Positive October 2012

Nottingham Recovery College officially opened – see centre pages

Foundation trust consultation check it out rowan in bloom dementia research Fun and games

october 2012

Hope, Control, Opportunity

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Last month Nottinghamshire Healthcare launched its formal consultation on its application to become a Foundation Trust. The consultation period runs until 30 November 2012, so there is still time to have your say on our plans.

becoming a Foundation trust means greater freedom from government control, stronger local ownership, and more involvement for the communities we serve. this will build on our assessment for autonomy that we achieved in 2010 and will allow us to continue with our successful development as a sustainable and responsive organisation.

Previously the legislation was not in place to allow a trust with high secure services to proceed to full Foundation trust status. however, changes to the health and social care act now mean that we can move ahead with our application, in line with other nhs trusts. there is no other organisational model for nhs trusts going forward.

nottinghamshire healthcare is committed to being nationally important, locally

relevant and Personally Valued. Part of that journey is our achievement of nhs Foundation trust status – confirming that we have the leadership, governance, financial viability and focus to continually improve what we do for the benefit of our service users, carers and patients. the scrutiny that comes with authorisation will confirm that commitment, as well as our commitment to improve health and deliver recovery focused services for all our patients.

the views of our staff, service users, carers, patients and the wider public are very important.

a consultation document explaining more can be found on the trust website www.nottinghamshirehealthcare.nhs.uk. hard copies are available by contacting Ft consultation, the resource, duncan macmillan house, Porchester road, nottingham, ng3 6aa.

Please share your views by completing the feedback forms which can be found online and in the consultation document or by writing to us at the aforementioned address.

Public Meetingscome along to one of our public meetings to find out more and tell us what you think: Tuesday 30 October, 6-8pmIndian Community Centre Association

Monday 5 November, 2-4pmRetford Hospital Board Room

Thursday 8 November, 4-6pmNewark Beacon Centre

Wednesday 14 November, 6.30-8.30pmMansfield Civic Centre

Foundation Trust Consultation— tell us your views

We are now a month into the consultation period on our plans to become a Foundation Trust.

Becoming a Foundation Trust means greater freedom from Government control, stronger local ownership, and more involvement for the communities we serve. It will allow us to continue with our successful development as a sustainable and responsive organisation. The views of our staff, service users, carers, patients and the wider public are very important and we want you to let us know your thoughts on our plans. To find out more about our application and how to send us your feedback, see the article below.

I was delighted to hear that once again the Trust has gained recognition for

its patient engagement. Our success in the NHS Patient Feedback Challenge means that we can share our successful approach to using feedback from patients and carers to improve services throughout the Trust and with other NHS organisations. By winning this bid for funding, we will be able to develop our partnerships with Patient Opinion and the East Midlands Leadership Academy and build on this work to continue to use feedback to shape services and drive change.

Congratulations to those teams and individuals who have been shortlisted in the Nursing Times Awards. You should be very proud of your achievements and of being selected from a field of more than 1000 entrants from across the UK. We wish you the very best of luck.

On the theme of awards, the Trust’s OSCARS is now open for nominations. See page 21 to find out how you can nominate someone you think should be recognised for making a difference.

Dr Peter MillerExecutive Medical Director

MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD

3Positive October 2012

Flu vaccinationsThe Trust seasonal flu vaccination programme has now begun. The vaccine is being offered to all staff and everyone is encouraged to take up this opportunity to protect themselves and others.

Vaccination isn’t just about keeping yourself safe, it’s about protecting your colleagues, your family and your patients/service users. You can carry and pass the virus on to others without having any symptoms yourself, so even if you consider yourself healthy, you might be risking the lives of others. by protecting yourself from flu, you will ensure you don’t pass it on to others, particularly pregnant women, young children and babies.

details of vaccination clinics can be found on the flu section of the intranet and are being publicised within staff areas. Further information about flu and vaccination can be found on both the trust and health Partnerships intranet sites.

staff with some long term health conditions will also be offered the flu vaccine by their gP. in order for the trust to keep an accurate record of vaccinated staff, individuals are asked to notify occupational health if they receive the vaccine from their gP.

New training for Learning Disability Service staffAll Trust staff working in Learning Disability Services will be given Management of Violence and Aggression (MVA) training by August 2013.

The training replaces Timian Training as part of the standardisation of core skills training across Local Services by the agreed Trust Violence Reduction Strategy.

Earlier in the year, the Trust’s Learning Disability Service offered five clinically based Band 2 or 3 staff the opportunity to be part of a professional team of trainers who would assist in the provision of Violence Reduction Training.

The chosen five candidates began their four week Violence Reduction Assistant Instructor Training in July. It consisted of intense practice and delivery of all TMVA and breakaway techniques and the delivery of Promoting Safer & Therapeutic Services (PSTS) LD Theory training.

All five Assistant Instructor Trainers completed the course and will be released from their substantive posts to assist in the delivery of training to all LD Service staff in the future.

Shirley Wright, TMVA Team Leader, said: “Violent behaviour by an individual within a healthcare setting poses a serious risk to that individual, other service users, staff and visitors. The Trust is therefore obligated to provide a safe environment in terms of violence and aggression.

“This training aims to provide staff with a range of skills to address issues regarding the recognition, prevention and reduction of aggressive and violent behaviour. Having Violence Reduction Assistants who work with Learning Disability Service Users means they are able to share their experiences and knowledge about learning disability specific issues and make the training real.”

This training will be delivered at Highbury Conference Hall on selected dates. All dates and courses are on the Learning and Development Training database and can be booked by contacting Learning and Development at [email protected]

Four of the newly qualified VR Assistant Instructor Trainers pictured here with staff. L-R: Mel Keily (Specialist Services Directorate Learning Disability Services), Jon Bell ‘Alexandra House’, William Balchin ‘ATU Highbury’, Lynne Morley ‘The Newlands’, Helen Faulkner ‘Horizon Day Unit’, Shirley Wright (TMVA Team Leader) and Lee Mills (TMVA Instructor).

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The Offender Health team, in conjunction with the Prison Service at HMP Whatton, has recently received approval from the King’s Fund to progress with a project to create an area of the prison for individuals requiring extra support.

The funding will enable the redesign of a dormitory to provide a two person room for prisoners with dementia, requiring stroke rehabilitation or who need an adapted cell due to physical disability.

Such a provision is necessary at the prison due to an increasingly elderly population, many of whom have difficulties with mobility or have chronic ill health.

