1. Art and Diseño

Vo l 2
ISSUE
2
February
2015
A Keele University Teaching Trust
e-PoD
Positively
Different
this issue
Research and Surveys P.2
Innovation at the Hollies P.8
Values based sky-diving? P.12
and lots, lots more ...
Make Some Noise Participant
“I’ve started to practice some
of the exercises I have learnt
here at home which has
helped me to improve my
skills”
Make Some Noise at ‘That Place’
The young people at ‘That Place’ have certainly been making some noise over the
last few months with our music project in partnership with ‘Wired for Sound Futures’.
This is an East Staffs Borough Council and Brewhouse Arts Centre project, in
partnership with Make Some Noise, funded by the National Foundation for Youth
Music.
“I have been spending time
with my friends working
on making a band and
performing”
We initially started with 2 taster sessions that included; Song-writing and Garageband.
These sessions enabled the participants to; write their own lyrics and music with the
expertise of musicians supporting them, and to develop their skills to create and
produce their own music.
“I liked recording the people
playing and learning to write
songs”
Following the taster sessions, the Youth Workers
at ‘That Place’ facilitated an evaluation session,
where the group expressed an interest in
participating in a 7 week programme that could
result in a nationally recognised accreditation for
the young people involved.
“Nice to learn, (well try and
learn) a new instrument”
“Amazing! Had a lot of fun! Different in a good
way.”
“The sessions were interactive”
“Great to record our own recording of a song”
“Good to learn a new instrument”
The Youth Workers forwarded the feedback to ‘Wired for Sound Futures’, in addition
to some of the ideas that the group had expressed an interest in for the programme
and the programme commenced soon afterwards.
Five of the young people went on to complete the programme, participating in a
range of musical opportunities, culminating in a band performance. Some of the
group members have even gone onto attending the longer running programmes
facilitated by the organisers at other venues within Staffordshire.
That Place is a young people’s centre in based in the heart of Burton, and also
delivering sessions in Tamworth and Lichfield. The team work with 14-19 year olds
who need support with their emotional well-being. Issues regularly encountered
are low mood, anxiety, relationships, anger, self-harm, low self-esteem and stress.
The majority of work is in 1-2-1 sessions run by the qualified youth workers, but
groupwork, such as Make Some Noise is also offered in partnership with other
agencies. Young people, and/or thier parents can self-refer into the service, which
also accepts referrals from other professionals. Future plans include an art group.
Contact: That Place 01283 504860
page 2
Research and
Surveys
The National Community Mental
Health Survey
South Staffordshire and Shropshire Healthcare
will soon be carrying out this annual survey to find
out what service users think about the care they
receive. The Clinical Audit Team has administered
the survey on behalf of the Trust since 2006 and
will be doing so again this year.
The survey will commence in February when a
questionnaire will be posted to a random sample
of 850 service users, aged 18 years and over,
who received community mental health services
between 1st September and 30th November
2014.
Service users are being asked about
various aspects of their care, including the quality
of care and treatment, medication management,
communication with health and social care
workers, information, and day to day living.
Evaluation of Military Veterans’
Engagement
The Trust is working in partnership with Worcestershire University
to explore military veterans’ experiences of attending the Veterans
Support Service at South Staffordshire and Shropshire Healthcare.
The aim is to find out veteran’s perceptions whether the service
worked for them and if so what aspects were most helpful, which
were not, and any barriers that may have prevented them from fully
engaging with the service. The research will also hope to identify
lifestyle difficulties which affect our ex services population.
The information will primarily be gathered via a questionnaire but a
small sample group will be seen for a face to face interview with a
researcher from The University of Worcester.
Staff or veterans can contact the Veterans Support line 0800 500
3113 to access the services available.
For more information, contact Rob Heath, Lead Nurse, Veterans
07791 668829
Why are we doing the survey?
Obtaining feedback from service users and
taking account of their views and priorities is vital
for bringing about improvements in the quality
of care. As well as supplying the NHS England
with data to assess performance against national
targets on patient experience, the survey provides
an important source of data for the Care Quality
Commission (CQC) assessments. The results
will help the Trust see where they perform well
and to identify any areas where there is room for
improvement.
The survey is part of a commitment to design a
health service around the needs and priorities of
patients and service users, and to take account
of their feedback and views. It signals the value
and importance of listening to the people who use
services to drive improvement.
Are Learning Disability Health Checks
Working?
Gwen Moulster, Clinical Director of the Specialist Learning
Disabilities Directorate was one of a team of people who carried
out some research on whether people with a learning disability
were getting access to health checks.
When will the results of the survey be
available?
Learning Disability Health Checks were introduced in 2008 through
GP surgeries as a way of monitoring the health of this vulnerable
group of people. People with learning or intellectual disabilities
such as Downs Syndrome are likely to have poorer health than
other people. This is because they find it more difficult to talk about
symptoms and are less likely to make appointments to talk about
their health problems.
The results will be available in Autumn 2015. By
working with both staff and service users we will
use the feedback from this survey to further help
improve service user’s experiences at the trust.
