what we could do better.”

On 24 September at the AGM, the Trust demonstrated that feedback can be done in ‘real time’. “With iPad at the ready and willing participants available, we were proud to become the fastest trust to respond to an opinion posted at the AGM,” said Jane.

Jason Gough from Patient Opinion said: “Doing a live feedback event at the AGM was a real opportunity for Patient Opinion to show off the benefits of real time feedback. It was great to see both service users and carers getting involved with their stories of care. The Trust kept up its side of the arrangement by breaking the record for the fastest response to a posting, taking just 20 minutes to respond to a service user sharing feedback.”

Where patients have limited access to computers, Patient Opinion has provided paper forms and replies from the Trust are printed out on notice boards.

ll Leivers, ht and Russe n : Philip Wrig s; Jaso Left to right Day Service le xib Fle s, service user . tient Opinion Gough of Pa

Live posting events have also been tried at Wathwood Hospital and Arnold Lodge medium secure unit this year with great success. Involvement volunteers are participating in the live posting workshops to encourage people to use this form of feedback.

To find out more about Patient Opinion please contact Jane Danforth, Involvement Officer on 0115 9934567 or email jane.danforth@nottshc.nhs.uk. The Patient Opinion website is at www.patientopinion.org.uk

Positive November 2010

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SNAAC news Membership of the Council 2011 Registered and non-registered nursing and Allied Health Professionals are invited to express interest in joining the council for a period of membership throughout 2011 and beyond. Contact Tim Constable on tim.constable@nottshc.nhs.uk.

2011 Chair of SNAAC announced Suzanne Foulk, CPA Lead for Local Services, will chair SNAAC from January 2011. Deputy Chair will be James Routen, Deputy Sports Coordinator at Arnold Lodge.

Suzanne Foulk

Clinical impact of cost improvements Tim Constable, SNAAC Chair, has been involved in work led by Michelle Persaud, Associate Director of Nursing for Local Services, to monitor the impact of cost improvements through the development of clinical scrutiny groups. Resulting recommendations have been taken to the Local Services Management Team.

Clinical scrutiny panels will be developed in the forensic division next year. If you have any questions relating to this area, SNAAC can help in providing support and signposting to relevant information.

To find out more contact Tim Constable.

Graduate ‘degree level’ nursing The Council has been considering the consultation on the proposed new graduate curriculum from Nottingham University School of Nursing, Midwifery and Physiotherapy. The last diploma nurse training will start in January 2012. From September 2012 nurses will be trained to degree level. Discussion included how diploma level nurses will mentor degree level nurses, how clinical services will respond to a new curriculum, possible changes to placements and what the impact will be to AHPs and support workers. For further information on the consultation contact Julian Eve, Head of Learning and Development on 0115 9691300 ext 10681 or email julian.eve@nottshc.nhs.uk.

New PAD paperwork available PAD paperwork created by SNAAC and HR is now available on the intranet.

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Trust Chair to step down You may already be aware of the recent announcement that Professor Clair Chilvers is stepping down from her post as Chair of Nottinghamshire Healthcare. Clair is moving to be Chair of Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, as part of a personal decision to move closer to friends and family in the Cheltenham area. She will take up her new role on 1 January 2011.

Clair has been Chair of the Trust since January 2007 and during that time she has proved an outstanding and dedicated leader with an inspirational commitment to the Trust, its service users, carers and staff. She has progressively shaped the Board and oversaw the appointment of the current Chief Executive in June 2007. Clair has had a significant impact upon the culture of the Trust and shifted its focus to a patient centred approach Clair Chilvers which aligns well with our anti stigma and recovery work, on which she has had a tremendous personal impact. She has also led Nottinghamshire Healthcare to the establishment of a strong Members’ Council.

Clair said: “The last four years at Nottinghamshire Healthcare have been among the most fulfilling of my working life. It has been a privilege to

work with Mike, the Board, Trust staff and the many volunteers, service users and carers who make such a contribution to the Trust. I am going to miss it, and you all, very much indeed.”

