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Inside:
Issue 55
. May 2011
. Contact us at: membership@smhp.nhs.uk . online: www.smhp.nhs.uk/trustmatters
New faces welcomed to the Trust Board Following the appointment of Aidan Thomas as chief executive the Trust has been welcoming more friendly faces into its midst. Barbara McLean has now stepped in as director of nursing following Robert Bolas’ retirement. Barbara comes with a wealth of experience of developing nursing leadership and managing and delivering mental health services. Her key priorities are service user engagement, clinical development and shared learning. A key focus will
• Executive team • Fire safety • Library services • Merger update • Clinical engagement • Service Governance Department • Equality survey results • Stepping Forward 12 • Mental health and the media • Terrace Restaurant closure • Patient safety review • The Great Escape • Payment by Results success • Exploring shared decision-making • Farewells and fundraising • Working with voices • Beat the Blues campaign • Aidan meets staff and sets priorities • Meet Keith Mansfield • Employee Engagement Group • Getting to know you • Letters and compliments
completed last year People have been very as part of the merger open and honest, which has been assessments. Until very useful in assessing where we her retirement in are and where we need to be. My September her main overriding view was that there were focus will be health lots of good clinicians and staff who records. wanted to do the right thing but they At present, health were being hampered by a lack of records are kept in a direction. The organisation at that number of places, time felt tired, like it had run out of including basements steam. The changes the Board are which are dirty, Paula Bourthis, Trust making now will address this. damp and difficult for 10 years. He has also to access. been appointed medical director also be around the designate for the merged Trust. “Before I governance of the Trust In addition, the records are kept in came here I was aware that the results of – including making sure alphabetical order, which presents privacy and data protection problems. service user surveys were stronger in that we spread the Paula is working with project Suffolk than in Norfolk, and I am keen to learning, having that managers Punna Athwall and Crissy find out what is behind that,” he said. drive to develop the “Since I’ve been here, I have been workforce. I also want to Webber towards a solution which will extremely impressed with the IT make sure that we hear see all the paper health records kept at S Block in Bury St Edmunds, and department. I’m very interested in the the voices of service concept of information systems and how users. I want to see how re-filed using a system called they can improve the productivity of involved they are, and Terminal Digit – this relies on records Barbara McLean, healthcare professionals.” Hadrian is what that involvement being given a numerical reference director of nursing rather than using the patient’s name. arranging visits to clinical and non-clinical looks like. Barbara is looking Paula’s core role, as Trust Secretary, areas over the coming weeks and forward to meeting staff and clinical is a Board-level position. She is the months, and is keen to hear colleagues’ teams: “I want to make sure I am getting ‘conscience’ of the Board, challenging views. “I like listening to service user and on the wards and in departments. We run staff at all levels to ensure good carer representatives and I generally try a 24-hour service and I want to ensure governance is achieved. This includes to concentrate on putting into place the that staff who work out of office hours making sure there are no financial systems and frameworks which allow have the opportunities for the same level irregularities, that records are kept people to get on with their jobs and make of development and learning.” appropriately and all the really important decisions.” Roz Brooks, director of quality and that decisions are Hadrian is also the responsible clinical nursing at Norfolk and Waveney Mental followed up and not officer and Caldicott Guardian. Health Trust, will take over the role postallowed to fall by Also in this issue: meet interim finance merger. the wayside. director Keith Mansfield on page 7. With the secondment of Robert Nesbitt to Paula also leads on NWMHFT, we have now been joined by Freedom of I was impressed with the support Paula Bourthis who takes over the role Information Act and corporate staff that I met as part of of Trust secretary. requests and the merger sessions. I was impressed Some of her duties involve improving the compliance with the with how they were dealing with all the system for health records, tightening up Data Protection Act. uncertainty in a considered and dignified corporate governance and reviewing legal Dr Hadrian Ball is way and although the merger presents a Dr Hadrian Ball, medical arrangements. the new medical great uncertainty for them as individuals, director Paula is already known to a number of director for the none of them opposed the merger itself. members of staff through some work she Trust, having previously worked in Norfolk
Fire safety is everyone’s business
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All staff should receive training in fire safety at least every 12 months. This is legal requirement under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. One of the Trust’s Fire Safety Advisers who carries out regular training sessions is Richard Smith. “The training I do includes knowledge of how fires start, spread and grow, potential causes of fire, good housekeeping and fire prevention; it also includes fire safety awareness in the home. After all, if you’re injured tackling a fire at home, it has a direct impact on your availability for your employer”, he said. Richard (pictured) joined the Trust in November 2010. He began his career as a firefighter in the West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service before moving to Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service in 2004 to take up a post as lead officer on the Countries first Private Finance Initiative scheme, then he became the brigade’s training officer and finally area manager, east, responsible for 14 fire stations situated around the coast from Lowestoft to Felixstowe. Richard undertakes around six training sessions a week covering the St Clement’s site and various other hospitals, clinics and Trust properties. His colleague Malcolm Codd generally