The research looked at whether the first three years of the
progamme had improved health care of people with learning
disabilities and found that surgeries in the scheme were twice as
likely to identify problems.
The results of the 2014 survey can be found at
www.cqc.org.uk/content/community-mentalhealth-survey-2014
Find out more in a BBC article http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
health-30548448 or view the research published in The Lancet at
http://tiny.cc/bsxdqx
Where can I find out more?
For more information about this year’s survey,
see www.nhssurveys.org/surveys/820
page 3
Trust Hosts Criminal Justice and
Mental Health Workshop
Our Trust is hosting one of a series of workshops planned to gather evidence for
the Government’s current review of Criminal Justice and Mental Health.
This review, commissioned by the Department of Health and Ministry of Justice
is seeking views on;
• The best way to support people with mental health problems in prison
• How to ensure efficient and timely transfer to and from psychiatric hospitals
and prison
• Resettlement and continuity of care on leaving prison
• Alternatives to custody
• Mental Health Treatment Requirements
• Working with the National Probation Service and Community Rehabilitation
Companies
The workshops are being run by the Centre for Mental Health and the session on
2 February 2015 at St George’s Hospital, Stafford will give local partner agencies
the opportunity to contribute their views to this important project.
Dr Graham Durcan, Associate Director, Criminal Justice Programme at the
Centre for Mental Health said “The Government has already established a pilot
Liaison and Diversion programme and is funding pilots to explore the benefits of
joint working between police and mental health practitioners via Street Triage.
The evidence collected at these workshops will contribute to an independent
report to be submitted to Ministers in March and will help influence future policy
on criminal justice and mental health.”
Financial update
The Trust continues to be in a strong financial position, and at quarter three it is
expecting to report to Monitor (its Regulatory body) a ‘Continuity of Service’ risk
rating of a 4 (the highest rating possible). The income & expenditure position
shows a Surplus of £8.3m against a year to date plan of £4.5m. The Trust
currently anticipates that it will achieve all of its financial targets for the financial
year ending 31st March 2015.
Work continues on the development of a series of business cases which will help
to deliver the Trust’s estates strategy. These will result in a significant capital
investment of approximately £31m over a three year period in improving both
inpatient facilities and community services.
The Divisions are due to commence work on setting their budgets for next
financial year and continue to develop sustainable long-term saving plans to
help deliver against a challenging Cost Improvement Programme (CIP) during
the forthcoming years.
So why does the call still come for everyone to make savings?
Basically, the answer is that it’s good management and the NHS imposes a
required ‘cash releasing efficiency saving’ year on year.
We also need to have something in reserve to allow us to meet unforeseen
problems, for example, if one of our commissioners was late in paying us,
we would need the cash to meet the wage bill – did you know this is around
£10million per month! Also, if we build up our reserves we can then spend on
longer term projects such as improving our estate – something we have to do to
make sure our buildings are safe and fit for purpose.
It’s also important to understand the difference between the use of capital, which
we only spend once, and use of revenue, which is on-going spending.
So a surplus one year isn’t really a surplus at all, its just money put aside for
future spending. We still have to continually improve the efficiency of what we
do and release further savings for our Trust and the wider health economy. We
do, and will continue to, involve clinicians in all the decisions around spending.
Jon Shaw, Head of Financial Planning
Email : [email protected]
16-22 March 2015
Find out more: www.nutritionandhydrationweek.com
Watch this space!
Nutrition and Hydration Awareness Week is
coming! and events are planned around the Trust
including:
•
Tea dance extravaganzas at East Wing,
George Bryan Centre and Baswich, St
George’s Hospital
•
Staff Quiz
If you have any queries or would like to get involved
Developing
peopleNicola Howle (Dietitian) email:
please
contact
for health and
[email protected]
healthcare
Save The Date!
Monday 16 March 2015
Health Education West Midlands
Regional Sharing Event 2015
We are excited to announce our first LETB
Regional Sharing Event.
The event will take place on Monday 16th March,
and will showcase LETC workforce development
and transformation programmes
across the West Midlands.
More information to follow.
Please get in
touch if you have
any queries . . .
[email protected]
@HealthEd_WMids
wm.hee.nhs.uk
page 4
Extended Opening Hours at
Redwoods Library
Redwoods Library is now open 9am
until 5pm Monday to Friday. We
have new staff based at Redwoods
Library which means we can offer
you an extended service – watch out
for Staff Profiles in future editions of
e-Pod! Don’t forget: You can access
both Redwoods and St. George’s
Libraries outside of these times
including evenings, weekends and
Bank Holidays. Just ask in your
preferred Library for details, or email
[email protected]
Staff Profile:
Lisa Basini,
Librarian,
Redwoods
Library
Recent months
have seen two
new members
of staff join the
Library Team,
and in the first of two e-Pod profiles
we introduce Lisa Basini, the new
Librarian who is based at Redwoods
Library.
