A collection of the best hightlights of the Trust's newsletters published during 2009.
The refurbished and extended Herschel Prins Centre has been unveiled and is back in use as a state-of-the-art low secure mental health unit, providing assessment and treatment for people who have committed a criminal offence as a result of their mental illness.
The centre has expanded from six to eighteen beds and now offers the first low secure accommodation for women in this area. The unit has two wards named by the service users themselves—Griffin ward has six beds for women only and Phoenix ward is a twelve-bedded male ward. The £7 million scheme has created a modern, flexible, high quality, therapeutic environment. It has visiting areas, an outpatient clinic, patient gymnasium, faith and reflection room and IT centre. The centre also is the base for the Forensic Community Mental Health Team and Criminal Justice Team.
The Trust project team worked closely with the building contractor Sol Construction and the design team to ensure that the new centre would meet the clinical needs of the patients. Service users and staff helped to choose soft furnishings and décor using the principles of ‘Enhancing the Healing Environment’, a national scheme that encourages and enables nursing teams to work in partnership with patients to improve the environment. Tony Harrop, Trust Chairman, has commented that “This unit will have a positive impact on the lives of the men and women who stay here. I am sure that they will benefit greatly from this modern, therapeutic environment and the care and treatment given by our highly skilled staff.”
Guest of honour at the official re-opening was Professor Herschel Prins, an expert in criminology and forensic psychiatry. The unit was named after the Leicestershire-based professor when it first opened in 2001.
(Taken from May 2009 edition)
There are three main reasons why we think it is a good idea to become a Foundation Trust:
The people who use our services and the local population can become members and be more involved in commenting on our plans to change and improve services. Decisions will be taken locally, which means that we can tailor our services to meet local needs.
Becoming a Foundation Trust does not in itself provide any extra money. However, if we are financially successful there are additional freedoms that can benefit services. These include being free to innovate in how resources are used and keeping any financial surpluses to invest in service improvements. There is also a wider range of options for funding for new buildings, so they can become a reality more quickly.
We had a consultation about becoming a NHS Foundation Trust, which ran from August to October 2008 and we were overwhelmed with the number of positive responses from a wide range of individuals, communities and organisations.
Using the feedback gathered, we have made some adjustments to the structure of the Council of Governors, namely:
Most people were in favour of “out of area” membership representation (for people living outside Leicester, Leicestershire or Rutland) and so there will now be a governor to represent the out of area members
It was also clear that most people wanted a governor to represent people with a learning disability and also a governor to represent our younger service users (aged 14 to 24)
It was agreed to keep the minimum age of members to 14 and to 16 for governors because we felt that as we provide services for people of all ages, it is important to ensure that their voices and experiences are heard and that they too can help shape the future of the Trust
We value our members and their contributions to help us change mental health and learning disability services for the better. Being a member does not need to take up a lot of time. Members can choose how involved they want to be and some of the options are:
Members can stand for election as a governor and may be elected by fellow members to sit on the Council of Governors. The way the Council will be made up in shown in the diagram below. The Council of Governors has three main roles:
The application process for any Trust to become a NHS Foundation Trust is very demanding so we are thrilled that a recent independent review concluded we are on schedule with our application process.
We continue to refine our strategic and financial plans for the next 5 years, which will form the main part of our application – first to the regional NHS East Midlands, then to the Department of Health and finally to the external body called Monitor, which is responsible for authorising, monitoring and regulating NHS Foundation Trusts.
In summary, we have a lot of work to do but we have made great progress and are on course to achieve our target of becoming an authorised NHS Foundation Trust.
(Taken from May 2009 edition)
LPT has given its full support to a self-help toolkit called 'Safe Inside, Safe Outside' (or SISO for short). By drawing on their own experiences in responding to and recovering from their condition, people with mental ill health worked together with staff from Advance Housing to create this useful resource.
The SISO guide enables people to look inwards and focus on what they can do to help themselves rather than on what they can't, which can then help people move forward on their journey of recovery. It focuses on feeling well and staying well both on the 'inside' (within themselves) and on the 'outside' (within their community) living as an independent valued member of the community.
SISO Project Lead, Leon Herbert said:
"Recovery from mental ill health is a very personal journey and the toolkit is designed to be used on a very individual basis. There's an array of different resources to help people deal with good days and bad days, including information on complimentary and holistic therapies, food and mood, a variety of creative arts, emotional freedom technique, neuro-linguistic programming and information around some cognitive behavioural therapy resources, to name but a few."
