Trust leads the way with first mental health e-discharge

about integrated healthcare

FEBRUARY 2013

nhs hERoEs RAmpton hospitAl top mARks wEllBEing EvERYonE coUnts spotlight on cARing

For more details see page 2

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Trust launches first mental health e-discharge summary The Trust has become the first mental health trust in the country to implement an electronic discharge summary that meets national standards. This means that when a patient is discharged from inpatient mental health services, their information is now sent directly to their GP electronically rather than through the post.

15 GP surgeries in Nottingham are currently piloting the system, receiving discharges from seven wards across the Trust. This will bring a number of benefits that ultimately improve patient care. Using a standardised template, which the Trust helped develop last year, the information sent to GPs is now more consistent, legible and easier to understand. Received in a more timely manner, it also ensures that everyone

A number of staff within Health Partnerships and the Local Services Division have been recognised in the national NHS Heroes recognition scheme.

NHS Heroes was rolled out by NHS North West to all NHS organisations in England and was designed to celebrate the extraordinary work that staff in the NHS carry out every day.

Staff, service users, patients, carers and the public were invited to nominate their NHS Hero for going the extra mile to make a difference to someone’s life. Anyone working in the NHS (clinical and non-clinical) could be nominated for demonstrating real commitment and compassion in NHS care or support work. Each ‘NHS Hero’ received a certificate of recognition signed by NHS Chief Executive, Sir David Nicolson.

Mike Cooke commented: “I am extremely proud that a number of staff within our Trust have been recognised as NHS Heroes in a national scheme. It is a true reflection of how committed all our staff are to the services we provide. We have a workforce of NHS Heroes who should be proud of the services they deliver and the contribution they make to excellent patient care.”

Our ‘NHS Heroes’

I am delighted that the Trust is now using electronic discharge summaries, ensuring that vital information about the care and treatment of those people leaving our inpatient services is sent directly to their GP in a safe, clear and timely manner. This is a great example of how information technology can be used to bring real benefits to patients and is a big step forward in our ambition to implement an electronic patient record across Nottinghamshire Healthcare.

The recent study by the CLAHRC NDL on the effects of Individual Placement Support provided to service users in Nottingham has delivered some very encouraging results; showing that the service can not only support people to gain employment but also bring benefits of increasing employability. In addition it freed up clinical staff, and compared favourably to government run schemes in terms of cost and success. I look forward to hearing about further developments in this area of work.

Our Foundation Trust assessment is continuing. The assessors have been looking at our historic financial performance and our future financial sustainability, which is an important indicator of how we will perform in terms of quality too. We are also

updating our Integrated Business Plan and financial model in line with national guidance which came out late last year. A follow up quality governance assessment has also focused on the action plans which came out of the first visit. It is essential that we are able to demonstrate real improvements and it is good to see that being evidenced by the assessors. Thank you to everyone involved in this process.

Finally, we have just heard that we have come fourth in Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index, which features the best employers in Britain for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) people. This is great news and reflects our commitment to creating a culture in the organisation embracing equality and diversity across all strands.

Simon Smith, Executive Director Local Services

MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD

3Positive February 2013

involved in a patient’s care has access to the most up-to-date information to aid their recovery.

Executive Director of Local Services, Simon Smith, said: “I am delighted that we are the first mental health trust in the country to use an electronic discharge summary. This is a very important initiative nationally and it is a key step forward in the Trust’s ambition to implement an expanded electronic patient record (EPR). This is an exciting time and I would like to thank all of our colleagues who have

made this project, which will serve to improve quality and enhance patient care, possible.”

Dr Ian Trimble, a GP from Sherwood Health Centre explained “An electronic summary ensures that information about patients is communicated more swiftly and accurately which significantly improves patient care and safety. Information can be located and retrieved more quickly in document management systems than from bulky paper records. Ultimately there will be ecological benefits too in reducing

the amount of paper printed, posted, scanned and then discarded.

“It is particularly beneficial for patient care to have a clear summary after discharge from hospital which gives information about the patient’s management during admission, follow up plans and any changes to their medication.”

Prior to implementing the electronic summary, the Trust’s Health Informatics Service worked in collaboration with The Royal College of Psychiatrists, Royal College of General Practitioners and a selection of other NHS Trusts to develop the initiative by designing a joint template which captured all the information needed in a national electronic discharge summary. This work has been facilitated by the Department of Health Informatics Directorate’s Clinical Data Standards Assurance Team.

Dr Ian Trimble receives edischarge summary

The following members of staff are our local ‘NHS Heroes’:

Local Services•Kate Nicholas, LD Speech and Language

Therapist, Lindsay Close •The Perinatal Psychiatry Team,

Perinatal Department, QMC •Amanda Bateman, Early Intervention in

Psychosis, Nottingham •Helen Forrester, Ward Manager, B50 QMC •Marie Armstrong, CAMHS Self Harm

Team, Thorneywood •Marcia Russell, MHSOP CPN,

The Sheila Gibson Unit •Karen Fisher, Alcohol Team Leader,

Oxford Corner, Substance Misuse Services

Health Partnerships•Harworth District

Nurses and Community Matrons, Harworth Surgery

•Cath Edwards, Bassetlaw Stop Smoking Service

•Amy Bower, Bassetlaw Stop Smoking Service

•TheNutritionandDietetic Clinical and Community Nutrition Teams

•Dilys Giles, Children’s Physiotherapy, Children’s Development Centre, Kingsmill Hospital

