Positive June 2015 - Nottinghamshire Healthcare

JUNE 2015
about integrated healthcare
Tricks of the trade
New vocational training facility
for patients see page 4
‘SPINNING AROUND’ SLEEP TO WIN CELEBRATING ELDERSHIP CARERS’ WEEK ST GEORGE’S DAY
MESSAGE
FROM THE BOARD
‘Sign Up to Safety’ is aiming to help
reduce avoidable harm in the NHS
over the next three years by listening,
learning and acting when things go
wrong. The five ‘Sign Up to Safety’
pledges that we are committed to are:
There is already significant work going
on under each of these categories,
but the campaign will provide the
opportunity to bring together all of
this work within a framework with
clearly identified goals and the ability
to measure and analyse in order to
inform improvements.
The Trust has recently signed up
to the national ‘Sign Up to Safety’
campaign. You will see more
information about this and what we
are doing as our commitment in the
coming weeks and months.
1.Put safety first – committing to
reducing avoidable harm within the
Trust and making public the goals
and plans developed locally
2.Continually learn – make our
organisation more resilient to risks
by acting on feedback from patients
3.Honesty – be transparent with
people about our progress to tackle
patient safety issues and support
staff to be candid with patients
and their families if something goes
wrong
4.Collaborate – take a leading role in
supporting collaborative learning
5.Support – helping people to
•Suicide and self-harm
•Assaults and violence
•Medication errors
•Pressure Ulcers
•Falls
understand why things go wrong
and celebrate improvement
In signing up to the campaign, we have
committed to strengthening our patient
safety by making initial pledges against
each of these areas. These have been
supported by the Trust Board and have
been submitted for publication on the
‘Sign up to Safety’ website as a public
expression of our commitment to safety.
Based upon our current quality
priorities and strategic drivers, we
have identified six key areas for the
campaign to focus on within the Trust.
These are:
•Restrictive practices
We want to ensure the focus of our
work reflects what is important to our
local communities and so we will be
engaging with patients, service users
and staff over our safety improvement
plan for the coming three years. I hope
you will all support this work and
share in our commitment to improving
safety across all services.
Dr Julie Hankin,
Executive Medical Director
Update on changes from
the Safeguarding Team
The way that the Local Services’ Safeguarding
Team works is changing, to be more proactive
in promoting the message that Safeguarding is
Everybody’s Business.
“Our new approach will give us more time to spend in
clinical areas supporting frontline staff to think through
complex safeguarding issues and enhance or develop
their confidence and skills in this area,” explained Helen
Pritchett, Specialist Practitioner Safeguarding and Domestic
Abuse.
“To enable us to engage fully with this approach, we
will no longer operate the advice line service, which will
be gradually phased out in July 2015. Instead we will
be developing a service with higher visibility across the
Division, offering focused work with teams, and bi-weekly
drop-in sessions giving staff and managers the opportunity
and quality time to discuss issues in depth and develop their
own plan about how to progress.
“We will also be enhancing the awareness of safeguarding
and the Think Family agenda through road shows and
targeted training, amongst other initiatives.
“However, in an urgent case the first point of call for
staff remains your line management structure and if you
need more specialist safeguarding support, safeguarding
practitioners will still be available.”
Safeguarding supervision launched
Safeguarding supervision has now been launched within
Local Services, with the safeguarding teams from Health
Partnerships and Local Services coming together to train
staff to provide safeguarding supervision within the
Division.
During the initial phase, supervision will be provided
in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and
Substance Misuse Services with supervision groups
comprised of workers from each speciality, allowing the
sharing of knowledge and expertise across the Division.
In July 2015, another group of supervisors will be trained,
enabling supervision to be offered more extensively across
the Division to ensure all staff have access to safeguarding
supervision. If you are interested in becoming a supervisor
and have experience in providing clinical or managerial
supervision, please email Rosie Roosevelt, Local Services
Division Safeguarding Lead.
Supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities
Nottinghamshire provides a wide range of support to children and young people with special
educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families.
The support is offered through a
variety of partners with parents, carers,
children and young people working
together with schools, other agencies
such as health and social care, and the
voluntary sector.
A number of significant changes have
recently taken place to the way that
services for children with SEND are
identified, assessed and supported,
and Nottinghamshire was one of 20
areas across England selected to pilot
the reforms proposed in the draft
legislation.
The new plans were designed to make
it easier to access joined-up services
across health, social care and education.
One of the requirements of the new
legislation was the development of a
2
‘local offer’ to describe the services
and provision available to families of
children and young people aged 0 to
25 years with special educational needs
and/or disabilities.
Rachael Isaac-Pascoe, Head of Service
for Newark & Sherwood Child
& Family Health Teams, secured
funding from Mark Evans, SEN
Reform Champion, and they worked
together with Becca Riley, SEND
Implementation, to arrange two
awareness events in March.
Almost 150 delegates from Health
Visiting, School Nursing, Children in
Care, CAMHS, Early Years teams, and
other specialist child and family health
teams from across the county attended
to learn more about Nottinghamshire’s
local offer and its graduated approach
to providing support to children and
young people with SEND.
The sessions also looked at how the
SEND reforms and the educational,
health and care (EHC) plan pathway
link with other national and local
initiatives. A mother of a child with
SEND also attended to talk to delegates
about her family’s experiences and
demonstrated an ‘All about me’ EHC
plan pathway in practice.
Other speakers included Ruth
Hardy; Paula Vyze, Assessment and
Commissioning Manager; Simon Ray,
Professional Practitioner, SEND
Commissioning (local offer); and Alison
Holloway, Team Manager, (SEND
Commissioning).
Simon Ray, Paula Vyze, Rachael Isaac-Pascoe,
Becca Riley, Alison Holloway – Team Manager,
Rachel Tyler – parent, Susanne Godber –
Secretary to Head of Service and Mark Evans
Positive June 2015
3
in different areas from brickwork
skills to carpentry, plumbing, using
power tools, health and safety, animal
care, sowing seeds and identifying
parts of plants.
The service is dedicated to meeting
the needs of all patients within the
Hospital, regardless of skill level and
ability. Every patient is subject to an
individual risk assessment before any
placement is agreed.
New Trade Skills Building for
patients at Rampton Hospital
Last month a special event was
held to celebrate a new facility at
Rampton Hospital for patients to
learn trade skills.
The trade skills building is based in the
Horticulture and Trade Skills (formerly
Work Skills) area at the Hospital, part
of the Occupational Therapy Service
within the Therapies and Education
Department. The new building offers a
larger space than the department could
previously offer, providing an increased
range and number of work stations
where patients can learn a variety of
skills which are graded for function and
risk.