Lisa joined the SSSFT Library team
in November, and has worked in
NHS Libraries for over 5 years as
well doing short voluntary roles in
a public and school library. Lisa
(and her colleague Fiona Rees in
Stafford) supports the library service
by conducting Literature Searches
for Trust staff, as well as providing
training in finding guidelines and
articles as well as using NHS Athens
to access online resources such as
eJournals and eBooks. Lisa is also
looking to restart our Outreach visits
to various teams and departments
across the Trust, both at Redwoods
Centre and those based in the
community. She also does some of
the ‘behind the scenes’ things for
Redwoods Library, like ordering new
books and dealing with comments
and suggestions about the library.
In her spare time, Lisa is a Brownie
Leader and the Chair of the West
Midlands sub-division of the
Chartered Institute of Library and
Information Professionals, which
organises CPD and networking
events for cross-sector Library staff
throughout the West Midlands. She
also enjoys swimming and hiking.
Have your say on some new resources for
your Library
The Library Team is currently reviewing our stock on the following subjects. Use the links
below or at library.sssft.nhs.uk to tell us which of the listed books you think would be most
useful using this quick & easy online survey tool.
Suicide & Self-harm
Antenatal & Postnatal Mental Health
Paediatrics
Bipolar Disorder
Schizophrenia & Psychosis
You can contribute to all 5 surveys or just select one that you are particularly interested in.
We really want our stock to reflect your needs & specialities, so if you have any additional
suggestions, please include them in the comments. The survey closes on 6th February
2015.
Resource Lists are also available from the Library for most of these subjects, and can
be found on the same page. You’ll find all of the new suggestions there, with links to
bookseller abstracts about these titles, as well as listings of some of the stock we already
have in these areas.
For any suggestions in areas not covered by the survey, or after the closing date, please
e-mail the library on [email protected]
Once we have made purchase decisions, the resource lists will be updated & made
available on our web pages.
E-book of the Month from the Library
Service
February 2015: Becoming a Reflective Practitioner
Becoming a Reflective Practitioner provides a unique insight
into reflective practice, exploring the value of using models of
reflection, with particular reference to Christopher Johns' own
model for structured reflection.
• Includes an additional chapter looking at existing studies on
reflective practice
• Scenarios and case studies provided throughout
• A practical guide to using reflection in everyday clinical
practice
How to use ‘How to read a paper’
• Visit http://goo.gl/JN2ofY or scan the QR code and log in
using your NHS ATHENS password
• Read online or download to your PC/laptop or Apple or
Android phone or tablet for use offline
To see the full range of e-books available, visit the library catalogue or the ebook website. For help with e-books or ATHENS
logins, contact the library: [email protected]
page 5
Skills Based Courses 2015
Visiting Telford United
What’s new in 2015
Partnerships in Action
Quest and Upper Morton
Farm and the Skill Base
Team from Adult and
Community Learning at
Staffordshire County Council
have come together to work
in partnership to provide
two Skills Based Learning
Opportunities for service
users:
WELLIES Project 2015
A new 10 week WELLIES Project funded by The
Community Learning Trust, Staffordshire County
Council started on Tuesday 27th January 2015, in
partnership with Growing Rural Enterprise, Sudbury
Hall Estate and Quest Day Opportunities.
Participants and are looking forward to doing some tasks in partnership with the gardening
team at Sudbury Hall, which will involve an Easter project within Sudbury Hall itself and the
remodelling of the willow dome in the grounds of the school. Additionally there will be Spring
craft projects, taking cuttings and sowing seeds, dog training and work in the wood.
Wellbeing for Work 2015
This is a joint project between Quest, C.A.R.E.
and Forestry Commission and will take place at
Cannock Chase Forestry Commission starting
on 12th February 2015.
The project will support learners to gain new or
renew existing transferrable skills in a friendly
environment. Activities will include outdoor
activities, IT (using I-pads), seasonal crafts,
healthy cooking, dog therapy, walks and many more fun activities. Learners will be encouraged
to take an active part in team work, develop communication skills, share new ideas and plan
activities.
Quest Service Users had many positive
outcomes from previous Wellbeing for Work
projects which have included:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Progression to voluntary work
One person has a job offer
Confidence to attend interviews
Gaining paid employment
Improved self esteem
Improved communication skills
Learning leadership skills
Making new friends
Referrals to Employment Works for employment with support
Improved confidence in own abilities through achievements
• OCN Level I Award for
Progression in Animal
Husbandry
From 7th January to 4th
March 2015 at Upper Morton
Farm
Units include
• Health and Safety
• Developing
confidence
working with animals
• Assisting with Moving and
Handling small animals
• Assisting with
accommodation
animal
• NOCN Level 1 Award in
Horticulture
Begins on 11th March 2015
for 17 weeks at Upper
Morton Farm
Units Include
• Health and Safety
• Understanding Soils and
Growing media
• Plant Propagation
• Weed and Pest Control
• Plant Pruning
For more information on how
to make a referral please
contact QUEST:
Telephone: 01785 783078
page 6
STEPS TO EMPLOYMENT COURSE
Employment Works is South Staffordshire and Shropshire
Healthcare’s employment service dedicated to assisting
service users who are thinking of finding or returning into
paid employment. The service offers one to one support
and also delivers the Steps 2 Employment course, a long
running and successful in-house employment preparation
course.