Rampton Hospital receives top marks in security audit

National showcase for Releasing Time to CareWork on Releasing Time to Care by the Assessment and Treatment Unit (ATU) and Community Assessment and Treatment (CATT) teams in Mansfield has been celebrated through publication by the Institute for Innovation and Improvement.

the case study published is based on work within learning Disability services using the productive mental

health ward and productive community services programmes to provide better quality care for service users.

it showcases the introduction of a shift coordinator role within cAtt which has reduced interruptions by a third, and the implementation of protected mealtimes on the AtU, reducing interruptions to meals from an average of 2.6 to just 0.3 per day. the case study can be found on the institute’s website at www.institute.nhs.uk/quality_and_value/productive_mental_health_ward/case_studies.html

Making sense of relationships in DementiaCareSpeech and Language Therapist in Mental Health Services for Older People, Margaret Metcalfe has had an article published in the Journal of Dementia Care. It highlights her positive experience of working with the relationship-centred care model of intervention.

“i have one day a week to deliver a service across nottingham for people with dementia who have communication and swallowing difficulties, so i am always keen to work with ideas that can improve the efficiency of what i do,” said margaret.

“some time ago i came across the relationship-centred care model of intervention, developed by tom kitwood, a pioneer in dementia care. i had noticed that family members often find it difficult to take on suggestions from me, especially about improving communication, because there is so much else going on in their lives.

“i began to work with the model to help family members understand themselves and meet the needs they have, helping them change their behaviours to support the person with dementia more effectively.

“Using the model has increased the value of the time i spend with people. i will continue to use it in my clinical practice although it clearly has a range of applications.”

margaret’s article can be found at www.careinfo.org/making-sense-of-relationships/

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Rampton Hospital has received an excellent score of 99% in a recent audit by the Prison Service, which looked at the risk reduction and containment procedures in place in the Hospital. The Hospital has once again increased its rating from the previous year, reaching its best ever score.

Lee Brammer, Head of Security said: “I am very happy with this result. We actually gained top marks in three of the four audit functions, scoring 100%, and 99% in the fourth. This rating reflects the excellent team effort that goes into ensuring the safety of our patients, staff and the public.

“Security is paramount at the Hospital and by working to reduce risk, we can provide a safe, therapeutic environment which enhances the effective care, treatment and recovery of our patients.

“The result demonstrates the professionalism and skills of the staff who work

hard every day to make a difference to the lives of the patients at Rampton Hospital.”

Each year an action plan is developed to address areas of improvement and this year the Hospital will look to build on the excellent practice identified by the audit.

Rampton Hospital receives top marks in security audit

Young poet’s work wins accoladeA poem by WAM (What About Me?) client ‘J’ won a runner up place in Adfam’s Family Voices competition. WAM offers Support for Children and Young People Affected by Somebody Else’s Substance Misuse.

‘J’, who is aged 13, his worker Rachael Lowndes and WAM Manager Nicola Crisp travelled to London for the Candlelit Carol Concert in Fleet Street where a celebrity read out his poem and gave him his £100 prize.

Adfam holds the Candlelit Carol Concert to help raise awareness of the difficulties families face when living with drug and alcohol misuse. Their Family Voices competition allows friends and family members who have lived through someone else’s substance use to express their thoughts and feelings in a creative, constructive and therapeutic way.

5Positive February 2013

Various courses, events and programmes were held, aimed at helping people explore and connect with their spirituality in ways which are personally meaningful, and aid recovery and wellbeing.

The successful ‘All You Need is Love’ event was run at the Nottingham Recovery College as part of Mental Health Awareness Weeks.

In a series of workshops and a creative celebratory event, the themes of love, relationships and compassion were explored, topics which tap into the heart of what it is to be who we are and how we can live healthy and fulfilling lives and nurture positive relationships.

People attending said the workshops had helped them ‘to re-look at myself and how I can approach the future’, to be kinder and more appreciative of themselves and to feel like they are not alone.

Nature was the theme of the day at an

event at

Colwick Woods in collaboration with Friends of Colwick Woods, the Highbury Occupational Therapy team and SEND, a community arts organisation. Service users participated in a range of activities such as nature art, drumming, music and a guided nature walk to promote the health benefits of being outdoors and connecting with nature.

Connecting with the Spirit The busy end of 2012 saw a number of highlights for the Spiritual and Pastoral Care Service, not least welcoming new chaplain Sally Horner to the team.

Top: Guided Nature Walk at Colwick Woods Left: Nature art at Nature Day eventBelow and right: Nest and nest hearts exploring the theme of love

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Moving on to Nottingham Focus on WellbeingAfter 23 years of working for the Trust, Tim Wood is moving on to develop a new voluntary organisation along with Mervin Goring from Experts by Experience.

they will be opening nottingham Focus on wellbeing (nFow), which will be able to support referrals from the trust and other healthcare providers as well as referrals directly from gps for services previously provided in the nhs but now moved to the voluntary sector.

nFow will host a number of community organisations and groups, supporting

them in finding funding and developing

the services and activities that they offer. this collective will work together

to support the needs of the local community. Freedom of choice Uniting societies (FocUs) and Experts by Experience will be founding members.