During her career Clair has shown a commitment to evidence based practice and nowhere is that more evident than in her work in raising the profile of The Institute of Mental Health, which we are now proud to host as the second largest centre of mental health researchers in the country. The Trust has achieved great things under Clair’s leadership, and she has overseen its transformation to one of the leading mental health, learning disability and substance misuse service providers in the UK. The recruitment process for the position of Chair has commenced and interested applicants should visit the Appointments Commission website www.appointments.org.uk for an application pack and more information.

We wish you all the very best Clair, and thank you.

Institute of Mental Health attends Representatives from the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) have attended Shanghai Expo 2010 to deliver a symposium on ‘mental health and its role in sustainable, industrialised societies’.

The Institute, along with representatives from the University of Nottingham, which both have strong links with China, was there to consider the impact of modern life on mental health and to address the different care solutions that will promote social and economic sustainability.

The Shanghai seminar brought together 80 clinicians, academics, social agencies, diplomats and company executives from the international community. Delegates shared experiences and strategies for

innovative practice in psychiatry and mental health services within sustainable industrialised societies focusing on China’s new mega-cities. The event sought to provoke debate and further collaboration, building upon the Institute’s academic exchange programme with the Shanghai Mental Health Centre.

Professor Nick Manning, IMH Director, said: “Besides giving the Expo presentation, we held two research symposia – one with colleagues at the School of Public Health at Fudan University, which is one of China’s top universities, and one with Shanghai Mental Health Centre, which is the city’s major psychiatric hospital.

“Our reciprocal arrangement with the

Personality Disorder course – a hit with first graduates A course which aims to provide greater understanding of borderline personality disorder has received positive feedback from its first cohort of graduates.

Working with Borderline: A Course for Key Workers, comprises 30 hours of theory and skills development and 30 hours of reflective clinical supervision over six months. The first course ran from January to July this year and received excellent feedback from all participants.

Many of the students commented on the value of developing a much deeper understanding of borderline personality disorder (BPD) alongside increasing the capacity to reflect on the emotional experiences of both themselves and their clients in this often difficult and complex work. They also described an impact on their workplace teams, with one saying: “We are now having quite different conversations about this client group. People are able to understand more about how the difficulties they present often develop from early traumatic lives.”

Others commented on the stigma that still exists around this client group, often alongside reluctance for professionals to engage: “workers can feel very alone with some very disturbing and worrying feelings”.

Shanghai Expo Shanghai Mental Health Centre permits researchers to spend time in the UK or China. By finding out more about mental health needs and services in China we will be better placed to undertake joint research and to promote excellence in service provision.”

Some of the members and staff from the first Personality Disorder and Development Network course.

The course offers an opportunity to explore and share ways of managing these difficult experiences. Participants said it helped them to feel more supported and less overwhelmed by some of the clinical work they do. An equal mix of theory, clinical skills development, and reflective supervision

enables a sense of personal development as well as an increased clinical confidence.

The organisers plan to run another course in January 2011. For more information please contact Sally Jackson, Course Director by email at sally.jackson@nottshc.nhs.uk.

Highbury welcomes King’s Fund visitor On 20 August the Trust was delighted to welcome Robert Tunmore, Enhancing the Healing Environment national project lead for the King’s Fund, to Highbury.

exciting to view new Capital Planning; Steve buildings just prior to them Winfield, Facilities being completed.”

Manager, Estates; and Deborah Thompson, EHE The Trust continues to Network member. During mainstream EHE principles the afternoon Robert was within refurbishment and taken on a tour of Silver Birch Ward at Highbury to capital schemes. It will be working closely with the see the original project King’s Fund EHE The Enhancing the Healing supported by the King’s programme over the next Fund three years on. He Environment (EHE) programme encourages and was then shown round the year to further support the national programme and to completed and vacant enables nurse-led teams to encourage and support Highbury site. work in partnership with teams and individuals who patients to improve the wish to make a positive environment in which they Robert said of his visit: “I would like to thank you all difference to their deliver care. The King’s healthcare environment. for your kind hospitality Fund provided funding to last Friday, and for your help pay for EHE time in showing me around For more information improvements to Silver about the King’s Fund and the estate. It is always Birch Ward in 2007. the EHE programme visit good to see the real thing www.kingsfund.org.uk. with EHE projects and Robert’s visit included a meeting with Chair Clair left to right: Steve Winfield, Facilities Manager, Estates; Robert Tunmore, King’s Fund; Chilvers, the Trust’s Design From Rod Harris, Ward Manager, Silver Birch; Deborah Thompson, Modern Matron, Mental Champion; Richard Brown, Health Services for Older People and EHE Network member; Stuart McNeil.

