Positive November 2012

November 2012

100 years of improving patient care Time capsules buried at Rampton Hospital – see centre pages heARTfelt hope and opportunity advocacy update norovirus advice bracken blades crazy campaign

MESSAGE As announced in last month’s Positive, we are really proud to have been selected as one of nine winners in the £1m NHS Patient Feedback Challenge. The Trust will work in partnership with service users, carers and Patient Opinion to support a number of teams to become beacons of good practice for all aspects of patient feedback, develop an accessible patient experience area on our website and ensure that listening and responding to feedback shapes future developments.

FROM THE BOARD sites and Occupational Health departments. Uptake so far has been promising, but I want to take this opportunity to ask all staff who have not yet been vaccinated to consider having the flu jab. It is vitally important that all staff, but especially those in direct patient care, protect themselves and the people that they care for.

A new staff health and wellbeing area of the intranet has recently launched.

It offers information and signposting to support on topics including healthy eating, stopping smoking, drugs and alcohol, physical health and mental health and wellbeing.

The aim of the site is to provide information and links in one place so that individuals who choose to seek support and guidance can find it easily and quickly.

The Chief Nursing Officer and the Department of Health have launched and are currently consulting on ‘Developing the culture of compassionate care, creating a new vision for nurses, midwives and caregivers’. The strategy and vision sets out a shared purpose concentrating on Care, Compassion, Competence, Communication, Courage and Commitment. I would like to thank the Standing Nursing and Allied Health Professionals Advisory Council (SNAAC) for helping frame the Trust’s response in conjunction with our nurse consultant team.

The Trust’s seasonal flu vaccination programme has been running for a month, with clinics held across

The consultation period on our application to become a Foundation Trust runs until 30 November, so

there is still time for you to have a say on our plans. Public meetings are also running across the County. For more details, please visit the Trust website.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone for being so welcoming and supportive as I have settled into my role. It has been a busy five months which I have thoroughly enjoyed and I look forward to continuing to support colleagues to provide high quality care and the best patient experience possible.

Dean Howells, Executive Director, Nursing, Quality and Patient Experience

Trust focus on Recovery work More than 60 people took part in a recent event to celebrate and promote Recovery focused work within the Trust.

The event was held at Boughton Pumping Station, Ollerton in September. It was hosted

by Tony Mitchell from the Learning and Development department, with Debra Lampshire from the University of Auckland in New Zealand as guest facilitator.

Feedback from the event was fantastic and everybody seemed inspired by Debra’s own amazing journey of Recovery, which she drew on with humour, frankness and sensitivity. Debra has been a guest of the Trust on several occasions over the past few years and

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Tony Mitchell with Debra Lampshire (centre) and Bev Johnson, Matron and Recovery Lead for Adult Mental Health Services

she was very positive and complimentary about the effort she saw being made by everybody to promote Recovery across the Trust’s services.

Tony, who organised the event, was particularly pleased by the diverse areas of the Trust that delegates had come from.

“Ultimately for the participants, Debra was rightly the star of the show,” said Tony. “However, I was especially pleased to be able to get together such a broad group of people from across the Trust. This was the first time that we have had a joint Local and Forensic Services Recovery event like this and the participation was brilliant.

Whilst each service works differently and has different needs, my hope is that we can all work together to learn from each other, share our best practice and face any obstacles ahead in partnership.”

l-r: Paul Quilter, Head of Spiritual and Pastoral Care, Dr Michele Hampson, Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist, Mike Cooke, Peter Hill

Faiths come together to help put a stop to mental health discrimination To mark Nottingham Mental Health Awareness Weeks last month, the Trust, together with the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham held an ‘Opening Minds’ event at Nottingham Council House.

Over 50 people from across a variety of faiths attended the event which aimed to raise awareness of mental health discrimination, discuss how it might be evident in their faith communities and explored what could be done to address the issue. The event was linked to the national ‘Time to Change’ initiative which works to end mental health discrimination.

A number of representatives spoke at the event, including Trust Chief Executive Mike Cooke and The Archdeacon of Nottingham, The Venerable Peter Hill, who shared their personal experiences of mental health.

A series of workshops where delegates discussed ways in which they could look to highlight and tackle these issues together further also took place.

Mike said: “I am extremely proud that my colleagues at the Trust, along with our partners in the faith communities, are leading the way in this area of research. We identified where the NHS and different faiths can work together

to put an end to the stigma associated with mental health problems. Being held during Nottingham Mental Health Awareness Weeks made the event particularly poignant.”

The Archdeacon of Nottingham, The Venerable Peter Hill, said: “It has been excellent to share experiences and ideas with other faith partners and with the Trust. Faith communities need to do more to oppose the stigma and discrimination that people with mental illness often experience.”

Going forward, it is hoped that more people will become involved in this initiative and similar events will be held in the near future.

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‘heARTfelt’ – inspiring exhibition challenges perceptions of mental health ‘heARTfelt’, an exciting and beautiful exhibition of artwork by more than 50 artists, who use or have used mental health services, was launched in Café Art and The Long Gallery at Duncan Macmillan House, as part of this year’s 20th Nottingham Mental Health Awareness Weeks.

Over 40 people were in attendance at the exhibition opening in October. Kate Deamer, Project Development Worker, Catherine Conchar, Head of Equality and Diversity and Anthony Gariff, Artist, shared their thoughts on the exhibition and how the arts can contribute to people’s recovery. Music was supplied

by The Involvement Centre band who entertained attendees whilst they viewed the fantastic range of artwork on display.

Commenting on the exhibition Kate Deamer, Project Development Worker at Nottinghamshire Healthcare and exhibition curator, said: “Since July work has come in to me from far and wide; from individuals and groups and from art studios and our hospitals. There is a fantastic mix of beautiful and unique pieces of artwork that cannot fail to move the viewer. The launch was a real celebration of art and artists and by the

sea of smiling faces in the crowd, and the happy conversations in the room, it was obvious that people had fun and appreciated the wonderful creativity around them.”

The exhibition is open daily until 6 December. Admission is free and all are welcome. Please contact Kate Deamer for any information on 07825 113251 or katherine.deamer@nottshc.nhs.uk Catherine, Kate and Anthony at the exhibition, in front of ‘Aquarium’ created by The Creative Crafts Group, Cresswell Day Unit, Rampton Hospital.