FocUs was developed by tim in response to the closure of spAn on mansfield Road and is managed by a committee where the majority of members are service users. the FocUs team are all service users who are keen to see it continue and develop its provision. FocUs currently hosts it classes, English and maths classes, a social drama group and a luncheon club.

tim and mervin hope that through nFow some people will get the support they need without having to access secondary services. trust staff will be able to refer people they are working with for support; including those service users that have completed their treatment and who will be returning to primary care. nFow will be able to offer a stepping stone for individuals to move on from secondary services, and recognise and act on their aspirations.

tim says: “i am grateful to Jane marlow and kate Duncan for the support they have given me. i feel that this is the right time to move on and support the trust by offering services that compliment what the trust offers and which do not directly fit with healthcare provision.”

nottingham Focus on wellbeing can be contacted at nottingham-focus-on-wellbeing@live.co.uk

Focusing on staff, a Spirituality Forum training day entitled ‘Take Care of my Spirit’ with National Lead in Spirituality and Healthcare, Professor Peter Gilbert, provided the opportunity to explore ways staff could feel more confident

addressing people’s spiritual needs and strengths in practice.

Attendees fed back that they found the day inspiring with a great deal to reflect on. Many pointed out that awareness of spirituality and faith was important to explore further and gain greater clarity about. The feedback and ideas from this event will be topics in future spirituality forums and training events.

The Spiritual and Pastoral Care service is dedicated and looking forward to continuing its success and further development in alignment with the needs of service users, carers and staff. It is committed to offering a diverse range of courses, training events and programmes as well as ongoing person-centred chaplaincy and religious services.

Tim Wood

7Positive February 2013

Staff and service users at the unit

The Standing Nursing and Allied Health Professionals Advisory Council (SNAAC) was pleased to welcome Dr Ben Thomas, Professional Advisor for Mental Health and Learning Disability Nursing at the Department of Health, to the November 2012 meeting held at the Mike Harris Learning and Development Centre at Rampton Hospital.

Ben provided Council members with an opportunity

to explore the contemporary issues facing the NHS and an overview of the recently released ‘Compassion in Practice’. This is the national vision and strategy for nursing and midwifery that recognises the changing landscape of the healthcare sector. The Strategy articulates the nursing and midwifery profession’s role in delivering healthcare and improved health outcomes, both in hospitals, as well as within community settings.

The six ‘C’s of the plan: care, compassion, competence, communication, courage and commitment are a statement of the constants of nursing, midwifery and care givers for a modern health and care system.

Ben said: “One of the most enjoyable parts of my job is being invited to visit health services up and down the country and having the opportunity to talk to service

users and frontline staff. During my visit to Rampton Hospital, I was not only impressed to see the high standard of facilities for people with learning disabilities, but also I am very impressed with the commitment shown by staff and the examples of collaborative working.”

Dean Howells, Executive Director of Nursing, Quality and Patient Experience commented: “It was a great

SNAAC welcomes Professional Advisor from Department of Health

Staff and service users at Macmillan Close are celebrating the success of a recent project that raised a grand total of £1461 for the Unit.

Steve Smith, Support Time and Recovery Worker, came up with the idea of holding a New Year’s raffle which all the service users could get involved

with. Along with carers, they helped obtain prizes from local businesses and sold many of the tickets themselves. One service user sold over £140 of tickets on their own.

Steve, who was helped by Carole Woodhouse and all the staff team throughout, was delighted with the outcome. He said: “I am so pleased and

proud of the staff, clients and everyone that has supported this raffle. This whole project has been an excellent therapeutic exercise that everyone has got involved in and really enjoyed.”

Chief Executive Mike Cooke and Executive Director of Local Services, Simon Smith were guests of honour at the raffle

draw. Mike said: “It was a great event. It felt like a really good atmosphere and a big team effort. It was a pleasure to be involved.”

The funds raised will be used for therapeutic activities for service users during their stay at Macmillan Close and in particular, a holiday planned for next year.

Macmillan Close celebrates mammoth fundraising effort

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The aim of the challenge is for the winners to be demonstration sites to spread their good practice. The Trust’s project, ‘Partnerships inspiring changes to services, culture and lives’, was a joint application in partnership with Patient Opinion and the East Midlands Leadership Academy.

One of our objectives is to work in partnership with service users, carers and Patient Opinion to support a number of teams in each Division to become beacons of good practice, spreading all aspects of patient feedback in their Division to other teams.

The initial project requirement was to work with three teams in each Division. The Health Partnerships Division has exceeded that and worked with a total of 14 teams, all of whom were keen to get involved.

Jenny Newman, Patient, Carer and Public Engagement Manager, said “This is a great testament to the natural ability of staff to work together to benefit people’s experience of our services. It is a really great basis for sharing best practice, building a culture of feedback, involvement and action

into the Trust, across Divisions, services and individual practice.”

Some of the actions and outcomes from Health Partnerships teams include:

•LingsBarHospital(PhysicalRehabilitation): Volunteer visiting wards to capture patient and carer experience during their stay, linking with ward managers to make more real-time changes. Following a posting on Patient Opinion, the service has been able to speak with managers and commissioners to provide a hairdresser within the hospital whenever possible

•BassetlawDay/PulmonaryRehabilitation: Developing more visible feedback channels, including more eye-catching suggestions boxes, and feedback shared in public areas in front of exercise equipment, so clients can read it as they complete the programme. Also, feedback built into programme review sessions. People are asked for feedback on their experience mid-way through the programme (session 6), changes from which

are fed back to people at the final review (session 12)

•SureStartAshfield: Finding new ways of capturing the experience of a younger client group, including young parents and under 5s. This has included storytelling, pictures and a ‘feedback tree’

•Podiatry: Capturing video clips of patient and carer experience of podiatry services – clinic and home visits. Using feedback to inform service development and new ways of working, including a pilot of podiatry drop-in clinic and business case for nail cutting service

All of the teams involved must be thanked. Without them none of this would be possible.

