|
In the community for the community
Better mental health care for Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey and Islington
|
|
Join us on Friday 30 September
Let us know how you want our services to change
We are almost at the midpoint of a three-year, £25 million programme that is radically changing the way mental health care is offered in the community across North Central London.
We want your help to make sure that our services best meet your needs - so join us to tell us what they are!
Members of our staff and partner organisations will be on hand to tell you about the work that we are doing, answer your questions and listen to your points of view in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere, over a cup of tea and cake.
All are welcome, you do not need to register in advance and you will not be asked for any information about yourself. You do not have to be using our services already or have any mental health condition or concern.
Please share this invitation with anyone who you think may be interested in coming along to find out about our services and give their input.
Hornsey Vale Community Centre, Mayfield Road, London N8 9LP, Friday 30 September, 1-4pm
|
|
Greater support for service users in hospital and when they leave |
|
|
A pioneering new model of care is being introduced in Barnet to help people to leave hospital as soon as they are medically fit to do so.
It is called Discharge to Assess, sometimes abbreviated to D2A, and it works on the principle that detailed assessments of someone’s health and care needs should be undertaken in an environment familiar to the patient, which is often in their own home.
The new way of working will be delivered by the Integrated Discharge and Acute Support team (IDaAST); which is made up of social workers, nurses and outreach services across the voluntary and private sector and works closely works with staff in acute services and in the community. Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust will be one of the first mental health trusts to apply this approach, although it has been used in other hospitals for several years.
Operations Manager for IDaAST, Dawn Egerton, said: “The team is set-up to ensure that we look at all aspects of a service user’s life, including their wishes, risks and support needs.
"That includes medical, social and psychosocial aspects of care. We liaise with all of the professionals involved in a person’s care, including the patient and anybody important to them. We place the service user at the centre of all planning and give them written information to refer to.
|
|
“The aim is to enable service users to return back to where they were pre-admission, with additional support if they needed. Then, long term planning for their future can take place when they're more appropriately assessed with the right levels of support. That includes medical, social and psychosocial aspects of care.
Interim Social Care Delivery and Development Manager, Elaine Woodward (pictured below) said: “We do some level of assessment with a person before discharge to look at what they need and what the risks are, but it is better for a person’s mental health recovery if any assessments about where they live or any other long term decisions, are made away from hospital. This will prevent patients being in hospital after they are medically fit to leave. Previously patients could wait weeks in hospital, while staff made plans about how best to support them in in the community.
“In the new approach, assessment is away from hospital and made with the service user, because hospital is an artificial environment where people don't function because they can’t; they can’t do their own cooking or shopping, have friends round for tea or catch a bus. Our team will assess how capable a person is and what their needs are in everyday life.”
This new approach will launch in Barnet in mid-September , but there are plans to extend into Enfield and Haringey in the near future, as part of our transformation of mental health services across north central London.
|
|
Occupational therapy in our new model of community services
 |
|
As we roll out our programme of changes to services across north central London, we are increasing the number of occupational therapists who are working in the community to support service users in their recovery.
Occupational therapists work with people to achieve personal goals in areas of self care, productivity and leisure. They create a plan aimed at achieving a specific set of activities, that is practical, realistic and personal to the individual, to help them improve their overall quality of life.
Camilla Cox is the Occupational Therapy lead for Haringey, and works with the Allied Health Professions in the division – working across all services. In Haringey the AHPs within services include: speech and language therapy, music therapy, art therapy, drama therapy, dietetics and physiotherapy,. She says increased access to all these disciplines would see further benefits to service users in Haringey.
|
She said: "We've increased the number of occupational therapy roles and, as part of the community transformation programme, we've created an occupational therapy team in Haringey, which includes three occupational therapists, who offer referred service users, 12 sessions over six months. We are educating people on when is the most appropriate time to refer someone, the role of occupational therapy and when intervention or assessment is required.
“We are hopeful that within 12 sessions, over 6 months, the OT can build a trusting relationship with a service user and work with them on their personal goals. However, we appreciate that it takes time to develop trust, it is important to work in partnership, and make moving-on plans that feel safe for the individual.”