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Left to right: John March, Central Locality Manager; Kate Wilson EIP Community Psychiatric Nurse; Anthony Bernard; Merlita Bryan, Councillor and Sheriff of Nottingham; Azad Choudhry, Councillor, Arboretum Ward; Linda Wright, Neighbourhood Development Officer; Maureen Sharpe, EIP Community Psychiatric Nurse.

Early Intervention team meets Arboretum community The Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) team has once again been connecting with the community, this time at a funfair event in Nottingham.

“Being seen and heard in the community is vital because integrated healthcare is everyone’s business,” said Anthony Bernard, Community Psychiatric Nurse. “The EIP team regularly works to connect with the wider community by linking with organisations outside the Trust and talking to young people and adults about mental health issues on a personal and wider community level.”

The EIP service focuses on offering meaningful information and meeting people to listen to their views and explore what’s working well and how they can do things better.

The team took the opportunity to meet some of the Arboretum community at an event in the Arboretum Ward in August. The day was funded by local councillors and organised by the Arboretum Neighbourhood Development Officer, Linda Wright. It offered a diverse audience including people working in mental and physical health, City Council senior personnel and the local community, and provided plenty of opportunity to engage with the wider community.

One group of adolescents, for example, felt that cannabis wasn’t harmful because lots of people use it. EIP colleagues explained that in some cases using cannabis can increase the risk of a psychotic episode; this stimulated healthy discussions on the topic.

The event also included a physical health information stall which offered blood pressure checks and general advice.

“It was a great day,” said Anthony. “People were willing to listen and to think about mental/physical health within a fun and family-friendly atmosphere.”

Ashfield develops heart failure rehab Colleagues at Ashfield Community Hospital are carrying out a pilot scheme which includes providing heart failure rehabilitation within their existing pulmonary rehabilitation programme.

National audit data collected by the British Heart Foundation and the British Association for Cardiac Rehabilitation from various cardiac rehabilitation programmes nationally shows a gap in provision for heart failure rehabilitation.

The pilot scheme involves taking a small number of referrals from the heart failure specialist nurses and integrating patients within the pulmonary rehabilitation programme.

“We looked at the evidence base for combining rehabilitation for patients with heart failure and long term lung conditions, and the results are very positive,” said Vanessa Holmes, Respiratory Physiotherapist. “The evidence shows that an integrated approach to rehabilitation can improve symptoms and enhance quality of life. This pilot also demonstrates value for money as we are using our resources as effectively as possible to provide a new service in the local community.”

Results from the pilot will be analysed and if they are positive, the scheme could be expanded to develop a new Heart Failure Rehabilitation Service within North Nottinghamshire.

For any further information contact Vanessa Holmes on 01623 785 393 or email vanessa.holmes@nottshc-chp.nhs.uk.

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Hope and opportunity at hearing voices day A Hearing Voices Day held at the Nottingham Recovery College was well attended by the public, service users and services alike.

The event in September was an opportunity for visitors to share experiences and to pick up information about hearing voices and associated therapies.

The Carer, Family and Friends service was represented by Andrea Emmens and the Carers Federation charity by Meryl Salt and Louise Hazelwood, who both made a plea for more funding to keep the service going. Other services represented were Voice Box social inclusion, a wellbeing service offering group meetings, and Survivors Helping Each Other (SHE).

Members of ‘Depression Can Be Fun’, a group run by Helen McNallen, also attended and introduced others to their

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Top: (l-r) Trevor Hogg, Hannah Slack, Helen McNallen, Kelly Simpson Bottom: (l-r) Ginny Slack, Carer Volunteer with an attendee

website www.depressioncanbefun.com, which offers online support to depression sufferers and carers.

Carer Ginny Slack shared her experiences of being a carer for the first time at the event. She said she was nervous, but felt good giving something back.

Ginny’s daughter, Hannah (a service user) exhibited her hand-made Recovery jewellery, which many visitors found irresistible. Hannah’s work will soon be on permanent display at the College.

Ginny’s sentiments were echoed by Trevor Hogg, who spoke about his personal

story as a voice hearer and inspired many in the audience.

With its motto of ‘hope, control and opportunity’, Nottingham Recovery College was a fitting venue for the event. Many visitors left in better spirits than they arrived and several carers said they were given hope for the first time after talking to other carers and sharing their experiences. Trevor also said that he had been given hope by clinicians and the Trust’s Recovery Plan, which in turn made him feel more in control and with that he could begin to see opportunity.

Bicycle User Group is Up and Wheeling The inaugural meeting of the Trust’s Bicycle User Group (BUG) took place in September. The group has been formed as part of the Trust’s support for promoting sustainable travel. Its principle objective is to encourage cycling by addressing issues that both current and potential cycle users feel are important.

One member of the group is Kevin Warren: “I have commuted to work on my bike for about 20 years, mainly to help me to keep fit and also to ‘do my bit’ for the environment.

“I have worked for a few employers in that time and have noticed many differences in their attitudes towards cyclists, some better than others.

“My commute is around four miles into Duncan Macmillan House which is relatively quick and easy but if the weather is bad there aren’t any facilities available to shower and freshen up, which can sometimes mean the bike gets left at home and I use the car instead.

“Having purchased a new bike through the cycle2work scheme, I do have some

concerns about how secure the storage facilities are and that the existing cycle racks are in the open with no protection from the elements.

“I was keen to get involved in the recently formed Bicycle User Group (BUG) to meet with fellow cyclists to see how we can promote cycling for Trust staff and also how we can improve the current facilities available for staff.

“I know from discussions with colleagues that some would consider using their bikes if better facilities were available and hopefully the BUG will be able to have some influence over this in the coming months.”

For further information on the BUG please contact Neil Alcock, Energy and Environmental Manager and Sustainability Advisor, on neil.alcock@nottshc.nhs.uk.

Sharing best practice with international visitors Last month, Nottinghamshire Healthcare with Nottingham University Hospitals hosted a special visit of representatives from 19 leading international healthcare organisations.

The visit was organised by the Innovation Learning Network, which brings together healthcare organisations from across the world to share and develop innovations in patient care.

It was hosted by the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement. Nottinghamshire Healthcare was one of the two Trusts selected because of its outstanding and successful implementation of the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement’s Productive Ward, Productive Mental Health Ward and Productive Community Services programmes.

The programmes focus on improving ward processes and environments to help nurses and therapists spend more time on patient care, thereby improving safety and efficiency. The Trust was an early pioneer of this work and visitors had the opportunity to see first hand how colleagues achieved the successful implementation.