The NHS Feedback Challenge, created and managed by the NHS Institute and funded by the Department of Health, will run until March 2013. It is designed to find and spread great approaches which use feedback from patients to improve services.

Health Partnerships rises to the challengeTeams across Health Partnerships have risen to the challenge following the Trust being selected as one of nine winners in the NHS Patient Feedback Challenge.

pleasure to welcome Ben back to nottinghamshire healthcare and especially to meet snAAc.

“the snAAc team provided an excellent joint response to the chief nursing officer’s care and compassion consultation and having the opportunity to

discuss directly with Ben from a national perspective was excellent. i would also like to thank Alyson lang, Associate Director of nursing, Quality and patient Experience for co-ordinating the clinical visits to the national learning disability service which provided a real

insight into the innovative and high quality care being provided within a high secure context.”

the meeting was chaired by James Routen who stood down as chair of snAAc at the January meeting. Existing and new council members welcome John guite, occupational therapist in the therapies and Education department at Rampton hospital, in role as chair

throughout 2013.Ben’s presentation to the council topped off another successful and productive year for snAAc, entering its sixth year as the trust’s professional forum.

For more information about snAAc or to discuss membership, please contact Julian Eve, Deputy Associate Director of learning and Development, by email julian.eve@nottshc.nhs.uk

SNAAC welcomes Professional Advisor from Department of Health

l-r Ben Thomas, Alyson Lang, James Routen, Dean Howells

9Positive February 2013

The Health Centre at Rampton Hospital is proud to have started non medical prescribing.

Physical Healthcare Nurse Dave McQueen carried out the first prescription of this type in November 2012, a milestone made more significant by the fact that it happened in the centenary year of the Hospital.

Barbara Pryse, who initiated and championed this approach to the service and worked very hard to establish it within the health centre, sadly passed away before its completion. However, following the appointment of the Advanced Nurse Practitioners last year, the team has been able to build upon the work Barbara did to enable her vision to become a reality.

Non medical prescribing will enable patients to obtain some of their physical health medications more efficiently and also reduce the need for medical staff intervention, resulting in a more resourceful and efficient service. The team will continue to progress in partnership with the medical staff and expand the list of medicines that can be prescribed to meet the

specific requirements of patients at the Hospital.

In January, Dr Mike Harris, Executive Director Forensic Services presented

Advanced Nurse Practitioner Susie Spence and Physical Healthcare Nurse Dave McQueen with certificates to honour this momentous achievement.

Service users can now more easily find out about research relevant to them, thanks to new information stands in the psychiatric outpatients’ waiting areas at Queen’s Medical Centre, Highbury Hospital, and the Stonebridge Centre. The stands have been purchased by the Mental Health Research Network (MHRN), so that all information about ongoing research can be located in one place.

Sandra Simpson, a Clinical Studies Officer with the MHRN, explained: “This will help service-users more easily identify research of relevance

to them, and in which they may wish to take part. It will also make it easier for clinicians to signpost people to where they can find information about studies.

“We’d encourage all researchers working within the Trust to use these stands as the main promotional area for their studies.”

Each stand currently has nine holders for literature of A5 size or smaller, and more can be added if needed. For more information contact the Mental Health Research Network on 0115 8231282 or email Sandra.simpson@nottshc.nhs.uk

Supporting research awareness with service users

Non Medical Prescribing starts at Rampton Hospital

l-r Natalie Murphy, Senior Manager / Modern Matron Physical Healthcare and Infection Prevention and Control Forensic Division, Dave McQueen, Susie Spence, Advanced Nurse Practitioner and Mike Harris

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Video conferencing facilities improving interactionsVideo conferencing facilities are improving interactions across the Trust, by enabling multi-site visual and verbal communication across our large geographical area.

Using the technology makes interactions easier for those who may find it difficult to travel and is a great way of saving valuable staff time and reducing travel costs.

it also enables sign language communication to take place at a distance and can be used to deliver training to staff to and from different locations.

video conferencing is also more engaging than telephone conversations or email exchanges as it provides visual information as well as being a truly two-way form of communication. people using it find that although the technology may seem intimidating at first, the benefits of

utilising the facilities soon outweigh any initial apprehension.

to arrange a meeting over at least two sites using video conferencing, find out which rooms at your chosen location have the facilities, and then check room availability and book via the usual method. once confirmation of the booking has been given, contact the it service Desk who will be able to guide you through the process.

video conferencing calls are free apart from those to and from Arnold lodge, wathwood hospital and external locations. For more information about video conferencing facilities please see the health informatics services’ ‘corporate

it’ pages of the trust intranet, or contact the it service Desk.