Pro-Vice-Chancellor and University of Nottingham World Expo lead Professor Chris Rudd said: “Sustainable cities require innovative solutions to planning, buildings and resources. But they also need to adapt infrastructure and services to support a healthy population. We’re delighted to move our sustainability seminar series beyond a pure technology focus and to work with leading practitioners from east and west in doing so.”

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Diary exercise to inform future service plans For two weeks from 15 November the Trust is taking part in a diary exercise which aims to establish the level of service user requirements across the Local Services Division. This exercise is being carried out in all five mental health trusts within the East Midlands and is being funded by NHS East Midlands. The purpose of the exercise is twofold: to benchmark service demand and provision for comparison across the region and to

Freedom of Information: would you know what to do?

Would you know what to do if you received a Freedom of Information Act request?

The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000 gives the general public a right to know, amongst other things: how public services such as the NHS are organised and run, how much they cost, which services are being provided, the targets that are being set, the standards of services that are expected and the results achieved.

The Trust is obliged to reply to requests it receives under the Act but is not obliged to disclose information which falls into one of the exemptions; for example confidential patient information. The Trust must reply to all requests within a 20 working day timeframe and this is a legal requirement.

FOI requests are usually submitted via the online form on the Trust’s website.

However, it is common for requests to be sent directly to individual employees of the Trust, or specific distribution group email addresses. Therefore it is important that all staff understand what to do if they receive an FOI request. The request can be received by email, fax or letter.

If you receive an FOI request, please forward it to Tony Footitt (Company Secretary) as soon as possible due to the legal timeframe, otherwise there is a risk of complaints being made about the Trust to the Information Commissioner. Please also see the Freedom of Information Act Requests Staff Procedure available on the intranet for more information.

examine service user need and how that is being met within our own trust.

The work is supportive of the Payment

by Results (PbR) and Care Pathway work being undertaken by Local Services. PbR is the funding method which the government aims to introduce into mental health services. The aim is to have a funding system which is transparent, has service user need as the primary aim, is effective, provides funding for agreed activity, has quality outcomes and provides the best value for money. The work will be undertaken by all teams currently covered by PbR, with the exception of Inpatient Services. Each member of the team will complete the

Thorneywood going for gold

Chloe Britton

Hi my name is Chloe and I’ve been appointed as the new editor to report on a monthly basis about what’s happening on the Thorneywood Adolescent Unit.

At Thorneywood Adolescent Unit the Education Base is passionate about helping to improve the environment.

This means recycling waste paper, water butts, compost bins and organic vegetable patches. Every week there is a session called ‘Mostly Green Group’ which focuses on the environment.

This year the school entered the ‘Nottingham in Bloom’ competition for the second year running in the ‘Best School Grounds’ category. This is a competition that happens all over Nottingham, aims to create a greener environment to live in and encourages

Highbury Hospital NVQ success

exercise, which involves completing a diary sheet for each day, noting time spent on different activities such as travel, training, admin work and with clients.

The work is being coordinated by the Audit Commission and representatives will be on hand in the two weeks before the exercise starts to provide support.

Following the exercise they will provide data packs to allow a comparison between our performance and other trusts. We will also be able to look at our own provision to see how we can plan and deliver services in the most cost effective and efficient way, whilst maintaining the quality standards our clients, carers and staff have become accustomed.

people to get involved to improve their local area. Once you have entered, a member of the City Council visits the school to view the grounds and assess how ‘environmentally friendly’ it is. They look at what systems you have in place to conserve energy and then when all the competing grounds have been viewed, a decision is made as to who receives awards for ‘the greenest garden’.