The course is open to service users currently using Trust
secondary mental health services. It is run over 6 weekly, 3
hour sessions and covers the following:
• Identifying strengths and abilities
• Understanding the value of a well written CV and how to
create one
• How to write application letters
• Completing application forms
• Preparing for interviews
• Explaining gaps in employment when applying for jobs
• Disclosure around mental health: what, when and how
much to divulge.
What are the benefits?
There are many studies supporting the fact that work is
good for health. According to the Centre for Mental Health
there is strong evidence that work:
• Promotes recovery and aids rehabilitation
• Leads to better health outcomes
• Minimises the harmful effects of long-term sickness
absence
• Improves quality of life and wellbeing
• Reduces social exclusion and poverty
Attending the course provides new skills, experiences and
allow attendees to mix with other learners in a supported,
friendly, relaxed atmosphere. The course provides structure
and a routine focused on confidence-building activities. It
presents the opportunity to meet new people and build new
social networks and increases positive thinking about work
capabilities.
Previous Course feedback
People who have previously attended the course and have
gained meaningful employment, state that that they are
socially and financially better off, with improved status, selfesteem, better able to contribute to their local economy, less
dependent on care support services and their increased
self-motivation enables them to better manage their mental
health by becoming more independent and less reliant on
mental health services.
Interested?
If you want to know more then contact Barbara Wollaston
on 07814 683541 or Mark Edwards on 07816975138
Courses
The next course will be held in Cannock on a Friday starting
on13 February 2015. Depending on referral numbers and
demand, further courses are planned in Lichfield, Tamworth,
Burton, Seisdon and Stafford later in the year.
Engaging the Community
In the past year the Equality and Community Engagement
Worker has been working with the faith community and
young people to raise mental health awareness in the
Stafford area. The main aim of the project is to remove the
stigma associated with mental health and also breakdown
any barriers to treatment.
The method of engagement with the faith communities
has mainly been through mental health first aid seminars
lasting up to 2 hours. This has been a great success with a
variety of faiths attending the seminars. To date 109 people
have attended these seminars. These seminars not only
raise mental health awareness but they also encourage the
community to share their concerns which will enable us to
build upon the good work that we are already doing.
The Equality and Community Engagement Worker has also
been engaging with young people in schools, community
centres and youth forums. This has been through assemblies
and seminars lasting an hour each. The main aim of these
seminars is to empower young people with information and
to also encourage them to share their views on mental health
and our services. We also held a competition asking young
people to draw a poster on what mental health means to
them. Please be on the lookout for the posters which will be
displayed in the next few weeks.
The feedback received from our faith communities and young
people in Stafford has been overwhelmingly positive. As a
result we will be expanding this project into the other areas
covered by the Trust. In the next year we will be working in
Burton-on-Trent, Tamworth, Lichfield and Cannock. We will
be providing regular updates.
We would like to ask anyone in the Trust especially clinicians
who might be able to offer any of their time and expertise to
do so. Your help will be greatly appreciated
Felice Manjengwa
Equality and Community Engagement Worker
07800 826 886
page 7
•
England’s care and support
system is changing for the
better from 1st April 2015
•
The Care Act, which marks
the most significant reform in
social care for over 60 years,
will make care and support
more consistent across the
country
•
Anyone who receives care and
support, or supports someone
as a carer, could benefit from
the changes
•
Any decisions about care
and support will take into
consideration
people’s
mental,
physical
and
emotional wellbeing, with a
focus on supporting people
to stay healthy and remain
independent for longer
•
To find out more about the
changes and how you might
benefit, visit www.gov.uk/
careandsupport or speak to
your council
The works compound at St George’s
and work begins on Brocton
Update on Upgrade
Following the completion of the installation of new windows to Norton ward the next
phase of modernising our estate at St George's site will begin on 2nd February 2015.
Starting with Brocton, the acute inpatient wards will be having their bedrooms and
en-suite facilities upgraded and lounge area redecorated. In order to minimise the
impact of the works, 12 acute beds will be provided on Milford Ward. For this first
stage, 12 acute beds will move from Brocton to Milford, with six MoD beds and three
acute beds remaining on Brocton. Once Brocton Ward has been completed the works
on Chebsey Ward will begin, we anticipate that this will be in early summer. In addition
to this the works for the forensic wards will be continuing and on the 9th February 2015
the refurbishment of the bedrooms on Ashley will start, followed by Radford during late
summer 2015. This will mean that there are a number of contractors on site however
we are working closely with them to try to ensure that there is a minimum of disruption
during this time. The extension numbers on Milford are 8036 and 8037.
Facilities and Estates Helpdesk
The Facilities and Estates Helpdesk is an integral
part of our Trust, providing a service for reporting and
processing maintenance and health and safety jobs,
requesting porter services and responding to F&E
related queries.
