insight issue 19 - Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust

August 2009 issue 19
insight
trust newsletter
VIP launch for new
veterans’ service
To find out more turn to page 4
Alastair
Campbell
speaks of his
experiences of
mental illness
at the trust’s
medical
conference
page 5
Spotlight on
success as the
2009 Making a
Difference
Awards are
launched
page 3
How we’re
helping to
stamp out
stigma by
supporting
Time to
Change
page 3
making a
difference
together

2
Jo Turnbull, chairman
Out and about
As chairman of such a large trust,
keeping up to date with what’s
happening can be a challenge. I
receive regular briefings but for me
it’s just as important to get out and
about and find out first hand.
There’s such a lot of great work
going on across the trust - some of
it you will read about in insight,
but there’s lots more that may
never reach the pages of this
magazine.
I’d like to use this column to give you a
flavour of some of the visits that I and
my non-executive director colleagues
make, both inside and outside the trust.
Over the last couple of months we
attended a number of events and
launches including for the new ‘What’s
Up’ DVD, the community veterans
mental health service, birthday party
celebrations at The Lodge, Bankfields
Court and the new service for carers at
the Hutton Centre. As ever, we were
greatly impressed with what we saw
and heard.
I’m also always pleased when our
services are showcased nationally. I
recently attended a forensic mental
health conference in Birmingham, which
included two excellent presentations
from our staff; one on the Primrose
Programme at Low Newton prison, a
unique national pilot providing
therapeutic interventions to women
prisoners with dangerous and severe
personality disorders, and one on
Rosedale Ward, our new female medium
secure unit at the Hutton Centre. They
were both very well received and I
received lots of positive feedback from
people at the conference.
So, what’s going on in your area? Are
you about to launch a new service or
hold an event to celebrate your
successes? The non-executive directors
and I are always keen to attend events if
our diaries permit, so why not get in
touch by emailing
ann.wilson@tewv.nhs.uk.
Rapid transformations
The psychosis community team in
Stockton have made dramatic
improvements to the care of people
on high dose antipsychotic therapy
(HDAT).
The team from Ideal House took part
in a week long quality improvement
workshop, which resulted in a number
of changes to the way they work.
They have standardised their
processes and implemented new
Art is helping to create a positive,
relaxed and therapeutic environment
in the new Lanchester Road Hospital
in Durham.
The artworks for the main entrance,
which are centred on themes including a
circle of life and healing flowers, and the
watercolours which will adorn the
entrances to the wards and other areas
are directly inspired from discussions and
mood boards created by service users and
staff.
Exhibition walls will be a key focus of the
central walkway and the art displayed
there will be chosen from a selection
produced by service users at workshops
led by freelance artist, Emma Dunphy and
items submitted by local service user
groups.
Artists were commissioned early in the
project so they could work closely with
the designers and project team to make
sure that art becomes an integral part of
the building.
systems, which focus on improving
the care for clients on HDAT. They
have set up a visual display board to
help monitor clients, introduced new
patient information leaflets and set
up a physical wellbeing clinic.
The team are now sharing these
improvements with other teams
across the trust to develop a standard
approach to monitoring people on
HDAT.
Art in hospital
The psychosis community
team at Ideal House
Artist Emma Dunphy at one
of the service user workshops
The new Lanchester Road Hospital will
open in November 2009. Visit
www.tewv.nhs.uk/lanchesterroad for
more information and progress updates.

Spotlight
on our superstars
Entry is now open for this year’s
Making a Difference Awards. These
annual awards celebrate the
dedication, achievements and
successes of individual staff and
teams across the trust.
The Making a Difference Awards
grow in popularity year-on-year as
people realise they’re the perfect
way to highlight the work of staff
who deserve special recognition for
going the extra mile. Last year over
180 entries were received and 47
teams and individuals were
shortlisted.
Time to end discrimination
Staff from across the trust have been
doing their bit to end mental health
discrimination.
The trust officially launched its
involvement in the national Time to
Change anti-stigma campaign by holding
a series of roadshows in shopping and
leisure centres across the patch.