The area gives patients the opportunity
to develop individual and team working
skills by working collaboratively
on major tasks such as
wall building construction; painting
and decorating; block paving; fence
construction; push fit plumbing and
tiling.
The building has been named The
Munro Centre in recognition of Pauline
Munro, Vocational Services Manager
who retires this month. Pauline has
been a driving force throughout the
project and passionately championed
horticulture and work skills in the
Hospital.
Dean Fathers, Trust Chair, declared the
building officially open. He said: “This
is a fantastic facility which will provide
many opportunities to our patients
to learn, gain qualifications and help
towards their recovery and future after
moving on from the Hospital. I know
from speaking to people here today,
just how important this project is and
the difference it makes to so many. The
process would not have been as
successful in getting to this stage
if it hadn’t been for Pauline and
everyone in the team, their vision and
collaboration in working as a team
(staff and patients) to turn the vision
into reality. It has been great to see
the enthusiasm and pride of everyone
involved. Thank you to you all.”
The new building and expansion is
Phase 3 of a project which started
in 2012. Scoping work found that
educational levels in patients fell
considerably short of those in the
general population and the majority
had some kind of employment
experience, with manual labour jobs
most frequently cited. Staff advised
that patients lose work related skills
once admitted to the Hospital and
along with the patients, wanted the
vocational services to be more like
‘real work’. The importance of work
for mental health and prevention of
reoffending has been widely recognised
and documented.
Dr Birgit Vollm and Dr Gopi
Krishnan were instrumental in
the study and the project to
address the findings. Phase 1 saw
an increased range of work
skills activities offered.
Phase 2 concentrated on
expanding the horticulture
activities. Horticulture is
a garden centre and small
animal unit providing male
and female patients the
4
Female patients will also have use of
the new building and another open
day event is planned to allow them
to visit and find out more about the
opportunities available.
opportunity to partake in indoor work
in polytunnels, including seeding,
propagating, and planting. Outdoor
garden work includes learning how
to undertake various activities in a
garden environment, including the
welfare and feeding of poultry and
fish, garden maintenance and use of
machinery.
The team is working with AIM,
a national awarding organisation
offering a large number of Ofqual
regulated qualifications, to put
together a bespoke package that
suits the needs of the patients and
enables them to get a recognised
qualification. The qualifications are
made up of a variety of credits gained
Hanging baskets
This year the team has broken its previous records and due to a concerted effort
from staff and patients has made up a total of 115 hanging baskets so far, and there
are still some late orders coming through.
Over the coming season plans are underway to expand the range of flowers and
vegetables available, and for something special leading up to Christmas. Keep a
check on the intranet site for details.
Karen Elliott, Associate Director
AHP(Forensic) and Therapies and
Education Manager said: “Patients
thoroughly enjoyed the day and the
chance to share what they are doing
and plans for future. We are all
delighted to see the difference this
project has made and how patients
are gaining so much from it, not
only work skills, but also in selfconfidence, esteem and a sense of
achievement.”
Seasonal
produce
for sale
There is an abundance of fresh
produce available from the
Horticulture and Trade Skills
Department. Items for sale
include plants and freshly laid
free range eggs.
To place an order, pop
in to see the team, call
01777 247 925, visit
the horticulture area
of the intranet or email
horticultureworkskills@
nottshc.nhs.uk Please
note purchases can only
be made by employees
of Nottinghamshire
Healthcare.
l-r Dean Fathers, Pauline Munro, Dr Julie Hall,
Executive Director Forensic Services, Kay Carley,
Occupational Therapy Manager and Karen Elliott
Front page – Pauline Munro and the Horticulture
and Trade Skills Team
Positive June 2015
5
’
s
r
e
r
Ca ek
W1e4 June
Carers’ Week is an annual awareness campaign to recognise and
celebrate the UK’s 6.5 million carers; the challenges they face and
the contribution they make.
The focus this year is on building Carer Friendly Communities to
support carers to look after their loved ones, while recognising that
they are individuals with needs of their own.
8-
Look out for activities and opportunities to get involved across the
Trust, or visit www.carersweek.org for more.
Sarah takes the helm
Local carer and Rosewood Involvement Centre
Volunteer Sarah Batty has taken over the organisation
and management of Bassetlaw Carer Support Group,
working closely with the Secondary Mental Health
Services in Bassetlaw.
The group has been established for more than four years and is very
well attended by carers, families, friends and supporters whose loved
one has been, or is under, the care of the local Secondary Mental Health
Services.
Jinny Slack, a member for a number of years said: “I couldn’t have
coped in my caring role without the support group; it’s a place where
I can come and share my thoughts, feelings and think about different
ways to cope. We also have a good laugh and go out socially together
which is wonderful.”
The group is also very lucky to have speakers on a regular basis covering
topics such as the Carers’ Act, mindfulness, relaxation techniques,
medication and welfare rights. Sarah said: “All the speakers attend on
a voluntary basis, giving up their very busy time, and we are so grateful
for this.”
Sarah, who is a carer for her brother, previously worked on the Acute
Mental Health Ward B2. She said: “I have always enjoyed working for
the Trust and when I left I really missed my role with the Carer Support
Group, so I wanted to return and continue this as a volunteer.”
Andrea Emmens, Family Interventions Coordinator
added: “It’s fantastic that Sarah is happy to give
up her time to ensure the group is effectively and
efficiently run. Having a carer at the helm ensures
the group remains focused on the needs of its
caring members and provides a service that is really
needed.”
The Bassetlaw Carer Support Group meetings
take place on the first Tuesday of each month,
1.30-3.30pm at Bassetlaw Mental Health
Unit. For more information contact Lauren
Medlam, Family Intervention Team
Administrator on 01909 502025 or
[email protected].
Watch out for updates in Positive.
Sharing a
passion for
working with
families
A refresher day for Adult Mental
Health staff trained in Behavioural
Family Therapy (BFT) was held in
March, to reinvigorate everyone’s
passion and enthusiasm for working
with families and implementing BFT
in practice.
Nineteen staff attended the event which
followed the structure of BFT, including
information sharing, staying well, problem
solving, communication skills and role play.
The participants rated their own levels of
confidence and enthusiasm both before
and after the event, and many were already
very enthusiastic about family work and
shared how they were implementing BFT in
practice. Overall, we saw a 10% increase in
confidence across the staff group by the end
of the day and a 15% increase in enthusiasm.