covers the North, Waveney and Great Yarmouth whilst Ray Leonard, who retires this month, generally covers Bury St Edmunds, Newmarket and the West of the County. All three Advisers also carry out detailed work place fire risk assessments throughout both counties as required. The fire training covers: - Fire chemistry (how fires start, stages of combustion and fire spread.) - Fire growth and fire protection within buildings. - Firefighting equipment (how to use the extinguishers and classes of fire.) - Hazard spotting and potential causes of fire. - Emergency action to take if you discover a fire or hear the fire alarm sound. - Evacuation procedures and strategies. Training is usually carried out on site in the area where people work however, attendance at other establishments is permitted where circumstances dictate. Anyone wishing to arrange a work place fire risk assessment or a fire training session should call the Estates department on 01473 329750. Richard Smith, fire safety advisor
TRUST MATTERS . MAY 2011 . PAGE 2
Searching beyond Google Internet search engines, like Google, provide a simple way to do a basic search… but if you use these methods alone, you won’t return the most credible sources of information with which to support your work. Academic journals don’t always show up in search engines and the results will display many duplicates. Specialised databases, such as NHS healthcare database PsychINFO, will show each reference only once, making it easier to scan through the results. You can define your search to specific fields such as author or title, search using psychological index terms or by keywords, and apply limitations such as a date or population group.
Often, you are able to access the full-text article immediately for free. Alternatively you can save and email your results and request articles that are not available to you in full-text. If your role requires you to employ evidence-based practice or you are involved in conducting research then you can book a database search training session. Training can be delivered at a location and time to fit in with you and takes just an hour of your time. A mediated literature searching service is also available. The full version of this article can be read on the Intranet under Training and Development > Library Information and Knowledge services.
Merger update Approval date due Suffolk will soon learn whether it will merge with neighbouring Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health Foundation Trust. The two trusts have submitted a business case and integration plan to Monitor, which is an NHS regulatory body and one of a number of organisations that must approve the merger. A decision is due mid-year. Chief executive designate Aidan Thomas said the submission to Monitor is one of the most important steps in the approvals process. “We were required to make submissions to the Strategic Health Authority, the Cooperation and Competition Panel (CCP) and Monitor,” he said. “If Monitor approves the merger we have a green light to merge. “The Merger Programme Management Office, which is responsible for overseeing the merger, is making sure any request from Monitor is met swiftly. This is designed to minimise the chance of any delays in delivering their decision.” Aidan said the CCP has delivered its advice and the Strategic Health Authority has supported the merger. “I am confident the merger will go ahead, especially as we have strong support from service users and other key stakeholders.” Preparation in the lead-up to the merger Work is already underway on the structure of the combined Trust, with most of the new executive directors designate appointed. “The executive directors designate are a combination of staff from both Trusts,” Aidan said. “These staff will step into their roles when the merger takes place, which is expected to be in July at the earliest.” A number of the directors designate are already working in Suffolk following the departure of several key staff. “Our executive teams in Suffolk and Norfolk have a large body of work to do in preparation for the merger. This includes aligning service governance and finalising the locality structure,” Aidan said. “It is also a busy time in terms of staff as we match up human resource policies and undertake the TUPE process. “The team working in Suffolk have been focused on governance, as this is key issue for the Trust.” Are you up to date? More than 300 staff have registered to receive electronic merger updates. These updates include the merger staff newsletter, which is published every three weeks. To sign-up, write to the Merger Programme Management Office on merger.pmo@nwmhp.nhs.uk.
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Clinical engagement Changes to the executive team, see front page, have brought a new and clearer focus on clinical engagement. Hadrian Ball, medical director, defined clinical engagement as “the active partnership at service level in all of the activities and processes that are delivering the Trust’s strategic objectives. “Whether a strategy is clinical, financial, estates, governance or workforce-related, they should all point in the same direction, closely bound together and have clinical strategy at their core.” A Clinical Cabinet has been set up to address key many issues preventing effective communications and clinical engagement. The group comprises of senior managers as well as clinical and medical leads and meets regularly to resolve operational issues quickly.
In 2010/11 a series of ‘Learning by experience’ sessions occurred, also aimed at improving communication between clinicians. These sessions were for clinical staff, mainly those in senior positions but not exclusively, to review and learn from serious untoward incidents. Staff read the serious untoward incident report in order to work out what was known about the situation, what went well, and what would have been an more appropriate service, and what should be fed back to whom. The attendees were very positive as the sessions give clinicians a chance to reflect and learn without feeling blamed.