In April this year, to improve the efficiency and
effectiveness of the service, the Helpdesk will begin
operating using the software system “Micad”. This
software will provide Trust employees with access to a portal through which any job
can be logged, at any time. The many benefits of the new system include:
•
No need to wait to speak with a member of the Helpdesk – jobs can be logged
independently.
•
Users will be able to check to see whether or not a job has been logged.
•
Job progress can be tracked by users, with notification of updates automatically
sent as emails.
Training sessions for the use of the portal will be available in March for nominated staff,
with the expectation that training will be easily communicable between staff members.
Those interested in receiving this training should email Information Governance Manager
Saida Sattar, at [email protected]. Further enquiries are also welcome.
page 8
Innovative Partnership Benefits Children
“You see me differently”, for one young man the support and input from Clinical Psychologist Corinna Bruder has been a crucial
part of the care he has received at The Hollies, a pupil referral unit in Stafford. The unit provides teaching and learning for
children who are at risk of exclusion from mainstream school, or who have been excluded.
In an innovative partnership approach, the school has employed a dedicated Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
(CAMHS) professional for two days a week, an initiative which headteacher, Jane Spensley, believes has made a real difference.
Most of the children at The Hollies have emotional or psychological problems and many have previously found it difficult to
engage with CAMHS. As Jane explains, “It’s hard enough for these children to engage with the school. They have difficulty
establishing relationships and find it hard to trust people. Asking them to attend yet another strange place and open up to an
unknown professional is unlikely to work”.
It’s also an advantage working within the school environment as there is less stigma attached – there is still a reluctance to get
involved with mental health services.
By having Corinna based in the school every week, the children can get used to her presence and see her as an integral part of
the team. They can interact with her on a casual basis at first, just saying hello, popping in for a game of pool or a cup of tea and
a biscuit. Once that relationship is established there is a much greater likelihood that the child will engage in a therapeutic way.
She is also there to support staff, both personally in dealing with the stress of working in this sometimes challenging environment,
and also in looking for different approaches and techniques for dealing with individual children and situations.
This partnership approach also reaches children which traditional CAMHS services wouldn’t – they don’t fit the typical profile
of anxiety and depression. However, as Corinna explains, they are frequently very troubled and likely to go on to a lifetime of
involvement in mental health services if they aren’t helped now. And potentially they are at risk of harming themselves, or others.
“We have had some real successes” adds Corinna, “children who have repeatedly failed to engage with CAMHS are having
regular sessions with me and are making real progress”.
All involved are convinced this is a great service, but it’s a struggle to continue to fund it. At the moment the District Inclusion
Partnership provides 50% of the money with a further 25% coming from SSSFT CAMHS and the school finding the rest. With
budgets being continually squeezed, and monies only ever committed for year at a time, it’s a bit of hand to mouth existence.
But as Jane Spensley says “it’s the best thing we’ve ever done and I would really encourage those that commission services
to support us and take the long view that investing in these children now might save in the future. The children who come here
aren’t bad – they just have particular emotional and behavioural needs, and if we can help them to become full participants in
everyday life, that’s good news for everyone”.
See right for some case studies illustrating the work of the partnership.
For more information contact:
Corinna Bruder, Clinical Psychologist CAMHS West 01785 221665
page 9
Case studies;
Jack* is 14. He came to the Hollies because he had been disruptive at school,
challenging and aggressive to teachers, and finally assaulting another pupil.
TAKE THE
HEART MONTH
10 MINUTE CHALLENGE
He continued to display aggressive behaviours at the Hollies and began to attend
individual meetings with the CAMHS psychologist to work on his anger. Over
time it became clear that Jack used anger and aggression to “keep himself safe”.
He recalled being bullied at primary school and on one particular occasion he had
reacted by getting really angry and defending himself physically. He realised that
if he psyched himself up in this way he could be powerful and frightening to others
and so protect himself.
Once Jack understood why he was reacting as he did he began to work on other
ways to resolve conflict, and also to understand better whether situations were
really threatening. With his permission other teachers were helped to understand
the way in which he used anger, and they supported him by reinforcing any
attempts he made to positively change his behaviour.
Jack became a pupil who was well liked and learned to handle conflict through
negotiation. He was successfully re-integrated back into his old mainstream
school and has remained there since.
Harry* was persistently disruptive, refusing to do any school work and not
attending his classes. Even at the Hollies, working in small groups, he found it
difficult to engage in classroom activities. He appeared very immature, didn’t fit in
with his peers and generally appeared to have no confidence in himself.
He wasn’t keen to meet with the psychologist and only agreed to do so if he would
be given biscuits – so retaining some control. Initially he just came and ate the
biscuits, willing to answer direct questions, but not engaging in conversation. As
time went on he started to join in games with the psychologist and it became
apparent he was more skilful than her in one particular game. He offered
suggestions as to how she could improve and, at least in this one area, he had
some belief in his abilities. At the same time he began to stay in the classroom
more.