Participants also gave their feedback on the
content of the day, saying that the role play
sessions, delivered by family members and
the BFT Trainers, and the family member
stories were particularly helpful. Mindfulness,
information sharing and networking
opportunities were also mentioned as being
really beneficial. Another BFT refresher day
is planned for 19 November 2015.
For more information on BFT training
contact Lauren Medlam, Family Intervention
Team Administrator on 01909 502025 or
[email protected].
A carer’s
perspective
By Trevor Clower
Being asked to go to a meeting of any kind by Andrea Emmens
is always an adventure, as she always gets me to enlarge on
my involvement. This was my first BFT refresher day and I was
wondering quite what else I would be led into, extra to what
was in the programme. This meeting had all the earmarks of
being a good day, when, it actually turned out to be a brilliant
day indeed.
I delivered my bit on the Five sequences of events, all carers fall
victim too, and Sarah Batty (see article left) gave an incredibly
moving account of her life with her brother. You could have
heard a pin drop as she captured the whole audience with her
brother’s struggle.
During lunch, Andrea whispered to me that I would be ‘Dad’ in
the next part of the event. I had no idea what she was talking
about, but I am getting used to being surprised when Andrea
gets the bit between her teeth.
As it transpired, I was Dad to Lauren and her sister Alyson, as
we sat together, while Andrea and Christine came on stage like
the Family Workers from HELL! They did as many things wrong
as they could during our interview, which felt more like a grilling
at the Spanish inquisition! It was impossible to keep a straight
face, as some of their antics became more and more bizarre!
After this the audience was asked all the things that were done
wrong. The discussion was both lively and very enthusiastic
indeed; bringing the best out of the best in this very experienced
audience who deliver BFT during their work.
Tim Constable (see below) made a huge contribution to the
event and it is clear the management would benefit greatly by
going on a BFT course, as would carers and family members too.
The whole day was highly successful as it did exactly what it set
out to do - refresh people’s minds and fire up their imagination
and enthusiasm.
Behavioural Family Therapy, a very necessary service, keeps
families together while dealing with mental illness and keeping
people from ending up in hospital. I recommend this training
course to anyone who cares about people, to learn how to deal
with families head on, and make a positive difference in their
turbulent lives.
A manager’s perspective
By Tim Constable, Service Manager, County Community and Residential Inpatient
I was really pleased to
be invited to attend the
Behavioural Family Therapy
refresher day, which provided
me with a sense of how BFT
training is progressing across
Adult Mental Health. It also
highlighted really positive
practice with regard to
moving the approach forward
and identified some of the
challenges faced by staff after
attending the training, with
regards to implementation.
‘How not to do a BFT session’
and see how the learning that
followed was encouraged
through
discussions about what had
been done wrong. A funny yet
thought provoking session.
Our guests talked about how
BFT had been implemented in
Dorset and Derby, comparing
and contrasting the different
approaches, which provided
some useful thinking points to
help us move
forward
with
our
I was really inspired
by the first-hand
accounts from
family members
of their personal
stories and
encouraged by
their feedback
that Family Work
had, or would have
been really helpful
to them.
service delivery. We are now
achieving a high number of
Family Work trained staff
across Adult Mental Health,
with the necessary support
structures in place to enable
them to maintain their
enthusiasm and motivation.
I am really pleased to be
involved in this area of practice
development and following
the inspiring day, look forward
to progressing this and
ensuring that Family Work is
integral to all of our service
delivery.
Alyson Leeks, Family
Interventions Co-ordinator
said: “It was great to have Tim
with us for the whole
refresher day as
it reinforced
the value that
management
and the Trust as
a whole, places
on family
interventions.”
It was great to see the
Family Intervention Team
staff members role play
Sarah Batty
6
Tim Constable, Service Manager with Alyson
Leeks, Family Interventions Coordinator
Positive June 2015
7
‘Spinning around’
to raise money for
Breathe Easy
Health professionals from across the area recently came
together to support Breathe Easy’s fundraising ‘Spin-athon’
event in May at the River Maun Recreation Centre.
Breathe Easy Mansfield and Ashfield
members have been working hard
to raise money to set up a new
exercise class for people affected
by respiratory illness. The aim is to
enable people to continue exercising
after finishing a course of pulmonary
rehabilitation delivered by respiratory
professionals.
Regular exercise is needed to help
maintain the benefits of the course,
and the group wanted to provide
access to dedicated classes in the
Mansfield area.
Sally Chapman, Respiratory
Technical Instructor with the
Mansfield and Ashfield Respiratory
Service organised the event. She
said: “Exercise is really important
for everyone. I
8
used to run three COPD exercise
classes in Ashfield which helped to
keep people fitter, well and out of
hospital.
“It’s only fair that the people of
Mansfield have access to the same
thing and that’s why we decided to
support the group in setting up their
Breathe Easy Exercise Class.”
Peter Burrows, a member of Breathe
Easy Mansfield and Ashfield and a
Pulmonary Rehabilitation Volunteer
added: “There are so many positives
that come out of a fitness class for
people affected by lung disease. If
we gave each one a colour we’d
have a fantastic rainbow, but the
end of our rainbow isn’t a pot of
gold, it’s a better quality of life
for all.”
Ca rer
Weeks ’
8-14
Community
of Interest
goes ‘on
the road’
The Carers’, Family and Friends’
Community of Interest went
‘on the road’ to hold its regular
meeting at the alternative venue
of Bassetlaw Mental Health Unit,
Worksop in April.
A Community of Interest (COI) is a
group of people with a shared interest,
understanding or passion who want to
work together to shape or improve services.
The Bassetlaw meeting was well attended
by more than 20 carers, family members,
friends and staff. It focused on the future
of the COI and how it could work with the
Trust to deliver its refreshed Carers’, Family
and Friends’ Strategy
2015-18.
June
Members of the Community
Interest Group
A local carer said: “This is the first
time I have attended a Community of
Interest and I am really impressed with
it. I think it gives me the opportunity
as a carer to voice my opinion and
people genuinely listen and take
forward the things I am saying. It is
also fantastic to meet other carers in
a similar role to me so that we can
share ideas.”
Jane Danforth, Involvement Officer
added: “The Carers’, Family and Friends’
Community of Interest, which usually
meets in Nottingham, works in partnership
with Nottinghamshire Healthcare for the
benefits of carers, families and friends.
to compile a carers’ handbook, and been
involved in developing and delivering
training for staff. They also work hard to
improve the involvement and recognition
of carers, families and friends and the
important role they play.”
“The group has so far been involved in
writing a carers’ strategy which is currently
under review, worked with staff
For more information contact Jane
Danforth at [email protected]
or call 0115 952 9430.