Available facilities video conferencing facilities are available for use within the trust at the following locations:

• 65Northgate:interview Room; meeting Room

• ArnoldLodge:James Earp meeting Room; charnwood meeting Room

• BassetlawHospital:small meeting Room

• DuncanMacmillanHouse:trust hQ, meeting Room B; learning and Development, green Room; i.t. technology suite; his meeting Room

• HeatherClose:Bracken house, meeting Room 1

• Heatherdene:Forensics team; meeting Room

• HighburyHospital:conference Room J8; meeting Room J6

• MillbrookMentalHealthUnit:music Room; seminar Room

• RamptonHospital:corporate it meeting Room; pcmc meeting Room; pcmc small meeting Room; the peaks, cpA Room 1; william tuke house, Board Room; the mike harris lDc, meeting Room 1; the mike harris lDc, meeting Room 2; the mike harris lDc, conference Room 3; peaks Unit, cRB meeting Room

• RushcliffeCMHT:meeting Room

• StonebridgeCentre: meeting Room

• WathwoodHospital:portable system; conference Room

• TheWellsRoadCentre:trent ward; seminar Room; Forensic meeting Room 2; Darwin ward; thurland ward

The stand in QMC outpatient waiting area, with staff members from left, manager Edith Robey with Pat Taylor and Zena Lowe

11Positive February 2013

County Health Partnerships’ staff at Stapleford Care Centre collected more than 900 tins of food in just a month for the Nottingham Post’s Five Tons of Tins campaign.

Staff and visitors gave overwhelming support to the campaign and contributed more than a third of a ton towards the target which was collected for Nottingham’s food banks, with the food being given to hard-up families.

Locality Centre Manager for the care centre, Cheryl Deller said:

“We collected over 900 tins, which is amazing. I read about the campaign when the Post launched it and I thought it was such a good idea.

“We thought it was great that the campaign is supporting local people in need and we knew it was something our visitors would want to get behind.”

She added that she was touched by the generosity of the people of Stapleford and district.

“People have just been so kind and have been bringing tins every day, so much so that we had to create a bigger collection box.”

The campaign is running until March and staff would welcome further donations.

CHP staff and visitors support local people in need

L-r Cheryl Deller, Flo Whitehead, Pam Fisher and Claire Blyton at the centre

Hucknall House staff and attendees at the coffee morning

Catching up over coffeeHucknall House held a special Christmas coffee morning for families, carers and service users who attend the short breaks service.

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the event gave everyone the ideal opportunity to meet new families, catch up with well known ones, share stories, trials and tribulations; all over copious amounts of coffee and mince pies!

the staff team discussed future service developments and encouraged the families to feedback positive ideas on the best way this can be done, in the form of a questionnaire. they are looking forward to receiving the responses and incorporating these into future plans for the coming year.

She recently attended the Bassetlaw One Stop Shop Drop In, a six-month pilot offering carers, family and friends the opportunity to meet each other, signposting to services and the support available, including carer volunteers and carer peer support worker Cleo Jarunek.

“I was inspired by attending and meeting the carers,” said Dr Bloomberg. “It gave me much to think about especially with regard to how the experience of attending medical outpatient clinic appointments for carers, family and friends can be improved.”

Sylvia also attended the Carer, Family and Friends Workshop and found this very beneficial by meeting other champions and sharing ideas and developments. She would now like to raise awareness for junior doctors at induction, through supervision and continuing professional development. This could include a specific training session to increase their understanding around the needs of carers, family and friends and how they can access the support services available.

She also made a suggestion regarding an information leaflet

stand being placed in the waiting area for the medical outpatient clinic and this is being taken forward with colleagues.

Ingrid Hunt, carer volunteer, who is working in partnership to develop the training programme for the junior doctors said, “Dr Bloomberg is inspirational and it is wonderful to see how she is taking such a keen interest in the issues that carers, family and friends face and how positive and enthusiastic she is towards finding solutions.”

Dr Tuhina Lloyd, Consultant Psychiatrist for

Newark and Sherwood, has also agreed to become a Champion. She specialises in providing early intervention to adults who experience psychosis for the very first time. Dr Lloyd is also very committed towards supporting carers, family and friends and does this routinely through her clinical work. She is also planning to attend one of the two workshops this year.

l-r Ingrid Hunt, Dr Bloomberg, Andrea Emmens, Cleo Jarunek

Consultant Psychiatrists become Carer, Family and Friends ChampionsDr Sylvia Bloomberg, Consultant Psychiatrist working in Adult Mental Health Services based in Bassetlaw, has become one of the very first Carer, Family and Friends Champions.

13Positive February 2013

Everyone Counts: Planning for PatientsThe NHS Commissioning Board has pledged to drive a revolution for patients, offering the public more information about quality of care and giving them greater control of their health. it says it will help local clinicians deliver more responsive health services, focused on improving outcomes for patients, addressing local priorities and meeting the rights people have under the nhs constitution.

the independent body has published its planning guidance for 2013-14, the first year of the new nhs where improvement is driven by clinical commissioners.

called Everyone counts: planning for patients 2013/14, the document outlines the incentives and levers that will be used to improve services.

it is a key step towards the new system for commissioning healthcare in England, built around 211 local clinical commissioning groups (ccgs), led by gps.

the nhs commissioning Board will commission some services nationally for the first time, improving them by tackling variation in care around the country. these services include specialised healthcare, primary care and services for the military as well as those in prison and offenders.

sir David nicholson, the nhs commissioning Board’s chief Executive, said: “the nhs can be justly proud of its achievements. people wait less, they are diagnosed and referred quicker and our hospitals have fewer infections. But everyone in the nhs knows we must continue to improve.

“At the heart of our approach is local control over decision making. we want to put power in the hands of clinicians who know their patients best.”

the nhs commissioning Board also pledges to play its part in encouraging safe and dignified care that does not fall below acceptable standards, and will ask commissioners to ensure they comply with recommendations relating to the prevention of failures seen at winterbourne view hospital and at mid staffordshire nhs Foundation trust.