Last year the Education Base received the silver award, which is pretty impressive for the first time entering. But this year we are extremely proud to have received the Silver Gilt Award, which is halfway between silver and gold. Here’s hoping that next year we do even better and finally get that gold!

Tip from the garden When baking why not experiment with different herbs, e.g. lavender or rosemary biscuits; fennel and apricot Chelsea buns. Just go wild!

A group of Highbury Hospital staff attended a special presentation in June to receive certificates for their NVQ qualifications.

Max Owens, Hotel Services Manager, introduced the event, and Alison Newton, Operational Manager, presented 26 certificates.

Many of the staff collected more than one certificate with others accepting certificates for colleagues who could not be there on the day.

A special mention and congratulations to Maggie England for achieving Level 4 in Managing Food Safety in Catering and congratulations to Pauline Haselwood who obtained a Merit for her Advanced Food Hygiene.

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Non-medical prescribing within MHSOP The role of the non-medical prescriber (NMP) has taken great steps forward over the last few years in Mental Health Services for Older People (MHSOP), with nine qualified prescribers currently working within the directorate and four more undertaking their training within the next year.

prescribers have detailed knowledge of service users and the autonomy to change medication without having to consult medical staff, enabling them to respond quickly to service users’ needs.

Last year CPNs Lynn Bennett and Lisa Pringle reviewed non-medical prescribing within MHSOP. Their report made several recommendations for future development Non-medical prescribers now play a key role including standardising development and in additional nurse-led memory clinics, appraisal of NMPs and having clear freeing up medical staff to deal with more pathways to progress within their roles. complex cases. Inpatient services have The report found that roles need to be nurses who are non-medical prescribers, more defined and audit processes need allowing more accessible and timely to be integral in the development of this treatments such as antibiotics, pain relief or service. The need for a lead prescriber to laxatives. In community services, community implement these recommendations was psychiatric nurse (CPN) non-medical highlighted as crucial.

Non-medical prescribers in MHSOP. Back row, left-right: Amelia Byers, Simon Hammond (trainee NMP), Helen Smith (County East Community Service Manager and leader of the non-medical prescribing forum), Helen Collinson. Front row, left-right: Lynn Bennett, Jacquie Hinds, Lisa Pringle.

Following on from this report Lisa and Lynn have secured a further secondment to take forward some of these recommendations and to potentially apply their recommendations to other areas of the Trust.

A key factor in the development of nonmedical prescribing within MHSOP has been a dynamic and well attended forum which has benefited from regular training sessions from supportive medical colleagues, pharmacy and other nonmedical prescribers. Anyone within the MHSOP directorate who is interested in NMP training and would like to find out more is welcome to attend the forum.

Please contact Helen Smith, Community Service Manager on 0115 8542288.

Netball group looking for new members Want to get back into netball or just have a go? Come along and take part in a fun and friendly netball session for Nottinghamshire Healthcare service users, carers and staff.

It doesn’t matter what level you are at or if you can’t come every week, just drop in, have fun and improve your skills with the help of the friendly coach.

Sessions are held indoors on Tuesdays from 6pm to 7pm at Harvey Hadden Sports Complex, Wigman Road, Bilborough, Nottingham NG8 4PB. The cost is £3 per week with reduced rates for Trust service users.

Just turn up on the night or for further details contact Michael Osborne on 07890 871769 or email mike2osborne@yahoo.co.uk.

Health Informatics Service update New system for Substance Misuse Services New RiO modules have been delivered to the Trust that will enable the adult and child and adolescent substance misuse teams in the Specialist Services Directorate to use RiO to capture and manage all their client information. The project is being steered by a joint board and project teams made up of managers and clinicians working with Health Informatics Service (HIS) staff. The modules have recently passed their factory acceptance testing and are due to be demonstrated within the next couple of months.