Positive June 2015
9
New
Director
of Finance
Simon Crowther has taken up
the role of Executive Director of
Finance for the Trust.
Simon joined Nottinghamshire
Healthcare on 30 March, bringing
with him a wealth of experience.
Prior to his appointment, Simon was
Chief Finance Officer at Mansfield
and Ashfield and Newark and
Sherwood Clinical Commissioning
Groups. Before this, Simon worked
at a senior level in Primary Care
Trusts and Derbyshire Community
Services. He has gained extensive
experience in not only finance but also
in commissioning, contracting and
performance management.
Developing our
future leaders
Since qualifying as a management
accountant in 1996, Simon has
complimented his accountancy
background with further studies in
leadership and change management,
strategic financial management and
corporate governance and assurance,
the latter being completed at the Cass
Business School in London.
Meet Andrew Robinson, SystmOne Trainer, the
fifth of twelve staff from across the Trust who
we’re introducing in Positive as they transition
from being Led to being Leaders, through our
year-long leadership development programme.
Welcome to the Trust Simon!
Spring start for new apprentices
In April we welcomed 13
new apprentices into various
services across the Trust. One
is following a clinical pathway
in the podiatry service at Park
House, Carlton and the others
are completing Business and
Admin level two.
given a presentation on the benefits to
hosting an apprentice as part of their
induction. Recruitment is now responsive
to service requests and takes place
throughout the year. Managers are fully
involved in the recruitment and selection
process for their apprentice, to ensure
the best fit to their team. Any manager
considering offering a placement can
contact Heather Porter, Apprentice Lead
on 0115 969 1300 ext. 10269 for more
information.
I have worked for the Trust for 17 years and during this time
I’ve held a number of different positions. I am currently a
SystmOne Trainer in the IT training department.
Part of my role is to train new Health Partnerships staff
on how to use SystmOne effectively for their job role.
Although based in Nottingham, I visit health centres across
the County. I go out to the user’s base and the sessions can
be done on a one-to-one basis or in small group sessions.
Our team also works on SystmOne projects such as mobile
working.
Having been with the Trust for many years I wanted to do
something that could help me progress. Led 2 Lead (L2L)
is a mentoring and leadership course where we are gaining
knowledge and experience through group meetings and work
placements. We also have a group leadership challenge.
As we approach halfway through the course we are being
challenged more and more to think like leaders. I have
regular meetings with my mentor and during these I am
encouraged to think about how I can improve myself and to
find the direction that I want to move towards. Through my
mentor I have been given access to other parts of the Trust
that really interest me that I had previously not
explored.
All members on the L2L course are
also invited to attend the monthly
ELC. This gives us all the
opportunity to sit at tables with
the most senior members of staff
who work for Nottinghamshire
Healthcare. We get to hear from
other Directorates from Local
Services, Forensic Services and
Health Partnerships.
The L2L course is enabling me to
challenge and improve the way I
work.
Over the coming months we
will meet many times as
a group as we look
to continue the
journey further.
Andrew Robinson
They are all here for 12 months on
a fixed term training contract and
have received an induction with the
training provider. They also attended
the Trust induction in May, and
additional training courses offered
during the year will include Excel,
advanced Excel, word processing
and minute taking.
Business and admin locations
Three apprentices will be based
in the admin team at Wathwood
Hospital, and two at Rampton
Hospital in the Clinical Governance
and PALS services. In the Mansfield
area, there are two apprentices
in Ashfield Community Hospital
and Hawthorn House. Nottingham
services with an apprentice include
Offender Health, Facilities at Duncan
Macmillan House, CAMHS inpatients
at Thorneywood, the Children’s
Development Centre at City Hospital and
the Let’s Talk Wellbeing service on Wells
Road.
Trust managers and Prostart staff were
10
Positive June 2015
11
Making plans for our first
Sustainable Travel Day
To mark national Green Transport Week (13 to 21 June), the Environmental Team is organising the first
Trustwide Sustainable Travel Day on Tuesday 16 June.
The team is asking all staff to join in
by changing their journeys that day
to a more environmentally friendly
alternative. This could include:
Walking - Set up a walking group
with colleagues for the day or park
your car a mile away from work and
walk the last leg. Visit www.walkit.
com for walking routes. Good for your
health as well as the environment!
Liftshare - The Trust has its own
Liftshare scheme to help identify
people who drive similar routes to you.
You’d be surprised how many people
might be driving past your road. To
sign up visit www.nottshc.liftshare.
com or organise your own car share
with colleagues for the day.
Cycling - Find out about the Trust’s
bike facilities, Cycle2Work scheme
and Bicycle User Group (BUG) on
the environmental issues pages of the
intranet. Visit www.sustrans.org.uk/
ncn/map for cycle paths across the
UK. Did you know, the Trust pays
mileage for cycling to meetings?
Public transport - Plan your public
transport journey anywhere in the UK
at www.traveline.info. The Trust also
provides discounted public transport
through the NCT Easyrider Scheme in
Nottingham.
Pool cars - The Trust has two low
CO2 pool cars based at Duncan
Macmillan House, run by our partner
Co-Wheels. An additional (non-low
CO2) pool car is available at Rampton
Hospital, bookable through the
Transport Department.
Conference calling - Do you really
need to commute to that meeting?
Could you phone instead? This still
counts!
Help us to monitor just how much
carbon we can save on 16 June by
filling in the sustainable travel form
available on the Environmental Issues
pages of the intranet or by emailing
[email protected]. All we
need to know is your name, site, how
many miles travelled and the mode of
transport.
By submitting your details you will be
entering your site into a competition
with other Trust sites. The participants
at the site which, on average, has
reduced its travel carbon footprint the
most will receive a prize!
Are you interested in environmental
issues? Become a Green Champion!
Contact the Environmental Team
to find out more on environment@
nottshc.nhs.uk.
National award
success
Rampton
Recycling
The Environmental Team and Green Champion Russ James
attended the NHS Sustainability Day awards ceremony in
London in April, where the Trust was highly commended in the
IT, Clinical and HR categories.
Rampton Hospital is lucky
enough to have its own waste
yard where waste from the
Hospital is segregated into
lots of different streams for
recycling. Since August 2014,
staff have segregated 39
bales of cardboard which equates to 20 tonnes of waste – the
equivalent of 20 adult polar bears!!! Well done to all involved.
Rosy Moore, Environmental Officer said: “It was great to meet
other leaders in sustainability and to hear about the fantastic
work which is taking place across the country. We came away
feeling inspired and with high hopes for next year’s awards.”