Stephen Regel, Co-Director and Principle Psychotherapist of the Trust’s Centre for Trauma, Resilience and Growth has been honoured for services to victims of trauma.

Steve, who has been helping people suffering from trauma and post traumatic stress disorder for more than 30 years, was awarded the accolade in the New Year Honours 2013.

On hearing news of Steve’s OBE, Chief Executive, Mike Cooke said: “This is fantastic news. I am delighted for Steve to receive this recognition of the essential work he does both here and abroad supporting people suffering from trauma.”

Steve divides his time between clinical, teaching and research activities. In addition to his work within the trauma centre at the Trust, for the past ten years he has been the visiting therapist/consultant at the Family Trauma Centre in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He is on the Board of Overseers of the Children and War Foundation, a trustee of Escaping

Victimhood, a charity assisting families affected by homicide and an advisor to Terry Waite’s charity, Hostage UK.

Steve provides consultation and training to UK police forces on the provision of post trauma support and the Centre’s own Peer Support Training package is delivered to emergency services, Social Services Departments, Health Trusts, humanitarian aid organisations and various health professionals in the UK and abroad. Steve is also consultant/trainer to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) peer support initiative and is currently acting as advisor/trainer to Victim Support’s new national Homicide Service.

Since 1997 he has been consultant to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support and has been part of assessment and

Trauma Psychotherapist awarded OBE

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Trauma Psychotherapist awarded OBEtraining missions for the IFRC across the world. Steve is also part of the British Red Cross Psychosocial Support Team; assisting UK nationals affected by incidents abroad. He has also co-authored a handbook on psychological trauma and post traumatic stress written for sufferers and families, but also for use by professionals including GPs, nurses, the emergency services and counsellors.

The Centre for Trauma, Resilience and Growth is a partnership between the Trauma Service situated within Nottinghamshire Healthcare and the Research Group for the Study of Trauma, Resilience and Growth within the University of Nottingham that brings together staff from the School of Sociology and Social Policy, School of Education and the Institute for Work, Health and Organisations

to form an interdisciplinary partnership dedicated to

therapy, education, consultancy and

research related to trauma.

Steve Regel

So long, Sharyn!It was with great sadness that the Personality Disorder and National Women’s Directorate at Rampton Hospital waved goodbye to Sharyn Findlay in December 2012.

Sharyn had worked at Rampton Hospital as a Nurse Practitioner for a number of years and had been in the nursing profession for over 45 years.

During her time at the Hospital she studied and gained a Masters Degree and won a special prize from Sheffield University for her outstanding academic achievements.

Sharyn will be sorely missed by all her friends and colleagues at Rampton Hospital, as she has worked tirelessly in her role as a Nurse Practitioner in areas such as Substance Misuse and Essence of Care.

A retirement celebration was organised for Sharyn in the Board Room, William Tuke House and was attended by

a large group of her friends and colleagues who all wished her well. Tim Shields, Security Management Specialist, presented Sharyn with a number of gifts, including £200 in gift vouchers.

Sharyn and her husband are scheduled to relocate to the Portsmouth area in the near future to be close to family and we hope she enjoys a very long and happy retirement!

Sharyn pictured front right with colleagues

Celebrating ten years of the Wathwood Hospital Carers’ Forum A fantastic decade of the Wathwood Hospital Carers’ Forum was celebrated in December at the Christmas Forum.

The Carers Forum is considered by carers, staff and patients at the Hospital as something very special. It provides the opportunity to meet with staff and other carers in a relaxed and supportive atmosphere.

For the last 10 years the forum has taken place quarterly, with four Saturdays out of the year devoted to carers, family, friends and their loved ones.

Richard Fuller, Modern Matron explained: “The Forums are based on the feedback we receive from carers about issues they would like to know more about. Quite often there will be an educational

session or a Q&A session with a professional, such as a pharmacist, psychiatrist or a member of the psychological therapies team.

“We also include Carers’ Support Group discussions, which are an opportunity to share experiences and gain support, helping carers believe that ‘they are not alone’.”

As well as fostering good relationships between the Hospital and the families of those cared for, and greater involvement of carers, discussions at the Forums have led to improvements to the Hospital information

booklet, improved protocols for visitors, translations of signage, a carers’ library collection, availability of outdoor areas for family visits, and the development of the carers assessment.

A Carers’ Steering Group helps evaluate previous Forums and plan future events. The next Forum will take place on Saturday 16 March, with plans for a variety of ‘market stalls’ with information and activities for carers and patients to explore together, as well as a scrumptious spring buffet.

Here’s to the next ten years!

15Positive February 2013

The course participants

Scorching successLast year, 34 brave people from across the Trust walked over 20 feet of red hot embers burning at 1236 degrees Fahrenheit as part of a programme of events run throughout Mental Health Awareness weeks. the daring participants were sponsored for their efforts and now that all funds have been collected, the amount raised has been totalled at £3,673. this magnificent sum has been shared between minD (£2,236), help for heroes (£951) and children in need (£486).

there was a definite afterglow following the event and everyone involved received a huge amount of positive feedback. congratulations to all those who took part and a big thank you to everyone who gave their support.

if you are interested in becoming involved in any future empowering challenges please contact Julie Boultby, julie.boultby@nottshc.nhs.uk.