The area will be refurbished to increase lighting and will incorporate a small seating area and ensuite facilities. It will be able to accommodate two beds for a prisoner and buddy or a single hospital bed if necessary. Special design aspects such as cushioned flooring, certain colours and signage which are proven to be beneficial to people with dementia will be used.

The King’s Fund congratulated the team on their consultation and engagement with prisoners. Prisoners created a mood board of the ideas they had for the room and suggested the same colour scheme as has been used in the palliative care room and suite at the prison, both of which were developed as King’s Fund Enhancing the Healing Environment projects.

The project team has been in contact with Dementia UK to arrange for additional awareness training for staff and is planning to do the same with the Stroke Association.

It is hoped to complete the scheme in November and an evaluation of the benefits it brings will be carried out in the future.

Head of Healthcare, Kay Bywater – Pinto said: “We are delighted to have received approval to go ahead with this project. There is a great deal of enthusiasm around it and we are looking forward to seeing the difference it will make. We are grateful to receive a further opportunity to work in partnership with the Prison team in the provision of an enhanced service for our patients.”

Enhancing the healing environment at HMP Whatton

A clinical nurse specialist in the Trust’s Substance Misuse Service has joined two national expert alcohol related groups.

mark holmes has worked in the service for 15 years. last year he joined the expert panel for liver disease and end of life care, becoming the only non-medic in the group. the panel aims to improve palliative care to people with alcoholic liver disease by producing guidance for professionals who provide it.

Four months ago mark also became a voluntary advisor on the steering group for the alcohol learning centre (alc).“i feel passionately that we need to treat those who are dying or are at risk of dying from alcoholic liver disease like we would any other end-of-life condition,” said mark. “by joining the alc steering group i can advise at national levels and help to influence national policy. we need to keep alcohol-related matters on the agenda.”

Nottingham nurse is national expert

Mark Holmes


The Trust’s ‘Check it Out’ team

Next month, for the third year running, Nottinghamshire Healthcare will launch ‘Check it Out – Healthy Body, Healthy Mind’, in conjunction with the Nottingham Panthers to promote both mental and physical health care.

the Panthers will be talking about their own experiences and giving tips around staying healthy in the match programmes from november through to march.

Free information and advice about mental and physical healthcare will be available on the trust stand at games throughout the season (starting at the game against braehead clan on 2 november).

staff from the trust will be on hand to give advice on a number of health themes including healthy eating, exercise, blood pressure, oral health, substance misuse and more.

a number of complementary tickets will be available for service users and their families, inpatients, carers and volunteers and will be issued on a first come, first served basis. For more information please contact sarah Peet on 01623 784787 or [email protected] or sharon eaton on 01623 784770 or [email protected]

‘Check it Out’ the alc is commissioned by the department of health and managed by the north west Public health observatory at liverpool John moores university. it provides online resources to those working to decrease alcohol related harm. its steering group is made up of eight professionals who evaluate and advise on content (including training and relevant publications), moderate online forums and promote usage.

clive henn, senior alcohol advisor at the department of health, said: “the alcohol learning centre is an important resource supporting practitioners and local commissioners in their efforts to reduce alcohol-related harm.

“i am very pleased that mark has agreed to join the steering group because he is a nationally recognised figure within the alcohol treatment field and his specialist knowledge will support the north west Public health observatory in ensuring that the alc remains contemporary and relevant.”

Nottingham nurse is national expert

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First Forensic Services’ anti-stigma campaign launchedThe first Forensic Services’ anti-stigma campaign was launched at a special event at Rampton Hospital last month.

a range of memorable images in the form of postcards, posters and banners has been developed that depict powerful images of people living their lives in a high secure setting, focusing on what they can do rather than what they can’t. all images are of patients’ hands in order to maintain anonymity and protect patient confidentiality.

the campaign aims to raise awareness and promote patient achievements within trust areas and to the general public and ensure people understand recovery values and support equity and social inclusion for all patients.

mike harris, executive director of Forensic services spoke at the launch event about the challenge of changing attitudes towards people with mental health problems. “we realise that the best way to affect change is for people with mental illness to speak out, and this campaign gives our patients the opportunity to demonstrate the way in which they are getting on with their lives and achieving. stigma and

discrimination can ruin lives; preventing people to attain their full potential. we want to encourage people to treat everyone as individuals and not judge or label a person because of illness or disability.”

the campaign materials will be distributed to all trust areas, as well as the wider nhs, local gP surgeries and schools. For further information or copies of the materials contact helen ashwell on [email protected]

Institute opens Publications AwardsThe Institute of Mental Health is now accepting entries for its Publications Awards.

The awards aim to highlight the best publications that have been produced during 2012.They celebrate and promote the work of colleagues working in the fields of mental health or learning disability within the Trust or the University of Nottingham. Nominations are welcome from all disciplines relevant to these fields.

The award categories are:•Bestoverallpublication•Bestpublicationwhentheauthor

has published no more than six previous publications

•Bestpublicationflowingfromwork during doctoral studies or as part of a doctoral dissertation

•Bestpublicationbyanemployeeof Nottinghamshire Healthcare who does not have a substantive contract with a university.

Each award carries a value of £500, to be claimed as expenses against research-related work. Nominations may be by the author or by others (professors are ineligible for prizes). The winners will be announced at the Institute’s Foundation Anniversary celebration in November 2013.

Submissions should be sent in by 1 March 2013 (in pdf format) to Lorna Viikna at [email protected]. For more information visit www.institutemh.org.uk/-news-and-events-/general-news.

The winners of the Publications Awards 2012 (for publications during 2011) will be announced at the Institute’s Foundation Anniversary event in November this year.


Rachel Phillips is the Chair of the Trust’s Sexual Orientation Steering Group/LGBT Forum. Here she tells us more about the concept of ‘straight allies’.

“The Sexual Orientation Steering Group, supported by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Forum, aims to inform and support staff around issues of sexual orientation and gender identity. It is estimated that seven percent of the population are lesbian, gay or bisexual. In order to ensure equality, we need support from the other ninety three percent of the population. That is where the power of straight allies can really be felt.

“There is an assumption that when someone mentions sexual orientation it refers only to people who are

lesbian, gay or bisexual. This has come about from the position of having a ‘norm’ that does not need stating, i.e. heterosexual. The reality is that we all have a sexual orientation whether it is heterosexual (straight), gay, asexual or questioning. Therefore, everyone who works for Nottinghamshire Healthcare has a stake in the work that the Sexual Orientation Equality Steering Group is doing.