“Occupational therapy covers a wide range of activities, from working with someone, to a look at self-care habits and routines. The OT can work with individuals who have become very isolated and, while they may wish to make changes, they may be experiencing high anxiety, perhaps at times finding it difficult to attend to their self-care. The OT may also support someone exploring career options and assist as they return or enter work or education. There could be some sort of minor physical health issue alongside mental illness and we support them with behaviour change or adaptations that can allow them to manage better within their home and community.”
Occupational therapists work alongside the core community mental health teams and support people to access services in the area in which they live, including leisure or educational activities and social groups. They play an important role in our new holistic model of care, which supports recovery by addressing factors that affect people’s mental health, aiming to help them get well faster.
|
|
Welfare advice support for service users
A specialist welfare benefits worker has joined the Kentish Town community team to work with clients, and support staff with training and advice.
Offering benefits advice to service users is a new innovation in mental health services and is a key development in the Community Transformation Programme, part of our ambition to offer holistic care and resolve issues that affect people’s mental health conditions.
Thomasin Dutt has wide-ranging experience as a benefits advice specialist for several years within other organisations and is now employed by the mental health charity Mind in Camden, one of our voluntary community service partners in the programme.
Thomasin will be working with service users and helping them to identify what benefits they are entitled to.
|
Thomasin said: “I’ll be working with people to complete the forms and giving general benefits advice, anything from applying to Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payments, attendance allowance, sick pay, maternity allowance – and so on. If people are financially stressed then that can affect their mental health so this area is really important in helping people recover.”
She has been liaising with other organisations in Camden to ensure that service users can be signposted to places where they can get help.
Thomasin will also be involved in training other members of staff to offer benefits advice and to look out for signs that people are having financial problems so that they can raise this issue with service users in their care, and ensure that they get help if needed.
Members of So Solid Crew and spoken word artist Shocka performed at the launch of the Trust’s Recovery Strategy at Chase Farm Hospital in August.
The strategy, which was co-produced with more than 250 service users, carers, and staff, sets out how we work across our communities, and the voluntary and community sectors, to change the way mental health services are delivered and understood.
Organiser and BEH’s Interim Head of Service User Experience, Jaime Buckingham said: “We were absolutely delighted to see so many people join us to mark this significant launch. This is the culmination of a lot of hard work by so many people and I’d like to personally thank everyone who made it so memorable”.
Service users also got an opportunity to showcase their own artistic abilities, with many taking to the stage during an open-mic session, supported by Key Changes, to perform original compositions.
|
Come and work with us!
 We are in the middle of a three-year transformation programme that is changing the way mental healthcare is delivered across Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey and Islington. The £25 million initiative is creating hundreds of new jobs.
As well as doctors, nurses, therapists and other healthcare professionals, we want to offer jobs to people without traditional, professional qualifications, but with valuable, lived experience of mental illness. As part of our more holistic approach to mental health here will be opportunities, too, for those able to offer expertise in benefits, housing, and employment support.
Help shape the future of NHS 111
If you have enjoyed reading this "In the community, for the community" update and would like to read past issues, click here. You can subscribe here
Can you help us shape the future of the NHS 111 service for those who need mental health support in North Central London?
We are working to integrate our crisis telephone lines with the 111 system so we can offer a more streamlined service to our local communities.
This project is being overseen by mental health clinicians and IT experts - but we also need the input of our service users to ensure what we are developing offers the best possible support to those who need it.
Could you give between two to four hours a month to attend meetings and represent service users? We are looking to recruit three to five reps who will also be able to attend occasional regional 111 meetings. A small fee would be paid to compensate you for your time.
We are seeking expressions of interest from as wide a range of service users as possible – adults over 18, from all backgrounds and communities. We are particularly keen to hear from residents from a black or Asian ethnic background whose voices are often under-represented in our service user groups.
To express an interest in taking part, please send a few background details about why you are interested in supporting this project and your availability to beh-tr.communications@nhs.net. Please title your email ‘Think 111 service user volunteer’.
|
|
|
|
If you have enjoyed this "In the community, for the community" update, please subscribe here.
To read past editions click here.
|
|
|
Published by
Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust, St Ann's Hospital, St Ann's Road, N15 3TH
Email: beh-tr.communications@nhs.net
|
|
|
|
|