The team with one
of their awards
and presenter
Monty Don
12
Positive June 2015
13
Members of the team with
The Rosewood Rockers
A poem written by
one of the patients
Back row from left: Julia Hagger – Clinical Matron Primary Care; Andrew Read – Nurse Primary Care;
Gordon Ross – Pharmacist; Suzan Lilley – Primary Mental Health Team; Chris Haigh – Pharmacy Lead;
with two colleagues from prison gymnasium
Promoting good health for
prisoners – both now and
for the future
Joining together to
celebrate St George’s Day
The Male Personality Disorder
Service at Rampton Hospital
enjoyed another fantastic
recovery-centred event,
celebrating Saint George’s day on
the Chiltern Unit.
patients to make their own contribution,
promoting self-confidence and selfworth, while immersing themselves in
the freedom that music provides.”
Staff and patients were delighted
to welcome some of the Rosewood
Involvement Volunteers who came to play
live music, and in turn to hear some music,
poetry and songs that some of the patients
had been working on as part of their
individual recovery projects.
“I really enjoyed finding myself through
music and being able to express words
in poems or songs to show that life can
be better; we will all get there in the
end and I do hope others will do the
same in songs or poems to see their own
recovery blossom.”
The event began with The Rosewood
Rockers playing guitar and singing some
favourite old classics, by the end of which
everybody was singing and swaying.
The performances from patients then
included a drum solo, some poetry and a
song called ‘Treatment, Treatment’. In the
evening patients also socialised over our
national dish of fish, chips and mushy peas.
“I am grateful to the people from
Rosewood for all their kindness and for
their time coming to be with us and
sharing with us.”
Martina Griffiths, Clinical Nurse Manager
said: “The event was inclusive as always,
with staff and patients all joining in to
enjoy the music. This empowered our
14
HMP Lincoln’s primary care, pharmacy and mental health services joined
colleagues from the prison service and neighbouring organisations
including public health to take part in a prisoner health and wellbeing
day in April.
Comments received were very positive,
including:
“Rosewood, your stories and life
experiences are inspiring and offer
people like me hope for the future.
Thank you for your time, energy and
understanding.”
“May Saint George keep an eye on all
of us who are recovering and intercede
for us.”
The healthcare team showcased a variety of information relating to stress, anxiety,
depression, men’s health, cardiac health and the upcoming ‘Lift the lid’ campaign
raising awareness of bowel cancer. Pharmacy team members also spoke to
patients who wanted more information about medications, and were supported
by Karen Murray, a specialist Hepatitis C nurse.
Julia Hagger, Clinical Matron – Primary Care, Offender Health said: “The day
planned by prison staff was a great opportunity for a variety of healthcare staff to
engage with our patients to promote good health not only whilst in custody but
also for the future.
“We were able to engage with lots of individuals who don’t access healthcare on
a regular basis and educate them on what services are on offer, and the day was
a great success. We look forward to continuing to support health education in the
near future.”
Feedback included:
“Gave me more knowledge on how to lead a healthy lifestyle.”
“I saw where I can improve my healthcare.”
“There were many stalls which opened my eyes to things which I would ordinarily
take for granted.”
“It was good to see all those people under one roof.”
“I have nothing but praise for the team at healthcare and the staff at the
gymnasium.”
“The healthcare is good because when I’ve put appointments in to see healthcare
I get to see them pretty fast.”
Positive June 2015
15
Helping diabetes
patients make
healthier food choices
The Nutrition and Dietetics Department recently launched some
new resources for use in diabetes education groups, reflecting
national changes in food labelling requirements that came into
effect in December 2014.
The new legislation is designed to
help standardise food labelling and
make it easier for people to make
healthier choices about what they
buy and eat. It recommends that
food manufacturers display ‘traffic
light’ coding to visually highlight the
nutritional value of food portions,
allowing people to see at a glance if
the food product has high, medium
or low amounts of fat, saturated fat,
sugar and salt; the more greens, the
healthier the choice.
Celebrating
Eldership
By Katja Milner, Spirituality Lead
Old age is something we often struggle with in our culture. With so much emphasis on youth, glamour
and being at work, those who have lived to tell many tales of life can sometimes be forgotten. It is
easy in our busy lives to take for granted the depth of human experience which only comes from living
through life’s challenges year after year.
I was struck by the teaching from
ancient cultures who would not only
respect but revere their Elders, seeing
them as vital for the learning and
health of their communities. The
telling of stories has always been
important in culture and the passing
on of learning would often happen
between the elders and the young.
Inspired by these ideas, I contacted
Cherry Ward at Highbury Hospital
and asked if they would like to
collaborate in a ‘Celebrating Eldership’
event where the Spiritual and
Pastoral Care Service would provide
practitioners from our partnership
organisations – artists, musicians and
some wellbeing practitioners – to
bring some lovely activities to the
ward. Researching the topic of age
and eldership I was surprised to find
so many beautiful pictures and quotes
on this topic and I collated them as an
inspiring focal point on the ward.
On a beautiful spring day professional
artists from the community arts
16
organisation SEND and Cherry Ward
residents co-created a fantastic image
of the sun with rays shining out. They
asked residents to think of words they
associated with the theme of the day
and stuck these on the picture. There
was also live music which included a
sitar and tabla sing-along rendition
of ‘What a Wonderful World’ and
practitioners from Om Wellbeing
Centre in Nottingham gave many
residents massage and healing to help
them to relax.
I personally really enjoyed listening to
the stories of some of the ladies who,
with a glisten in their eyes, spoke to
me of their past adventures. There
were many smiles and laughter and
one patient fed back that she “had a
wonderful day from the glorious art
work, absolutely fantastic musicians
and a very relaxing Reiki massage, and
felt wonderful afterwards.”
event; those that participated clearly
enjoyed thinking about the positives
in their lives and their achievements.
It was a pleasure to see the personal
glows and smiles that reminiscence
brought to them.”
Many thanks go
to all the great
practitioners, artists
and staff involved
in this event and to
all the people who
participated.
Whilst traffic light food labelling isn’t
new, previously manufacturers could
use their own colour codes and values,
making it potentially confusing for
customers buying different products
from different brands. As well as traffic
light labelling, ‘Reference Intakes’
(previously ‘Guideline Daily Amounts’)
have also been introduced to show
the amount of energy, fat, sugar and
calories in a portion.
“As part of our diabetes education
groups we include sessions on food
labelling to help patients manage their
diabetes and reduce cardiovascular risk
factors,” said Sara McKenzie, Diabetes
Specialist Dietitian.