“Our most senior champion is Chief Executive Mike Cooke and he models the role of a straight ally so well; when he raises the rainbow flag or launches an exhibition for LGBT history month, he is there celebrating with us, not just performing an empty duty. Mike is supported at Board on Equality and Diversity issues by Dean Howells, Executive Director Nursing, Quality and Patient Experience and the other

members of the Trust’s Executive Leadership Team.

“There is an African philosophy called Ubuntu, which can be summed up by the phrase ‘I need you in order to be me and you need me in order to be you’. If you share this philosophy and the POSITIVE values of the Trust and would like to support the work of the Sexual Orientation Equality Steering Group and/or the LGBT Forum, we would welcome your input.

“Whether you want to come and help us fundraise for our charities, staff our stall at various events or just come along to support us, you will be very welcome. To find out more, please email [email protected] using the subject heading ‘Straight Allies’ and I will get in touch with you to discuss how you can get involved.”

Are you straight but not narrow? — the role of straight allies

Rachel pictured far left at the raising of the rainbow flag earlier this year

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Rowan 2 garden in bloom

after 11 months of planning, highbury horticulture group will start within the next four months, providing a curative environment for horticulture therapy. it is hoped it will be used by all patients and staff at highbury and everyone has been actively involved in its set up.

Phil dunstan, care support worker and one of the people behind the group, said: “this project has had constant involvement from all areas of highbury hospital. there have been horticulture meetings discussing activities and garden designs with patients on the wards and regular discussions with senior staff regarding planning, allocation of land and budgeting.

“i would like more people to offer their help to make our project a reality. highbury horticulture group will benefit the whole hospital and the trust as it will make highbury stand out in a therapeutic sense.”

areas in the hospital grounds have been assessed to find the right location for the group, and an area near the main car park has been selected because it is easily accessible and there is room for expansion in the future. construction of a polytunnel is being planned to ensure the group won’t just be seasonal.

Phil said: “our aim is to have a fully functioning, stress-free, eco-friendly, therapeutically safe horticultural environment for our patients. we want patients to work alongside staff to develop new learning skills in horticulture therapy; building raised beds, budgeting for seeds and gardening equipment, and growing their own nutritional fruit and vegetables all year round.

“my hope is that all patients involved will enjoy our facilities and use the highbury horticulture group in a recovery focused manner and learn new skills to take back to the community.”

Horticulture Therapy at Highbury HospitalHighbury Hospital is to start a therapy-based horticultural group to aid patients’ recovery.

Phil Dunstan


Rowan 2 garden in bloomThe garden at Rowan 2 at Highbury Hospital has once again been enjoyed by many patients and visitors this summer.

The popular area is tended by ward manager Ruth Warren with support from colleagues.

Terence Boultby, Senior Clinical Support Worker, said: “The garden is always

a hit with patients and visitors who like to sit, admire the garden and relax with nature. The flowers attract wildlife and it’s a restful place where patients can take visitors away from clinical areas to sit in the

sunshine. We also have lavender surrounding the wards, which many of the patients find very relaxing.

“It’s a warm welcome for anyone entering the Hospital grounds for the first time.”

Fire WalkJulie and Pam from Options at Duncan Macmillan House decided to set themselves an empowering and inspirational challenge – to walk on fire! They offered the red hot opportunity to other thrill seekers and now a team of 20 staff from across the organisation will be joining in to walk along a 20 foot path of red hot coals (burning at 1236 degrees Fahrenheit). The firewalkers will undertake a two hour motivational training session prior to the walk; this is reported to offer many long lasting benefits to an individual’s personal life such as increased awareness of how to achieve their goals and an enhanced view of their potential to succeed.

The fire walk will take place on Wednesday 10 October from 7.30pm onwards, at The Resource car park, Duncan Macmillan House. Spectators are welcome and encouraged to attend and show their support. Refreshments will be available and there is plenty of parking on site.

If you would like to know more about this event please contact Julie Boultby on ext 10689.

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Three Nursing Times Awards entries from the Trust have been shortlisted in their categories.

The Health Inspectors‘the health inspectors’, an initiative that gives people with learning disabilities in nottingham north and east ccg a voice in the local health arena and helps them to become active and valued members of their local health community, has been shortlisted in the learning disability category.

mo major, one of the nursing team who nominated the initiative, said: “we are all incredibly excited, and just to be shortlisted is a fantastic achievement – if we won it would be the icing on the cake.”

it is hoped this initiative will support nursing staff in primary care to deliver person-centred, effective and proactive care to service users, and although still in its infancy, it is hoped the pilot project will provide evidence to support a fully commissioned service to continue the work.

maureen said: “For us, the most exciting part of the project has been a partnership working at its best and it is totally a bottom-up approach to client participation with people with learning disabilities leading the way. the real stars are the health inspectors; a group of people with learning disabilities who

wanted to have a voice within the health service.

“we have been very lucky to work with a very supportive and forward thinking ccg who have helped to make a dream a reality for the people who wanted to make a difference.”

Substance Misuse Servicethe community matron in high-volume service users’ programme in the substance misuse service (sms) has been shortlisted in the nursing in mental health category. it was nominated for its assertive outreach and innovative management of patients who regularly frequent the hospital setting.

mark holmes, clinical nurse specialist in the substance misuse service, was “surprised but pleased” when he found out about the nomination. he said: “with all the cost pressures and challenges faced by the nhs at the moment, this is really good for not just the project but the trust as well. it highlights what the trust best delivers: innovative, patient-focused care.”

the community matron scheme is a multi-agency team who manage high-volume sms service users in the community and prevent admission to hospital.

a befriending scheme is in place for service users who feel socially isolated,

and appropriate outpatient end of life care is offered to manage the physical symptoms of alcohol-related illnesses in the community.

mark said: “we have helped reduce admissions for patients who have previously frequently accessed inpatient services, enabling us to use resources more efficiently, and patient feedback has been really positive. it highlights the need for community care for people with substance misuse problems and shows that we can never write anyone off.”

