July 2014 - South Staffordshire and Shropshire Healthcare NHS

ISSUE
07
July
2014
A Keele University Teaching
aching T
Trust
e-PoD
Positively
Different
Dif
Diff
fer
erent
ent
this issue
Have you
applied yet?
Celebrating Service Users and
Carers P.4
World Cup Creations P.6
Week in the life of an RPIW P.13
Nursing Winners with Greg Searle
and lots, lots more ...
Celebrating Nursing
Chairman’’’s Award for
Leadership
Chris Holley Award for
Innovation
Governor’s’’ Award for
Making a Positive
Difference
Clinican of the Year
Clinical Team of the Year
Non Clinical Team of the
Year
Support Worker of the
Year
Partnership Award
Unsung Hero
and new this time,
Apprentice of the Year
Award
Two exceptional nurses were recognised at the Trust’s Celebration of Nursing at a
special event and awards ceremony on Monday 23 June 2014.
Polly Mears is a learning disability children’s nurse who works in the East Community
Paediatric team which is based at Lanxess House in Burton, and covers the Lichfield,
Tamworth and Burton area. She was nominated for her work with vulnerable children
with severe learning disabilities and their families. The parents may also have learning
disabilities and mental health issues. She was the winner of the Nolan Award, named
after Professor Peter Nolan who himself has made a significant contribution to nursing
both in the Trust, nationally and internationally.
Mark Buitendach is the clinical lead for Inclusion Cambridgeshire Substance Misuse
Service. He is a mental health nurse and an Independent Nurse Prescriber. He was
nominated for his work in moving the service from secondary care to a care consultant
led model, including the “take home Naloxone project”. Mark was the recipient of the
Breeze Award, presented by the Trust Chairman in memory of his mother who was
cared for in the Trust and recognising innovative and excellent practice with positive
outcomes for patients.
Delegates to the event also enjoyed a presentation by Greg Searle, Olympic rower,
who shared his experience of gaining achievement through dedication, commitment
and hard work.
Alison Bussey, the Trust’s Director of Nursing said “Our nurses make a significant
contribution to improving people’s lives and I am so pleased that the Trust is able to
recognise them in this way. Polly and Mark have shown exceptional commitment and
dedication and are very deserving winners”.
Find all the details and
how to apply at www.
podawards.co.uk
twitter.com/podawards
to find out more info on this
year’’s awards!
Polly Mears with Prof Peter Nolan
Chairman Steve Jones with Mark
Buitendach
FO

R
Neil Carr - Chief Ex ecutive
Two years ago,
the Trust B oard
approved the decision to implement a
new clinical system that would better
meet the needs of our service users,
clinical work force and corporate
services, helping to improve the quality
of care we provide our service users.
I mportantly, we ensured that clinicians
were fundamentally involved in specifying
the requirement, reviewing suppliers and
selecting the final product RiO.
In June 201 we commenced the first RiO Pilots and, a
year later, we have successfully completed the Phase 1
implementation across 12 sites, supporting more than 2000
staff working in Staffordshire, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin.
ut the roll out of RiO is not the only work that has been undertaken.
Our colleagues in IM&T have been working hard on a number
of supporting technical pro ects including:
the digitisation of all our archived and live paper medical
records so we can work paper- lite;
the scheduling of technical upgrades to our I T network s at
k ey locations to ensure all teams can access the clinical system;
investment in new devices and equipment to enable staff
to access the network remotely; and
establishment of secure video conferencing for staff &
service users alik e.
No-one said it was going to be easy. ut it’s a credit to the
dedication, hard work and tenacity of everybody involved in the
pro ects that we have been able to implement such large-scale
changes simultaneously, on-time and within budget.
It will take some time for us to see the full benefits that these
new systems and ways of working will bring, but staff across
the Trust are already reporting many improvements, particularly
regarding the availability of up to date patient information at
the point of care.
These pro ects herald a new way of working for the Trust.
Our clinical teams are some of the first in the country to work
‘paper-lite’ - well ahead of the Department of Health’s agenda
for a paperless NHS. We are one of the first Trust’s to extensively
use RiO’s Store & Forward functionality enabling staff to
work off-line within the community and one of the first to be
integrating the Electronic Prescribing & Medicines Management
(EPMA) system into the core clinical system.
W e should all feel a sense of pride that we are seen
to be at the leading edge of using I T
innovatively to improve patient care.
Positively
Different
J U LY 2014
RiO: Phase 1 - Draws to a Close
Pauline B onner and Carolyn G avin, Co- Chairs of the New
Clinical System Assurance G roup, provide a brief update.
A year ago we commenced the roll out of RiO and the final sites in
Phase 1 are going live with RiO this month. We would like to say a
huge thank you to all staff involved with the pro ect, but especially to
the Clinical Regional Super Users (CRSUs) and Regional Super Users
(RSUs) for all their hard work and perseverance in ensuring the
system meets the needs of our clinicians and to the Pro ect Office for
keeping RiO on track and supporting our requirements.
Nex t Steps:
The Pro ect Team will continue to work with service and clinical leads
to progress individual team/service outstanding build needs, including
forms previously submitted.
Governance relating to the future of the RiO Assurance Group and
Pro ect oard is currently under review and a proposal about future
structures and roles will be made shortly.
The Trust’s uality & Clinical Governance Sub-Committee will
consider any clinical practice and clinical quality issues.
Phase 2 :
The development of IAPT and HALO systems functionality within RiO.
Phase 3 :
IM&T is reviewing internal systems to help with prioritisation for
integration with RiO such as Safeguard Risk Management and Prison
in-Reach. External partner system integration will include Local
Authority Social Care system and Pathology results.
The ‘Ready for RiO’ mini-site remains a key communication
tool for helping to keep teams informed so please ensure you
regularly check the Latest page:
http://nww.intranet.sssft.nhs.uk/RI O- Proj ect/Ready- for- RiO- Latest.aspx
Acute Care
Pathway Lead
I nterim Head of Mental Health
( Shropshire, T elford & W rekin)
Email: [email protected] or call the Helpline on: 01283 504450 option 5
For archive copies of the RiO Bulletin Pages visit the Ready for RiO mini-site

Dr Enio Sema is a Psychiatrist who works in Norbury
intensive care unit which deals with detained patients who are acutely
unwell and require a high level of observations & treatment. He also
works with adults in the community within Stafford.
New Offline Care Plan completion and
Printing becomes available (for MH
Community Staff Only)
Using RiO:
Overall RiO is good and IT has been very helpful despite being stretched.
When I see patients during Clinics, I write my notes because it’s important
to look at the patient to see their response to questions. It’s not practical to
turn around and type into a laptop/PC after each question as you lose the
connection with your patient.
Following issues and concerns raised by Mental Health
Community staff, from 1st July 2014 the way they record
their Community Care Plans will change.