The psychologist then introduced clay into the sessions and Harry learnt some
basic techniques and started making objects. He identified something he wanted
to make, did some research on the internet and asked the psychologist to help
– there was a sense of shared enjoyment in the sessions and Harry, who had
always insisted that he was no good at anything, clearly took pride in his creation
once it was completed.
Harry also began to make progress in the classroom where teachers worked on
building up his confidence. He moved from refusing to read at all, to allowing
his teacher to read to him whilst he followed the words with his finger, to at times
reading independently himself. He was more accepted by the other children and
although there continued to be times when Harry refused to to work, or left the
classroom, he was more able to participate in a school day.
* not real names
Make one small change every
day towards a healthier lifestyle.
Sign up at bhf.org.uk/heartmonth
© British Heart Foundation 2015, registered charity in England and Wales (225971) and in Scotland (SC039426).
Training on
Helping People to
Stop Smoking
Staff are encouraged to attend training
on Helping People Stop Smoking to
develop their skills in this important area
of physical health support.
This is a one day course designed for
staff who have regular contact with
patients and who wish to support them
to stop smoking. The course will cover
issues around how to support people to
make changes in their health behaviour,
the impact of smoking on the health
of the general population and people
with mental health issues. Participants
will also be taken through the Standard
Treatment Programme used by specialist
stop smoking services and will have an
opportunity to explore the range of NRT
products available on the market. Advice
will be given on the optimum use of NRT
to support stop smoking attempts.
Participants are encouraged to work
through the National Centre for Smoking
Cessation Training (NCSCT) beforehand
to familiarise themselves with the wider
issues around smoking. This training
can be found at http://elearning.ncsct.
co.uk/england - please click on the Stop
Smoking Practitioner training for the
relevant course.
The dates are:
12th and 26th February – Therapy Suite
– Brocton, St Georges, Stafford
27th February – Redwoods Centre
page 10
Update
Recitals
Facebook reminder
Just to encourage anyone
out there in Facebook land
that Arts for Health would
love you to like our page and
any of the projects we place
on the fb wall?
www.facebook.com/
ArtsForHealthSSSFT.
At St George’s we had local
musician Ashley Wall playing
acoustic guitar to 30 service
users on Baswich, Bromley,
Chebsey and Brocton at the
beginning of the month.
A mixture of sixties, blues
and current songs were well
received with the inevitable
requests for Beatles songs and
an opportunity to join in.
Coming up……We will
have The Walnuts playing
on 4th February, 2.30pm on
Baswich and Bromley followed
by 3.30pm on Brocton and
Chebsey. Some of you may
have been lucky enough to
watch and hear them play at
the AGM back in September.
Very accomplished musicians
playing a variety of pop songs
from different eras.
Back by public demand will
be Kitten Pyramid with their
quirky lyrics and Floyd like riffs.
They will play on Wednesday
The Walnuts
4th March 2.30pm on Baswich /
Bromley and Brocton /Chebsey
at 3.30pm
At Redwoods in January –
kicking off with the ever trusty
Steve Roberts on piano – a
great start to the year with
some old favourites and some
tunes to give us inspiration for
the year!
On the 20th Jan we had
Hannah and Brian – a fab pair
– vocals and guitar. Some really
lovely covers by KT Tunstall –
Black Horse and the Cherry
Tree which was incredible,
some very new songs such as
Royals by Lorde and some old
favourites such as Wonderful
World by Louis Armstrong.
Hannah sings like a bird!
One member of the audience
claimed and Brian was pretty
nifty on guitar. Some great
sounds and we will definitely
have them back soon!
“Congratulation on the
music in the Bistro, brings
joy and happiness with some
songs to join in. Maintaining
good health and wellbeing
needs more of the same
great effort”. Anthony
On 27th Jan we had Nikki
Rous – who is very well-known
around Shropshire and has the
most beautiful voice. Again
some lovely covers and some
of her own work. Nikki is a
Working with Maggie Hollinshead
favourite amongst some of our
staff who attend the live music!
In FEBRUARY – we have
Sax and Piano on the 3rd from
Geoff James and James
Taylor(!) a range of songs
including: some melodic jazzincluding by Chick Corea,
Charlie Parker and Duke
Ellington - really enjoyable!
Hannah and Brian
On the 10th we have a visit
by musicians from Shropshire
MIND. The group meet every
other Tuesday at Observer
House in Shrewsbury to jam
together. There will be a mix
of musicians and singers and
percussionists – it will be worth
coming to this one!
On the 17th we have a rare
event – Much Wenlock Male
Voice Choir!! a rousing hour
of lovely traditional male voice
choir songs. There may be a lot
of them – so they will be heard!!
The choir are very sought after
– they have recorded their own
music and have sung nationally
and internationally! We are
lucky to have them here at the
Redwoods Centre.
On the 24th we have Ragga
Ting – a return visit by these
page 11
Evan Dawson Executive Director Live Music Now, Neil Carr
CEO SSSFT and Cllr Beverly Baker Mayor of Shrewsbury
Silk painting with Sarah Evans
two lovely young musicians
playing djembe, guitar and
vocals.