County Health Partnershipslynne cotterill, community matron/clinical director in rushcliffe, county health Partnerships (chP), was shortlisted in the category of nurse of the Year after being nominated by Paul smeeton, chief operating executive, health Partnerships; Vicky bailey, chief operating officer rushcliffe; and members of her local team.

lynne is a registered nurse who has worked in the nhs for over 30 years. until october last year she was a full-time community matron, but now she is combining this role with her new position as clinical director for rushcliffe in chP, providing strategic vision, clinical insight and locality leadership.

as clinical director, lynne is responsible for all community services in rushcliffe

Trust entries shortlisted in national awards

Institute appoints Chair in DementiaThe Institute of Mental Health has appointed a new Chair in Dementia.

Dr Tom Dening took up the post at the beginning of October, bringing with him a vast expertise and knowledge in dementia services.

Dr Dening studied medicine at Newcastle University and trained in psychiatry in Cambridge and Oxford. Seconded part-time from 1999 to 2002 to the Department of Health as a senior professional advisor, he worked on the National Service Framework for Older People. He was also Medical Director of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust from 2002 to 2011.

The new position is jointly funded by Nottinghamshire Healthcare and Barchester Healthcare. Dr Dening will develop and lead a programme of research that will have a demonstrable impact on the wellbeing and quality of care for people with dementia. Nottinghamshire Healthcare and Barchester Healthcare have been working collaboratively since 2008 on a number of projects and this development is one of the many outcomes of the successful partnership.


and lings bar community hospital. she leads 500 staff and is responsible for a £7 million budget, making her position, as a nurse appointed to a role which many assumed would be taken by a gP, unique. she has also been instrumental in a new rehabilitation initiative which has reduced the length of stays by around 20% since it began in november 2011.

Paul said: “throughout this time of great change lynne has helped to maintain staff morale as well as keeping her good humour and common sense approach, combined with a focus on improving patient care, building relationships with other organisations and encouraging staff to be the best they can be. she is proving that in the modern nhs it is not just doctors who are shaping services.”

All shortlisted entries were required to present to The Nursing Times Awards judging panel in September. Winners will be announced at a ceremony at the end of the month in London. For more information, visit www.ntawards.co.uk/home

Top left: The Health InspectorsInset top: Lynne Cotterill Inset bottom: Mark Holmes

StoptoberNew Leaf, the NHS Stop Smoking Service for Nottinghamshire County, is embracing ‘Stoptober’, a nationwide Department of Health initiative to encourage people to stop smoking during October, with a month of activities, promotions and competitions.

Smokers will be encouraged to set a quit date in October and those who are still smoke free four weeks later will be entered into a draw to win prizes such as a Center Parcs Spa day, shopping vouchers and a signed photo of Rebecca Addlington.

Carol Goodwin, a New Leaf advisor, said: “Helping people to stop smoking is vital if we are to reduce the health inequalities and improve the lives of people living in our area.

“As a service we are really excited about Stoptober. We work hard throughout the year to support people who want to stop smoking and it’s a great opportunity to get so many people together at once to sign up to this 28 day challenge.

“This is also a great opportunity for Nottinghamshire Healthcare staff to access this free and confidential service.”

New Leaf has a team of specialist advisors who offer support in over 95 stop smoking clinics throughout Nottinghamshire, with times ranging from early morning to mid evening. Additional clinics will run throughout October with the team out and about in the community providing information, advice and the chance to register those who would like to quit.

New Leaf offers 12 weeks of Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) free to those who are exempt from paying for prescriptions and just a one off payment of £7.65 for those who do pay. The service offers one-to-one sessions, group clinics, text, email, or telephone support.

For more information about New Leaf or to attend a stop smoking clinic call free on 0800 389 7712, or text ‘Leaf ’ to 80800.

Dr Tom Dening

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More than 100 people attended a special event at the end of August to officially launch the Trust’s Nottingham Recovery College and celebrate its new base at Duncan Macmillan House in Nottingham.

the college was officially launched by mike cooke, trust chief executive, who was joined by dr Julie repper, college director, simon smith, executive director local services, and scott Pomberth, student and Peer trainer; scott gave an inspiring and candid account of his own personal journey and the positive impact the college has had on his life at the event.

mike, Julie, simon and scott also signed a pledge marking the trust’s commitment to continued support for people on their journey to recovery, and cut a cake in recognition of the excellent work achieved and dedication and hard work of all involved.

the college has 600 students enrolled and provides 58 courses to help people with experience of mental health and physical health challenges to develop their skills, identify their goals and to support them to access opportunities.

all of the courses provided at the college are designed to contribute towards wellbeing and recovery, complementing services already offered by the trust. they are open to and delivered by adults who have both personal and professional experience of mental health or physical health challenges; the courses are also open to family members and friends.

guests also had the opportunity to find out more about the

college, view the premises and talk to staff who were on hand to answer any questions. there was also music from the Function, a service user band from the middle street resource centre, and information available about the college’s student union and forthcoming courses on offer in its autumn Prospectus.

dr Julie repper, college director, said: “we are delighted to have launched our fantastic nottingham recovery college, which provides invaluable support for people who have experience of mental health and physical health challenges. all of the courses have a strong recovery focus and are intended to inspire hope and help people to take control of their lives. we are already seeing the benefits of the college and how it is making a difference to people’s lives, supporting them on their journey towards recovery.”

thanks go to everyone involved in making the college a success including the trust’s health informatics service for the work they carried out installing the Pcs and 3g equipment and providing service users with internet access. their contribution helped ensure that the college’s move from its former base

to duncan macmillan house went smoothly.

the college was renamed and moved to its new premises at duncan macmillan house in February 2012. the college was formerly called the recovery education centre,

based at 702 mansfield road in sherwood, which

opened in may 2011.

Nottingham Recovery College launched

to find out more about the college and the courses available contact 0115 956 0827 or visit www.nottinghamshirehealthcare.nhs.uk

l-r Scott Pomberth, Julie Repper, Simon Smith and Mike Cooke sign the pledge

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Trust is a winner in feedback challengeThe Trust is one of nine ambitious patient experience projects which are about to start spreading their ideas to other areas of the NHS, after being selected as winners of the NHS Patient Feedback Challenge.

nottinghamshire healthcare’s project, ‘Partnerships inspiring changes to services, culture and lives’ was a joint application in partnership with Patient opinion, the online patient feedback organisation and the east midlands leadership academy. the project links three essential elements to spread good practice around listening and

responding to feedback. the trust wants to:

• Workinpartnershipwithserviceusers/carers and Patient opinion to support a number of teams in each division to become beacons of good practice for all aspects of patient feedback in their division and to spread this to other teams

• Developanaccessiblepatientexperience area on our website so that the range of feedback we collect is online rapidly, visible and easily usable by staff and the public and so improves accountability and drives change

• WorkwithPatientOpinionandtheeast midlands leadership academy to ensure that listening and responding to patient stories and feedback shapes the development of future leaders in the region and future clinicians in higher education institutes

chief executive mike cooke said: “our bid builds on the excellent work we have done in both these areas and develops our partnerships with Patient opinion, east midlands leadership academy and

our service users and carers to spread our approach both within our organisation and across other organisations.

the nhs Patient Feedback challenge, created and managed by the nhs institute and funded by the department of health, will run until march 2013 and is designed to find and spread great approaches which use feedback from patients to improve services.

since april, nhs organisations have been collaborating, sharing ideas, building projects, and bidding for a share of the £1m Patient Feedback challenge fund, which was set aside to support the most promising approaches to measuring and improving patient experience. the trust was awarded £100,000.