During Clinics I can see Care Plans, Risk Assessments and other
professional notes in RiO. However, with large patient files, it can be harder
to find what you’re looking for than flicking through a file.
The new Community Care Plan, called My Plan, will be
found in the list of Core Documents in the Mental Health
& Dementia folder in RiO. Clinical Regional Super Users
(CRSUs) have been involved in all the changes and both
Clinical and Divisional Directors have agreed the new format.
When you prescribe a patient medication and wish to print a prescription, you
have to re-iput the date in order for it to print.
Note: This issue has been identified during Pilot & is being investigated.
The system is fairly straightforward until you wean patients off medication
a you have to re-prescribe every change as it's not all on one prescription.
All new Community Care Plans (My Plans) will be
inputted using the new format
Note: This issue has been identified during Pilot & is being investigated.
After Clinics, I record the diagnosis and medication plus brief notes, but link
to ‘GP Letter’ or ‘Clinic Letter’ which contains the full assessment. I dictate
notes which my secretary types up and uploads into RiO.
At any Review of Care, the current Community
Care Plan should be transferred into the new My Plan
Using EPMA:
All Medical Letters as Plans should be inputted
directly into My Plan (contact your CRSU for details)
It’s now easier to input diagnosis and medications in RiO. I have used
EPMA for prescriptions for outpatients.
All Care Plans should be transferred into the new
format My Plan by 30th September 2014
(you can cut and paste content across)
When you prescribe a patient medication and wish to print the
prescription, you have to re-input the data in order for it to print.
The system is fairly straightforward until you wean patients off medication
as you have to re-prescribe every change as it’s not all on one prescription.
On 1st October 2014, the existing Community Care
Plan will be switched off but still available for viewing
history
Printing Prescriptions
We’ve experienced issues printing prescriptions because we don’t have
printers in our consultation rooms. Patients have to return to reception
whilst we collect the printed prescription as we cannot leave them alone in
the room with PCs, laptops, mobiles etc.
For further information or clarification please contact
your CRSU.
Note: Desktop printers are available specifically for printing prescriptions
and these are now being installed. Teams who require prescription printers
should request them before their EPMA Go-Live date.
All staff within clinical teams are reminded to use the
within RiO for all emails and notes related to a
Service User. Whether a member of the admin team takes a
message or a clinician requests transfers, further information
or follow up actions, these should ALL be recorded in the
clinical system using the To Do List function.
For more information, check out the How To Guide within RiO.
Advice about optimising usage of the To Do List for 7 Day Follow Up
and Transfers of Care will follow shortly.

Clinics & Diaries
There is a known issue of Clinics not transferring to Diaries within RiO. Our
Team uses an office based Clinics diary until this is resolved.
Note: Information has been requested by the RSU to investigate the issue.

Staff are politely reminded that any communication of an
urgent nature should always continue to be followed up in
person to ensure that the message has been accurately
and safely received and/or actioned accordingly within the
specified timescale.
!
Secretaries
My Team now has a pool of secretaries, but when one secretary was
assigned to one doctor they acted as a check/reminder to ensure Notes/
Letters had been completed after Clinics. I know it’s our responsibility, but
there’s a human factor here - we’re not computers.
Messages / Alerts
The office based paper diary used for Clinics also acts as a repository for
messages. How are we alerted in RiO if there is a message about or from
a patient? You wouldn’t know there was a message unless you opened the
patient’s record. Could the system send an automated text or email to the
consultant notifying them of a message/alert?
Note: To Do lists & Messages are managed within RiO. They are attached to
clinicians rather than patients & display via a pop up when you first log in, followed
by an envelope icon whilst working in RiO.
If you would like to speak to Dr Sema about his experiences, email:
[email protected]
Interview: May 2014
Positively
Different
Email: [email protected] or call the Helpline on: 01283 504450 option 5
For archive copies of the RiO Bulletin Pages visit the Ready for RiO mini-site
RiO® is a registered trademark of Servelec Healthcare a division of Servelec Group Plc.
Produced by: G2 Creative Communications Limited. © 2013-2014 SSSFT All Rights Reserved. Information correct at the time of publication E&OE.
page 4
Celebrating Service Users and Carers
We held our annual Service User and Carer Involvement Celebration Day on 19 June. The theme of this year’s event
was Then and Now with an opportunity to reflect on how services for people with a mental health problem, or a learning
disability, have changed, including a presentation on the Shelton Heritage Project. People who have used the Trust’s
services also spoke about their experiences.
Attendees were able to experience some complementary therapies, take part in craft activities, and join various
discussion groups. A “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” quiz saw two colleagues from Food 4 Thought in Stafford walk
away with a million (Quest) pounds – or to put it another way, a free meal for two. They had shown great knowledge
of how mental health services have changed locally.
The climax of the event was the Service User and Carer Awards. There were four categories; Personal Development
Award; Service Improvement Award; Contribution to Learning Award and the Volunteering Award.
The winner of the Personal Development Award was Nakeeb Khan from Burton. Nakeeb has
overcome significant life trauma and illness to rebuild his life and health, and contribute to the
wellbeing of others. His sponsor said of him “Nakeeb’s determination, resilience and tenacity is
inspiring and quite breathtaking.”
Nakeeb & Chairman,
There were joint winners for the Service Improvement Award category. Joy Thorneycroft set up a Steve Jones
reading group called “Mad about Books” in Lichfield which has been of great therapeutic benefit
to service users, promoting their recovery. She initiated and supported this project throughout her own mental health
recovery. Leon Gallagher was nominated for his long term commitment to improving the Park House Drug and Alcohol
Programme and supporting the recovery of service users. Leon’s sponsor said “he instils inspiration of recovery
through his words”.
Leon was also the winner of the Volunteering Award for his work helping service users
in their recovery from drug and alcohol misuse by engaging them through art work and
peer mentoring.
Leon and Joy with Chairman,
Steve Jones
The winner of the Contribution to Learning Award was Kathryn Taylor who was nominated
for sharing her experience and knowledge as a service user and carer to improve
inpatient services and influence policy development. After telling her story to the Trust
Board, Kathryn went on to produce an information pack for inpatients at St George’s
Hospital in Stafford.
This year also saw an additional award. The Discretionary Award for Outstanding
Commitment to Service Improvement went to Dennis Firmstone. Dennis was nominated
for the huge amount of time and effort he has put in to listening to inpatients at both
St George’s and The Redwoods, and to working with the facilities and estates team to
improve the ward environment.