An Acute Care Forum has been set up to address clinical engagement concerns and met for the first time on 10 May 2011. The main aim of this group is to provide leadership and direction to the development of acute services across the whole Trust. It ensures that the Trust’s clinical leads are communicating effectively and working to the same goals. Although executive directors will be in attendance the Forum will chaired by a senior clinician and/or a manager within clinical services. Barbara Mclean, interim director of nursing, said: “The first Acute Care Forum went extremely well. A work programme has been agreed, which looks at priorities for services and included communication to clinicians and to Board level.” The Forum follows key principles such as accessibility, relevance, efficiency and care quality to underpin its work. It also provides a focus for agreeing acute service priorities such as improving safety of service and the patient’s experience. Barbara added: “The Forum will not only be looking at patient safety issues but will be looking at the real concerns and demands on staff in the field.”
Service Governance Department The Centre for Service Excellence, the team that oversees governance in the Trust, has been recently reorganised. The new team name is the Service Governance Department, and is based in the main hospital building at St Clement’s. The team covers: • Complaints and serious incidents requiring investigation (Nina Parkinson), • Governance, Care Quality Commission registration, clinical audit and the Quality Account (Lisa Llewelyn), • Ligature audit action plan (Risk manager Neil Paull), and • Legal services and Mental Health Act administration (Paula Bourthis).
Equality survey results now out! Many thanks to all the staff who took part in our equality survey at the end of last year. 1 in 4 of you replied so it has taken a while to complete the report! In the next Trust Matters we’ll bring you the highlights in a special article, or you can read the full report at www.smhp.nhs.uk> Information> Equality and Diversity > Staff Equality Survey 2010. STOP PRESS! Following on from the success of SMHPT’s membership over the last three years, the new merged Trust will be a Stonewall Diversity Champion.
TRUST MATTERS . MAY 2011 . PAGE 3
Stepping Forward 12, the last in the Trust’s current series of award-winning engagement events took place at the end of March. The events aim to improve communication service users, family carers, partner organisations and Trust staff. The event started with a welcome and brief overview of the day and its aims by Mayor Jane Chambers (Councillor for Ipswich Borough and Suffolk County Council) and Derek Jones, practice educator, who facilitated the day. Robert Nesbitt, director of community Left to right: Mayor Jane Chambers, Robert The morning session was focused on engagment, gives the latest merger updates. Nesbitt, Jeannie Wright and Derek Jones. medication; how medicines work and their side effects. The pharmacy team medication looks different. a bouquet of flowers to thank her for all also outlined the help and support In the afternoon, the Trust’s director of her work in organising the Stepping available for people who have queries community engagement, Robert Nesbitt, Forward series. Barbara Dale, from SUF, with their prescription. Esther Johnston, gave an update on the merger. also presented Jeannie with a gift. head of pharmacy, hosted a question time Following this, there was a feedback and To close the day, Jane Chambers thanked event with Trust clinical pharmacists discussion session on previous Stepping everyone for coming and for their Karen Barker, Katherine Delargy and Sue Forward events, along with consideration continued input, which ensured the Trust Galloway. Some of the questions people of the direction that service user and listened to people’s views. asked included how to manage the side family carer engagement should take in As well as feeding back into the Trust as effects of existing medication and which the future. At the end of the final session, a whole, there are also opportunities for foods can help improve mood and mental people to feed directly into the team who the Trust’s chairman, Lord Newton of wellbeing and why sometimes the same Braintree, presented Jeannie Wright with may have provided their care.
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Restaurant to close its doors The Terrace Restaurant, which currently provides hot meals, snacks, beverages and vending services for staff and visitors, will sadly close the doors for the last time on Friday 29th July. Peter Richardson, managing director for Suffolk Support Services, said: “For many years now the restaurant has proved to be very popular with patients, staff and visitors. Our catering team here at St Clement’s has been continually praised for their hard work. Their BBQs and special theme days have been particularly successful. However, the Trust Executive team has agreed that as services begin to move off-site there will be a considerable fall in the demand for the service. It is therefore sensible and cost effective to close the restaurant at the end of July.” The closure of the Terrace Restaurant should deliver a considerable saving towards the 2011/12 cost improvement programme. Any costs incurred will be absorbed by Suffolk Support Services. Staff will be able to access an independent sandwich van service and, if necessary, additional delivery points can be requested by teams. Any departments that require food or beverages for meetings or training will need to make their own arrangements. The catering staff will be holding a BBQ during July to say goodbye (date TBA). Questions? Call the Modernisation Project Office on 01473 329318 or Peter Richardson on 01473 329337.