Paul sanguinazzi, head of involvement said: “we are committed to keeping a focus on using feedback to drive change and use a variety of ways, using both positive and negative feedback, which is brought together in integrated action plans for each service area. this further investment will allow us to move faster and make things happen, to the benefit of our service users, carers and staff.”

‘Challenging Times’ ConferenceA ground breaking conference to address and support the delivery of rural health provision and to launch the Rural Health Network is being held on 26 November 2012, 9.30am-4.00pm, at the Nottingham Forest Football Club ground. the conference, which has been organised by nottinghamshire healthcare, the rural services network and the institute of rural health, will be chaired by baroness byford of the all Party Parliamentary group on rural services.

Presentations from a range of national healthcare leaders, clinicians and academics will be delivered, and a variety of professional workshops will also be available to participants looking at specific issues in more depth.

attendance at the event will provide free membership to the network for the first year: first delegate £250 + Vat and additional delegates £75 + Vat each.

For further information, to register an interest or to obtain a booking form email [email protected] or [email protected] or call 01623 784787. the closing date is 1 november 2012.

Arts Psychotherapies conference The International Association for Forensic Psychotherapy and the Trust are joining forces to host a conference at Rampton Hospital on 26 October 2012.

The event will look at the evidence for the Arts Psychotherapies in Forensic practice and has attracted keynote speakers such as Professor Helen Odell Miller from Anglia Ruskin University and Kate Rothwell, Lead Art Therapist and Head of Arts Therapies, Forensic Services East London.

The day will incorporate parallel presentations both from the Rampton Arts Therapies Team and other Forensic units as well as some experiential sessions being run in the atrium of the Mike Harris Learning and Development Centre.

For further information about the conference or to submit an abstract please contact Tracey Riley on 01777 247713.


Highbury Hospital recently welcomed a group of young Chinese leaders on a nine-week visit to the UK.

dean howells, executive director of nursing, Quality and Patient experience and noreen sheikh-latif, assistant director of strategy and Planning from the business development and marketing unit, hosted the visit in august on behalf of the chevening chinese Young leaders Programme.

a delegation of 15 chinese senior officials from china’s communist Youth league were visiting the uk on a trip organised by the china Policy institute of the university of nottingham on behalf of the Foreign and commonwealth office and the all-china Youth Federation. the visit was part of a british government programme which aims to promote understanding between the uk and china on key issues, to share universal values in areas relating to governance, civil society and climate change and to broaden the young leaders’ understanding of these concepts and how to apply them in the chinese context.

the group comprised young to mid-career professionals including presidents and

Chinese young leaders visit Highbury Hospital

The group of Chinese visitors

Rethink Your MindAn exciting new campaign ‘rethinkyourmind’, which aims to power mental health into the spotlight, was launched at an event in London on 10 September. Professor Lord Patel of Bradford OBE was guest speaker at the event alongside an array of other experts in the field of mental health.

On 10 October, World Mental Health Day, the project will open a creative competition for original artwork and poetry, which will

be used for two music singles and a hardback book. The book will also include listings of local mental health organisations and charities.

The entries will be judged by a panel of acclaimed artists, photographers and poets, with a grand prize presentation at the House of Lords on 1 May 2013.

The project, which now has 34 supporters including the Trust, Time to Change and the Samaritans, was unveiled along with its website in Leicester earlier this year.

For more information visit www.rethinkyourmind.co.uk

vice-presidents of the communist Youth league in chinese provinces and major cities, and youth organisation leaders from central government departments, leading chinese state-owned and private sector businesses and the media.

the visitors positively received presentations from research associates

cheryl george and sarah madders from rampton hospital and heard an overview of how the nhs works and how highbury hospital fits within the structure. they were also taken on ward tours to visit adult mental health, older people’s mental health and specialist services to show how the nhs works in practice.

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n Research Round Up

New group to attract research studiesA new group has been set up to help attract industry research studies to the Mental Health Research Network (MHRN).

The AIRS (Attracting Industry Research Studies) group has been developed partly in response to a number of industry day events that the MHRN has held nationally and regionally and which have demonstrated a need for it.

Members are people with lived experience of mental health conditions who have an interest in attracting research that will utilise the vast knowledge of practical mental health involvement that is often overlooked in industry research studies.

The group hopes to promote itself to attract industry research studies on the basis that in the past industry has not really included people with lived experience of mental health to do the research studies. They then hope to present these studies in everyday language to reach a wider audience.

Research project tracks CAMHS progressA team of clinicians and researchers from the Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) is leading a pilot scheme in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).

Professor Chris Hollis and his team are investigating session-by-session

does not refer to specific symptoms and is therefore appropriate for the wide range of conditions seen in CAMHS.

The data is electronically recorded and instantly analysed to provide feedback on progress, making it immediately available for use during the session. This data can then be used to inform treatment, which may result in better treatment outcomes and lower drop-out rates. The iPad format provides a user-friendly approach to session-by-session monitoring with the aim of encouraging open responses and increasing the involvement and engagement of young people and carers throughout the treatment.

The project is currently being piloted at the Queen’s Medical Centre, Thorneywood and Mansfield. For more information contact Charlotte Hall, CLAHRC Research Fellow on 0115 823 2438 or email [email protected].

monitoring across CAMHS in the Trust. The project is funded by CLAHRC and forms part of a wider project investigating consensus on assessment and outcome measures in CAMHS.