Therèsa Moyes, Director of Quality and Clinical Performance said “The involvement of
Dennis with Steve Jones
service users and carers is of paramount importance in ensuring that the services we
deliver are the right ones, delivered in the right way, and making a real difference to those who need them. This
celebration day is a great opportunity to demonstrate how we value the contribution of our service users and carers,
and to celebrate their engagement in all that we do.
page 5
Inpatient Clinical
Network Meeting
Hosted by Brocton Ward, St. George’s
Hospital, Stafford
Led by Dr. M. Kumar, Consultant Psychiatrist
The first Adult Acute Inpatient Clinical Network
Meeting took place on Tuesday 24 June 2014
in The Learning Centre, St. George’s Hospital.
Kiren Kaulder and Carly Simpson
The Primary Care Mental Heath Team in Burton and
Uttoxeter are happy to share the positive feedback
they have received from their new Wellbeing and
Mood Management Course.
The course, nick-named WAMM, was set up in
December 2013 by two Wellbeing Practitioners
Carly Simpson and Kiren Kaulder, and will be
running for the fifth time in July.
Previous attendees have commented;
“I have learnt some useful techniques and
also some useful facts that help put things into
perspective.”
Aim: This was a platform for all Clinicians
working in Acute Inpatient Care (across South
Staffordshire and Shropshire) with specific aims
of improving knowledge and skills of inpatient
teams. Thus enabling them to provide the
best possible care to patients. The Forum is to
promote sharing of good practices as well as
mistakes/incidents.
The Forum offers team an opportunity to
discuss and gather suggestions on managing
challenging and complex cases. It is also
envisaged that this will generate co-ordinated
audits and enhanced participation in research.
The first meeting included a Welcome
presentation along with presentations on :
Personality Disorder in Inpatient
Units: therapeutic or counterproductive – presented by Kiah
Johns Ward Sister, Brocton
•
Illicit Substance Use in inpatient
wards: What can we do – presented
by Sarah James, Ward Sister and
Will Hogg, HCSW, Brocton ward
•
Two interesting cases: Are we
missing something? – presented by
Dr. Johnson, FY1, Brocton ward
•
How serious can a mistake be:
Learning from one: presented by Dr.
M. Kumar, Consultant Psychiatrist
•
MOCA – not a cup of coffee!!!! –
presented by Barbara Whitehouse,
Occupational Therapist, Brocton
House
“Covered so many areas, I only thought I had low
mood but didn’t realise how interlinked everything
is, brilliant.”
•
“It exceeded my expectations, I was sceptical
about CBT but I have personally seen results
and enjoyed it, I was impressed by the friendly
approachable course leaders and the scientific
approach to WAMM.”
The course, based on Cognitive Behaviour
Therapy, aims to help you ‘become your own
therapist’ by learning the basics of CBT and how to
apply the skills to manage common mental health
problems.
Throughout the five week
course there is a focus on learning about
stress, anxiety and depression, managing physical symptoms, managing
behaviours that maintain these problems, challenging negative thoughts,
low self esteem and worry, problem solving skills, managing panic attacks,
sleep hygiene and staying well for the future.
For the people who attended through to the end of WAMM, the course
has provided an effective treatment and knowledge about skills that can
be applied to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The most recent report also
showed a significant improvement on the clinical measures used to assess
services; a 50% improvement for depression and a 51% improvement for
anxiety meeting national IAPT recovery rates.
For more information about the course speak to your GP, pick up a leaflet
from your local surgery or contact the Primary Care Mental Health Team;
That Place, 56A High Street, Burton on Trent, DE14 1JS.
Each presentation was followed by discussion
and actions plans for the future. There were two
Trust wide audits planned from this. Feedback
from attendance at the meeting was very
positive and future meetings imperative.
The next meeting will be held at The Redwoods
Centre, Shropshire on Thursday 18 September
2014 in the Seminar Room from 2pm to 5pm
with Shropshire Inpatient teams hosting.
page 6
World Cup Creations
Yew Ward Forensic Unit
During the period of the World Cup 2014, service users have focused their
attention on this special football occasion. The ‘World Cup Creations’
project held on Yew Ward within the Clee Unit has enabled service users
to create their own flag designs using different materials, based on the
national teams competing in the FIFA World Cup.
The Project however, took things a little further with participation and
engagement in World Cup quizzes, themed evening events, penalty shoot
outs, prizes, food and music from around the world and other artwork
based on the tournament
The World Cup Creations Project has been put together to help service
users to achieve their 25 hours meaningful activity, promote social
inclusion and identify valued roles. It takes place in the evening time and
has increased rapidly from 1 hour per week to 5 hours per week and
includes a cohort of at least five service uses per session.
For more details contact Sheila Murray or Donna
Lloyd, Brockington Mother and Baby Unit 01785
221554
There is clear evidence that the World Cup Creations Project provides
a link for the needs of the service users and the Trust’s vision, values
and priorities; putting service users at the heart of everything we do. The
Project also fulfils targets such as promoting physical health and social
integration set out for quality improvement.
The multi-disciplinary team has acknowledged the benefits of the service
user’s engagement in the Project and has enabled staff to continue to forge
a therapeutic relationship
with service users. The
Project has enabled
service users to set goals,
complete tasks, gain new
skills and embark on a
journey around the world.
Julie Simpkin (Project
Lead) would like to thank
the service users and
her colleagues for their
enthusiasm, commitment
and contributions over
the last few months. “It
has been a delight to
be a part of everyone’s
creativity. I am proud of
the willingness and hard
work, the service users
have put into the Project
to make it happen”.
page 7
Health and Wellbeing
Preparing for the
holiday season
We all look forward to getting away from
it all for a week or two, and spending
quality time with the family, but without
the proper planning, what should be a
relaxing time, can turn stressful!
Here are some pointers for successful
planning for long journeys, and some
general holiday health tips to help you
make the most of your down time.
Preparing your car for long
journeys
When you are setting off on holiday
it’s likely you will have a lot of things
to transport. It can be a challenge
to get everything into a small space,
but remember the following points to
ensure you and other road users stay
safe.You will probably need to adjust
your tyre pressures to suit the heavier
load. Check the handbook, and
remember to adjust them back again
after the trip.
Plan for the worst - make sure you
have a good spare tyre which you can
access easily if need be.
You should bear in mind that heavy
loads affect the car’s performance
and that stopping distances will be
increased. When loading the car you
should take care that things won’t
slide or tip over when you are driving.
Using plastic boxes can be a useful
way of packing smaller items so they
don’t move around, and bags don’t
spill at the first corner. Remember to
HEALTH AND WELLBEING
keep the foot wells clear. Loose items
rolling around can be distracting and
dangerous if they lodge under the foot
pedals. You should also keep your
parcel shelf clear. Loose items stored
here could be dangerous if you were
involved in an accident and they are
propelled forwards.
When packing, load the bigger heavier
items into the car first. This will not only
make it easier to fit everything in, but
will also distribute the weight better and
keep the centre of gravity low, reducing
the affects on the car’s handling.
