Every year, our Partnership holds a staff awards ceremony to recognise the vital contributions of the people who work here.  

We've opened nominations for the GEM award, where service users and carers can recognise a staff member who has gone the extra mile in providing exceptional care. Whether it's in our hospitals or community settings, we want to celebrate those who exceed expectations in caring for you or your loved ones

Thanking our teams for their great work is a wonderful way to show appreciation and inspire everyone in our organisation to provide excellent care

If you would like to read more about how you can nominate a staff member, please click here to cast your vote before Friday 15 March.

If the staff member you nominate makes the shortlist you will receive an invitation to our special awards ceremony in central London on Thursday 23 May. 

If you have any questions or need help filling in the form, please email beh-tr.staffawards@nhs.net

Building work is nearly complete on Highgate East, our new flagship inpatient hospital on Dartmouth Park Hill, London N19 5NX.  Highgate East’s cutting-edge design provides 78 all single en suite rooms, replacing the ageing facilities at St Pancras Hospital and providing a purpose-built environment which will support the recovery of service users. The new hospital also provides outdoor space from each ward, therapy spaces, plus a sports hall and community café, open to the public, as part of a move to de-stigmatise mental health and ensure a more inclusive approach.

Once it is fully opened at the end of March 2024, Highgate East will form a single campus with the Highgate Mental Health Centre (Highgate West). I will be sure to keep you updated on our plans to move services to the new Highgate campus.

Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) has unearthed the foundations of the St Pancras Workhouse at the Oriel site, where a modern eye care, research, and education centre is under construction in Camden. Now, you can step into the past with a captivating new audiobook that explores life in the workhouse infirmary. Travel back in time to uncover the roots of healthcare at St Pancras! MOLA's concise audiobook will take you through the infirmary, once home to over 1,000 patients. Learn about life in the workhouse and meet the dedicated medical staff who cared for some of London's neediest residents. Discover more at:

https://www.mola.org.uk/discoveries/news/introducing-oriel-audiobook-200-years-healthcare-st-pancras

Construction of Oriel, a new centre for eye care, research and education on part of the St Pancras Hospital site, is well under way. Cranes are on site, foundations are being laid and the building is starting to appear from the ground up. A public showcase exhibition on 5-7 March 2024 will provide an opportunity to:

• View external and internal designs for the new centre
• Understand the co-design process we’ve followed engaging with staff, patients, carers, and partners
• Learn about our new location
• Ask questions

The showcase exhibition will be held in Moorfields education hub, first floor, 15 Ebenezer Street N1 7HP (a short walk from Moorfields, City Road) and is open from 8am to 6pm. Click here for more information or contact moorfields.oriel@nhs.net

As you may know, we are working closely with the voluntary sector to provide more joined-up care for our service users and carers. We'd like to share with you some details about the work these organisations do and how they may be able to help you. This month, we spoke with Natalia, Service Manager at Hestia. 

Hestia is a charity which provides support for those in crisis across London and the South East of England. In 2022-23, Hestia supported nearly 20,000 people including those experiencing mental health issues, survivors of domestic abuse, and modern slavery, as well as ex-offenders and those at risk of homelessness. 

"My name is Natalia Lorenc, and I am a Service Manager at Hestia for a team of Community Engagement Practitioners and Young Adults Peer Support Workers – based within the Haringey Community Mental Health Team."

"My team has been commissioned by the NHS Community Mental Health Team in Haringey since 2021 as part of their Integrated Care Approach. We are here to complement the wider team by supporting service users to establish networks in the community, supporting points of transition and helping with step-down."

"Forming part of the wider Haringey Community Mental Health Team, the role of our Community Engagement Practitioners is to provide ongoing support to the service users through holistic, person-centered approaches. Our support addresses social determinants of mental ill-health, for instance helping someone to find new hobbies and activities, to look for training or volunteering opportunities or to become more confident with technology, amongst other approaches that focus on their wellbeing. Service users describe our support as “personalised and relatable.” (Hestia Satisfaction Survey 2023)."

"We strive to ensure that everyone within our care is equipped with the tools necessary for a life beyond crisis. By working alongside the NHS and other multidisciplinary organisations we are able to provide holistic support through connecting service users to local community resources, consequently strengthening protective factors around the individual."

"Our staff build honest, respectful relationships with colleagues, local community VCS and our service users to ensure the best support possible. We help service users address underlying aspects of their life or environment which may be negatively impacting their mental health and we encourage them to unlock their potential so that they are empowered to forge their own recovery and can create fulfilling lives of their own choosing."

To find out more, please visit https://www.hestia.org/ or call +44 (0) 20 7378 3100

Service users aged 14 years and above from our Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) can now have quick and easy access to their personal health records in one place with the introduction of Patients Know Best.

The online platform is an added way to access appointment information safely and securely in one place. In the future, more features will be available including access to care plans and assessment questionnaires.

To find out more, please visit our website or speak to your clinician if you are a CAMHS service user. 

The 14th annual Loudest Whispers art exhibition is now on display at St Pancras Hospital.

The exhibition addresses the historical challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community over the centuries, with 42 artists sharing diverse perspectives on the theme.

The launch event was a visual extravaganza that showcased creativity and diversity, inviting art enthusiasts to immerse themselves in a captivating world of colours and expressions, while also being an unforgettable celebration of LGBTQ+ stories through art.

The exhibition is open Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm, at St Pancras Hospital Gallery, until 10 May.

To find out more and view photos from the launch, please click https://www.northlondonmentalhealth.nhs.uk/news/loudest-whispers-exhibition-opens-at-st-pancras-hospital-3809