The work involves young people and their carers completing a short questionnaire called e-PROMPT (Electronic Patient Reported Outcome Monitoring Progress Tracker) every time they attend clinic. E-PROMPT is completed via an iPad and has been designed to assess service users’ and carers’ perceptions of treatment progress by asking how the difficulties are since coming last time, how much they upset the young person, how much they interfere with their everyday life and, finally, how the responder thinks the difficulties will be in a month’s time. Two versions are available: a self-report version for young people aged 11-17 years and a parent/carer-completed version for children aged 4-17 years. E-PROMPT

Nottingham prisoners take part in trialA new prison study has been launched to test the effectiveness of giving naloxone-on-release to prisoners with a history of injecting heroin, in order to prevent drug-related deaths. the large prison-based randomised controlled trial was opened by the east midlands and south Yorkshire mental health research network (mhrn) hub at the beginning of June.

known as ‘n-aliVe’, the study began in hmP nottingham and within just one week three prisoners were recruited. Feedback about the study from staff and prisoners has been very enthusiastic and supportive.

Amy Shuttlewood and Liz Andrews,

Clinical Study Officers who are supporting the study


Sudheesh Sidhardhan

the support at home interventions to enhance life in dementia (shield) programme has been running for the past three years. it is supported by dementias & neurodegenerative diseases research network (dendron) and mental health research networks across the country and has a national target of recruiting 240 patients over the coming year.

cognitive stimulation therapy (cst) is delivered through a 14-session group programme, twice a week for seven weeks. maintenance cst then follows with 24 further weekly sessions. the aim is to keep the mind active through multi-sensory enjoyable activities, undertaken as a structured programme facilitated by experienced and trained staff that will look after the group. sessions include discussion of current affairs, food, sounds, physical games, number games and word games.

Patients taking part in the study complete a questionnaire before the start of the programme and again after seven and then 31 weeks. the staff involved also complete questionnaires about how they were trained to deliver cst and their experiences of delivering the therapy.

in recent years, cst groups have been shown to be an enjoyable and beneficial therapy for people with memory problems. the purpose of this project is to determine whether cst and maintenance cst are effective in improving cognition and quality of life for the person with memory problems.

For more information about the study visit http://bit.ly/shield_study.

St Francis supports dementia researchColleagues at St Francis Day Hospital are taking part in a research study to evaluate the delivery and effectiveness of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) for patients with dementia.

Lesley Barker (Local Collaborator) with staff at St Francis Day Hospital.

Clearing the air about COPD Sudheesh Sidhardhan, Senior Physiotherapist with Bassetlaw Health Partnerships appeared on Nottingham’s number one urban radio station, 97.5 Kemet FM during August to raise awareness of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

coPd is a progressive long-term condition that occurs due to an obstruction to the airflow that is not fully reversible. it is predominately caused by smoking and can also result from occupational hazards leading to chronic bronchitis and emphysema. sudheesh discussed the signs and symptoms of coPd, the importance of seeking help from a gP or other healthcare professional early and the impacts on the personal, family and social life of those diagnosed with the disease.

there is a wealth of support and local rehabilitation networks available to individuals and families affected by coPd, with most available in local communities, close to home. if you are concerned about coPd, speak to your local gP or community healthcare professional in the first instance. Find out more about 97.5 kemet Fm at www.9.75kemetfm.co.uk.

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Tea, Cake and Performances at Cafe Art —Positive Writing Group ExhibitionAn exhibition showcasing the talents of the Positive Writing Group has been on display at Café Art, Duncan Macmillan House for the past two months. The exhibits range from poetry to prose with photography and painting.

Kate Deamer, Arts in Health Project Development Worker for the Trust, co-ordinated the exhibition. Kate commented ‘It was a pleasure to work with the group. I found the launch a thoroughly enjoyable, sometimes moving, experience. It was wonderful to hear people reading, and singing their own beautiful words and bringing them to life from the page.’

The exhibition was officially opened by Angela Potter, Director of Business Development and Marketing. Angela commented: “The exhibition showcased how the written word is a powerful tool for people to be able to express all range of emotions and demonstrated that for some it is an important part of their recovery process. I was truly moved by the quality of the work and expressive stories being told.”

Stuart Walker, involvement team member and Aspergers Community of Interest co-chair, proclaimed it: “A vibrant outpouring of creativity.”

The audience at the launch were treated to performances from group members and thoroughly entertained by singer/

songwriter Will Juckes who said with his usual dry humour, “I played two thoroughly miserable songs but there are some happy ones in the repertoire for perhaps another day!” The event ended with songs from the Involvement Centre music group washed down with lots of tea and cake – always a winner!

The Positive Writing Group group began in the Nottingham Involvement Centre in 2009. It provides opportunities for writing and the visual arts. Creative writing teacher Mike Wareham brings his skills to the group as a volunteer and is responsible for nurturing the considerable talent of the group.

For more information and a copy of Compendium, the published works of the group, contact: Jane Danforth or Jonathan Wright: 0115 9934567


Eid al-Fitr at Arnold LodgePatients of Muslim faith at Arnold Lodge were invited to celebrate Eid al-Fitr in August.

eid al-Fitr marks the end of ramadan, the islamic month of fasting during which the holy Quran was revealed. For all muslims eid al-Fitr marks a religious holiday of celebration and festivity. eid is an arabic word meaning ‘festivity’ while fitr means ‘breaking the fast’. this is a day where muslims around the world try to show a common goal of unity.

as this is a collective occasion patients were invited to bring a guest from their ward and were asked what they would like to eat and drink so that the organisers could ensure a meaningful experience.

on the day, the patients described how they have celebrated eid al-Fitr in the past and shared what it meant to them individually. they enjoyed looking at pictures of other people celebrating eid al-Fitr from around the world and shared their thoughts about

this. they also discussed some ideas for future celebrations, including having more of an informative talk on the meaning of eid al-Fitr next year, with spiritual support and the opportunity to invite family members if possible.

the patients welcomed the invitation to celebrate and share their experience with friends and other muslim patients on the unit and the traditional south asian food was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Feedback showed that patients also appreciated that this special occasion was recognised as a meaningful day in the muslim calendar.

