9 minute read
Yorkshire and the Humber
Best Practice
Airedale NHS Foundation Trust
Internships for those with a learning disability Airedale NHS Foundation Trust runs a successful internship programme for students with learning disabilities.
Siddeqa Din from Keighley, is a graduate of the internship programme at Keighley College and now has a permanent job at the hospital, working 12 hours a week in the Therapies administration team.
A supported internship is a type of study programme for young people aged 16–24 that have an Education, Health and Care Plan. The internship lasts for between six months and a year and is flexible to suit the young person and the employer. The students spend two days at work and have a job coach who liaises with staff, students and their parents and college and carries out regular reviews on their progress.
The internship increases the students’ confidence and helps them gain fantastic people skills and experience.
27-year-old Siddeqa from Keighley started on the programme in 2019 and now works in the therapy administration team and has also helped with the Pride of Airedale awards event. She was herself nominated trainee of the year at the awards.
Siddeqa says: “When I first started I was a bit nervous but excited to learn new skills and get experience of what it’s like to work in a working environment. I love learning new skills and meeting new people. I love my Airedale family.”
Siddeqa also has advice for any new interns: “Take your job slow and don’t rush too much. If you’re stuck, you need to ask someone and learn. When I first started I asked people for help; they are all very nice people.”
The internship increases the students’ confidence
Using procurement as a force for good The NHS is responsible for 5% of the UK’s carbon emissions and 3.5% of all road travel, so buying sustainably has never been more important.
AGH Solutions lead on sustainable procurement for Airedale as well as other care organisations across West Yorkshire. The group works together to share good practice and lobby suppliers and the NHS Supply Chain to provide sustainable products and services.
The group meet regularly to share ideas and agree a Green action plan and also have inspirational guest speakers to promote sustainable services and ideas, such as NHS Ocean, who are a group of motivated individuals from healthcare, environmental health and marine science who work to ensure ocean health is considered and where appropriate included within healthcare strategy.
With 60% of NHS carbon emissions coming from the supply chain, the NHS are looking at ways to reduce purchasing in the first instance. The group’s achievements include implementing sustainable systems such as Warp, which creates a convenient marketplace allowing teams to find used and surplus equipment from other trusts, free of charge.
They also work together on behalf of all Trusts and organisations to reduce duplication, allowing the group to request suppliers sign up to a clean air commitment and only have to be asked once by all care organisations in West Yorkshire.
Best Practice
Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust
Equal access to services Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust (CHFT) hosted two special vaccination clinics at Calderdale Royal Hospital during the pandemic for people with a learning disability.
CHFT worked in partnership with both Kirklees and Calderdale community learning disability health teams (South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust) to identify who would benefit from such a bespoke service. As part of the process the Trust:
Adopted paperwork developed by another Trust for capacity and best interest documentation. Created a social story to help people prepare with photos of the building, car park, rooms and the staff who would be at the clinic on the day to help reduce anxiety and fear. Held it on a Saturday when the hospital is much quieter and car parking was available. Made a bespoke plan for every individual to meet their needs, which included distraction techniques, including listening to Abba and Cliff Richard on YouTube. Set up the lecture theatre so it was like going to the movies with the Greatest Showman playing and snacks which included popcorn and chocolates.
The first clinic had an 83% success rate and all those who had the first vaccine came to the second clinic, which had a 100% success rate.
The importance of mentoring CHFT runs a mentoring scheme to enable staff to progress in their careers. Below is an interview with one of their mentors. How long have you been a mentor? I have been informally coaching and mentoring for years. In 2021 I undertook the level 5 training in coaching and mentoring. That was brilliant and gave me a whole new skill set. Importance of being a mentor? I feel coaching is more important than mentoring. Coaching is where we sit and listen, believe in the power of the coachees to find their way to achieve their own goals. Through prompts, active listening, reflective questioning and use of simple tools we can help people to find their way through and find solutions that work for them. Also being a coach is a short term relationship aimed at creating independence, not dependence. We give people the tools to find their own solutions. We can move into mentoring (imagine they are 2 ends of a scale, rather than 2 separate disciplines). But it’s important to allow the coachee to make the choice, for example ‘I have some past experiences in this area you may find useful. Would you like me to share them now’ What makes a good mentor? A good coach – listens, believes in the power of the coachee (and absolutely believes in the individual in front of them), uses silence to give the coachee time to consider, engages in coaching themselves (ie is committed to the practice and believes it works for them aswell as everyone else). Holds the coachee to account to make progress on their goals. Has regular supervision for themsleves to ensure they keep learning. Also enjoys meeting people, is curious about others. Remembers the tough times in their own career and now wants to be the person they would have wanted alongside them in that moment.