Mental health and the media I am a media student from Felixstowe and since October I’ve been doing work experience with the communications team. As a big fan of the U.S. television series “Criminal Minds”, and a regular Eastenders watcher, I am very interested in the representation of mental health in the media. When I was asked to investigate this topic further I couldn’t wait to get started. I began by designing a survey to ask the public what they thought they knew about mental illnesses from the media, and if they thought the media had done a good job informing them about mental health problems. I expected that the majority would know very little about mental health as, in my view, the media distorts reality for entertainment purposes. 1/5 participants said the media is not very good at giving accurate information on mental wellbeing although many could name a range of mental illnesses and answer questions such as “In one year how many people will suffer from some sort of mental illness” correctly. This could be due to the BBC and other channels trying to break down the stigma by creating documentaries and using the theme of mental wellbeing in storylines. Celebrities like Stephen Fry have been very open about their mental health experiences, making it more accepted. I spoke to Caroline Giles, head of marketing, about the awareness of mental health problems. Symptoms being featured in soap operas and online could allow people to self-diagnose, and therefore access the IAPT service. We
also discussed that one of the most common responses to the question “Why do you think the media’s representation is in accurate?” was that in television programmes people with mental illnesses get help and support from services and the community. In reality people feel that resources are scarce, showing that the awareness of the help available is not as prominent as the awareness of the illnesses themselves. Caroline pointed out that “broadcasters have a responsibility to represent real issues fairly and accurately.” In this case producers could take the storyline to the extreme for the purpose of entertainment, yet argue that it could happen, giving a bias view of mental health issues and helping create the cycle of stigma. As a media student I know how much the media can influence our views. This study has shown me that although we rely on the media for information we cannot rely on it not to show us the full picture. I think the various channels promoting mental health and wellbeing awareness are doing a good by not only covering it in fiction but also in documentaries such as “Sectioned”, which has won various awards for being so informative.
TRUST MATTERS . MAY 2011 . PAGE 4
Patient safety is our top priority I am writing this to explain a little more about the external review of patient safety which was carried out at the Trust, and to tell you what we are doing to put right the issues identified. The recommendations in the report are wide-ranging and indicate the fact that clinical and managerial leadership and our systems were not working as they should, rather than a reflection of our healthcare. The review which led to the report was carried out in December 2010 and January 2011 by an external assessment team, led by an experienced professional called Malcolm Rae – hence the name of the document, the Rae Report.. They interviewed staff and our service users, examined our systems and processes and made a series of recommendations. We have already made changes as a result of the report and will continue to work through the programme in order to address each recommendation.
The review itself was commissioned by the Trust with NHS Suffolk, and was sparked by the death of a young man who died on one of our inpatient wards. Prior to that, we had a cluster of five homicides in 2009 which were the subject of an independent review. The work programme refers to nine homicides, which is the five plus an additional four which happened after 2009. It’s tragic whenever a death happens. The majority of mental health trusts have experienced homicides and suicides, although they all try to reduce the risk of these. I don’t wish to detract from the severity of what happened, but I do want to stress that we are not unusual. An important point, however, is that we must learn from what happened and put measures in place to reduce the likelihood of it happening again. What appears to have happened in the past is that there were many action plans
and that these were either confusing or had not been audited to ensure actions had been taken. Those, plus other governance issues, are the crux of the Rae Report. We are confident we will make all the changes needed within the timescale set out in the work programme. Over the last few weeks, we have been putting in new procedures, reorganised support teams and cut through complicated processes in order to address the recommendations. The list of improvements is long, but we will address each and every recommendation in order to improve the systems and processed which underpin quality healthcare. Aidan Thomas, chief executive. If you have any questions or comments, I would be pleased to hear from you: aidan.thomas@smhp.nhs.uk Tel: 01473 329603. See page 7 for more from Aidan.
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The Great Escape! Back in April around 80 people in fancy dress were blindfolded and dropped at a secret location in the Suffolk countryside. Their challenge was to find their way back with no money, phones or maps! Three teams from Suffolk Support Services entered: The Outlaws (Robin Hood, Maid Marion and Friar Tuck), Euro Trash (an Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman), and our own team The Super Mario All-stars (Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach). When we were dropped off we didn’t have a clue where we were. We flagged down the first car we saw and the gentleman driving said that Snape (our first destination) was 6 miles away. I desperately hoped he was wrong! On the way back we had to complete tasks at particular places and answer certain questions. We answered the question about the Snape village sign then bumped into The Outlaws and decided to work together. We retired to the Crown Inn to glean some information from the visitors. While Friar Tuck and Maid Marion pumped the locals for information, Robin Hood used the phone to call the Black Tiles to find out their soup of the day (question 7).