Some of the festive food enjoyed by the patients

CHP health facilitators help improve ambulance serviceA partnership between County Health Partnerships’ learning disability (LD) health facilitators and East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) is improving ambulance services for people with learning disabilities across the region.

the ld health facilitators have been in post for three years. they have achieved significant improvements within primary care for people with learning disabilities and have run annual ‘big health days’ which have helped identify areas of need across the county.

the team has also worked closely with emas and earlier this year the ambulance service received a commendation for its innovative work to create a learning disability forum – part of its commitment

to improving the service through collaboration with other professionals and service users.

the ld forum wanted to implement an education package for ambulance crews to improve their understanding of working with people with learning disabilities. with support from the ld health facilitators, they created pocket guides which list signs and symbols to aid communication.

a work booklet and dVd were also developed to help service users better understand when to use the ambulance service and how to contact them. the guide describes what happens when speaking with the call centre. the dVd explains what the equipment looks and sounds like, to help reduce fears.

“we knew from the big health days that there was a need to help ambulance crews provide a better service for people with learning disabilities, and to help demystify the ambulance service for the service users,” said ruth harrison, ld health Facilitator. “it is obvious now that emas’s hard work has paid off as a service that was previously rated ‘red’ by our service users is now rated ‘green’.”

the work booklets are being used across the east midlands and have been well received by both service users and service providers.

For more information about the project contact ruth harrison on 0115 883 5049 or email [email protected].

Service users Andrew Turner and Christine Sinclair at the launch of the DVD and work booklet.

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For two weeks in August, Highbury Hospital’s Assessment and Treatment Unit (ATU) for people with learning disabilities hosted a variety of fun sporting activities. the aim was to ensure that whilst on the unit, service users could still benefit from the

olympics. Joined by staff, they took part in archery, egg and spoon races, basket ball and

many other exciting events resulting in much laughter and joy for all.

susan bryant, acting deputy team leader said: “we thought it was important for all service users staying on the atu not only to see the marvellous event on the television but to bring the games alive on the unit to create an atmosphere which would allow them to experience it first hand. we even held our own closing ceremony and medal presentation. our acting activity co-ordinator ginette

brewster was responsible for arranging the busy timetable of events and necessary equipment. a key aspect of our service is to ensure that we provide a happier transition for all our service users and we believe these activities helped to

achieve that.”

Fun and games at Highbury ATU

Service users and staff participating in the sporting activities

Olympic activities at Holly LodgeStaff and service users at Holly Lodge joined in the Trust’s ‘Be Part of the Challenge’ celebrations for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics with their own activity day.

The team held an Olympic Sports Activity Day in August at the Magnus School Sports Centre in Newark. The event was another step forward for partnership working, with representatives from the NHS, Nottinghamshire County Council, Mencap, and Newark & Sherwood District Council, as

well as clients’ families, all contributing to the organisation.

The activities began with a physical warm-up which was followed by an opening ceremony procession. Clients carried home-made banners and flags to represent the service they regularly attended. A prize for the best creation was awarded to ‘The Pod’ in Newark, an accessible unit for learning disability clients.

The fun activities on offer included Boccia competitions, giant Connect

4, football, egg and spoon races, wheelchair races, welly wanging, three-legged races and, the favourite for many, the giant tug-o’-war. The winners of each activity were presented with medals and most proudly wore them for several days afterwards.

Live music was provided throughout the day by Brian Fitzpatrick (of Full Bloomers) with many of the clients singing along to their favourite songs.

“It was wonderful to see old friends meeting up with each other again,” said Vince

Cross, Senior Technical Instructor, Specialist Services Directorate (Learning Disability) at Holly Lodge. “Everyone had a really fun-filled day and many were asking when the next one is planned.

“A big thank you to all the staff, carers, and support workers who helped make the day a success, especially Liz Robertson (Newark and Sherwood District Council) and her team of helpers, the leisure group team (Sue Johnson and Liz Moran), and Tereasa for her help with refreshments.”


Changes to Substance Misuse Service NTA ReportingA significant piece of work has taken place within the Trust’s Substance Misuse Services (SMS) to amalgamate different computer systems into the Trust’s clinical system, RiO.

This means that most of the SMS teams now report data requirements to the National Treatment Agency (NTA), a special NHS health authority established to improve the availability, capacity and effectiveness of drug treatment in England, through RiO which is managed by the Trust’s Health Informatics Service (HIS). To deliver this approach a new module within RiO was built by the supplier and tested and delivered by the HIS team and key members of the SMS teams.

SMS Business Support Manager Cath Hutchison explains that the system has

Have you received excellent service from someone at the Trust this year? Have you seen a colleague demonstrate outstanding commitment?

the trust’s outstanding service contribution and recognition scheme (oscars) has now been launched for its tenth year – and we need your nominations to reward our staff.

the oscars are designed to celebrate colleagues’ amazing achievements and commitment. anyone can nominate someone for an award in any of the following nine categories:• UnsungHeroAward–Clinical• UnsungHeroAward–NonClinical• EqualityandDiversityAward• LiamO’NeillFightingStigmaAward

• InnovatoroftheYearAward• TeamoftheYearAward–Clinical• TeamoftheYearAward–NonClinical• LeadershipAward• LifetimeAchievementAward

nomination forms for each category are available on the website at www.nottinghamshirehealthcare.nhs.uk. the closing date for nominations is Friday 16 november 2012.

For more information about the oscars, please contact the communications team on 0115 993 4525 or email [email protected]. the winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on thursday 21 march 2013 at the east midlands conference centre in nottingham.

OSCARS to celebrate staff achievements

information sharing across the whole of SMS.

Going forward, there are plans to use the system for e-prescribing. With large numbers of prescriptions across SMS, a single electronic system within RiO will enhance the management of current prescribing to SMS. It will also help to maintain and improve links with retail pharmacies.

Following the success of this scheme, HIS is now looking at where the system will benefit other areas of the Trust.

This project supports the HIS’s aim to implement an expanded Electronic Patient Record (EPR) across the Trust – part of the ‘Information Revolution’.

brought a number of benefits to the SMS teams in terms of information sharing.

“The data we send to the NTA around drug and alcohol use across Nottinghamshire is crucial as it enables statistics to be drawn in terms of prevalence of substance misuse in different areas.”