Best Practice
Most significant impact on mentoring? Well, the lightbulb moments of course stay with you. I remember quite a conversation that went like this:
Coachee – everyone will think I’m rubbish at my job Me – Everyone? Coachee – Yes Pause – silence Me – who’s everyone? Coachee – you want me to name them? Me – Yes Pause – silence, coachee starts to talk, another silence Coachee – well I can’t think of anyone Me – No one Coachee – no one. I’ve gone through all my colleagues and none of them think I’m rubbish at my job
The coachee went on to describe this as a lightbulb moment that lifted things off their shoulders. I was incredible what they achieved.
How do you encourage innovative ideas? It often involves the use of tools. Perhaps a questionnaire on a topic (for example a skill they want like handling conflict, or knowledge they want like where to go in their career). This gives a stepping off point for a conversation. A really simple question give me an example of when something went really well, what did you learn. When something didn’t go so well, what did you learn. What did others do around you? It’s often enough to unlock thoughts, help people to see what energises them and where their skills are. Who are you currently mentoring and the work you are doing? (Please feel free not to use names!) a colleague who came into the trust as a trainee, achieved a supervisory post and is now on a development programme and thinking about ‘what next at work’. Another colleague, more experienced, who took on different and additional responsibilities during covid and really found her voice at work. Trying to work out how to hold that and be resiliant going forward. Such a privilege to work with them both. I am learning all the time as you see how differently we all think. There isn’t ever a ‘right’ way. There are always choices. What's the best advice you can give to help plan a career rather than simply work to keep a job? Stay curious and open to new opportunities. Learn new skills. Focus on what people can do, not what they can’t do (including yourself).
Best Practice
The Jean Bishop Integrated Care Centre A standout case study which underlines Humber & North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership's ‘live well, age well’ vision is The Jean Bishop Integrated Care Centre. It represents a new approach, developed by ICS partners, in providing anticipatory, integrated out-ofhospital care for Hull’s frail, elderly population.
Patients identified at risk of severe frailty are invited to a half-day appointment at the centre, where they receive several multi-disciplinary reviews of their care.
Prior to their visit, a member of the clinical team visits the patient at home to identify any issues about their health, social interaction or day-to-day living they wish to discuss with the team.
The ICC team includes GPs, community geriatricians, pharmacists, advanced practitioners, social workers, carers and therapists who link up with other community speciality teams. The team also provides an outreach service to care home residents.
After their assessment, a care plan is shared electronically and coordinated by an identified care coordinator. If the patient’s condition changes, a model is in place within primary care to ensure patients and their carers receive the care and support they need.
Since opening in July 2018, the facility has contributed to a three per cent reduction in emergency hospital admissions for patients aged over 80, while saving an average of £100 per patient per year on medication costs. Hull Maternity Voices Partnership The Hull Maternity Voices Partnership (MVP), working as an integrated system, ensures women and their families receive safe, high quality maternity care from pre-conceptual planning to care in the postnatal period.
The MVP is made up of over 40 members, including local mothers, CCG commissioners, healthcare professionals, Local Authority leads and representatives from the community and voluntary sector.
The programme includes perinatal mental health, health promotion and prevention and safer maternity care. This work interfaces with the Local Authority-led First 1001 Critical Days partnership strategy that ensures the best start in life for the next generation.
Home-Start Hull is a voluntary organisation offering both practical and emotional support to families with at least one child under five living in Hull. The family support service promotes parental confidence and improved outcomes for children.
The service is also piloting a new school readiness project - Big Hopes, Big Future - an evidencebased intensive support programme targeted at vulnerable pre-school children to improve their readiness for school.
The Every Mum Matters campaign in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire supports new and expectant mums and their families to be able to recognise symptoms of perinatal mental health problems early and encourage them to seek help quickly. Specialist services and support are available in these areas.