We are also holding an
Evening Soirée with Trio
Volant on Monday 16 February
at 6pm. We will hold this event
in the Wrekin Rotunda – it will
be an evening of lovely music
from Tom, Imogen and Chris
(Clarinet, Oboe and Bassoon)
– a bagatelle of lively classics –
with some nibbles and drinks!
Just to give people the headsup – on March 26th at 6pm
in Redwoods Bistro, we are
holding another NHS Staff
singing event. We are trying
to widen our singing group to
involve staff from other local
NHS trusts. We will sing a range
of new and well known songs
– no auditions or experience
necessary – just the desire to
have a great big sing!
More info from Jessica
on 01743 210048 / Jessica.
[email protected]
Creative Ward Activities
Textile
artist
Maggie
Hollinshead said the sessions
on Brockington Mother and
baby unit and Kinver have been
extremely positive and have
given Maggie the opportunity
to work in different ways.
Maggie said these sessions
have been very rewarding for
her and the service users have
concentrated very well working
with different materials.
Arts for Health has recently
made it possible for ward staff
on Hatherton and Ellesmere
to engage musicians Simon
Watson and Chris Watts to
deliver drumming and music
sessions.
Sarah Evans is back at
Redwoods delivering a series
of mixed media workshops on
a Monday afternoon from 1.303.30. We will be exploring a
range of techniques including
silk painting, decoupage,
painting, pastels and some
drawing.
We are working on our
second garden fence project.
Reading for Wellbeing
continues at Redwoods but
the day and time has changed
to: Thursday morning at 10.3012pm in the Wrekin Seminar
Room.
Dance for You
Arts for Health applied for
funding from Staffordshire
County Council just before
Christmas. This was the
Community
Development
fund. Arts for Health were
successful and now £1875
will support the development
of Dance for You for those
suffering from dementia and
their carers.
Songs for You, Cannock
Working with practitioner
Rachel Liggitt service users
and their carers can come
along to the pilot sessions
which will commence February
3 & 24 the March 10th 2015 at
St Mary’s Community Centre,
Hall Court Lane, Cannock
WS110AA.
Rachel Liggitt
These first three sessions
will take place alongside
Songs for You just so we have
a captive audience to observe
and consult with.
There will be more Dance
for You sessions and dates
will be coordinated very soon
so please contact the Arts
for Health team on 01785
7128602 or email Helen.
[email protected]
Songs for You
Sessions started back at
all three South Staffordshire
venues (Cannock, Stafford
and Tamworth) in January
with new couples starting
at two of the venues. Watch
this space as we develop
more sessions for the three
venues with Tamworth
aiming to be delivered at
George Bryan Centre.
Songs for You has started
up again in Shrewsbury
we have sessions on the
following dates: January
29th, February 12th and
24th, March 12th and 24th
and April 9th and 23rd.
Held at the Trinity Centre
in Meole Brace Church
at 2.30-3.30pm. Lots of
singing plus tea and cake!
We are also running
trial sessions in Bishop’s
Castle at Stone House
Residential home on
Friday February 27th at
11am – if this is successful
we hope that we might
continue with this venue
– depending on funding
we are applying to Arts
Council to support. We will
keep you posted.
Funding
The Arts for Health team
are busy as ever sourcing
and applying for funds to
sustain Songs for You,
develop Dance for You and
provide more activities for
service users.
Kitten Pyramid the
wonderful
band
who
played a recital back in
spring last year have kindly
raised over £700 which
will allow Arts for Health
the opportunity to deliver
recitals for at least another
year.
page 12
High flying Values lead to International success
Our congratulations go to Rob Gray from the Trust’s IM&T Team who recently
competed as part of the Team GB delegation at the Dubai International Sky diving
Championships. Rob, along with his four team mates, secured 3rd place, bringing
home a bronze medal (and a trophy) for Great Britain.
The team who have only been together for 2 years never imagined that they would do
so well and were thrilled with the result. Rob attributed the team’s success to its values
base, which is very similar to that held by the Trust • Respectful. Each team member brings different qualities to the team. Respecting
and embracing these differences increases trust and gives the team the confidence
to perform to the “highest” standard (all 11,000 feet of it!).
• Honest and trustworthy – this is especially important when falling through the sky
at 120 miles per hour together. Being able to openly deal with mistakes led to safer
and improved point scoring techniques.
• Caring, compassion, and taking the time to listen and talk - Listening and supporting
each other through both the training and competition increased motivation and
made the team stronger giving us a “Can Do / Can Win” attitude.
• Working together – All of the above values along with individual responsibility for
self development, self awareness, self responsibility (including safety) made us an
International medal winning team.
• Leading by example. We were proud to represent Great Britain and the people
who live here. It was really important that we conducted ourselves in an appropriate
manner to the locals and our international competitors.