Make sure you can still see! Avoid
packing things higher than the level of
the seat backs. A roof rack or roof box
can provide additional storage if you
are short on space within the car.
Make sure you fit any child restraints
before packing the car as it may
make access difficult afterwards, and
remember to allow plenty of space
around the child to give them a safe
and comfortable journey.
Don’t drive tired
Fatigue is a factor in 10% of accidents,
so don’t get behind the wheel if you are
tired. If you feel sleepy you should stop
in a safe place and take a break until
you feel able to continue.
If you are driving a long distance, you
should limit the amount of driving to a
maximum of 8 hours a day and take
regular breaks every couple of hours.
Make sure you plan breaks into your
journeys, and allow for overnight stays
if necessary. When you stop make
sure you stretch your legs and get
some fresh air and don’t re-commence
your journey until you feel fully alert.
Have a Happy, Healthy Holiday
If you are travelling abroad, make sure
you get any relevant vaccinations. You
should also make sure you have travel
insurance in place, so that if the worst
happens, you don’t have the additional
worry of financial difficulties. On long
haul flights, make sure you get up and
move around the cabin throughout the
flight to stretch your legs. You should
avoid alcoholic drinks, and make
sure you have plenty of water as the
atmosphere on the
plane can dehydrate
you.
To avoid jet lag, adjust
your watch to the
local time and start
eating your meals
and going to bed at
the appropriate times
for your destination
as soon as possible.
If you have to take medication
according to a strict timetable (such
as insulin, or oral contraceptives) you
should seek medical advice from your
doctor before you travel.
Try to avoid drinking or brushing your
teeth with the local water. Use bottled
water and try to avoid ice in your drinks.
Always make sure you pack and take
a travel kit with you containing the
basics, such as sunscreen, painkillers,
antiseptic, insect repellent and antidiarrhoea pills. These will be useful
wherever you are going.
Further tips and advice on travel health
can be found on the NHS website
page 8
Jonathan with Hippie Shakespeare
Update
“the songs for you group
has done wonders for
me and being part of the
singing group I find it very
uplifting and remedial. Also
I would recommend the
songs for you to anyone
who feels lonely and is in
need of companionship and
in need of support. “ Idris
(Service User)
“It is such a relief to meet
other folk with problems and
join in with them in the joy
of music. Jessica, Kate are
wonderful people who help
us enjoy an hour in lovely
surroundings. Really good
friends!” Olive (Carer)
“Familiar and non-familiar
songs – brilliant all the
same!”
“Really enjoyable – both
classical and modern – a
very talented and relaxed
performance.”
Absolutely fantastic! Good
selection of pieces.”
“Nice music from nice
people”
“Lovely happy music”“It
is a joy to listen to two
very talented musicians. I
especially liked the Chopin
piece. Look forward very
much to hearing them again
soon! Thanks again”. John.
Songs for You
(Shrewsbury)
We have 3 more sessions at
Trinity Centre before an August
break – July 3rd, 17th and 31st.
All at 2.30pm with tea and cake
of course!
Plus on the 17th July we have
a special event as young
musicians Trio Volant are
coming along with a vocalist to
join in the session. The trio will
play some pieces of their own,
plus accompany some of our
songs and we will finish with
some of our favourites.
Steve Roberts on 10th June
playing a range of popular
tunes and some classics.
Steve is a regular at Redwoods
and is appreciated by many –
“Wonderful experience – Stuart
– fantastic talent and greatly
appreciated, hope to hear you
again soon.” Paul Robson –
see below with Stuart by the
piano.
Wellbeing in partnership with
Carers Association Southern
Staffordshire, Arts for Health
have coordinated three venues
to deliver Songs for You singing sessions for those in
the community suffering with
Trio Volant – returned for their
dementia plus their carers.
4th time at Redwoods on June
17th playing again a range of
well-known light classics and
contemporary tunes.
Susie Allan and Emma Lindsey
at Redwoods on June 24th
Songs for You has been
successfully
running
in
Cannock at St Mary’s Social
and Community Hall for the last
fifteen months with more than
twenty people each session.
AND that evening at 7.30pm
we have a summer concert
by the same Trio Volant. This
event is part of a partnership Sessions have now commenced
called Creative Inspiration – in Stafford at Walton Village
wellbeing through music for all. Hall and Aldergate Methodist
Church Tamworth. The first few These two musicians have been
sessions were packed which incredible! “out of this world”
as one inpatient described
was fantastic.
them. They have given us the
A lovely vicar and his wife
most expert and accomplished
attended
the
Tamworth
performance through music by
session...a great chance for
Bach, Rachmaninov, Mozart
Gillie the singer to say ‘ More
and Chopin.
tea Vicar’!!
More info from: jane.povey@
Recitals at St George’s for
Recitals at Redwoods in
nhs.net
Songs for You (South
Staffs): Triple success!!
June
Stuart Goodhew on June 3rd
– great music played by very
Following the success of an proficient musician, a range of
application to Community and songs, ballads, swing and jazz.
June –
Nigel Evans local saxophonist
and clarinet player visited St
George’s Hospital bringing with
him a varied recital for the two
page 9
but building to create a
collaborative piece for the
ward. They will continue
over the summer.
Forthcoming recitals:
At St George’s we have:
•
Photo Box project
Wednesday 9th July
- Gillie Nicholls on
Baswich and Bromley
and
Brocton
and
Chebsey.
different wards...on Baswich
and Bromley he played both
clarinet and saxophone from
the warm sounds of a rumba
to Acker Bilk’s Stranger on
the Shore followed by Gerry
Rafferty’s
Baker Street.
The service users loved the
session.
On Chebsey and Brocton we
‘Got Lucky’ and ‘Had all our
family with us’ with a request
for Baker Street which brought
tears to the service users eyes.
Reading for Wellbeing
The training is now completed
and 17 staff have gone
out there to start reading
for
wellbeing
sessions
themselves. At the Redwoods
Centre, 4 of the staff who
took part in the training have
begun a session on a Monday
afternoon for all the wards to
attend. So far they have run
4 sessions and they have all
been really well attended…..
comments
Hippie Hippie Shake
Stafford Festival Shakespeare
recently
included
Milford
House as part of its Learning
and Participation Outreach
programme in support of
production of As You Like It.
The popular annual festival
Photo Box
delivers outreach to local
schools and adults with various Anne Kinnaird, local artist and
difficulties.
photographer has started on
wards across the Trust – using
The much loved comedy is
our photo box equipment
the 24th production at Stafford
– inviting inpatients to take
Castle and will be set amid the
photos of their gardens or
culture wars of the late sixties
the Trust grounds – as a way
just as cold war paranoia and
of supporting staff to better
repression, is giving way to
understand the equipment
the counter culture of free
so they can run projects
expression, free verse and free
themselves. A bit of training
love.
whilst at the same time
Milford created Shakespeare enabling service users to get
as a hippie in bright colours creative with the cameras. We
chosen by service user are hoping to compile pictures
Jonathon. This programme has into a series of collages at the
been funded by Stafford District end of the project and have
Arts Council and Staffordshire an exhibition of work in late
County Council.
summer/early autumn.