“These changes in food labelling
legislation meant that we had to
review the resources we used in our
groups. Our new pop-up stowaways
look more professional and are light
weight and easy to take out-andabout.
“They’ve made delivering the traffic
light labelling part of our group much
easier – for both us and our service
users.”
Diabetes Specialist
Dietitians Hayley Spencer
and Sara Mckenzie
with the new labelling
resources for diabetes
education groups
Helen Forrester, Ward Manager said:
“I was immensely pleased with the
“A man’s age is something impressive, it sums
up his life: maturity reached slowly and against
many obstacles, illnesses, griefs and despairs
overcome, and risks taken; maturity formed
through so many desires, hopes, regrets,
forgotten things, loves. A man’s age represents
a fine cargo of experience and memories.”
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Positive June 2015
17
Alec
Crossland
It is with great sadness that we
learnt of the passing of Alec
Crossland, one of our Public
Governors. Alec had been
a committed and energetic
member of the Council of Governors with a
real passion for ensuring high quality service
provision to patients, service users and carers.
Since Alec was elected to the Council he had
shown such enthusiasm for the role, for which
his time and dedication had been greatly
appreciated by
the Trust.
On behalf of the Council of Governors and the
Trust we would like to extend our condolences
to Alec’s family and friends. Alec’s passing is a
great loss to the Council and his humour and
caring personality will be deeply missed.
Reducing falls in care homes
A reduction in falls is a key priority for Nottingham West CHP, which
provides targeted support to those residential care homes with the
highest number of falls-related hospital admissions.
The support includes additional specific educational sessions and ongoing
support to senior carers to increase their awareness, inclusion and
ownership of the falls pathway. Project lead, Physiotherapist Nicola Adkin explained: “We work with care
homes to identify those residents who are at risk of falls, and deliver
assessments and falls interventions.
All care homes targeted are offered an ongoing evidence-based falls
maintenance programme. This ensures that the residents at risk of falls on
the programme continue their improvement and do not lose functionality.
“The new model of support was initially delivered within six of the 24 care
homes in the Nottingham West area, and after its success, it has now been
extended to another four homes. In the first six homes, falls reduced by
32% between 2013 and 2014.”
For further information contact Nicola Adkin by emailing
[email protected]
From left, Nicola Sorsby, Clinical Nurse
Manager, Peaks Unit; Tina Pritchard,
Team Leader, The Mental Health and
National High Secure Learning Disabilities
Directorate; Audrey Ridge, Rosewood
Involvement Volunteer; Ruth Kavanagh,
Clinical Nurse Manager; and Jenny
Crossland, Clinical Nurse Manager,
Personality Disorder and National High
Secure Healthcare Service for Women
Website
Update
Involving patients in the
Rampton recruitment process
Work is continuing on the
development of the Trust’s
new website to be launched
later this year. We have been
engaging and consulting
with stakeholders including
involvement volunteers, Trust
members and staff around the
look and feel of the site and
content over the last few months.
Our focus for the website launch stage has been on the
information about our services, how to access services and
support information. This is a starting point; the website will
evolve over time.
In April Adrian, Involvement Volunteer, attended one of the
engagement workshops held to enable people to feed back their
thoughts and suggestions. He said: “Compared to the old site
this is a lot clearer, a lot more precise and has detailed phone
numbers; it’s no use putting things without contact details. The
initial viewing looks like this has been amended and contact
details are easily accessible. The A-Z is brilliant! I thought that
was what made it easier to find what you wanted.”
Thank you to everyone who has given up their time to help
shape the website and develop it to be user friendly and a
helpful resource for everyone.
18
Service leads from Rampton Hospital have been working hard to not only forge strong links between
the Hospital and the Rosewood Involvement Centre, but also to create exciting opportunities for
patients within high secure services to access further training and development, including a direct
involvement in recruitment.
“Thanks to the ongoing support of
Nigel Groves, Centre Manager and
Audrey Ridge, Rosewood Involvement
Volunteer, we’ve been able to provide
opportunities and support to patients
across the Directorates to become
actively involved in the development
of services, with a focus on improving
the recruitment process,” explained
Ruth Kavanagh, Clinical Nurse
Manager, Mental Health and National
High Secure Learning Disabilities
Directorate.
“During April 2015, patient
representatives from the Learning
Disabilities Directorate formed a
patient panel and developed a set of
recovery-focused questions for use in
staff nursing interviews. The patients
were supported by Audrey and Tina
Pritchard, Team Leader from the
Mental Health Directorate and worked
alongside a staff panel of Clinical
Nurse Managers from around the
hospital.
“Feedback from the patients was that
they had thoroughly enjoyed the
process, which was fun and interesting.
They also valued having a say in the
decisions made around which staff
would be coming into the hospital
and supporting them in their recovery
journey.”
The Rosewood team will be returning
to Rampton Hospital in July to offer
further training to patients who
are interested in becoming future
interview panel members, leading to
further collaborative working between
staff and patients in the recruitment
process, prioritising compassion and
a focus on enabling patients in their
recovery with a real emphasis on
embedding values based recruitment
throughout the Hospital.
Positive June 2015
19
Sleep to win
A collaboration between Nottinghamshire
Healthcare and the Clinical Sleep
Research Unit (CSRU) at Loughborough
University is proving a great success in
delivering a new sleep management
course to Trust staff and workshops for
British athletes.
Patient Opinion
– the movie!
Staff from Bingham Sure Start Centre and the Involvement
Team found themselves the focus of a recent film by Patient
Opinion.
PO Exemplars is a series of five short films looking at how different trusts
have ‘gone above and beyond’ to use and maximise feedback about their
services received via Patient Opinion. The films, produced with the help of
Ricky Derisz, Subscriber Support Officer from Patient Opinion and students
from Sheffield Hallam University, look at how trusts use the feedback site
and why, in a bid to share good practice with others.
Staff talked about how the
website, which has over 2,200
stories about the Trust, has
become integrated into their work
during the last seven years. In
the spotlight was: Lisa Metcalfe,
Podiatrist; Sue Dyke, Involvement
Manager; Jenny Newman,
Patient, Carer and Public Engagement Manager; Toni Morley, Involvement
and Experience Project Lead; Jane Danforth, Involvement and Experience
Officer; Clare Gore, Sure Start Centre Coordinator; Tina Hancock and Tim
Freestone, Children’s Centre District Managers.