Steve Williamson, Trust Senior Nurse Professional Projects, said: “We were delighted to have been selected for this visit and acknowledged for our work in this area. The programmes have helped to improve patient contact and experience and we were pleased to share our practice with others to further improve patient care.”

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Collaborative continence success

Advocacy update

Colleagues from County Health Partnerships have worked together to enable a patient with complex needs to achieve bowel continence for the first time.

A new access to advocacy service is now in place and supporting service users across Nottinghamshire.

Corinne Hudson of Community Nursing and Julie Codling from the Continence Advisory Service worked with parents, support workers and the patient’s consultant psychiatrist on a proactive bowel management programme which has led to results that surpassed expectation.

‘Your Voice, Your Choice’ is a free service provided by POhWER in partnership with Age UK. It is commissioned by Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire County Councils in partnership with NHS Nottingham City and NHS Nottinghamshire County.

The patient, a young adult with severe learning disabilities, had an irregular pattern of bowel opening and was incontinent of faeces. The issue had previously been managed with continence pads.

The treatment programme that was discussed, agreed and then implemented maintained patient dignity throughout. It consisted of educating support workers on the use of the prescribed laxative to stabilise the consistency and frequency of the bowel movement and included advice on the regularity and type of food and drinks given to the patient in order to promote a healthier bowel.

The programme also focused on reestablishing a regular and effective pattern of bowel movements through prompted toileting and correct posture on the toilet.

Techniques were used to increase relaxation when sitting on the toilet to promote bowel opening on the toilet instead of in an incontinence pad.

The approach has resulted in no further faecal incontinence and continence products are no longer needed.

As a result of the success of the treatment programme the patient can now engage in more physical activity and their social interaction and quality of life have improved.

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The service is available every working day and provides telephone information and advice to help users access the services and support they need.

Anyone contacting the service is assessed holistically so that the team can fully understand their needs and issues. They are then given appropriate and accessible information, advice and advocacy.

Your Choice, Your Voice also provides referrals for people with complex issues or needs and offers issue-based advocacy support to a wide range of service users.

In some cases the service may help explore options for an individual that had not previously been considered.

For example, in one case the Independent

Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA) brought the peer support service to the attention of a service user’s clinical team. Referral to the service helped the individual who was on a hospital section increase their escorted leave. This increased their confidence, independence and overall mental health. They progressed onto unescorted leave and their discharge is currently being planned.

The new service is available to people aged 18 or over who live in Nottingham or Nottinghamshire and replaces all advocacy services that previously supported adults with a physical and sensory impairment, a learning disability, or a mental health problem, older people and people with dementia.

Statutory advocacy services, IMHA, Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA), Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and Paid Representatives services are also available from Your Choice, Your Voice, together with information about the services for professionals.

All services can be contacted by phone on 0300 020 0093 or by email at yourvoiceyourchoice@pohwer.net.

Further information is also available at www.pohwer.net.

Recycle, Reuse, Redistribute:

working in partnership with voluntary services

Promoting Health Awareness across Nottinghamshire Healthcare The Arnold Lodge 2013 Health Promotion calendar has been devised by patients and staff at Arnold Lodge to raise awareness and promote positive physical health.

The calendar features artwork submitted by the patients at Arnold Lodge, and promotes national health campaigns and internal Trustwide events.

Emma Sykes is a facilitator with the Releasing Time to Care Team. Whilst working on Kingsley Ward at Millbrook Mental Health Unit, which was being relocated to its newly renovated ward, it became apparent that large amounts of items which were not required elsewhere within the Trust were going to be disposed of. Emma and Environmental Care Coordinators Caroline Stark and Enid Cassidy felt it was ‘criminal’ to waste such useful items that could be distributed elsewhere.

Therefore, Emma got in touch with the infection control team to ensure the unwanted items were able to be used elsewhere before contacting the Salvation Army at Mansfield, who were delighted to take possession of them and source where they could be distributed to. Emma and Enid delivered the items which included bedding such as pillows and quilts to The Salvation Army who in turn, distributed to Midway Housing, who were very grateful.

Emma said: “If items are no longer required or have no further use within the Trust, there are always other people who may make use of these. One person’s rubbish could be another person’s gain so I would encourage everyone to consider this before throwing away something that could be reused elsewhere.”

Emma (centre) pictured with Caroline Stark (far left), Enid Cassidy (far right) and representatives from The Salvation Army and Midway Housing

The following health campaigns were selected as they most closely represent our patient and service user population.

The featured campaigns follow the national agenda and are as follows: • January: Cervical Cancer awareness • February: Heart Health • March: Prostate/Ovarian Cancer awareness • April: Bowel Cancer awareness • May: Stroke awareness • June: Sun care awareness • July: Eat well, move more, live longer • August: Dental/Oral health awareness • September: Sexual Health • October: Breast Cancer awareness • November: Mental Health awareness • December: Drug and Alcohol awareness Calendars are priced at £5.00 for a large calendar and £3.00 for a small desk top calendar.

For more information or to order please email james.routen@nottshc.nhs.uk or nichola.mistry@nottshc.nhs.uk or call 0116 2077802.

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Don’t miss out! OSCARS celebrate staff achievements Time is running out to make your nomination for the 2012/13 OSCARS. Don’t miss this opportunity to have an individual or team you know recognised for their outstanding work.

The Trust’s Outstanding Service Contribution and Recognition Scheme (OSCARS) is live for its tenth year – and we need your nominations to reward our staff.

Maybe you’ve experienced exceptional service first hand or perhaps you work alongside an individual or team and see every day what an amazing job they do. If you are an employee of the Trust remember you don’t have to be a manager to put in a nomination. The deadline for nominations to be received is Friday 16 November 2012 – if they are not received by this date we will not be able to include them, so don’t miss out!

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There are nine award categories to choose from: • Unsung Hero Award – Clinical • Unsung Hero Award – Non Clinical • Equality and Diversity Award • Liam O’Neill Fighting Stigma Award • Innovator of the Year Award • Team of the Year Award – Clinical • Team of the Year Award – Non Clinical • Leadership Award • Lifetime Achievement Award Nomination forms for each category are available on the website at www. nottinghamshirehealthcare.nhs.uk.

For more information about the OSCARS, please contact the Communications Team on 0115 993 4525 or email frances.marshall@nottshc. nhs.uk. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on Thursday 21 March 2013 at the East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham.