Well done to clinical teams throughout the Trust, who collectively met the Trust-wide objective of ‘clustering’ 50% of service users by the target date of 31 March 2011. At the beginning of March the figure was at 38%, so teams should be rightly pleased of their contribution. Reaching the 50% mark means that the Trust can now claim £89,000 of funding for patient care. ‘Clustering’ refers to placing service users in one of a series of care package clusters - ultimately, the Trust’s commissioners, who pay for healthcare on behalf of the county, will pay per headcount in each cluster. This system is
Left to right: Lisa Weston (change manager), Ollie Riches (volunteer trainer), Boena Zeneli (information analyst), Iain Armstrong (informatics trainer), Abbie Wallace (RA agent), Pasquale Pascarella (informatics training officer), Ian Simmons (informatics trainer), Patrizio Pascarella (change manager) and Diane Weeding (RA agent). Our uneasy alliance continued as we blagged a bus ride to Woodbridge waving at less fortunate teams trudging down the country lanes. Once in Woodbridge it was every team for themselves. The Outlaws took off with renewed vigour while we struggled along with our Mario Karts (who’s stupid idea were they?). There was still one task to complete - we had to get a copy of yesterday’s paper. In desperation we started knocking on people’s doors. We didn’t get a paper but we did manage to cadge a lift to the Maybush (the final destination)! I’ve got to say I felt rather smug - surely no one else had experienced such good fortune! As we entered the grounds of the Maybush a cheer went up and we saw that we were actually the 6th team back.
called ‘Payment by Results’. The assertive outreach team based at Trotman Court worked together to reach a team rate of 100%. Team leader Matthew Morris said that he supported the care package principles of Payment by Results, which set out what services may be provided for service users. Chief executive Aidan Thomas, who visited the team, said: “I have worked in a Primary Care Trust and seen how much money has been given to acute general hospitals compared to mental health trusts. PbR can balance that and ensure we get adequate funding which is the best for our service users.”
Euro Trash, who were sitting in the sunshine, explained that they’d had even better luck than us! They had hitched a lift to Woodbridge where they’d found an internet café to research their answers. The Outlaws found out that crime doesn’t pay. They hijacked a lift that had stopped for a team of pirates but only made it fifty yards down the road before the driver ejected them. To add insult to injury the pirates went speeding past in another car! Our teams raised just under £1,000 for St. Elizabeth Hospice. Though none of us won the Super Mario All-stars did take the prize for best fancy dress! Thanks to everyone who helped - you know who you are! Contributed by Luigi (also known as Iain Armstrong).
Exploring shared decision-making
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Healthtalkonline, the award-winning website of personal health experiences, has published a new section on the role of shared decision-making between patients and their doctors. The section is based on extensive analysis of patient interviews across a range of mental and physical illnesses by the Health Experiences Research Group, University of Oxford. The research revealed wide variations in the degree to which patients are – or want to be – involved in decisions about their treatment. The new webage, which can be found by clicking on ‘Improving Health care’ at www.healthtalkonline.org, is intended to help both patients and health professionals better understand the different types of relationship that they might share. Users of Healthtalkonline.org and youthhealthtalk.org will find accounts of issues such as diagnosis reactions, doctor consultations, effect on work, social life and relationships, decisions on treatment options and side-effects. For more information on the shareddecision making project contact: sue.ziebland@phc.ox.ac.uk.
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Farewells and fundraising A fundraising event held to mark the transfer of the Trust’s substance misuse services to CRI (Crime Reduction Initiative) raised £750. Rather than just holding a party to mark the end of an era, staff decided to make the evening a charity event. Suffolk charity FIND (Families in Need) was chosen because it helps many of the service’s clients. FIND is a Christian-based charity which provides emergency assistance to families or individuals affected by poverty or dispossession. It provides free food, cooking utensils, clothing, toiletries, baby equipment and nappies, bedding, sleeping bags, curtains and furniture and white goods. The party was attended by many staff, past and present, including the founders of the service over twenty years ago, Tim Webb and Carey Godfrey. Lee Harnden, associate director, said: “Thanks to a lot of hard work and meticulous planning, the transfer of the service to CRI went very smoothly. The main focus was ensuring continuity of service for our clients and the staff did an amazing job, so that everything was in place when staff came to work for the new organisation on April 1st. We spent many hours working with HR’s change management team facilitating one to one meetings for staff. We identified what client information needed to be transferred across and gained written consent from 630 people for that. We had weekly management meetings and organised briefings for staff so they knew what was happening or if we didn’t know something we told them we did not know. The relationship with CRI was a good one and we are now renting them two clinic rooms in the West whilst they wait for planning permission for their new base.”