Seen left are some pictures
taken by inpatients in the
gardens at Redwoods and
also artist Anne Kinnaird with
AHP Assistant Anna Hughes
and OT student Sanjida
Mahmood who supported the
session.
At Redwoods we have:
Tuesday 1st July,
2.30pm – Daylevel,
acoustic duo (Sal
and Bri) singing a
range of harmonies in
contemporary songs
and playing guitars!
•
Tuesday 15th July,
2.30pm – Steve
Roberts on piano
•
Tuesday 29th July,
3pm – Harriet Earis on
Celtic Harp – not to be
missed!
Creative Ward Activities
•
With our additional activities
starting on wards across the
Trust, we have had a good
start on Oak ward at the
Redwoods Centre with Sally
Tonge bringing a range of
music, singing and storytelling
to the inpatients. Supported
by the OT Bev Roberts, Sal
has been able to engage with
people on the ward through
well-known songs, music and
stories that she tells but also
stories that they will compile
together as a group. A great
start has been made and Sal
will be visiting the ward over
12 sessions.
All other information from
Arts for Health on 01785
221328 / 01743 210048.
“Mesmerising – thank
you!” Caitlin – Activity Coordinator (Holly Ward).
“Excellent recital – what
a memory. Never heard
better.”
“ I found photography
very enjoyable. I might
take it up as a hobby after
discharge!”
On Holly Ward we have
had the Project Group from
Oswestry delivering creative
art sessions. They have
started with silk paper-making
– with the aim of creating book
covers in the first instance
“The photographical
session was fun, easy to
shoot, and I’m addicted,
I’ve got the bug!”
page 10
People
in the News
This will be my last opportunity to say something to you
through IE pod as I retire at the end of June.
I have been on the Board for twelve years, eight years of
which has been as your Chairman. The Trust has over that
time changed in many ways both in terms of geographical
size and service delivery. One thing that has not changed
however has been the commitment of my Board to the
delivery of quality care to our patients and service users. It
is of course you that makes this happen every day of every
year for the benefit of those that we are here to care for and
I personally thank you for your on going commitment.
With all best wishes for your future and that of the Trust. Its
been a blast!
Kind regards
Steve
Steve Jones, Chairman
The Shrewsbury Dragon Boat Festival
The Extra Miller’s a motley crew from Oak at the
Redwoods Centre took part in the Shrewsbury Dragon
Boat Festival on Sunday.
The sun shone which made it a perfect day for some frolic
and fun on the water.
After motivational speeches by Prof Elliott and some
physio warm up exercises by David Bengry we took part
in 3 preliminary races improving our times in each race!
We did not make it to the finals, however we did beat the
Shrewsbury Community Team!
In between each race there was plenty of time for eating
and drinking possibly too much by the end of the day.
So far we have raised £2200 but more is still coming in.
The whole team enjoyed the day but some aches, pains
and sunburn were felt the next day.
We are already planning for next year if anyone else is
interested watch this space……….
Kirstie
I am delighted to announce
that one of our previous
Trust Apprentices, Kirstie
Thomson, has gone on to win
‘Apprentice of the Year Award’
for her area of work as part
of Telford College of Arts and
Technology’s
Celebration
of Work Ceremony Awards
2014. To qualify, the learner
was required to have been
studying their apprenticeship
during
the
academic
year (between 01/08/13 31/07/14). Kirstie is now in
the running to receive the
‘overall’ College Apprentice
of the Year Award and we
wish her every luck to secure
the overall title during the
Celebration Evening.
Every year the College recognises the excellent work that
their learners achieve and celebrates the knowledge and skills
that apprentices gain out in industry whilst achieving their
apprenticeship with the help and support of their employers.
The Trust is fully supportive and proactive in working with
Apprenticeship/Trainee Schemes and this is a fantastic
opportunity for young people to build their careers and create
the workforce for the future.
Kirstie joined the Management Admin Office team in April 2013
and has shown commitment, hard work and a strong desire to
learn and progress since first joining us, so much so that her
reputation as a trustworthy and reliable member of staff is now
well established around not only the mental health division but
other directorates and fellow colleagues.
Kirstie has produced some outstanding work for senior
managers, often of a complex nature requiring a lot of thought,
careful planning, attention to detail and being mindful of
deadlines and priorities. She has taken on many tasks without
prior knowledge and proactively seeks out answers and
resolutions via her own initiative and sheer hard work combined
with a positive ‘can do’ attitude. She has re-designed and
organised processes within the office and is always seeking out
additional opportunities to enhance ways of working and make
ongoing improvements to service provision without prompting.
Kirstie was promoted and obtained a permanent position as a
secretary well before her apprenticeship ended and has since
gone on to prove herself again and again over the last few
months. She has now been given an amazing opportunity to
act up even further to a senior administrative post supporting
a senior director. Kirstie is more than capable of taking on
this challenge and in just a short space of time has already
organised herself and put all necessary changes in places to
ensure she is well equipped with knowledge and information to
fulfil this role.
As Kirstie’s manager I feel she wholly deserves this award and
to be recognised for her huge achievements in such a short
time. Well done Kirstie!
Julie Andrews
Admin Manager
page 11
I'm running the Great North Run on Sunday 7th September to raise money for the Stroke Association.
I wanted to advertise this within the Trust to see if there was anyone wishing to sponsor me. It is
a half marathon distance. I will be running it with some running colleagues from Stafford Harriers.
Having joined Stafford Harriers through the Trust scheme 2 years ago I have run some fantastic races;
Aviemore Half Marathon in Scotland; 3 Marathons, including recently completing the Liverpool Rock N
Roll Marathon; and an international run in Lisbon, Portugal to name a few. I thought colleagues might be
interested to hear about how the Trust promotion of Stafford Harriers led to me joining and how I have
progressed and got involved in with lots more exciting things I enjoy doing outside of work.
You can find out more about Stafford Harriers at www.staffordharriers.org or to contact me directly and I
can have a chat with you or put them you touch with someone from the club.
Ange Brookes, Ward Sister, Brockington Mother and Baby Unit, St George’s Hospital, 01785 257888
ext 5560
Ange
Kath Rumney is the new Head of Service for the Mental Health Division in
Shropshire. Kath says, “I am a dual trained Mental Health and Registered
General Nurse and have worked in Senior Management roles for
approximately 10 years. I trained in Manchester and qualified in 1987 and
have always worked in the NHS.
I am currently working as a General Manager, managing a range of mental
health and physical health services including neurosciences and dentistry.