The aim of the campaign is to challenge
attitudes towards mental health and
change people’s behaviours. Trust staff
were out and about doing their best to
dispel some of the myths that surround
mental illness.
Winning an award or making the
shortlist really does put the work of
teams and individuals in the
spotlight and making a nomination is
the perfect way to say ‘well done’ or
‘thank you’.
This year there are some new award
categories. So do you know any
superstars who have made a real
difference in… developing excellent
services; quality improvement;
personal development; working in
partnership with other agencies;
tackling stigma and promoting social
inclusion; patient and public
involvement; caring for the
Our Time to Change event
in Stanley, County Durham
Jo Turnbull, chairman of the trust, said:
“Mental illness can happen to anyone
and it’s more common than people think.
Many people with mental health
problems experience stigma and
discrimination, which can stop them
getting help or getting on with their lives.
“We all probably know someone with a
mental health problem and we can all
help - just by staying in touch and being
there for them.”
Visit www.tewv.nhs.uk for more
information on our involvement in
the campaign.
environment; working behind the
scenes and using information to
improve care? There’s also the
special Chairman’s Unsung Hero
Award which will be presented to
someone who has gone that extra
mile and made a real difference to
the personal experiences of service
users, carers or colleagues.
Nomination forms, hints and tips for
good entries, general guidelines and
important dates are all at
www.tewv.nhs.uk/staffawards or
contact the communications team on
01325 552223. The deadline for
entries is Monday 28 September.
Myth:
There’s nothing I can do to help
someone with a mental health
problem.
Fact:
There’s a lot you can do to help
Stay in someone’s life - be
there, make time to keep in
touch. Your support will help
their recovery.
If someone talks to you about
their problem, don’t brush it
off.
Ask the person how you can
best support them.
Think about your everyday
language: ‘nutter’, ‘crazy’,
‘psycho’ can hurt.
Don’t define people by their
mental health problems.
3

4
Minister
launches new
veterans’ mental
health service
Government minister and local MP,
Kevan Jones, visited the trust in July
to launch our new specialist mental
health service for armed forces
veterans.
The Under Secretary of State for Defence and
Veterans Minster addressed an audience of
over 100, and spoke about the government’s
support for veterans’ mental health care.
The new service is part of a national pilot led
by the Ministry of Defence and Department of
Health, which aims to make it easier for
veterans with concerns about their mental
health to seek and access help.
One of just six pilot sites in the country, our
trust now has 150 staff across the patch
trained in military culture and mental health
awareness, so that they can better understand
and treat the particular mental health issues of
those who have served in the Armed Forces.
DVD encourages young
people to get help
A new DVD has been
produced to help inform
local youngsters with a
learning disability, their
families and people
working in children’s
services of the
importance of
recognising the signs of
mental health problems.
Made with the help of young people from
across the Tees Valley and with funding
from NHS Middlesbrough, NHS Redcar and
Cleveland and Investing in Children, the
DVD, called ‘What’s Up?’, will be supported
by posters and leaflets.
A group of people who access the trust’s
learning disability services have been
instrumental in developing the campaign
by working with our health professionals to
look at things that made them happy and
sad. Their ideas have been used in
producing the script for the DVD.
The campaign material will be distributed
to schools and children’s services in the
Teesside area to encourage young people
with learning disabilities to ask for help if
they feel they are being bullied or if they
are unhappy or worried.
Symon Day (pictured, right, on cover),
consultant clinical psychologist and lead for the
pilot at the trust said: “While the mental health
issues experienced by military personnel are the
same as those of the general public, the
experiences people have during service and
their transition to civilian life can result in
different factors triggering their mental ill
health.
Celebration time
The Lodge at Bankfields Court in
Middlesbrough celebrated its 10th
anniversary recently, with clients and
staff past and present enjoying the
birthday party for the children’s respite
learning disability service.
Two of the original residents of The Lodge
came along to join in the party, along with
trust chairman Jo Turnbull and nonexecutive
director Andrew Lombard.
Ready, steady, cook
Five service users in the Sedgefield area
have been putting on their aprons, and
learning how to produce healthy meals as
part of a pilot cookery programme.