The way data is now sent is centralised and easier to manage. Having one internal system offers greater reliability in terms of governance issues and consistency. It also means that when issues with the system arise, it is much easier to sort out and rectify. In addition, it has linked together clinicians

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q What is your job title and what does your role entail?a systems developer. i design, develop and maintain software systems for the trust. the central electronic storage area (cesa) pilot at rampton hospital was my latest project. i’m now looking into rolling it out trustwide as part of the electronic Patient record project.

q How long have you been with Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust?a more than ten years now.

q What do you see as your priorities for Nottinghamshire Healthcare?a to design and develop computer systems that offer the maximum benefits to service users and provide technical expertise in complex areas.

q What is your employment background?a i’ve been in software engineering professionally since 1987 and worked mainly in manufacturing and process control with a particular emphasis on document management and data warehousing before i joined the nhs. my previous role saw me travelling around the world fixing broken rubber factories in exotic locations such as taiwan, the czech republic and wolverhampton. Prior to that i was a self employed software contractor and worked for (among others) bP, lucent, and the office for national

Members of the team behind the work skills programme at the launch with Mike Harris (far right), Pauline Munroe (fourth from left) and Birgit Vollm (third from right)

Treasure your smile –Original conversation inspired me

and helped me discover life.Feelings are more powerful

And wordsHelping you cope and recharge.

- – —oOo— – -

Take care there, woman,Sensual silver, oyster treasure

and wild roses.It’s all about the song...Expect the unexpected

to be unmistakeably unique.

- – —oOo— – -

Spring is here with comfort and charm.

It makes me greener –

- – —oOo— – -

Guardians of the garden are shapingthe twigs and twine,

they’ve crafted the rustic revival,and roots, shoots and leaves are

coming up roses.The gardener is head of the

great outdoors.giving us quality time for the

Tyrian rose –Let the power of nature into

your home.

- – —oOo— – -

In the frozen castleA winter landscape is reclaimed,

Bright midwinter things.Night and day close up

a wild blue ribbon radiance.

Poetry Cornerstaff and patients at the maples unit, highbury hospital, have been creating poems using ‘cut-ups’ of random words and paint chart colours for inspiration.

the work was part of the unit’s monthly creative writing sessions facilitated by sue atkinson, learning advisor with the social inclusion and wellbeing team. the following poems were written by Jenny, steve, sarah, anna and amy:

Photo by Daz Ward

23Positive October 2012 23

q&astatistics. i‘ve been fortunate enough to obtain two degrees during that time.

q What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?a keep it simple stupid.

q What was the last CD you bought?a bobby conn – macaroni.

q What is your greatest achievement?a Probably my masters degree in health informatics. i did it part time whilst working at the trust. my mum died just as i was in the middle of writing the research dissertation, which made it kind of hard.

q What makes you angry?a inequality, ignorance, greed and their consequences.

q What are you most passionate about?

luke, apocalypse now, once upon a time in the west and the good the bad and the ugly. my favourite recent film is in bruges.

q What is your idea of bliss?a a beer garden on a summer’s day. or attending test match cricket, which is effectively the same thing.

q What three words would you use to describe yourself?a amiable, underpaid and late.

q What is your favourite holiday destination?a Probably the greek islands.

q Who would you take to a desert island?a i will have to say my partner anna as she may read this.

q Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?a i have no idea. i would quite like to be the owner of an american strat by then though.

q Do you have a ‘claim to fame’?a nope.

q How would you like to be remembered?a i would like to be remembered as a bit of a laugh, but definitely not as a singer.

This month we interview Systems Developer Iain Meakin

In August a new exciting project was launched in Rampton Hospital’s Horticulture/Work Skills area.

the work skills Programme, currently in its two-year pilot phase, aims to teach patients techniques in various construction-based vocations, including building and plumbing with the overall goal of preparing and equipping them for work in the future and helping them to ‘build a life beyond illness’.

dr birgit Völlm, clinical associate Professor and consultant Forensic Psychiatrist in the Peaks unit, chairs the multi-professional group behind the project. dr Völlm said: “the role of work in terms of both mental health and re-offending has been demonstrated in a lot of research.

“research has shown that those who are in employment are around 40% less likely to re-offend than those who don’t.”

all patients, apart from currently those in the Peaks unit, are able to access the 54 horticulture sessions and 36 work skills sessions the project runs each week. there are also 12 sessions per week specifically for women patients.

Pauline munro, Vocational services manager, has led the implementation and day-to-day running of the initiative. she said: “the enthusiasm of staff to get on board with this initiative has been overwhelming and created a real buzz in the unit!”

the launch, which involved open days and a launch event, was a great success resulting in many new patient referrals from clinical teams. around 50 staff and 20 patients attended the open days, and a further 25 trust staff, including dr mike harris, executive director Forensic services and external visitors attended the launch event.

one staff visitor commented: “Patients that attended the area displayed high levels of enthusiasm which was greatly enhanced by staff’s positive attitudes. it was clear that they were also excited by the developments of the area and the future opportunities available to support the patient pathway.”

the next stage of the project is to evaluate the pilot phase, expand the working group to cover all services within the Forensic division and explore new work areas and related educational qualifications.

New Work Skills Project at Rampton Hospital

a annoyingly it’s probably politics. i think everyone should have a social conscience.

q What single thing would improve your working life at Nottinghamshire Healthcare?a some bigger monitors and i’ve always wanted my own copy of Photoshop. it’ll never happen though.

q What is your favourite hobby?a music. i love listening to music; from classical to rock to hip-hop. i enjoy playing guitar and have collected many other instruments over the years, although i am not allowed a trumpet.

q What keeps you awake at night?a i sleep pretty soundly.

q What is your favourite film?a i have several including: cool hand

WE NEED YOU!

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.

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 [email protected]. 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 December issue of Positive, please contact us by 2 November 2012. 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

Printed on cocoon · 100% recycled paper

MHSOP fundraising for Alzheimer’sStaff and patients from Mental Health Services for Older People have raised more than £600 for the Alzheimer’s Society. The impressive amount was achieved through a special fundraising relay event which, as it coincided with the London 2012 Games, had an Olympic theme.

Staff and patients made a torch to be carried from post (or ward) to post. The wards involved were Shelley Ward and Bronte Ward at Ashfield Community Hospital and Kingsley Ward at Millbrook Mental Health Unit. The relay started at Kingsley Ward at 9.30am with staff carrying collection buckets as they went along the course, collecting lots of donations from the general public. All the staff dressed up in red white and blue and different teams carried on throughout the day until the last leg reached the finish line at 4.15pm. Each team walked approximately three and a half miles.

All participants were presented with a certificate and gold medal by patients who had cheered all the competitors, carers, staff, helpers and sponsors on the day. The day was very upbeat, promoting a positive outlook on recovery and living with dementia.

Positive October 2012

Documents

trust website

consultation period

consultation document

ft consultation

formal consultation

service users

wider public

government control