My partner Neil and I are looking to relocate to the area.
You can contact Kath on 01743 210041 or email at kathryn.rumney@sssft.
nhs.uk
Kenny
My name is Kenny Laing and I am the new
Associate Director of Mental Health Nursing. I
am a registered mental health nurse and have
worked in a variety of different roles across
the NHS and independent sector. I trained in Coumar
Nottingham and my most recent role has been
as Deputy Director of Nursing ‘up the A34’ at
North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust.
I have been here for a few weeks now and I have been
fortunate enough to meet colleagues across Staffordshire
and Shropshire during my induction period. I have been
made to feel very welcome by everyone I have met. I
have been impressed with the attitude and dedication of
all the staff who are working tirelessly in challenging times,
continuing to deliver excellent care to the people in our
communities.
My primary focus within the Trust will be to ensure that
mental health nurses are supported to deliver the highest
standard of nursing care possible. I feel that nurses
need to be clear about the vital contribution they make in
people’s recovery journey. Too often nurses can become
complacent about how important their interventions are
and blasé about how their actions effect services users
and carers. I want nurses to feel confident to articulate
what they do and I am really looking forward to helping to
raise the profile of nursing at SSSFT and join in celebrating
success in the future.
Kath
“I qualified as a nurse in India in 1994 and
specialised in mental health. After nine years
of working as staff nurse in India, I migrated to
Birmingham and joined Birmingham and Solihull
Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (BSMHFT)
in 2003 (as an adaptation nurse). In May 2004
I joined Reaside Clinic (as a staff nurse) which
was very fortunate as I had a particular interest
in forensic psychiatry. After three years of
working as deputy manager, I was successful
in my application for the post of Unit manager
in September 2008. I managed both acute and
rehabilitation medium secure units.
I was also the bed manager for the Men’s
Forensic Mental Health Directorate. In April 2013, I was seconded
to ‘Programme Lead – Listening Into Action’ for BSMHFT and I
reported directly to the Chief Executive. This programme aimed
to empower and engage the frontline staff to deliver a high quality
care. The principles of engagement and empowerment of frontline
staff behind ‘Listening into Action’ inspired me to take up this post. I
strongly believe that staff engagement is vital to deliver high quality,
compassionate care. I managed multiple projects to improve the
quality of care under this programme. Within a year, BSMHFT trust
achieved excellent staff survey results. My key strengths are service
user and staff engagement, change management, human resource
and financial management.
I am really delighted and looking forward to join SSSFT as ‘Inpatients
Manager’ and share my experience. Being a frontline clinical
manager, I believe listening to frontline staff and engaging them
makes a positive difference in the delivery of high quality care.
Apart from my general and mental health nursing qualification,
I completed a Master’s Degree in Forensic Mental Health Care
(University of Birmingham) and an MBA (Health Executive) at Keele
University. My hobbies include playing cricket, visiting waterfalls and
watching football.”
page 12
Apprentice of the
Month
Alice
This month Alice Kitson has been recognised
by her team as our Apprentice of the
Month. The award is a way in which line
managers, teams and staff at SSSFT are
able to recognise outstanding apprentices
(both current staff on the Accredited Staff
Development Programme and newly
recruited apprentices) who show exemplary
individual achievement, contribution, and
performance in their jobs and in their learning.
Alice is a college recruited or ATA (Agency
Training Agreement) apprentice who
commenced her Level 2 (Intermediate)
apprenticeship in Business and Administration
with the South Staffordshire Memory Service
almost 12 months ago. Mandy Wakelam,
Alice’s line manager describes Alice as “a
highly valued member of the memory service
team and consistently produces a high
standard of work, over and above what is
expected of her as an apprentice. She puts
the service users’ care at the forefront of
everything she does. She always uses her
initiative and is an excellent team player. She
is willing and able to complete any task given
to her and is fully adaptable to the changes
working in our busy team can bring.”
Further to this Alice not only serves as a
positive representative of SSSFT in her
apprenticeship role but also acts as a good
role model to another apprentice who works
within the Memory Service Team. Alice
advises regularly on the apprenticeship
scheme and offers support as required.
Indeed, it seems Alice is not only an asset
to her team but as her colleagues also state
“she is a happy person who thoroughly
enjoys coming to work and is a joy to work
with.”
If you might be interested in recruiting
an apprentice to your team or you are a
Band 1-4 staff member and are interested
in undertaking an apprenticeship, please
contact
Sarah
Appleby,
Workforce
Development Facilitator via email sarah.
appleby@sssft.
Prue Hayes
Over the last few months, we’ve been telling you about Credit Union Staffordshire’s
partnership with your Trust. Prue Hayes was the first to pilot our payroll savings
scheme, so we thought we’d catch up with Prue and ask her some questions.
Can you tell readers a bit about yourself and how you first heard about Credit
Unions?
“Hello! Yes, I work as Head of Operations for S&S Health Informatics Service,
helping to manage the delivery of IT, networking and data services to local
Trusts.
I first heard about Credit Unions on the radio, actually. There had been a spate
of news coverage about Payday Lenders and the difficulties people who used
them were getting into.
The report drew comparisons with the US and Ireland and how, there, Payday
loan-related debts were far less common as so many people used Credit Unions.
I decided to do some research to see if Credit Unions existed here too.
As a single mum and the sole-breadwinner for my teenage daughter and me,
managing my finances is crucial. I particularly dread things in my house breaking
down so it’s essential for me to budget for sudden expensive emergencies. Debt
spiralling out of control is a terrifying prospect – I’ve seen it happen so easily.
Borrowing or putting too much on a credit card is so risky.
I liked the idea that a safer, more ethical alternative existed so I thought I’d check
them out.”
And that’s when you found us!
“Yes! I discovered the Staffordshire Credit Union was based near our Trentham
base in Blurton so I called into your office to open a savings account. I especially
like the ethics of the Credit Union. I’m lucky to have secure employment but the
Credit Union is there for everyone and it’s a co-operative, so you save when you
can and borrow when you need.
I personally benefit by saving so that money is there whenever my daughter and
I need a bit extra. I also like that it’s possible to borrow smaller amounts than
banks would normally lend at much better rates than the pay day lenders, so if
my boiler does breakdown, I don’t need to panic.
Now the office has opened in Stafford it has made it even easier to get my
money out when I need it.”
We ended up inviting Prue to pilot our payroll scheme, so she could pay money
into her savings account directly from her wages. How have you found it, Prue?
“It’s been great. I genuinely haven’t noticed the money going out and I love
knowing it’s building up without me having to think about it.
It’s also been a really good feeling to be able to bring the Credit Union to more
people’s attention. I hope that by showing that a good alternative to Payday
lenders exists, I can help protect my NHS colleagues from getting into difficulty
with debt. It’s so important for people to know that there is a better way”.