"Also contained are wellness recovery action plans and practical tips on personalisation, direct payments and employment. People can dip in and out of the toolkit and explore the great information and resources on offer, which adopt a 'whatever works for you' philosophy.
"We all know that if we're feeling more positive about ourselves ('safe inside') it can help us be more resilient to the challenges of everyday living and life's unpredictable twists and turns, especially when considering issues such as, anti-social behaviour, mental health stigma and harassment ('safe outside'). Mental wellbeing is a consideration for everyone in society and not just the diagnosed few - so the SISO Toolkit can be used by anyone whether you have a mental health diagnosis or not."
The toolkit originally evolved from a two year recovery focused programme funded by the Department of Health. Additional funds were granted by the Big Lottery Fund Awards for All scheme and MHSCE Capital Expenditure Grant, to assist in the wider development and promotion of the toolkit. 'Advance' is part of a group of charitable organisations providing housing, support and employment services for people who have either a learning disability or experience of mental ill health.
For more information about the SISO Toolkit or becoming a member of SISO please contact Leon Herbert, Project Manager on 0116 255 3331.
'Being sectioned' under the Mental Health Act is the term used when a person is taken into hospital for care without his or her consent; a compulsory admission.
Most people who need hospital care for mental ill health go into hospital voluntarily. Occasionally, however, some people become so seriously ill that they do not realise that they need help. If a person's illness means they are at risk of harming themselves or other people, the Mental Health Act grant certain health and social care professionals the power to admit that person to hospital without his or her consent.
The law is very clear about the protection of patients' rights if they are kept in hospital under a Mental Health Act 'section' and patients who are detained are entitled to appeal against their detention. The length of a compulsory detention can differ and longer stays are regularly reviewed. Reviews and appeals are carried out by a 'Managers' Panel.' Members of the Managers' Panel do not manage the hospital or any of our services. They are independent individuals and their role is to ensure that patients are detained only as the Mental Health Act allow. Panel members meet to review sections and appeals and can, if they agree it is appropriate, discharge a patient from a section.
Our members were recently invited to register their interest in volunteering to become a member of a Managers' Panel. Panel members come from a diverse range of backgrounds and receive appropriate training. Several of our members have already expressed an interest and will be meeting with out Mental Health Act Service Manager, Alison Wheelton, to discuss what is involved in more detail.
Alison said:
"We really value the involvement of our members on the Managers Panels. They provide another perspective to what can be a very complex case. We've been particularly pleased with the response from those members who have experience of our services. These members have the insight and understanding of what the service user, under review, might be feeling or experiencing themselves."
A new initiative has been launched which will enable our ward staff to increase the time they spend on direct patient care. Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust is one of the first mental health trusts in the country to embark on the Releasing Time to Care programme.
As well as helping staff free up time for more direct patient care, the programme focuses on improving ward processes and environments which also helps Ward Teams to improve safety and efficiency.
Modern Matron at the Evington Centre, Pauline Higham said, "This is a brilliant opportunity for the staff on our wards to look very closely at the way we organise our work. It will give us tools to bring about change so that we can increase the amount of time we spend in direct contact with our patients. This project will lead to improved efficiency of the care of the patients on our wards, and an improved, less stressful working environment for our staff."
Staff are supported through a series of modules, that help to redesign processes, such as ward rounds, hand-overs between staff at the beginning and end of shifts, admissions and discharges and make them as efficient as possible and thus release time to care.
The wards involved in the first phase of the programme are:
Beaumont Ward (Bradgate Unit), Stretton Ward (Brandon Unit)
Phoenix Ward (Herschel Prins Unit), Cedar Ward (The Willows)
Clarendon Ward & WakerleyWard (Evington Centre),
Barnsdale Ward (Brandon Unit)
Our new 20-bed assessment and treatment centre has officially opened its doors to provide inpatient care for adults with moderate to profound learning disabilities and associated mental health problems.
The £10.5m purpose-built development has twelve assessment and treatment beds and eight beds for people who need intensive support and rehabilitation. The new building—the Agnes Unit—includes all the latest facilities to provide a modern, safe and therapeutic environment and has five separate four bed units, each with their own communal living areas and gardens. Nursing and medical staff worked closely with the project designers to ensure the new building is able to meet the individual needs of patients and allows staff to deliver the highest possible level of care. The facility offers specialist therapy areas to help patients with day-to-day living, including kitchen and laundry areas and a horticultural courtyard garden. Patients also benefit from designated activity rooms, an outdoor sports area and plenty of space for peace and quiet.