Speaking about the Trust’s work with Patient Opinion, Jane Danforth said:
“It is a partnership where we challenge each other to make it as easy as
possible for people to share their stories about our services and to help staff
respond to feedback about their services publicly, online. All feedback, good
or bad, can improve services – and we know it works!’’
To watch the video visit www.vimeo.com and search ‘PO Exemplars:
Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS FT’.
To read stories about the Trust, go to www.patientopinion.org.uk and search
‘Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’.
20
In a new initiative made possible by the
Trust’s support for the East Midlands hub
of the National Centre for Sport and
Exercise Medicine, Dr Maureen Tomeny,
Consultant Clinical Psychologist and
Clinical Director of Let’s Talk-Wellbeing
is working together with staff from the
CSRU, Professor Kevin Morgan, and Luke
Gupta, Sports Scientist. The team are
using their sleep expertise to support
Team GB athletes preparing for the Rio
Olympics in 2016, following a request
from the British Paralympic Association
for sleep advice and training.
Many elite athletes find that their sleep
is challenged by training schedules,
psychological and exercise stress, and
the travel required for international
competitions so the NHCT-CSRU team
recently provided a series of one-day
‘Sleep to Win’ workshops attended
by the sports clinicians, coaches
and managers responsible for the
performance of British Paralympic and
Olympic athletes.
Dr Maureen Tomeny said: “The
workshops addressed many issues
that athletes have to face when they
are under a lot of pressure, how this
can affect their sleep and in turn, their
overall performance. We explained the
mechanisms that regulate sleep and also
advised how to deal with issues such
as jetlag and considered common sport
practices like the large consumption of
caffeine to enhance performance.
“From this fantastic collaboration, the
overall feedback was very positive and
the workshops are now being made
available to further squads and sports
throughout the UK.”
New Regional Tutor role
for Pharmacy’s Michelle
Congratulations to Michelle Lad, Senior Clinical Pharmacist, on her
appointment as a Regional Tutor for the East Midlands Centre for
Postgraduate Pharmacy Education (CPPE).
The CPPE provides educational opportunities for the 60,000 registered pharmacists and
pharmacy technicians providing NHS and Public Health services in England. It organises
and delivers over 500 workshops, distributes more than 25,000 open learning
programmes every year and has a wide range of online learning.
Michelle is based at the pharmacy on Highbury Campus. Matthew Elswood,
Chief Pharmacist said: “I am really pleased for Michelle. She is a highly
motivated, Senior Clinical Pharmacist who is passionate about the
training and education aspects of the pharmacy role.
“This role will provide Michelle with an excellent platform to improve
knowledge and understanding of mental health conditions and their
management in the wider pharmacy audience. Michelle will also be a
great advocate for our Trust.”
Michelle Lad
Congratulations to Mark on his
outstanding achievement award
Mark Flanagan has been awarded an outstanding achievement award at the Infection Prevention and
Control (IPC) Link Network, in recognition of his hard work and commitment to IPC over the last year.
Mark, whose award was presented
by Penny Keith, Deputy Associate
Director, Nursing, Quality and Patient
Experience, has instigated many
practice changes with a significant
impact in terms of improving patient
safety and efficiency, in both time as
well as cost savings.
Mark with his award
certificate and
congratulatory gifts
“I have been involved in amending the
MRSA policy for our department, and
liaising with various companies to trial
sharps bins and waste management
processes and equipment. Through
the audit process I am able to monitor
that the high standards we require in
a theatre department are maintained
consistently and improved on where
possible.
He said: “I took over the role of
Infection Prevention & Control Link
Professional for Podiatric Surgery
in April 2013 and attended my first
Link Network meeting at Robinsons
Healthcare that September.
“I was provided with support from the
IPC Nurses, Sheila Smith and Diane
Churchill-Hogg enabling me to quickly
settle into the role. The meetings are
held quarterly at various locations to
allow all IPC links to network and
discuss IPC and receive updates on
local and national infection control
issues.
link role, I have been able to change
some of the working practices in our
department which has led to cost
savings, greater patient and staff safety
and improvement on the already high
standards.
“With the support of the IPC team
I have developed my skills and
knowledge in relation to infection
prevention and as a result of my
“I really enjoy my role as IPC link and
was honoured to be chosen to receive
the outstanding achievement award.
It is of course a credit to the whole of
the Podiatric Surgery department who
have supported me in implementing
the changes that I have introduced.”
Positive June 2015
21
q&a
This issue we chat with
Cognitive Behavioural
Psychotherapist Sarah Priestley
q What is your job title and what
does your role entail?
a I am a Cognitive Behavioural
Psychotherapist working at HMP North
Sea Camp. I work within the Integrated
Mental Health Team providing CBT
(Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation
and Reprocessing) to individuals who are
experiencing depression and / or anxiety
disorders such as Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,
Generalised Anxiety Disorder etc. In
addition to my clinical role, I undertake a
number of management responsibilities
to support our Team Clinical Matron and
liaise closely with the Prison.
as part of my role as Psychological
Wellbeing Practitioner (PWP). I then
progressed to become an accredited
Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist
and EMDR Practitioner.
q What are you most passionate
about?
a Improving the access to and quality of
mental health services particularly within
prisons.
q How long have you been with
q What is the best piece of advice
q What single thing would improve
Nottinghamshire Healthcare?
a I have been in my current post for
18 months however, with the Trust since
1 October 2014, when it took over our
service from another Trust.
q What do you see as your priorities
for Nottinghamshire Healthcare?
a Within the Mental Health Team
we hope to contribute towards the
development and growth of Offender
Health and increase recognition and
understanding of mental health
difficulties within prison settings.
q What is your employment
background?
a I have worked prominently within
community IAPT services before my
current post. I completed a BSc in
Psychology in 2007 and then went on
to complete a post graduate certificate
you have ever been given?
a Go with your instincts… if
something doesn’t feel right it
generally isn’t.
your working life at Nottinghamshire
Healthcare?
a More staff and resources!
q What was the last album you
bought?
a 1000 forms of fear, Sia.
q What is your greatest
achievement?
a The completion of University
education, and the opportunities this
has brought.
q What makes you angry?
a The stigma that is still associated
with mental health. People easily
accept physical health problems
however there are still perceptions that
having a mental health problem means
someone is dangerous or ‘crazy’.