Thanks Prue! If you’d like to follow Prue’s lead and come and have a chat with
us about our membership, payroll savings, and borrowing services, just give us
a ring or drop us an email: 0845 224 12 17 or [email protected]
page 13
Here is some feedback from our
regular team, Heidi, Janet, Claire,
Ben, Zoe, Nick and Jess, to the
benefits of producing the magazine:
“it’s contact with the outside world
rather than being on my own. I’ve
gone from having no friends to having
many especially a very close best
friend”
“I have a passion for writing and the
magazine gives me an outlet for it”
“I get a lot of visiting interesting
places”
“I get to express myself, meet other
people and feel better”
Contact Magazine
Contact magazine is written and produced by people with various mental health issues. The aim of the magazine is to help
people with similar issues by presenting personal and informative articles about mental health from our own experiences as
well many other entertaining features.
We are proud to have just celebrated our first birthday. The idea fell off the back of the Creative Writing group at Quest which
had come to an end. We wanted to continue writing with purpose and we thought a magazine would be a really good way
to showcase all the work we do. We decided to call ourselves Contact as we wanted to make contact with service users,
professionals and most importantly people in the community who may not be able access services and so feel isolated. We
encnouraged people to send in articles themselves about anything and everything, we don’t just write about mental health we
have short stories, poems, recipes, craft ideas, photography, concert reviews, word searches etc etc .
Contact comes out about every 6 weeks and we make sure it goes to the relevant services as well as places in the community,
for example the post office. We are really pleased that we now have people who do contact us and make contributions.
If you are interested in contributing to contact magazine or would like a copy (it’s a free magazine!) please contact us
[email protected]
Support for Parents
Staff from The Child and Adolescent
Mental Health service (Camhs) have
introduced a self harm parent support
group and an eating disorder parent
support group into their service, covering
the Stafford and Cannock areas.
The group has been set up in response to
an increase in the number of young people
who are self harming and presenting
with eating disorders. CAMHS recognised
the importance of supporting the parents
Kathy Minns, Kim Reeves, Bronwen Spence of these young people as these issues
and Sarah Childs can have a huge impact on the young
person’s family and their relationships.
The first group ran in April and the plan is to run the support group every month. Parents are required to be under the care
of CAMHS in order to access the support group.
The group is also being run in The Seisdon Pennisula area. As part of the Early Intervention service provided by the Primary
Mental Health team in Seisdon, a limited number of spaces are also available for families who are currently not accessing a
CAMHS service.
Parents who attended the group found the group to be supportive and provided them with the opportunity to talk with other
parents who are experiencing similar emotional difficulties with their children.
Staff who set up and are running the group’s are Kim Reeves Clinical Nurse Specialist, Bronwen Spence Art Psychotherapist,
Sarah Childs Primary Mental Health Worker and Kathy Minns Clincial Nurse Specialist.
page 14
"Mindfulness in schools
- Corbett Primary starts a trend!
In Brief ...
The West Midlands
Academic
Health
Science Network first
annual report is now
available. This details
the progress made in
meeting challenges
and solving problems
within the local health
economy during hte
WMAHSN’s first year
of operation. There
are also vignettes
on
projects
that
the WMAHSN has
helped to deliver in
2013-14 that are
already making a
real difference to
local patients and the
economy.
www.wmahsn.org
West Midlands Health
Informatics Network
supports NHS and
affiliated healthcare
organisations
to
improve the efficiency
and effectiveness of
healthcare by using
technology solutions.
It brings together
Health
Informatics
professionals,
clinicians, academics
and industry leaders
by providing a forum
for discussion and
collaboration. If you
are involved with
health informatics you
can join the network
for free.
(Fig 3)
(Fig 4)
You are unlikely to have heard of Bobbington, a tiny village in deepest, lightest South Staffordshire,
and even less likely to have heard of Corbett Primary, a tiny (64 pupil strong) school on the edge
of the village - but exciting things are happening there thanks to its lovely Head teacher, Margaret
Southall, and her staff. It all began when I was invited to deliver some "Anxiety Management for
Kids" training to year groups 4,5 and 6, in my "early intervention and prevention" role as a Camhs'
Primary Mental Health Worker. The sessions went down really well - amongst staff as well as the
children, especially the concluding relaxation exercises using music, play dough, sand, rice and
bubbles. It led me to wonder about introducing the idea of mindfulness, as a life skill that children
could use anywhere, any time, to help manage difficult feelings , increase a sense of calm,
concentration, reduce conflict and more. That may all sound a little fanciful and too good to be true
but it works - it really does, as evidenced by not only expert practitioners but ordinary people the
world over, and increasing numbers of children. Margaret was quick to respond positively to my
suggestion of some mindfulness workshops and she managed to create some space in a very
busy school timetable for me to spend three first-thing-in-the-morning sessions with the Yr 5/ 6
class, and a month or so later with the Yr 4s (9 year olds).
I began with some information about the body's fight-flight response,
triggered by the alarm system (the amygdala) in the brain (Fig 1).
Focussing on difficult feelings (e.g. fear, anger, anxiety) rather than nice
ones (e.g. excitement) I then suggested that the emotional part of the
brain (we're talking VERY simple science here) could be likened to a cat
or tiger, whilst the thinking part of the brain could be likened to an owl.
This combined with the idea that when the alarm goes off, triggering a
"scaredy cat" or "wild tiger" response, the "owl" switches off and goes
to sleep (Fig 2) - so, lots of stuff happens (e.g. running away, fighting, (Fig 1)
freezing etc), but little thinking. In order for thinking to happen, the cat/
tiger need to be peaceful and calm, and then the owl can wake up and start thinking about how
best to deal with the situation. (Fig 3). Enter "mindfulness" - an incredibly simple yet hard to
master technique involving attending to the here and now, using one or more senses, to be
fully in the present moment (and so wake up the owl). Often associated with deep breathing
techniques, mindfulness gives a sense of focus, control and calm. So then we practiced different
ways of being mindful...listening to music, watching bubbles float and burst, watching a candle,
doing a positive visualisation exercise involving being a leaf, focussing on the sensation of air
as one breathes in and out - all the while allowing other thoughts to come and go and returning
our attention to whatever we were hearing, seeing, touching. With the owl wide awake, we then
thought about some helpful thoughts which we could use to manage difficult situations (Fig 4) .
The leaf and candle exercises produced pieces of art work that was
then displayed in the classroom as a reminder for the children of what
they had done. Each child was given a small laminated reminder card,
with an illustration of an owl on one side, and some "helpful thoughts"
on the other.
www.wmhin.org
(Fig 4)
And its impact? Their teacher gave some very positive feedback - the
best part of which for me read:- "The breathing exercises, or at least
the realisation that that is an option in times of stress, has really helped
certain children....one pupil even suggested last week when we were
doing a challenging task that his group took time on the floor to breath
for a while and then resume the task!".