Transactional Management Training in Offender HealthA cohort of Heads of Healthcare and some Team Leaders from the Offender Health Directorate recently undertook a programme of ‘Transactional Management Training’ designed by the Directorate Management and Learning and Development Teams.

the programme aimed to support healthcare leaders within the prisons by equipping them with practical management tools and techniques required in their challenging roles, building on the ‘invest to lead’ programme many had participated in earlier in the year.

the programme was delivered over five full days and covered:

the productive leadergood communicationsEffective performance managementUnderstanding Financemanaging your team

colleagues from within the trust delivered the programme which was very well evaluated by all of the participants.

Alison hunter, head of healthcare at hmp stocken said: “it was fantastic that the offender health Directorate created the opportunity for protected time to revisit and improve our management skills in such a relaxed way, promoting engagement and honesty across the East midlands and south Yorkshire. the group will now continue to build on this training by forming as an Action learning set.”

Andy gant, Deputy head of Finance, Forensic services, who delivered the third session said: “it was a great opportunity for the managers within offender health to receive training and information on local and national frameworks and the current changes happening within the nhs and the impacts of these at a Directorate level. the training also provided the opportunity for managers to engage with colleagues and trainers to raise any issues and to share knowledge.”

the programme will be rolled out to clinical matrons supporting the physical healthcare, mental health and substance misuse pathways in early 2013.

For further information about the programme please contact martin Jones, training manager or Adrian perks, Associate Director offender health.

16

17Positive February 2013

Effective two-way communication with people with learning disabilities was the subject of training given to staff from Bassetlaw Hospital’s Ward C2 by members of the Bassetlaw Community Learning Disability Team.

Gail Paterson, Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist, and Jacqueline Walker, Assistant Speech and Language Therapist, ran four sessions with members of the nursing and physiotherapy teams, care assistants and the house keeper.

They covered the types of communication difficulties experienced by people with learning disabilities, strategies to support effective communication and the multi-agency strategy for good communication with people with learning disabilities across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. The participants learned more than 150 signs to help patients on the ward have a better understanding of what is happening to them, and for the staff to be able to understand patients who use signing to communicate.

Gail Paterson said: “After only the first session one of the participants was able to establish that a lady with learning disabilities was concerned

about the time she was being given her medication, by being able to recognise the sign for tablets.”

A service user from the local day service supported the project, putting together a folder for the participants showing her demonstrating the signs. The participants used this to practice their signing between sessions.

“Working on the folder helped improve the service user’s confidence in her signing and she has used her copy to

teach her friends, family and support workers the signs she has learnt,” added Gail. “The participants finished the course passionate about supporting good communication for people with learning disabilities and already have plans for maintaining their signing skills.”

For more information about the course or the Good Communication with People with Learning Disabilities Strategy, please contact gail.paterson@nottshc.nhs.uk or jacqueline.walker@nottshc.nhs.uk

Good Communication counts

Julie Jepson, Vicky Celoleskaj, and Sue Hunt, House Keeper

Back row from left, Jacqueline Walker Assistant SLT, Julie Jepson Physiotherapy Technical Instructor, and Gail Paterson,

Speech and Language Therapist.

Front row from left, Vicky Celoleskaj, Staff Nurse

and Clare Bowns, Staff Nurse

Spotlight on Caring – by Sarah Robinson“If you’d asked me a couple of years ago to acknowledge that I was a Carer to a close family member with emotional difficulties, then I would have never owned up. I was far too embarrassed to admit that someone close to me suffered with crippling emotional mood swings which made them feel isolated, depressed and tearful to the extent of suicidal thoughts one minute, to being as high as a kite and loving life the next.

“For an observer of these moods and as someone who had had to adapt to the daily change in that person, it has been like a rollercoaster of emotions for me too, and only now have I put my hand up, put the stigma aside and said “I am a Carer and I need support too.

“For people dealing with regular differing mood swings it’s terrible in itself, and people who don’t understand how complex mental health issues really are and the highs and lows that go with the illness should never underestimate how bad it is to manage everyday life. What outsiders sometimes don’t realise is that somewhere close by, an unofficial carer, often a parent or an adult child, is constantly waiting for that cry for help or an emotional phone call from their relative who is quite frankly desperate for someone to off-load their emotions on or take their mood out on. It is those people who need to be recognised and supported too, so that they can continue to give that essential 24-hours-a-day support to their relative.

“When things became too much for me emotionally recently, I made contact with a lady called Andrea Emmens, Family Intervention Co-

ordinator at Bassetlaw Hospital. I had resisted help from anybody for so long, believing that I could cope. I had put my life on hold to care for my mum and I was really struggling physically and emotionally. I was desperate after five years to take a break from the day-to-day. I had got married and had a son in the years just prior to and following my dad’s death (the trigger that had massively

q&aq What is your connection to Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust?a i am a carer and a volunteer at the trust’s Rosewood involvement centre in ollerton.

q What do you see as future priorities for Nottinghamshire Healthcare?a to always be at the top as a trust in Britain.

q What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?a Being able to be myself.

q What was the last CD you bought?a Andre Rieu – i am a passionate lover of the music of strauss.

q What is your greatest achievement?a giving a presentation from a carer’s point of view about services i have experienced from the nhs. this was an invest to lead event at trent vineyard in 2012 in front of 300 people.

q What makes you angry?a i don’t really get angry but i do get annoyed at people who do not listen.

q What are you most passionate about?a i am very passionate about my volunteering for ERiF (Employment Resource interview Forum) being a book for human library, joining groups to give me support ie changing services Forum, involvement strategy group, patient Experience Feedback, iRlg (involvement Recovery link group) just to mention a few! i am also a befriender for two patients at Rampton hospital. lastly, i am Bassetlaw carers’ Recovery champion.

q What single thing would improve Nottinghamshire Healthcare?a to me, nottinghamshire healthcare is the best, but i suppose there is always room for improvement somewhere.