A new training package designed to help staff engage with service users who hear voices has really taken off. By the end of June, 130 clinical staff will have completed the training with each new session being fully booked within a week of going live. The one day training, ‘An Introduction to Working with Voices,’ is a response to feedback from last year’s ‘Giving Psychosis a Voice’ conference attended by 120 people. It challenges traditional thinking that all voice hearers are mentally ill and encourages people to see voices as a meaningful experience rather than a symptom. Studies have found that 2-4% of people who do not have a mental health diagnosis across the world hear voices, whereas only 1% of the whole population are diagnosed with schizophrenia. The majority of people who hear voices do not need or seek psychiatric treatment. For those that do seek help, traditional treatment, which usually takes the form of antipsychotic medication, can be very helpful. However, evidence suggests that even with such treatment, up to 60% of people continue to experience voices. It is therefore important that other approaches are available. The training is run by Matthew Morris, locality manager for the East Suffolk Outreach Team and his colleague, clinical psychologist, Dr David Williams. Sessions are held in Bury and Ipswich. Dr Williams said: “The training aims to give people an understanding of the origins of the voice hearer’s movement and some ways in which we can help people who hear voices cope with and find meaning in their experiences. The day looks at what voices are, how they are perceived and the impact they have. Participants are encouraged to use their
imagination to understand what the experience of hearing voices may be like. The training also looks at common fears, coping strategies and the impact life history may have on the form that voices take. It looks at longer term recovery stories to see what can be learned and in particular any underlying emotional issues which feed into voices. The idea is to normalise the client’s experiences to help them find meaning in the voices and a greater sense of personal power.” Matthew Morris said: “The numbers coming forward for the training show that there is a real motivation in staff to participate in learning they feel is meaningful. We have excellent staff in this Trust and they have been very positive in engaging is something that although challenging, is relevant to their day to day practice.“ Feedback from staff attending the training has been positive. Comments have included: - “Very enjoyable day: challenging and thought provoking. I have a new insight into some of the positive aspects (protection) of voices and can directly link this to my work experience.” - “Excellent! I found some of the exercises a bit emotionally challenging..., but seriously found it really enjoyable and educational.” Matthew and David are also starting a 10 week group in May for service users within Assertive Outreach in the East. Matthew and David are also starting a 10 week group in May for service users within Assertive Outreach in the East. For details of future staff sessions, visit the training and development tab on the intranet and look for the training diary. Further information is available at www.intervoiceonline.org/information.
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Winter wellbeing campaign puts spring in step As the Spring sun brightens the Suffolk skies, there is a chance to look back at the “Beat the Winter Blues” seasonal campaign: ‘Suffolk Libraries’ mental health and wellbeing information service put together a campaign to lift the people of Suffolk from the winter blues in partnership with Trust link workers Suzanne Wyard and Sarah Ray. The campaign encouraged libraries to have a musical theme with the emphasis being on the “Beat” and for events to have an information element on subjects from debt advice to improving access to psychology therapies (IAPT). The uptake from libraries across the county was encouraging and for those who did take part the benefits were obvious. The campaign started in February 2011
with a lively event at Felixstowe Library. Steph Merret, Felixstowe library manager, said: “Councillor Goodwin officially launched the Beat the Winter Blues campaign while customers browsed the stalls collecting giveaways and information while enjoying the upbeat music chosen by students from Deben High School. All the stall holders were really friendly and welcomed the chance to network with each other. They all thought it was a worthwhile event for them and customers.” Woodbridge library had a similar day in March 2011, including a live band, smoothy bike, salsa dancing and health walk led by NHS Suffolk. Music was supplied by Sanguine Sea and stall holders offered information on staying
healthy including gym and swimming sessions at a local leisure centre. One story that sticks in my mind is an older customer who spoke to Suzanne and Sarah at the Felixstowe event. She said that she had been living with general anxiety for most of her adult life and she felt very unsupported by her general practitioner. She was sent away with a handful of advice, an appointment for further support and a very large smile. Events also took place at Great Cornard, Halesworth and Southwold. My thanks goes to all who took part in this event and for making it a real success. Contributed by David Grimmer, mental health and wellbeing information service coordinator at Suffolk County Council.
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Keith Mansfield, pictured, has recently joined the Trust as interim finance director after Nick Gerrard moved on to pastures new. Keith has 15 years experience as an NHS director, having worked his way up from the bottom of the ladder 40 years ago. If the Trust merges Andrew Hopkins, currently finance director at Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, will assume the role for the joint organisation. “In the short time I am here my aim is to
keep the ship on a steady course,“ Keith said. “With proposed NHS reforms it is critical that the Trust lives within its means. During my time here I need to ensure the Trust delivers excellent services within the funding available.”