Ben Nevis cash for Bluebell David Beard (left) and Luciano Recchia (right), both from Rampton Hospital, are pictured presenting a cheque for £300 to Emma Vizor, Fundraiser, of Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice. A team of Trust colleagues from Rampton Hospital including David and Luciano raised the funds by climbing Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain, in June this year.

Social worker Ben is awards finalist A social worker from HMP Nottingham has been selected as a finalist in the Social Worker of the Year Awards 2012 as a result of his outstanding work with adults.

Ben (third from left) pictured with some of his colleagues at HMP Nottingham

Ben Ross, an Outreach Worker working within the Trust’s Offender Health team, has been nominated for the Adult Social Worker of the Year prize at the awards. He and the other finalists will find out the winners at an awards ceremony at the House of Commons on 30 November.

“I’m really pleased to have been selected as a finalist,” said Ben. “I’ve been working at HMP Nottingham since January 2010 and it’s always an interesting challenge.

To now have my work recognised like this is just fantastic.”

The awards are open to qualified social work practitioners throughout England. There are over 40 finalists in 14 categories, and winners from each category will compete to be

named overall ‘Social Worker of the Year 2012’.

James Rook, Managing Director of headline sponsors and awards organisers Sanctuary Personnel, added: “These awards are about recognising the best work in the profession and to reach the finals is an outstanding achievement in itself.

The awards aim to raise awareness of the challenging and diverse work that social workers do and are helping to improve the reputation of social workers everywhere.”

The Social Worker of the Year Awards 2012 is a registered charity which aims to improve the reputation and understanding of the social work profession. For more information see www.socialworkawards.com.

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l-r: Dean Fathers, Jan Wilkinson, Mike Harris, Mike Cooke

Time capsules commemorate Hospital’s centenary As part of Rampton Hospital’s centenary celebrations, two time capsules have been buried in the Hospital grounds with the hope that they will be discovered and opened in 2112, 100 years from now.

Patients, carers and hospital staff helped collate memorabilia and documents that portray hospital life today to go inside the capsules. One of the capsules was buried on the Hospital’s official 100th anniversary, 1 October, outside

the Mike Harris Learning and Development Centre. Trust Chief Executive Mike Cooke, Chair Dean Fathers, Executive Director of Forensic Services Mike Harris and one of the hospital’s longest serving members of staff, Jan Wilkinson, joined hospital staff past and present to mark the occasion.

They also unveiled a commemorative plaque to mark the capsule for others to see in years to come.

Dr Mike Harris said: “This year is an important milestone for the Trust and the Hospital and we are proud to celebrate 100 years of improving patient care. The time capsule event was an opportunity for us to consider the changes that have taken place over the past century whilst preserving a part of Hospital life in 2012. I am sure that the capsule and its contents will prove to be an interesting find to whoever unearths it in the future.”

The other capsule was buried within the secure area of the Hospital on 6 October, witnessed by staff and carers.

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Items inside the capsule included: • Staff and patient menus • Centenary edition of Positive newsletter • Forensic prospectus • Current staff and patient numbers • Photos of key areas at Rampton and external images of buildings • Financial/operating statements • Centenary brochure (including exhibition and

Jan takes part in burying the capsule

patient narratives) • Newspaper cuttings relating to Rampton • ‘Inside Out’ DVD • Rampton service leaflets • Visitor Centre and Accredited Children DVDs • Patient artwork and written work • Meaningful Day report • Current day currency (coins) • Current newspaper • Receipt from goods bought at patient shop • Mobile phone

One of the longest-serving members of staff in the Trust, Jan Wilkinson has worked at Rampton Hospital since February 1969. She started as a medical typist and was employed by the Civil Service. After organisational changes in the 90s, the Hospital came under the umbrella of the NHS and Jan transferred her employment.

“I thoroughly enjoy working at Rampton,” said Jan. “Since I started there have been too many changes to mention, but it has made for an interesting working life.”

Burying the time capsule inside the secure area of the Hospital

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An N-ALIVE pack containing the Naloxone injection, emergency first aid information and a ‘licence to carry’ card.

HMP Nottingham leads the way in major new study In the last issue of Positive we reported on Nottingham prisoners taking part in a new study. This month we have more details about the project.

HMP Nottingham has become the first site to take part in a national study in substance misuse. ‘N-ALIVE’ (NALoxone InVEstigation) is a large prison-based randomised controlled trial developed by the Medical Research Council. It is designed to test the effectiveness of giving Naloxone on release to prisoners with a history of injecting heroin in order to prevent drugrelated deaths.

1 in 200 prisoners with a history of heroin use by injection will die a drugs-related death within four weeks of their release from prison, due to abstinence and reduced tolerance in custody.

Naloxone is an antidote to an opiate overdose and has been used as a prescription-only medicine in the NHS for many years. In the trial, eligible consenting prisoners will be randomly selected to receive, on release from custody, either a single ‘rescue’ injection of Naloxone or a control pack containing no Naloxone. Participants will also receive education about the risks of heroin overdose and shown how to administer Naloxone.

The Trust’s Offender Health Directorate has worked closely with the East Midlands & South Yorkshire Mental Health Research Network to start the pilot phase of the study. Dr Andrew Bickle, Principal Investigator for HMP Nottingham, said: “N-ALIVE is a great opportunity for us as researchers and for our patients.

Being involved in such a prestigious study has helped the Directorate develop its processes to better support research and has generated important service support costs which will be used to establish research infrastructure for the future.”

The pilot phase of the study will take place over the next 10 months and will determine how feasible the study is to run.

The main trial will then be implemented and will aim to recruit 56,000 prisoners across the country over the next five years.

Pictured (left-right): Nirlas Bathia, Senior Pharmacist; Dr Andrew Bickle, Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist and Principal Investigator for N-ALIVE; Helen Smith, Head of Healthcare; Liz Andrew and Amy Shuttlewood, both Clinical Studies Officers.

Norovirus advice on Trust intranet The Trust continues to work hard in the fight against norovirus during the winter months and the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Team has put together a list of tips and advice to help colleagues identify and manage symptomatic service users.

Norovirus, commonly known as the winter vomiting bug,

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is the most common cause of gastroenteritis (upset stomach) in the UK. The virus commonly causes outbreaks during the winter but sporadic cases are seen throughout the year.

Outbreaks occur in contained environments such as hospitals, care homes and schools. This is because the norovirus spreads very easily from person to person and can survive for several days in a contaminated area. Symptoms normally resolve without treatment

within 24 to 72 hours and there are no long term effects.