LPT Chairman Tony Harrop said at the opening ceremony that “Local people have been waiting a long time for this kind of specialist NHS facility. Some of the patients in the Agnes Unit will need very intensive therapy and support and this specially designed therapeutic environment will allow our staff to provide the highest quality, individual care and treatment to aid the patients’ recovery”. The Agnes Unit is named after retired Consultant Psychiatrist Dr Agnes Hauck CBE. Dr Hauck worked in the Learning Disability Service in Leicester for a period spanning almost 30 years.
(Taken from our May 2009 edition)
The Trust provides services not only to Leicester City and Leicestershire but also to the County of Rutland.
Rutland has a rich history and was first recognised as a Shire County in the 12th Century. It has always depended on the land for a living, and today it remains a predominantly agricultural county as can be seen by the rolling hills and flower filled meadows that surround the picturesque villages and market towns. Rutland regained its independence from Leicestershire in 1997 and is the smallest county in England.
LPT works closely with Rutland County Council Social Services to provide an integrated specialist mental health service for the county’s 35,000 residents. A wide range of mental health and learning disability services are available to people of all ages in Rutland. These include hospital and medical services as well as community teams and support services that enable people to remain as independent as possible in the community.
As well as providing health care and treatment LPT also supports people to live the sort of lives they want to lead, with opportunities for employment, education and leisure. The Rutland Community Mental Health team runs several groups that support people in regaining the skills and confidence to participate socially and to fulfil their aspirations.
These groups include:
LPT is changing and is keen to work more closely with local communities. We have already built successful partnerships with many individuals, communities and organisations in Rutland, and we are eager to expand these opportunities further and work together in new and more creative ways.
Jane Ford, General Manager for the Melton, Rutland and Harborough Locality Service said: “There is already some great work going on in Rutland which is giving people the chance to develop their potential, but there is still so much more that we could do. We want to get to know the communities we serve much better and enable people with mental ill health or a learning disability to take advantage of the job opportunities, education, housing and leisure activities that are available in their area. Health needs in Rutland may be different to the health needs of people living in other areas and we want to provide a service that is right for local people.”
(Taken from May 2009 edition)
A new service launched in Leicestershire and Rutland will reduce waiting times for psychological therapies from an average of several months to several days.
LPT, along with mental health charity Rethink and primary care organisation Assura, have joined forces to provide the new service, which offers better access to talking therapies for the 18,000 people who will use the service each year.
At present, national waiting times for talking therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, can be up to 18 months. The new service, called 'Good Thinking' will mean that following referral, people with a range of mental health problems - from anxiety to schizophrenia - will be contacted within 48 hours, with face-to-face treatment staring within a couple of weeks.
Peter Caunt, Service Director says:
"The 'Good Thinking' service will dramatically reduce waiting times for talking therapies for many thousands of people with mental health problems. As the service develops people will be offered the chance to self refer or be referred through their Job Centre Plus. We hope to reach people who sometimes do not get access to talking therapies because they are less likely to go to their GP and ask for help. It will mean that people get the help they need, when they need it, where they need it."
The service is part of the government's £170 million investment in Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme, which is designed to open up easy to access, effective mental health services for people in need. A new IAPT pilot programme for people living in eastern Leicester will also be launched later this year with the expectation that it will be available across the whole of the city about 12 months later.
Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT) has signed up to a national charter for employers who are positive about mental health. The charter is part of the UK-wide Mindful Employer initiative which aims to increase awareness of mental health in the workplace and provide support for businesses in recruiting and retaining staff.
We have signed up to the charter to show our commitment to improving the working lives of our staff. We want to show a positive and enabling attitude to employees and job applicants with mental health issues, and not make assumptions about a person with mental ill-health or a learning disability in relation to their work performance.
We are working towards being an exemplar employer of people with mental illness and learning disability. Mental ill health is the biggest cause of sickness absence, costing the UK an estimated £25.9 billion a year. LPT's Director of People and Business Effectiveness, Tony Burnell said; "We know that some people may fear that stigma will jeopardise their chances of getting a job or affect access to training, education or voluntary work.
We want to show that with the right support, people with mental health issues or a learning disability can and do stay in work. "Employers shouldn't make assumptions that a person with mental ill health will be more vulnerable to workplace stress or take more time off than any other employee or job applicant. In fact, the vast majority of those who have experienced mental ill health continue to work successfully, as do many people with ongoing health issues."
For more information, please visit: www.mindfulemployer.net