Since Aidan Thomas joined the Trust as chief executive in March he has been visiting various teams to meet staff and get feedback on what matters most to you. Aidan has already visited Wedgwood House, Suffolk Support Services teams including finance and estates, the Newbourne Centre at Heath Road, Foxhall House, assertive outreach (briefly), Minsmere House and Walker Close. He is visiting CAMHS this month and will gradually work his way around all service areas. “It is really important to me as chief executive to connect with staff across the Trust,” Aidan said. ”I want to find out the issues affecting different teams and have the chance to see first hand the fantastic work being done at the Trust. “Everyone I have met has been welcoming and friendly. I am looking forward to working the odd shift in our services too. Despite the governance issues the trust has which receive a high profile at present I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the services to a friend or relative. I want to thanks staff for their hard work dedication and commitment.” Aidan has also been sharing with staff the key issues that the Trust will be focusing on in the coming months: “My two top priorities are patient safety (see article on page 2) and the cost improvement plan.
“I’m reasonably optimistic that we will achieve our financial target of 5% savings this year and we have number of plans in place to achieve this including the introduction of locality management, and some service redesign. But we are getting additional financial support to help with patient safety, and this means we don’t have to worry about funding the initiatives set out in our safety programme this year. “However, this additional money is for one year only, so we need to keep up the momentum on our savings plans. I have asked Paula Clarke, associate director for learning disabilities, to head up a cost improvement plan programme board to over see this work. This board will replace the cost improvement plan programme management office (PMO). This work falls under QIPP (Quality, Innovation, Prevention and Productivity), a Department of Health initiative that I am keen to promote in the Trust. The aim of QIPP is to improve the quality of care provided by NHS services, while also improving efficiency. “There have already been some fantastic developments such as productive wards and the information technology modernisation programme. I want to build on the work already done and embed efficiency and productivity into the heart of care delivery at the Trust.”
Name and job title Maria Perez Pedrero, CPN, Haverhill CMHT. What is your most read book? Lord of the Rings. Marmite or peanut butter? Hate them both. What do you love most about your job? When people get better. What’s your ideal holiday location? A nice beach.
What was your first ever job? Healthcare assistant at a psychiatric hospital. If you were a superhero, what power would you have? Become invisible. What is your favourite meal? Indian What did you want to be when you were little? A nurse. If you won the lottery, what would you buy? A little island.
In the 2010 NHS staff survey, the Trust appeared in the top 20% of mental health trusts in 6 areas, including commitment to work life balance, jobrelevant training and percentage of staff experiencing violence. However, it came in the bottom 20% in 13 areas. A new Employee Engagement Group (EEG) is being set up to address these areas, which will meet bi-monthly and produce a quarterly action plan. The EEG aims to address the concerns by providing leadership in the development of staff networks, reviewing programmes of work associated with employee engagement and acting as champions of the staff survey programme. The group will include director of human resources, Kate Coplestone and representatives from all areas of the Trust. Chief executive Aidan Thomas will also attend periodically, demonstrating commitment from the top. The areas where the Trust’s performance was weakest were: - % of staff having well-structured appraisals in the last 12 months (30% national average 40%) - Impact of health and well-being on ability to perform work or daily activities (1.68 out of 5 – national average 1.62) - % of staff able to contribute towards improvements at work (61% - national average 67%) - % of staff experiencing harassment, bullying or abuse from staff in the last 12 months (17% - national average 14%) Areas where staff experience had deteriorated most from the previous year were: - Impact of health and well-being on ability to perform work or daily activities (1.53, down from 1.68) - Staff motivation at work (3.76, down from 3.86) - Work pressure felt by staff (2.99, down from 3.10) - Staff recommendation of the Trust as a place to work or receive treatment (3.30, down from 3.37) If you have any questions about the EEG then you can contact workforce planner Ben Askew on 01473 329282. TRUST MATTERS .MAY 2011 . PAGE 7
Getting to know you
Trust acts on staff survey results
Getting to know Maria Perez Pedrero, CPN.