This issue we speak to carer and Rosewood volunteer Ingrid Hunt

18

Spotlight on Caring – by Sarah Robinsonimpacted on my mum’s anxiety) and I had never had any time to myself or with my new family to enjoy what should have been two very happy milestones in my life. I needed to get away – far away – but what could I do about my mum and how would she cope without me? I need not have worried.

“I got lots of support and encouragement from Andrea who could see I needed the break. I made contact with Social Services and they have since got me some extra support for Mum so I can get back to work part-time and spend some quality time with my husband and son. I still support my mum just as much as I

did, but I have a better balance in my life. I also have had two very worthwhile and important Carer Assessments, which I would actively encourage all carers to participate in. It is vital that you are recognised as a carer and that you pursue any support that is available to you and your loved one.

“To that end and with the contact I’ve had with Andrea and her colleagues, I have also been involved in setting up a local Carers’ Support Group which meets every month in Newark, Nottinghamshire. There are no expectations at these meetings, we simply go along and chat with each other and offer support to each other where we can. Often just talking through our individual issues makes them less daunting and it makes us stronger to tackle the next day. We have access to third parties too who visit our group throughout the year and update us on vital changes in mental health procedures.

“To be a Carer every day is tough, particularly to a close relative, but with the ‘job’ it is important to know that help and support is available to you – you just need to find it – like me.”

For more details on the Newark Carers Support Group please contact Lauren Medlam 01909 502025 or e-mail lauren.medlam@nottshc.nhs.uk

Sarah pictured (front left) with co-facilitators from the group

q What is your favourite hobby?a i adore animals and volunteer with my husband at thornberry Animal sanctuary on sundays, selling goods in a barn.

q What keeps you awake at night?a thinking about my busy week ahead and planning some chill out time.

q What is your favourite film?a Dr shivago, even my surgeon is a double for omar shariff.

q What is your idea of bliss?a Being pampered for a day, beauty treatment, hair done, nails etc.

q What three words would you use to describe yourself?a considerate, caring, funny and a good listener.

q What is your favourite holiday destination?

a my favourite will always be san Francisco.

q Who would you take to a desert island?a i would take my husband David.

q Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?a still being involved as a volunteer at Rosewood and living a good life in my ‘old age’!

q Do you have a ‘claim to fame’?a in 1962 i was a runner up in the British championships of great Britain dancing competition in london at the lyceum Ballroom in the west End which was filmed by pathe news.

q How would you like to be remembered?a i would like people to remember me for my kindness, consideration, having time for my family and friends and for ‘being there’ when people needed me.

19Positive February 2013

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WE NEED YOU!

WHO WE ARE...

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 April issue of Positive, please contact us by 8 March 2013. however, due to space constraints we cannot guarantee the publication of all articles received by the deadline.

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

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

Study shows service success in increasing employability A recent study has demonstrated the effectiveness of a service to help young people with mental illness gain employment or improve their chances of getting a job in the future.

the research, funded by the collaboration for leadership in Applied health Research and care for nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and lincolnshire (clAhRc nDl) looked at the effect of an individual placement support (ips) service for people in nottingham with severe mental health problems.

Dr. Athfah Akhtar with professor Justine schneider examined the process of establishing the service in two teams in the city, recruiting most participants from the Early intervention in psychosis team. the final results of the study will measure the effects of combining the ips service with a work-focused psychological intervention (wFpi). All study participants received support through the ips service and half received the wFpi.

over the two years of the study to date, 23 of the 74 participants (31%) achieved job starts, 11 (15%) gained voluntary work and 8 (11%) are studying for a long-term professional qualification that will lead to a job. therefore, overall 59%, achieved a vocational aim. (three participants failed to complete the study due leaving the country or having died of unrelated causes.)

chief Executive, mike cooke said: “the results of this study are very encouraging. given that these are largely young people from 18 to 35, with little or no work experience and a serious stigmatised mental illness, this seems a significant achievement; especially when compared to the usual figure achieved in the trust for this group of people of 12% employment.”

while the participants in the ips study volunteered to take part in seeking work, compulsory employment support supplied through the latest government initiatives to reduce benefit claims attained only a 3% success rate.

most research into ips, concentrates on demonstrating its effectiveness in terms of employment-related outcomes, and studies generally ignore what happens to those who do not find work. Yet outcomes can also include increased employability and hope of gaining employment. the clAhRc research team commissioned an independent analysis to present a broader picture of the effects of employment support on its participants and other stakeholders. this was based on the principles of social Return on investment (sRoi) and aimed to highlight areas for development and recommendations for consideration by decision makers in other mental health trusts as well as reporting costs. it will soon be available on the clAhRc-nDl website: www.clahrc-ndl.nihr.ac.uk/research/mentalhealth/index.aspx

the sRoi analysis found that the clAhRc investment in implementing ips made a real difference to the Eip service. Users valued the added psychological input, while the Band 5 employment support workers freed up clinical staff, offsetting the additional costs of the innovation. the cost per job obtained was £10,000, in line with previous estimates.

Richard morriss, clAhRc Director of Research commented: “the cost of each of the 23 jobs compares favourably with Atos and any government run scheme. there seems to be a large treatment effect in a group where it is hard to believe that the results are entirely explained by chance or selection bias of people who want and have already the skills to work.”