The only down side of doing such work as far as I can see, is that ifsuccessful, I am doing myself
out of a job!
Pippa Gray Senior PMHW 01902 895502 07791198236
page 15
A week in
the life of an
RPIW?
Monday – Today is the first
day of the Rapid Process
Improvement Workshop with
the CAMHS West Team. We’ve
been working with the team
for the last three months, but
today is the first day of ‘the
week’! I work in the Quality
Improvement Team, usually
planning the programme of
RPIWs, but this week I’m
facilitating the event, along with
colleagues, Helen and Martin.
We’ve been working with the
team for the last 12 weeks,
observing how they work,
speaking with staff about the
processes they use, and what
things they’d like to improve,
how long things take etc. We
have lots of data to share with
them – like it takes 71 days
from receiving a referral to a
family getting their care plan
letter after an appointment –
and that’s something the team
want to improve.
There’s another RPIW running
this week, with F&E, so today
we are all together in the
Learning Centre, learning
more about Lean and how it
can help us look for ‘waste’
in our processes, remove it
and ultimately create a better
service for our service users
and carers, and indeed, a
better working environment for
our staff.
Tuesday – Yesterday we
learnt all about various Lean
methods, and the team thought
about how they could apply
each of these to the processes
they want to improve –
altogether, they produced 32
‘idea forms’. Today we are
going to work through these
and start to plan what we can
change – this week… that’s
why it’s called ‘rapid’! We
agree to focus on key three
elements of this 71 day long
process; how long families wait
to receive an appointment;
what happens in and after
the appointment and what
clinicians and administrative
staff do; and what happens
after the appointment and how
long it takes to get the letter
out to families.
Wednesday – We continue
to look at the various parts
of the pathway today, and
we are joined by two young
people who have used our
services in the past. It’s really
beneficial to hear their point of
view on what it feels like to be
part of this process, and they
share with us how it could be
better for them. We decide to
‘eliminate the waste’ and strip
out any bits of the process
which don’t add value to young
people and their families. The
CAMHS manager makes
sure we keep the ‘home
team’, our colleagues back
at base keeping things going,
fully updated on what we are
doing, and they in turn make
improvement suggestions to
us.
Thursday – today is a great
day! We base ourselves at The
Bridge and try out our ideas for
improvement. We immediately
stop sending out letters
asking people to ring in for an
appointment, something which
was adding some 30 days into
the process, and instead, we
trial ringing people as soon as
the referral has been accepted.
The home team report back to
us in the morning that this has
worked, and so we continue
to take out any more steps
in the process which don’t
add value. We change the
paperwork which clinicians
take into the appointment,
so it matches what is on RiO
and we create some
‘standard work’ prompt
sheets. Throughout the
day, we re-measure
what we had done at the
start and are pleased
to see we’ve shaved
off nearly 60 minutes of
clinician time chasing
paperwork,
typing
letters and scanning
documents – that another
appointment!
Friday – the last day! We
report back to colleagues
and the rest of the trust
what we have achieved
in the week. The room
is packed and, along
with F&E, we each
present what we have
done in the week. The
CAMHS team, in just 4
days, have reduced the
amount of time clinicians
were spending on ‘non
value adding’ activities
and the time taken to
receive a care plan letter
is now shorter. F&E have
reduced the time it takes
to process a request for
new works down from
18 weeks to 9 days!
There’s more work to do,
and the hard part comes
after today, when the
teams have to sustain
these
improvements
and go further. That
will be something we
as facilitators and the
Quality
Improvement
Team, will help with.
We will keep in close
contact with the team,
and measure again how
things are at 30, 60 and
90 days.
Katy Morris
Head of Quality
Improvement
Tel. 01785 783092
Internal tel. ext. 8492
Mobile 07580 127579
page 16
Submitting
an article to
e-PoD
If you have something
you would like
included in a future
issue, please contact
Amanda Godfrey in
the Communications
Team.
amanda.godfrey@
sssft.nhs.uk
01785 783041
e-PoD comes out on
the first of each month
(or the first Monday)
and copy is usually
required about a week
before, but feel free to
call or email to discuss
your submission.
Copy deadline for the
August issue will be
27 July 2014.
Hope to hear from
you.
Amanda
Pedal Power
Jean Breakell (physiotherapist) has been involved along with the personalisation team and Serco in
setting up weekly sessions where adults with learning disabilities can access a range of activities at
Sundorne Sports Village, as well as benefitting from a social group. The Sports Village has a 1km
cycle track which loops around a lovely setting with Haughmond Hill nearby. They have a range
of adapted cycles including trikes and tandem trikes, meaning that a wider range of people can be
supported on 2, 3 or 4 wheels!
Recently, there has also been a working party aiming to improve what's on offer. Training on how
to assist sessions was given by Wheels for ALL in June and they will be rolling out sessions at
different sites in Shropshire (starting at Derwen College near Oswestry) over the Summer. (see
Wheels for All website) Also see www.travelshropshire.co.uk/cycle for details of Oswestry Bikefest
on Sat July 5th ...come along and have a go/get involved! Also, EVERY month there are free Pedal
for Health sessions at SSV for anyone to come along & get cycling with trainers if needed.
Fran Virden (Speech and Language Therapist) has also used the adapted cycles provided by
Quest 88 to practise signing communication skills in a Makaton Storytelling day in March. Trying out
the cycles gives carers and service users the opportunity to enhance signing and communication
skills whilst doing different activities such as riding, pumping-up tyres, cleaning bikes, etc.
Quest 88 also brought cycles to 2 adult learning disability day services in Shrewsbury last December
for anyone to have a go...& most DID! It provided 2 days of fun and excitement for service-users
and staff alike..... and they hope to do it again!
Mileage reimbursement rates are changing
The new, lower rates of reimbursement will apply to journeys made by an employee on AfC T&CS
on NHS business on, and after, 1 July 2014. The change to the reimbursement rates has been
made in line with provisions under the national NHS collective agreement.
New rates are as follows: Type of vehicle/allowance
Annual mileage up
to 3,500 miles
(standard rate)
Annual mileage
over 3,500 miles
(standard rate)
Car (all types of fuel)
54 pence per mile
20 pence per mile
All eligible miles
travelled
(see paragraph
17.15 and Table 8)
Motor cycle
27 pence per mile
Pedal cycle
20 pence per mile
Passenger allowance
5 pence per mile
Reserve rate
27 pence per mile
Carrying heavy or bulky equipment
3 pence per mile
Further information regarding the above changes can be found at : http://www.nhsemployers.
org/~/media/Employers/Publications/Pay%20circulars/Mileage-allowance-pay-circularAfC-2_2014.pdf
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