For further information, colleagues should refer to the ‘top tips’ advice sheets available on the Trust and Health Partnerships’ intranets or contact the IPC teams: • Health Partnerships – 01623 673 833/4/6 (County) or 01777 871 664 (Bassetlaw) • Local Services – 0115 969 1300 ext 14038/14092 • Forensics – 01777 247 226

COPD colleagues in running for national award Colleagues in County Health Partnerships (CHP) have been shortlisted for a national award.

A team from CHP has been working closely with GP practices and primary care colleagues on a project to improve the standard of management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD) patients within primary care in Mansfield and Ashfield.

Now, the project has been shortlisted for The General Practice Awards 2012 in the ‘Clinical Team – Respiratory’ category.

The project is a joint venture with NHS Improvement Lung and the project group includes representation from primary, secondary and community care. The thinking behind the project is that if patients with COPD receive excellent primary care they will be less likely to need expensive emergency treatment. The work currently involves three local practices that will become COPD ‘beacon’ practices. These beacon practices will then work with the project team to further progress the project and create a best practice guide for the primary care management of COPD patients. The team hopes to eventually roll out the guide to all practices within Mansfield and Ashfield.

The project team was shortlisted from hundreds of applications for the awards. Award winners were to be announced at a ceremony on 1 November (after we went to print).

Congratulations to everyone involved.

What’s your story?

Do you have a story about your experiences of recovering from mental ill health? Could your story help inspire hope in others? Would you like to share your story with others? If the answer to any of these questions is ‘yes’, then we want to hear from you.

We are developing a website that will offer people hope, information and support while recovering from mental

ill health. We’re looking for long or short stories, photos, artwork and poems to use on the site.

We’re particularly looking for contributions that will inspire hope in others as we want to share content that people can relate to and gain something from.

If you’d like to share your story please contact any of the following people for more information, or simply send us your contribution:

n Welcome

Shirley Smith Shirley Smith has joined Health Partnerships on a 12-month secondment from NHS Nottingham City Clinical Commissioning Group.

Shirley began in her new role of Associate Director for Clinical Strategy and Service Redesign on 1 October.

She will play a key role in supporting localities to develop their strategies, plans and new service offerings in support of emerging commissioning intentions and Nottinghamshire Healthcare’s application for Foundation Trust status.

“There is growing recognition that strong community services are vital to a strong health economy which delivers for patients and carers of all ages,” said Paul Smeeton, Chief Operating Executive for Health Partnerships. “Shirley was instrumental in commissioning these services in Nottingham City and is now bringing her experience to us in the Trust. She will be able to help us continue to develop new services with our primary care, acute trust and local authority colleagues as well as with patients and carers themselves. I am delighted she has joined us.”

Shirley Smith

• Becky Cassidy, Rosewood Involvement Centre. Tel 01623 835 210 or email becky. cassidy@nottshc.nhs.uk • Jason Rungapadiachy, Early Intervention in Psychosis, Newark & Sherwood. Tel 01636 670 600 or email jason.rungapadiachy@ nottshc.nhs.uk • Andy Ambler, Assertive Outreach, Mansfield & Ashfield. Tel 01623 785 716 or email andrew. ambler@nottshc.nhs.uk

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A great day out at Rush 4 Health Rushcliffe Children and Young People’s services and the Rushcliffe COPD team once again contributed to the annual ‘Rush 4 Health’ event.

The fun day at Rushcliffe Country Park was held in September and celebrated all things to do with health and wellbeing. It was promoted by Rushcliffe Borough Council and Rushcliffe Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and had been postponed from earlier in the summer due to the wet weather.

Lynn Owen-Jones, Children and Young People’s Services Professional Lead, School Nurses Karen Ellis and Carolyn Marshall, and COPD team leader Elaine Turner all spent the day meeting local Rushcliffe residents. Friends and patients also represented Breathe Easy, the local self support club for people with breathing difficulties.

The team had great fun teaching inhaler techniques and even learned new ways of using inhalers that they hadn’t seen

before. They also gave out samples of sun screen and explained the importance of always protecting children (and adults) from the harmful effects of the sun.

“Although the sun didn’t really appear much we still spoke to many members of the public,” said Lynn. “We also spoke to other health promotion teams and the new GP Practice Liaison Officer for Rushcliffe CCG.” Colleagues from the Rushcliffe COPD team worked alongside local GPs running a ‘Street Doctor’ tent. “We carried out screening and offered full spirometries to those who needed them,” said Elaine Turner. “It was a great way of advertising our service to patients with COPD and also a chance to capture some of the ‘missing millions’ currently undiagnosed and refer them to their GPs for follow up.

It made a few people realise they had to change their lifestyle if they didn’t want to be one of our patients later in life.”

Rush 4 Health is organised by the Rushcliffe Community Partnership,

a partnership of 12 organisations committed to health improvement in Rushcliffe. For more information visit www.rushcliffe.gov.uk/ communitypartnership.

Cyclist raises children’s centre funds A Mansfield dad cycled 164 miles to raise money for County Health Partnerships’ Children’s Development Centre, based at Kings Mill Hospital.

Scott Taylor completed the trip from Kirkby-in-Ashfield to Skegness and back to say ‘thank you’ to the centre for the help it has given his stepson, Caiden.

The Children’s Development Centre provides therapy services for children with a range of complex health needs. Caiden has cerebral palsy and regularly visits the physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists.

Scott Taylor with sons Caiden, four, (centre) and his two-year-old brother, Kenzie, presenting the cheque to Helen Dabbs from the Children’s Development Centre.

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Lynn Owen-Jones from CHP’s Children and Young People Team

Top: Plants growing inside the poly-tunnel Bottom: Planting the keyhole garden

Thorneywood still in bloom Written by Jeni Warby, Thorneywood service user

“At Thorneywood Education Base everyone is extremely pleased to have been awarded not one, but two awards for our garden. These add to the award from last year for overall best school garden in Nottingham in Bloom, which then decided to nominate us for East Midlands in Bloom.

“I wanted to raise money for the Children’s Development Centre because we really appreciate all the support that they provide for Caiden and also for us,” said Scott. “They have helped him settle into school and we wanted to give something back.”

Scott fractured his ankle just before the ride but continued undeterred, raising £1,124.26 for the centre.