The Dubai 10 round competition, which took place over the Jumeirah Palm Islands in
December, saw France and the USA team take first and second place respectively. The real battle was for the bronze medal (closely followed by the battle to stay focused
and in completion mode during each jump when distracted by the incredible view). The
Great Britain, Germany and Canadian teams fought all the way and the competition
ended in a close finish with Great Britain’s team triumphing to take the bronze medal
with 137 points to 136 and 134 respectively.
The team consists of five members. Four of whom complete a set of formation
sequences during free fall, and one camera flyer, Rob. Rob starts each round by
hanging onto the outside of the plane at about 11,000 feet (2 miles) above the ground,
and then jumping when the rest of the team exit, positioning himself in the sky above
the team, keeping them in close view all the way using two digital video cameras
mounted on his helmet. In this competition, he also added a third camera to take highresolution stills to make the most of the scenery.
After exit the team complete as many
formations as they can. At 4,000
feet the team break apart and track
across the sky (James Bond style) to
give themselves plenty of time and
space to open their parachutes and
land safely. The James Bond theme
continued after each jump with the
team ferried back to base by a fleet of
waiting speedboats. Once back at the
dropzone, Rob uploaded his footage
onto the computerised judging system
for the judges to score the team’s
performance, giving 1 point for each
visibly complete formation. Points are
lost if not complete, or if the video does
not show each grip clearly. The video
was also shown on huge screens for
the spectators to enjoy.
Rob’s next big challenges include an
attempt to break the Wingsuit Large
Formation World Record attempt in
the USA in October 2015 He currently
holds the existing Guinness World
Record for the Largest Wingsuit
Formation, set in 2012 with 99 other
people, flying in a 10 by 10 diamond
at 80mph across the sky. His more
imminent challenge is to lead on the
Windows 7 project ensuring its smooth
roll out across the Trust.
Please visit http://nww.intranet.sssft.
nhs.uk/Rio-Project/Windows-7.aspx to
find out more about the Windows 7 roll
out and what is involved to update your
pc/laptop.
For more information on Living our
Values and Values Based Recruitment
please contact Anna Smith, Living
Our Values Project Manager at
[email protected]
page 13
,
The RCN holds a number of
awards which recognise the
hard work and achievements of
its members. They are currently
seeking nominations for;
Having a mental health problem is hard enough, but sometimes the isolation and stigma can
make it even worse. But we can all help to break the silence. Talking about mental health
doesn’t need to be difficult and can make a big difference. Time to Change are challenging
all of us to take just 5 minutes on the 5th to have a conversation about mental health.
The Membership Office along with some Governor members will be at ASDA (Stafford) from
10am – 4:00pm on the 5th encouraging people to take 5 minutes and speak to someone
about mental health. Colleagues from Food for Thought will also be taking part. Find out
more at http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/timetotalkday
The Righteous Muslim - display at the Redwoods Centre
'The Righteous Muslim' exhibition was launched at the Board of Deputies of British Jews
in Bloomsbury, central London. The exhibition consists of photographs of 70 Muslims who
sheltered Jews during World War II along side stories detailing their acts of heroism.
South Shropshire Interfaith Forum have the exhibition from January - February 2015 and it will
be on display at the Redwoods Centre all week commencing Monday 9th February.
Mark Michael from South Shropshire Interfaith forum will be on hand at the following times if
you have any questions or require any other information regarding the exhibition.
Monday 9th February 2015
12pm - 2pm
Tuesday 10th February 2015
11am - 12.30pm
Friday 13th February 2015
12pm- 2pm
Qudsia Khan
Community Development Worker/ Psychological Counsellor 07968504018
Honorary Degree for Pat
Congratulations to Pat Wain, Deputy Director of Nursing who will
be awarded an honorary degree by Staffordshire University at
their graduation ceremony in July this year. The university writes
(we) “bestow honorary degrees on individuals who have provided
and who continue to provide inspiration and a positive example
to others and whose commitment to their field goes beyond the
achievement of their personal ambition. Your nomination is
in recognition of your unstinting support for the education and
development of student nurses and registered nurses; your
role in facilitating events which benefit the wider community
and the nurturing of a close working relationship between the
University’s Faculty of Health Sciences and South Staffordshire
and Shropshire Healthcare. It also recognises your own services
to nursing across a wide range of specialisms including cancer care, sexual health and
district nursing, and for your role as a pioneer and for the advancement of Nurse Prescribing.”
•
RCN
Fellowship
and
Honorary Fellowship Awards
•
RCN Award of Merit
•
RCN Representative of the
Year Award
find out more at http://www.rcn.
org.uk/aboutus/rcn_awards
Submitting an
article to e-PoD
If you have something
you would like included
in a future issue, please
contact Amanda Godfrey
in the Communications
Team.
amanda.godfrey@sssft.
nhs.uk
01785 783041
e-PoD comes out on the
first of each month (or the
first Monday) and copy is
usually required about a
week before, but feel free
to call or email to discuss
your submission.
Copy deadline for the
March issue will be 23
February 2015.
Hope to hear from you.
Amanda