Weekly sessions have been running at the
Lighthouse Resource Centre in Spennymoor,
organised by Sheila Wilkinson, occupational
therapy support worker with the affective
disorder team.
The novice cooks have progressed throughout
the weeks learning about basic food hygiene,
safety in the kitchen, how food affects your
mood as well as creating hearty family meals
such as pizza, risotto, fish pie and spaghetti
bolognese.
Kevan Jones MP at the
veterans’ service launch
“Rather than offering one centre or unit for
veterans to come to when they need
treatment, for this pilot we’ve chosen to train a
number of our staff right across our patch so
that veterans can receive the care and support
they need close to home and family”.
To find out more about the service visit
www.tewv.nhs.uk/veterans
Celebrating at The Lodge
Everyone looked back happily over the last
10 years and shared memories as they
reminisced over photographs of when The
Lodge first opened.
The cookery group at the
Lighthouse Resource Centre
As well as attending the programme, one
participant was able to use her catering
experience to assist as co-facilitator, passing on
her skills and knowledge along the way and
improving her own self esteem and confidence.
Feedback from the participants has been very
positive with the unanimous hope that the
course runs again in the near future.

Alastair
Campbell
speaks at
conference
Delegates at the trust’s annual
medical education conference had the
opportunity to question Tony Blair’s
former director of communications
about his personal experiences of
mental illness and the role of
psychiatrists.
Alastair Campbell was keynote speaker at
the conference, which was attended by
over 120 psychiatrists, service users and
carers. He spoke openly about his
experiences of psychosis, his drink
problem and depression, giving credit to
the medical support he received in
helping him recover from a serious
breakdown in 1986.
An insight into...
Name: Gill Taylor
Job title and base: General Manager
in adult services, north of Tees
What’s the best thing about your job? The
people I work with, the diversity and the
challenge.
What was your first job? Shop assistant in
Marks and Spencer in Newcastle - aged 16 and
a bit.
Alastair Campbell
One of the key themes of the conference
was the involvement of service users and
carers in doctors’ training and part of the
day was spent discussing how best to
harness their experience and expertise.
During the conference, awards were also
handed out to the best clinical supporting
areas for medical student teaching. The
winners were the older person’s team
(including the community team) and
Lindisfarne Ward at the Derwent Clinic
(Wear base) and Clifton House in
Stockton (Tees base). Dr Alok Jha, senior
house officer at West Lane Hospital, was
also awarded a certificate for an
outstanding individual as he has
significantly contributed to the teaching
of third year medical students.
What’s the first thing you do when you
get home from work? I take my dog out for
a walk to get some air, exercise and clear my
head, unless it’s football training night and
then I pick up my youngest son and go straight
there - on time with some luck!
Whose picture did you have pinned on
your wall as a teenager? Red Rum and
Duran Duran, although there wasn’t any direct
connection.
What was the last film you saw? The much
awaited ‘Harry Potter and the Half Blood
Prince’.
What was the last book you read? In terms
of personal development it was ‘Beyond
Authority’ by Julia Middleton, founder of
Common Purpose and for light frivolous
reading it was Jane Green’s ‘The Beach House’.
Where did you spend your last holiday?
Rome.
What is your main ambition in life? To be
content, to have a sense of achievement and to
maintain independence and life balance.
Transforming
older people’s
services
Auckland Park Hospital in County
Durham is the latest in a growing
number of areas that are reaping the
benefits of the trust’s quality
improvement system.
Staff on the older people’s mental
health assessment and treatment
wards at the hospital have
fundamentally redesigned the way
they work to improve patient care.
The average length of stay on the unit
has reduced by over 50% in little over
six months and continues to reduce.
Patient satisfaction and outcomes have
all improved noticeably whilst
readmission rates and delayed
discharges remain very low. There are
no long waiting lists and beds are
always available for admissions.
The team has built on the success of
Thornton Ward at St Luke's Hospital.
Using visual control boards, electronic
tools (such as the new electronic
patient record system) and
reconfiguration of traditional practices
(such as a move away from traditional
ward rounds to daily ward rounds
attended by the whole multidisciplinary
team), the ward teams
have transformed the patient and staff
experience of inpatient care.