Helen Dabbs, Head of Children’s Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy at the centre, is planning to spend the money on toys and equipment. She said: “This money is a fabulous boost for the team and the centre. The toys we buy will help the children learn through play. We are also going to buy some child-friendly stethoscopes for children with respiratory problems and a balance bike to give the children experience of movement and to help their balance and confidence. Our thanks to Scott for his generosity and support.”

“The judge from East Midlands in Bloom came out to see our school grounds back in June and we didn’t expect to win anything so we were surprised when we got a letter confirming we had won silver gilt.

They said that they were highly impressed by the fact that despite being on a steep slope the space was used very well with our poly-tunnel, woodland walk, meadow and wildlife areas. They were also pleased with our new keyhole garden and fruit and veg patch, the produce from which is used by the chefs in the kitchen, so we

were also awarded a special award for ‘best fruit and veg garden’ for 2012.

“We were all delighted when we got even more good news – we’d won gold in Nottingham in Bloom once again.

They said that we had “a fantastic display of flowers and plants” and “an excellent composting system was in place”. They were so pleased with our gardens that the only suggestion for improvement was “keep up the good work”.

“Both judges were also very impressed that all the produce grown was used by the chefs in the kitchen.

“So we’re now all wondering what we will get to add to these awards next year. We’ll have to wait and see but for now everybody’s hard work and effort has paid off so it’s time to celebrate!”

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Bracken Blades shoot for success Patients at Bracken House, the new 18-bed locked rehabilitation unit in Mansfield, have been signing up to join its new patient football team.

The team name, ‘Bracken Blades’, was picked from suggestions by patients and its kit was pre-owned and donated by Notts Football Association. It is the first patient football team in Mansfield.

Bracken Blades recently competed in the ‘Positive Goals’ Tournament at Nottingham Powerleague and drew last year’s winners, Rowan Rovers, in their first match.

“It’s great that we’ve had the opportunity to form a new team and represent Mansfield at this event,” said Matthew Vickers, Staff Nurse. “I’ve been involved with ‘Positive Goals’ before and have seen the positive impact that a physical health activity can have on a patient’s mental health, empowering them to continue on their recovery journey.”

Since the tournament the patients have asked for weekly football training sessions and friendly matches with some of the players and teams they met.

Chris Newton, Staff Nurse, said: “It was a great day and being able to bring the lads out of the unit to get active and play football was brilliant, especially for those who tend to stay in their room and lack the motivation for activities.”

Bracken Blades is now enjoying taking part in the ‘Positive Goals’ league, which started in October.

Football isn’t the only physical health activity that takes place at Bracken House. Swimming, cycling, rambling, gym, fishing and belly dancing are all part of the patients’ weekly routine.

Healthcare Assistant Darren Cox said: “It’s very important to have physical activity in mental health services as it can be the antidote to mental illness. It stimulates the ‘feel good’ brain chemicals, which promotes better recovery.”

All the activities Bracken House provides help patients become socially included in society, which breaks down barriers or stigma and helps them increase their self esteem and confidence.

“I came to Bracken House not long before the tournament so I didn’t know many people. It was a brilliant day and I was able to get to know the patients and staff and I felt less anxious about being here” – Jonathan Wallace “It was a brilliant day. Everything from the organisation, the food that was provided at lunch and the friendliness of everyone was first class” – Michael Meehan

“I really had a great time and the medal we got at the end of the day was really nice” – Gary Spencer

Members of Bracken Blades (from left to right) Gary Spencer, Darren Cox, Chris Newton, James Gardiner, Jonathan Wallace, Kevin Bancroft, and Michael Meehan (front).

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Thinking ‘outside the box’ saves Rushcliffe locality cash A Personal Assistant working in County Health Partnerships has implemented an idea that will save Rushcliffe community nurses several thousand pounds from their budgets over the next few years.

Negative pressure wound pumps are small portable devices that are used to promote healing in acute or chronic wounds. Increasing numbers of patients are being discharged from hospital after using these devices and local community nursing teams have to provide the units for them.

Ann Gott, PA to Peter Hunt, General Manager (Rushcliffe), inherited a system where she was being asked to organise the hire of these pumps for temporary use by patients. Ann noted how expensive this was and investigated the cost of buying enough pumps for the locality. She also looked at the servicing costs and expected lifespan of the pumps. Quick calculations (confirmed by Finance) showed that buying three pumps would, over their expected fiveyear lifespan, save the Trust well over £13,000.

The pumps have now been bought and Rushcliffe nursing teams are about to start making use of them. Well done Ann!

Trust to deliver Family Nurse Partnership programme Health Partnerships is now commissioned to provide the Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) programme across Nottinghamshire County.

FNP is a voluntary, preventive programme for vulnerable first time mothers. It offers intensive and structured home visiting from early pregnancy until the child is two, and is delivered by specially trained family nurses. The main aims of the programme are to improve pregnancy outcomes, child health and development, and parents’ economic self-sufficiency.

Extensive evidence from the USA shows that FNP has numerous benefits for the most vulnerable young families. The programme

Ann Gott with one of the wound pumps

has been shown to improve social mobility and break the cycle of disadvantage and poverty being passed on from generation to generation.

The Health Partnership FNP team will consist of eight family nurses, one family nurse supervisor and one administrator. Nurses will be based in localities appropriate to their client group, with the supervisor and administrator based at Park House in Carlton, Nottingham.

The family nurse supervisor has already been appointed – Kerrie Adams comes from from a role leading a School Nursing team. Kerrie has a Masters degree in public health, a background as a specialist community public health practitioner and practice teacher, and extensive experience as a leader, practice teacher and clinician within community child and family teams. She is a qualified family planning practitioner and has specialised in adolescent sexual health and teenage pregnancy.

Kerrie and the FNP implementation team are now recruiting to the family nurse posts and aim to have the team complete by January 2013.

They will then be fully integrated into existing Child and Family teams across the county.

For further information on the FNP programme please contact Kerrie Adams on 07798 650 689, or email kerrie.adams@ nottshc-chp.nhs.uk.

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Ishwar Virma, PA/Ward clerk on A43, receives his Pizza Express voucher from Dr Richard LansdallWelfare, Chair of the Local Services NICE Group.

Crazy campaign fixes frustrations A new and ongoing campaign has been launched across Health Partnerships to understand and resolve some of the frustrations that waste time and efforts of frontline staff in the Trust.

The programme sits alongside and complements the Trust’s Productive Community Services programme.

n Congratulations

NICE winners Congratulations go to Ishwar Verma, Linda Greensmith, Andrew Hyde and Kathryn Simmons.