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This exciting development is aimed at reducing clinical and performance risk and better supporting and informing the Primary Care Trusts, crime and drugs partnership and drug and alcohol action teams in service planning and funding.

The move to RiO will integrate city and county substance misuse services and remove the requirement to use multiple existing computer systems in the county and the aging Nottingham Alcohol and Drug Team (NADT) software system.

A key benefit of capturing and managing all client data in one system will be the integrated view of the services’ data, aiding continuity of care and whole pathway service delivery, whilst mitigating the risk of clients presenting to more than one part of the service.

The main elements of RiO – registration, referral, caseloads and clinics – will be

used by the Substance Misuse Services, but RiO will also be able to capture specialist information for the National Alcohol and Drug Treatment Monitoring System, modalities and the Treatment Outcome Profile. These will be linked into the basic RiO registration and referral information, giving a more consolidated view of patient care. The services provide more than 400 controlled drug prescriptions per week so will also be using RiO’s e-prescribing functionality to ensure efficient use of prescribers’ time and accuracy of prescriptions, whilst maintaining the flexibility to amend and store electronic copies of prescriptions, so adding a further level of clinical value to the patient information held within RiO for this client group.

The new RiO modules will be rolled out across the Trust, taking a phased approach from early 2011.

We need your OSCARS nominations We’ve brought you a fresh and dynamic new look this year for the OSCARS and streamlined some of the award categories, so please take a look at the Trust’s intranet or website to find out more. There is still time to nominate an individual or team who you think deserves to be recognised for their outstanding commitment and achievements.

You do not need to be a manager to nominate someone.

Do you know a team who deserves to be recognised for demonstrating their ability to deliver clear benefits through working together effectively and efficiently? Or is there an unsung hero who does not like to be in the limelight but who you think deserves recognition for their outstanding commitment, determination and drive?

All the nomination forms and details of award categories are on the Trust’s intranet and external website at www.nottinghamshirehealthcare.nhs.uk.

You will notice that individual nomination forms for each category have been created to help you provide more specific information about your nominee/s.

Self harm book launch On 25 August myself and Alex Keegan were asked to share our personal experiences of self harm for Marie Armstrong’s book launch of Helping Children and Young People who Self Harm.

When I was first asked to speak at the book launch I was very nervous but also incredibly excited to be part of something that I feel is going to make a difference. Standing up in front of about 30 people from different organisations felt empowering but I also felt it was important to make a difference to other young people’s lives.

I feel that this book is incredibly helpful for young people and professionals to be open minded to different ways of listening and helping people individually with their issues.

On the day, Marie stood up and explained what inspired her to write the book. She quoted: “Young people lack power because of their age, size and lack of access to resources. This

A full list of the rules and ‘frequently asked questions’ are also online, along with details of how to apply for tickets for the ceremony on 17 March 2011 at the East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham.

oppression can make it more difficult for young people to get help.”

This is an incredibly powerful statement which acknowledges the amount of pressure and difficulties every young person has and puts across how hard it is for young people with additional problems on top of everyday life.

Other people also contributed to the launch. Paul Farrell, Directorate Manager, introduced Marie and her work; Jo Kelly, Independent Mental Health Advocate on the Adolescent Unit, also shared her personal account of living with her son who has mental health issues and about her role on the unit; Alex’s mum spoke about supporting her daughter through the trauma of mental ill-health and what support was needed and helpful from services.

What I learnt from the day, book and other people’s personal accounts was how important it is to be listened to and heard. My hope for the book is that it will make people more aware of self harm and how to help and/or get help so that they feel they are not alone.

Written by Chloe Britton, age 15 of Thorneywood Adolescent Unit.

Closing date for nominations is 19 November 2010.

If you have any queries about the OSCARS or the nomination process, please contact the Communications Team at Trust HQ on 0115 955 5404 or email sue.wood@nottshc.nhs.uk.

Left-right: Anne Keegan, Jo Kelly, Chloe Britton, Alex Keegan, Marie Armstrong

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 February issue of Positive, please contact us by 7 January 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