What has been your proudest moment to
date? This would have to be the birth of my
children, which overrides all other
achievements.
How do you like to spend your leisure
time? A mixture of activities with my boys,
with friends and family, preferably consuming
good food and reasonable amounts of
alcoholic beverages, shopping. And, whenever
I get the chance, being completely on my own
relishing peace and quiet, either gardening,
walking my dog or reading undisturbed...bliss!
What’s your ‘claim to fame’? In 1984 I won
Musician of the Year, unfortunately not of
Great Britain but of Lord Lawson School Brass
Band. My whole family was present having
been tipped off by my music teacher whom I
still keep in touch with.
How would friends and colleagues
describe you? Always optimistic, enthusiastic,
fair and canny.
5

6
Members news
Annual General Meeting
The trust held its annual general
meeting on 30 July at Middlesbrough
Football Club. Sue Baker, director of
Time to Change attended as guest
speaker to talk about the impact of the
national anti-stigma campaign for
mental health. Over 150 people came
along to hear about the campaign and
the trust’s involvement, as well as
receiving the annual report, financial
accounts and details of the trust’s
achievements over the past year.
People also took the opportunity to
question the Chief Executive and other
board members about issues that were
important to them.
Election news
The public governor election for Durham concluded in
July and Susan Jennings was elected.
We currently have public governor vacancies in
Middlesbrough and Durham. If any member is interested
in standing for the role of governor please return your
nomination form. If you would like more information on
the role of a governor please contact the trust
secretary’s team on 01325 552307 or email
ft.membership@tewv.nhs.uk
Governors get involved
Your governors have been out and about
recently…
• Attending a Council of Governors
meeting in June where they approved
the trust’s membership strategy and
quality report, and remuneration
levels for non-executive board
members. They also examined the
performance and financial position of
the trust.
• Attending the trust’s Annual General
Meeting and receiving the annual
report and financial accounts for
2008/2009.
Keeping in touch
Sue Baker (left) from Time to Change
and trust chairman Jo Turnbull
Durham governor
Susan Jennings
• They agreed the trust’s involvement in
the national Time to Change antistigma
campaign and attended the
roadshows around the patch.
• Governors have also attended various
networking, carer and service user
groups within their own
constituencies.
• A number of governors attended the
launch event for the new Community
Veterans Mental Health service.
The Council of Governors is reviewing its
performance as a Council and the results
of this will be known in September.
If you would like more details on any of the above, to contact your local
governor or the trust secretary’s team telephone 01325 552314 or email
ft.membership@tewv.nhs.uk
Membership
update
Public members
4 1 6 9
Staff members
4 9 0 8
Event dates
Council of Governors
meeting
Oakwood Centre, Eaglescliffe
Tuesday 22 September at 6.00pm
If you wish to attend a meeting
contact Kathryn Ord on 01325 552307
or email ft.membership@tewv.nhs.uk
Public
constituencies
The last public meetings were held in
April. Further meetings will be held
during the first three weeks of
September and will be more
informal, focussing on real
experiences. Look out for your
invitation or keep an eye on
www.tewv.nhs.uk/membernews for
more details.
Discount scheme
for members
Members can now get discounts from
a wide range of companies via the
NHS Discounts scheme. Governors
have worked hard to achieve this for
their members and details can be
found on www.nhsdiscounts.com. If
you have any questions about access
to this site please contact the trust
secretary’s team on 01325 552314.
We hope you enjoy the savings that
can be found on travel, shopping,
days out, restaurants and more.

Focal Point
Focal Point profiles topics that
affect the trust, written by
members of staff.
If you have a subject you feel
will be of interest to your
colleagues we would be
pleased to hear from you.
Most people would have an
expectation that if they commit a
crime, they may lose their liberty.
However, how many of us
appreciate what it must be like to
be detained because we’re ill?
To have your liberty taken away is an
infringement of basic human rights,
unless it is done so lawfully, and the
Mental Health Act (MHA) is the law
that allows us to do just that - to
detain someone, not as a punishment,
but for health reasons. If we are
depriving someone of their liberty it is
imperative that we do so within the
law, and it’s our job in the MHA
department to ensure that this
happens.