Launching care delivery at Morton Hall
q What is your favourite hobby?
a Most definitely retail therapy.
q What keeps you awake at night?
a Cheese! Never eat cheese before bed.
q What is your favourite film?
a Any film directed by Martin Scorsese
especially Shutter Island or the Departed!
q Who would you take to a desert
island?
a Bear Grylls so he could teach me how
to survive!
q Where do you see yourself in
10 years’ time?
a I should say that I’d like to progress
my career further however I love my job
and the difference I make. I can’t imagine
doing anything different to this but ask
me again in five years.
q Do you have a ‘claim to fame’?
a I’ve been to London quite a few times
q What is your idea of bliss?
a This one is easy… lying in the sun on a
deserted beach with a cocktail.
but I’ve never seen anyone famous. The
closest I got was Spencer Moon from
Eastenders! I once saw Jodie Marsh and
Kenzie in Burger King at a service station.
q What three words would you use
to describe yourself?
a Approachable, caring and positive.
q How would you like to be
remembered?
a The therapist who made a difference.
At the beginning of April, the Offender
Health Directorate took over the
integrated healthcare services provided
at Morton Hall, an Immigration
Removal Centre (IRC) in Lincolnshire.
A launch event was held for Morton Hall
healthcare staff, the IRC senior management
team and Home Office immigration team
based at the Centre, and
commissioners from NHS
England. Luke Baumber,
Area Manager, outlined
the mobilisation journey
and vision for the future of
the healthcare provision at
Morton Hall.
Main: Morton Hall staff Ryk
Izycki, Helen Daykin, Linda
Wilmot, Gemma Halfpenny,
Joy Francis, Helen Candlin,
Edith Devonish, Sam Jordan,
and Trisha Linton
q What is your favourite holiday
destination?
a Thailand, as I love the food and
culture.
Luke said: “The Offender
Health Directorate now
delivers services in 14
establishments, and Morton
Hall is the first Immigration
Removal Centre in our
portfolio. Detainees at the
Centre are in the process of seeking their
right to remain in the UK or are awaiting
deportation following an unsuccessful bid
for asylum.
“The average length of stay of a detainee
is 33 days, but for some, it’s much longer
and for others, much shorter. This presents
obvious challenges in delivering health
interventions and care planning.
“The 392 bed centre also houses a vast
diversity of nationalities. This is a very
exciting challenge for the Directorate and
our team has already begun to enhance their
knowledge of delivering healthcare in this
multi-linguistic and multifaith environment.”
At the launch event, Luke
outlined the plan to bring
the physical healthcare
provision in line with the
new care model which is
being rolled out across the
Directorate. Mental health
and substance misuse
pathways will also be
bolstered and formalised to
ensure that the provision is
fully integrated.
Luke added: “The staff are very motivated
and passionate about delivering high quality
healthcare to their patients, and many are
positive about returning to work for the
NHS. I’m sure that all our Trust colleagues
will join us in welcoming the Morton Hall
teams into our organisation.”
Right: Luke Baumber
22
Positive June 2015
23
WHO WE ARE...
You may have picked up this copy
of the newsletter not knowing what
Nottinghamshire Healthcare is.
We provide integrated healthcare
services including mental health,
intellectual disability and community
health services. We also manage
medium secure units in Leicester
and Rotherham, and the high secure
Rampton Hospital near Retford and
provide healthcare in 13 prisons across
the East Midlands and Yorkshire.
WE NEED YOU!
If you have any ideas or suggestions
for the newsletter, please contact
Suzanne Aitken in the Trust
Communications Team on 0115 955
5403 or via email at suzanne.aitken@
nottshc.nhs.uk We are always pleased to
receive articles for possible publication, but
ask that they do not exceed 300 words.
Wherever possible when naming
individuals, please include details of their
job titles/roles and the organisation they
are from. If any individuals other than
yourself are mentioned in what you write
or featured in accompanying photographs,
please make sure you check with them that
they are happy to be potentially featured. It
is your responsibility to ensure this consent
is given. Please send photos as separate
image files and not in Word documents.
Please note that the Communications Team
has full editorial control and may have to
edit articles appropriately. Therefore, if you
want to see the final version please ensure
you send your article in with plenty of time
before the deadline and state clearly what
you require.
If you would like copies of any past editions
of Positive, or if you are having any
‘distribution issues’ with the newsletter –
whether you’re receiving too many copies,
too few, or none at all – then please
contact us.
If you would like your story in the
August issue of Positive, please contact
us by 03 July 2015. However, due to
space constraints we cannot guarantee the
publication of all articles received by the
deadline.
Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS
Foundation Trust, Duncan Macmillan
House, Porchester Road, Nottingham,
NG3 6AA tel 0115 969 1300
www.nottinghamshirehealthcare.nhs.uk
www.facebook.com/
nottinghamshirehealthcare
www.twitter.com/nottshealthcare
Printed on Cocoon · 100% recycled paper
24
Widening knowledge
with NVQ success
Two Community Health Support Workers from Ashfield Child and
Family Health Team, County Health Partnerships have recently
been successful in completing their Level 3 NVQ in Business and
Administration.
Emily Askin and Abigail Richards graduated after around 14 months of
hard work to complete the course. They received their certificates at
the Royal Albert Hall in March from Silver and Bronze
Para Olympics medallist, Jade Etherington.
“We feel completing the course has helped widen
our knowledge on the NHS, policies and procedures.
Throughout the course we had to introduce new
systems within our roles to help provide an improved
service for the team and clients. During the NVQ we
were able to complete Functional Skills, such as IT and
Maths, which had enabled us to complete
further qualifications.”
Emily and Abigail now hope to progress with this
qualification to Level 4.
l-r Emily Askin and
Abigail Richards
Working together to deliver
better care in Bassetlaw
Since March 2014 Bassetlaw Health Partnerships (BHP) has been working
with a number of organisations, including Bassetlaw CCG, primary care,
Bassetlaw Hospital, Notts County Council, Bassetlaw District Council,
the Trust’s Local Services Division and the voluntary sector to integrate
community care for patients, their carers and families.
Four Neighbourhood Teams have been created across Bassetlaw, drawing
together health, social care and voluntary sector professionals to deliver an
integrated approach to patient care; wrapping care and support around the
patient and putting them at the centre of the decision making process.
Each team includes general practitioners, practice nurses, community
nursing including community matrons, care support workers, occupational
therapists, physiotherapists, social workers and the voluntary sector.
Further work is underway to implement an integrated way of working
with hospital based geriatricians and local mental health services.
The integrated approach to patient care will adopt a range of
principles including a focus on prevention and treatment, delivery of
multidisciplinary led interventions which are personalised to meet the
needs of the service user, and proactively supporting service users in
recovery and self-management of their condition.
“Embedding an integrated, multi-professional approach to community
health, primary care and social care services provides us with an exciting
opportunity to make a real difference to patients and their families,” said
Julie Walker, General Manager.