All four have won £25 Pizza Express vouchers after taking part in the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) quiz that was run alongside the NICE drop-in sessions in Local Services earlier this year.

The quiz was designed to encourage people to sign up to the NICE e-newsletter, which is published on the last Wednesday of each calendar month. If you would like to register for the newsletter, please visit www.nice.org.uk

Benefits review: your stories wanted Have you or a friend or family member accessed the new employment support allowance (ESA)? The Trust is aware that the recent national health-related benefits review is leading to changes

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to employment benefits which are affecting people in different ways.

Our Mental Health and Employment Community of Interest is looking at what we may be able to offer to help support people through this process.

If you or someone close to you has been affected by the changes we’d like to hear about your experiences.

To tell us your story please email tim.wood@nottshc.nhs.uk or write to Tim Wood, The Ivy Suite, Highbury Hospital, Nottingham NG6 9DR.

Since the programme started in July, County Health Partnerships have already received more than 300 responses, identifying more than 200 separate issues. More than 40 issues have now been resolved and management support and funding have been secured to continue the work on an ongoing basis.

Examples of issues raised include: • It’s crazy when I can order a bariatric bed but I can’t order the mattress – WORKING TO RESOLVE • It’s crazy when the printer in our office isn’t networked to all the computers – RESOLVED! • It’s crazy when our portable fridge boxes are so large that it takes two of us to carry them – RESOLVED! It’s easy for colleagues to get involved with the campaign – just let the Productive Community Services (PCS) team know who you are, where you are based and what your ‘It’s Crazy When …’ issues are.

County Health Partnerships colleagues please send your responses to charlotte.wood@nottshc-chp.nhs. uk or by internal mail to the PCS team, Hawthorn House. Bassetlaw Health Partnerships (BHP) colleagues please send your responses to loraine. garner@nottshc.nhs.uk or by internal mail to BHP, Retford Hospital.

The Releasing Time to Care team based at Duncan Macmillan House is hoping to launch this campaign for mental health services colleagues in the near future.

Making Every Contact Count Nottinghamshire Healthcare is supporting NHS Midlands and East in its ambition to Make Every Contact Count; to improve the health and wellbeing of service users and staff and in turn, that of the population.

If people can eat a healthier diet, maintain a healthy weight, take regular exercise, drink alcohol within the recommended daily limits and stop smoking, the benefits to their health, (physical and mental) would be enormous. Making Every Contact Count (MECC) is about staff taking the opportunity to help people achieve this.

Across the East of England, and East and West Midlands area: • 20% of the population smoke • 25% are drinking at increasing risk or high risk levels

• 61% of men and 71% women do not meet recommended physical activity levels • 75% of men and 71% of women do not eat five fruit and vegetables a day.

• Average life expectancy ranges from 68 to 89 years. If a person followed all four of the healthy lifestyles choices they would live 14 years longer on average than those who followed none.

MECC encourages all staff, whether they’re clinical or not, to engage in conversations on smoking, healthy diet, healthy weight, exercise and alcohol intake. It is not intended to add to workloads, but to encourage people to have simple conversations and signpost patients to existing services where appropriate. MECC suggests that in every clinical contact staff should spend one minute in conversation promoting healthy life choices. For example, a patient may comment that they should give up smoking and this is an

opportunity to signpost them to New Leaf, the Trust’s stop smoking service, for help.

Many teams across the Trust already offer information and practical help on improving health through lifestyle changes. In the Trust’s mental health services for example, the physical healthcare matrons and their teams promote many healthy lifestyle interventions. In addition to this, many other projects which support the MECC ideals are flourishing. Initial work relating to MECC in the Trust will be to support projects in mental health settings in Local and Forensic Services. In Health Partnerships MECC work is already strongly supported with training and services designed to support healthy lifestyle choices. Last month the New Leaf team was busy with the Stoptober campaign which helps smokers stop smoking. More work within Health Partnerships is being carried out by the Brief Intervention Trainers.

Brief Interventions – Motivating Behaviour Change Since 2009 Brief Intervention Training has been rolled out across Nottinghamshire County, providing a diverse range of staff with the confidence, knowledge and skills to have motivational conversations about behaviour change with members of the public.

Research shows that conducting a short, motivational chat around making lifestyle changes and signposting to support services could potentially have a huge impact on someone’s life. The training highlights how these conversations can last anything from five to 25 minutes with the focus always being patient-centred, motivational and encouraging.

The Brief Intervention Trainers have created a training package which complements the government‘s guidelines for improving health such as the recommended key health messages surrounding unhealthy lifestyles, signposting information for local support services and the benefits of Motivational Interviewing.

l-r: Brief Intervention Trainers Alison Shiels and Rachel Prosser

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a collaborative conversation which can evoke and strengthen a person’s own motivations to change their behaviour. MI uses specific skills to help people explore their desires, reasons and needs for behaviour change without increasing resistance and barriers.

Brief intervention training alongside Making Every Contact Count will have an impact on health behaviour. Encouraging people to think about adopting healthier ways of living will help improve life expectancy and reduce health inequalities within Nottinghamshire. The more staff feel confident to have motivational conversations with patients, clients, colleagues or family members, the better the outcome for all.

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Puzzled about procurement?

Help is at hand

you just find procurement puzzling. Whatever the questions or comments, the team would be happy to see any Trust colleagues at the times and venues below:

The Trust’s Procurement team is hosting a series of drop-in sessions to help colleagues understand the intricacies of procurement.

Mike Harris Learning and Development Centre, IT Room 1, 9am to 4pm • Friday 9 November • Friday 7 December • Thursday 10 January • Thursday 4 February • Wednesday 6 March

The team will be on hand during each session to provide help and guidance on any purchasing-related matter.

Perhaps you need help with ordering goods and services

Wathwood Hospital, 10am to 3pm • Thursday 6 December in Meeting Room 3 • Wednesday 6 February (venue to be advised)

through the electronic ordering system, maybe you have questions around specific goods or services, or ideas on where the service could improve, or perhaps

Duncan Macmillan House, 9am to 4pm • Thursday 10 January in the orange and yellow room • Monday 4 February in the orange and yellow room • Wednesday 6 March in the green room Arnold Lodge, IT training suite • Wednesday 7 November from 10am to 3pm • Wednesday 9 January from 10am to 3pm • Tuesday 5 March from 10am to 5pm For any further information please contact Carole Avery on 0115 969 1300 x 14013 or email carole.avery@nottshc. nhs.uk.