Meet director Keith Mansfield
CET110223_TrustMattersMay11:pages 11/05/2011 13:16 Page 8
Letters and compliments To Shirley Foulger, CBT therapist, IAPT - Thank you for being there and for all your help and support. To Andrea Brown, Louise Tym, Dr Elizabeth Jupp and all the SEIPS team - I just wanted to say thank you for all your support since I have been with the early intervention team. You are a really great team and do a great job. Keep up the good work. Thanks for all the times you’ve listened to me. To Judith Thomas, team manager, Bury CMHT - I would like to thank you for the help and useful advice you gave us when A was ill. It was such a worrying time, with difficult decisions to be made, and your help was invaluable. He seems to be settling in well in Stowmarket and hopefully he will learn how to be selfsufficient and look after himself. To Natalie Bailey, CPN, Bury CMHT - If there are a million ways to say thank you it is not enough. Your help and support has been wonderful, thank you so much. To Denise Hender and Tracy Abbott, Work Life Balance team - Having worked for various NHS Trusts, I can honestly say the support, friendliness and quality of service given by Denise and Tracy - but in my case Denise in particular - has been invaluable and far superior to any other Trust to date. To Mary Davis, senior case manager, IAPT - I wanted to pass on how supportive I found our conversation. I was feeling down at the time and was worried I was wasting your time and couldn’t be seen. The time you gave me made a real difference.
TRUST MATTERS . MAY 2011 . PAGE 8
To Emma Ellis and Paul Newbury, SEIPS - Just a few words of thanks to you both for all your support you have given to N and me. It was good to see you today Emma. To all staff on Redwald Unit - This is just a small note to say a big thank you to all the staff at Redwald. I’m sorry my time has come to an end, but I shall always remember the kindness of the staff – nothing was too much trouble in the care given.
To Dr Anna King - In your opening comment of your letter you wrote “It was a pleasure to meet with you”. I wish to reciprocate, commenting that it was also a pleasure to meet with you too. I appreciate your diagnosis surrounding the MCT, and having now studied the MCT document I understand your conclusions. I have taken notice of your advice. To ECT team - We felt we just had to express our thanks again for the dedication, care and love you showed mum when she came to ECT. She loved you all and you always treated her with great dignity. Mental health is not easy and you sometimes don’t get the recognition you all deserve. Our loss was very sad time but knowing that people like you had done your very best and more made it easier to bare. We thank you all from the bottom of our hearts! To all staff on Bromeswell Ward - How can I thank you enough for looking after me over the past four weeks. You have made me stay a pleasant one and I shall miss your company. You keep me young. I shall most likely be visiting your ward again but hopefully not as a patient but as a visitor. To the IAPT East team - The service I received was outstanding and the manner in which it was delivered by my therapist was exceptional - my deepest gratitude. To all staff on Westgate Ward - The family wish to thank all the staff on Westgate Ward very much indeed for the care and consideration shown to my wife and to her visitors during what has been a very difficult time To Barbara Oakley, Joan Aby and Anne Hopkins, Sudbury CMHT - I cannot thank you all enough for your help and encouragement and support that you gave S and me while I was very ill. I am very well now once again. Thank you all very much. To all staff on Playford Ward - This is just a small thank you for looking after my daughter who has now been transferred. You were all so kind and patient with her in spite of her problems.
To the Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team - I received a very good service and am about to be discharged from Coastal CMHT. To Alma Yule, therapist, IAPT East - Thanks for all your help and support. To Denise Tourney-Godfrey, CPN, East Ipswich CMHT - Thank you so much for everything you have done to support me. I have always looked forward to meeting with you as you have always put me at ease and made me laugh with your fantastic sense of humour. You’re a wonderful CPN and I will miss you. To all staff on Westgate Ward - Thank you all for the wonderful party and presents. I have chosen the spot in the garden for the lady and I shall use the vouchers towards a water feature, so when I am out in my garden I will think of you all with much love. To the Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team - I received a very good service and am about to be discharged from Coastal CMHT. To all staff on Bromeswell Ward - Thank you so much! To Vicky Coomber, linkworker - Thank you for your time at the surgery. I enjoyed meeting you, and came away feeling positive. I was on a roll last week, but have taken a backward step over the last couple of days. It is therefore encouraging for me to know that there is help out there, and I look forward to meeting my advisor. I was impressed with your knowledge about people’s feelings and your caring disposition, especially for someone so young. You have a huge role to play in making people happy, and I wish you well. - I just wanted to write you a note to say thank you. You were the first person I had spoken to in such depth and I feel better for being able to talk everything through with someone unconnected with it all. Anyway, thanks again for listening and for doing the work you do.
If you have a letter you would like to share through Trust Matters, send it to Nicola Brown, Suffolk House, St Clement’s Hospital, Ipswich or email nicola.brown@smhp.nhs.uk Letters may be edited and will be anonymised to protect service users’ identities. EDITORIAL: If you would like to contribute an article (and accompanying photo) for inclusion in the next Trust Matters please email it to helen.abbott@smhp.nhs.uk. If you want to discuss ideas about potential features or make a suggestion about improving the newsletter you can also email the above address or call Helen Abbott on 01473 329700. The deadline for the July 2011 issue is June 20th.