New forum for speech and language therapy Speech and language therapists (SLTs) who provide services across the Trust (in Forensic Services, Learning Disabilities and Mental Health Services for Older People) have worked together to develop an annual forum.

Over the past year the SLTs have held two clinical sessions to develop an understanding of the range of provision and approaches being provided to people with communication or swallowing disorders within the Trust. They also welcomed the therapist working on B47 – the ward for people with dementia/ delirium at the Queen’s Medical Centre – and a manager in SLT from County Health Partnerships.

Case studies and projects describing the approaches and management offered to people with communication and swallowing difficulties were presented.

These provided valuable understanding and insight into the variety of approaches available. Although specific approaches differ depending on the client group and the nature of the presenting needs, there are also many common themes and some ideas are directly applicable across clinical settings.

practice across the Trust. Those services currently involved will continue to attend and an invitation will be extended to speech and language therapists working in County Health Partnerships who have shared clinical interests.

For more information about the new forum contact Margaret Metcalfe, Speech and Language Therapist tel 0115 956 0813 (Fridays only) or email margaret.metcalfe@nottshc.nhs.uk.

Following the success of the clinical meetings the group has now agreed to run an annual forum to maintain the links and share best

22 Some of the Trust’s speech and language therapists

Mad Hatter’s tea party comes to Bassetlaw Friday 28 September saw amazing local support in Bassetlaw for Macmillan’s ‘world’s biggest coffee morning’ event.

The Macmillan Cancer Information Service, working in partnership with the Trust’s health promotion team, visited a number of local organisations and businesses. Accompanied by the chairman of Bassetlaw Council, Mr Ian Campbell, the team enjoyed the hospitality of local people raising funds for cancer awareness by holding their own coffee morning events.

Several of the health promotion team dressed as characters from Alice in Wonderland and surprised the public with their very own version of the Mad Hatter’s tea party.

One of the highlights of the day had to be a seven-foot white rabbit judging a cake competition at West Villa Care Home supported by Alice and the Mad Hatter.

The day began at Worksop Town Hall, with members

of staff and local councillors enjoying refreshments, entertainment and a raffle, which raised nearly £400.

The group then travelled around the district, visiting a ‘bring and buy’ sale at Bondhay Golf Club, which raised over £1,000, and stopping at The Well and Ye Olde Bell. They dropped in to the Bagel Hole and Revue hairdressers in Retford – who raised over £200 – and then finished at King Edward VII in Worksop where they enjoyed lively banter with the regulars.

“I was thrilled at how the day progressed,” said Ian Campbell. “The event was a great opportunity to raise money, bring people together and

promote the good work of Macmillan and hopefully make a big difference to the lives of the many people affected by cancer.”

Heather McMillan, Macmillan’s Local Information Support Worker, said.

“Thank you to everyone involved, not only to those at our event but to all the people of Bassetlaw supporting the day. Sadly one in three of us will be affected by cancer but because of the generosity of people like those in Bassetlaw, hopefully the journey will be that bit smoother.”

For further information on cancer awareness please contact Heather McMillan on 01777 863 282.

Above and top: the group at some of the stops on their Tea Party Tour.

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q&a q What is your job title and what does your role entail? a Peer Support Worker (someone who has lived experience of Mental Health) working in the Peer Support Service at Highbury Hospital, supporting people from the wards with discharge and the transition of moving back into the community. q How long have you been with

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust? a Two and a half years.

q What do you see as your priorities for Nottinghamshire Healthcare? a Improving people’s experiences of services. q What is your employment

This issue we speak to Peer Support Worker Corrine Hendy q What is your favourite hobby? a Horse Riding. q What keeps you awake at night? a A vocal cat who feels obliged to sit underneath my window.

background? a Facilities Contract Management, Human Resources and Corporation Tax with HM Revenue & Customs. I then went travelling around the world for eight months.

q What is your favourite film? a Ice Age.

q What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given? a If you value yourself you will always value those around you.

use to describe yourself? a Ethical, animated and compassionate.

q What is your idea of bliss? a A spa. q What three words would you

q What was the last CD

q What is your favourite holiday destination? a Venice.

q What is your greatest

q Who would you take to a desert island? a Nelson Mandela.

you bought? a Mr Tumble for Toddlers. achievement? a Being where I am today.

q What makes you angry? a Injustice. q What are you most passionate about? a That Recovery is possible for everyone. q What single thing would improve your working life at Nottinghamshire Healthcare? a Having a bigger Peer Support Team.

q Where do you see yourself

in 10 years’ time? a Continuing to develop Peer Support and the Recovery model.

q Do you have a ‘claim to fame’? a Sitting next to Jack Dee and telling him he looked really familiar.

q How would you like to be remembered? a Somebody who cared and wanted to make a difference.

WHO WE ARE...

You may have picked up this copy of the newsletter not knowing what Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust is. We provide integrated healthcare services including mental health, learning disability and community health services. We also manage medium-secure units in Leicester and Rotherham, and the high-secure Rampton Hospital near Retford and provide healthcare in 11 prisons across the East Midlands and Yorkshire.

WE NEED YOU!

If you have any ideas or suggestions for the newsletter, please contact Suzanne Aitken in the Trust Communications Team on 0115 955 5403 or via email at suzanne.aitken@ nottshc.nhs.uk. We are always pleased to receive articles for possible publication, but ask that they do not exceed 300 words.

Wherever possible when naming individuals, please include details of their job titles/roles and the organisation they are from. If any individuals other than yourself are mentioned in what you write or featured in accompanying photographs, please make sure you check with them that they are happy to be potentially featured. It is your responsibility to ensure this consent is given. Please send photos as separate image files and not in Word documents.

Please note that the Communications Team has full editorial control and may have to edit articles appropriately. Therefore, if you want to see the final version please ensure you send your article in with plenty of time before the deadline and state clearly what you require.

If you would like copies of any past editions of Positive, or if you are having any ‘distribution issues’ with the newsletter – whether you’re receiving too many copies, too few, or none at all – then please contact us.

If you would like your story in the January issue of Positive, please contact us by 7 December 2012. However, due to space constraints we cannot guarantee the publication of all articles received by the deadline.

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, The Resource, Duncan Macmillan House, Porchester Road, Nottingham, NG3 6AA tel 0115 969 1300 www.nottinghamshirehealthcare.nhs.uk

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