We cover all areas of the trust, with
offices in St Luke’s, Cross Lane,
Lanchester Road, West Park and North
Tees Hospitals. We currently have 14
members of full time staff, all highly
trained and almost all of them qualified
in mental health law, committed to
ensuring the highest possible standard
of care.
Our responsibilities include making sure
that detained patients are fully aware
of their rights and that those rights are
upheld and protected, that statutory
procedures are observed and that
accompanying documentation is
correctly completed within legal
timeframes. We make sure that staff
are aware of their duties and
responsibilities and, where possible,
that the trust and its staff are protected
from potential litigation through the
provision of training, advice and
guidance.
Over the last couple of years we’ve
seen some major changes in mental
health law. The Mental Capacity Act
2005 (MCA) is a very powerful piece of
legislation that has relevance not just
to our patients, but potentially to all
members of the public. More recently
the new Mental Health Act 2007
amended both the MHA 1983 and the
MCA 2005. It now includes the
Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards,
offering added safeguards to those
who lack capacity, as well as supervised
community treatment which allows
detained patients (where suitable) to
live and receive treatment in the
community rather than in a hospital
setting.
With over 400 codes of practice and
associated legislation to personally
distribute trust-wide, our general levels
of fitness and strength have improved
remarkably!
A huge amount of training has been
provided by the trust’s MHA
Implementation Project Manager in the
last year, in an endeavour to reach as
The Mental Health Act team
Mental Health Act Department
many members of staff as possible. As
MHA training is such an important and
vital element to the trust we’re
currently recruiting a new, full time
mental health law trainer who’ll soon
be in post.
Although our role is serious and
specialised, the staff of the MHA
department are a friendly bunch
who’ve worked very hard to make the
department a place of knowledge,
help, guidance and support. We’ve
built good relationships with clinicians,
patients and visitors as well as partner
agencies and colleagues in other trusts
across the country - an achievement
recognised by the Care Quality
Commission in their annual report last
year.
We continue to grow and learn. As
new legislation is introduced, new case
law develops and through that comes
new guidance. So just when you think
you’ve grasped it, alas it changes…!
Feel free to contact us for help,
guidance, information or just a friendly
chat.
To find out more about the team
and its work contact Pam Griffin,
acting mental health act manager,
St Luke’s Hospital, Middlesbrough
on 01642 516082 or
pam.griffin@tewv.nhs.uk
7

8
Nigel and Liz Cooke
Service users and trust staff have
transformed a piece of weed-ridden land
in North Skelton into a therapeutic haven
for the local community, thanks to £50,000
funding from Redcar and Cleveland
Council’s Local Implementation Team.
The garden boasts a pond, pergola, fencing, a
terrace and a compost site to encourage
wildlife and plants to flourish. Seating areas
around the garden give its visitors the chance
to enjoy the peace and tranquillity and car
parking is also available with a bay for four cars
provided for visitors. Future groups of service
users will work to develop the garden by
planting the pond and bog garden, harvesting
herbs and creating art to enhance the garden’s
unique atmosphere.
By royal appointment
Liz Cooke, charge nurse at 367 Thornaby
Road in Stockton was overjoyed to find out
she’d been invited to this year’s Royal
Garden Party at Buckingham Palace.
Nominated by the trust for her service to
the NHS, Liz went to the palace with her
husband Nigel Cooke, who also works for the
trust as a specialist support worker and staff
governor. Liz has worked as a charge nurse
for over 24 years and colleagues describe
her as compassionate, cheerful and always
enthusiastic.
These boots are made for walking
A team of staff from Sandwell Park in
Hartlepool pulled on their walking boots
to tackle the Lyke Wake Walk challenge
from Osmotherley to Ravenscar.
Kevin Hunton-Young, occupational therapy
technician, Bill Kirkbride, link worker, Dale
Smith, post discharge team and Jackie Power
from the dual diagnosis team completed the
40 mile trek, raising more than £400 to buy
equipment for a patient walking group.
They battled their way through all types of
weather, up hill and down dale, to complete
the famous walk in 18 hours, with the
fantastic support of staff and family.
The team at Ravenscar, triumphant
after completing the 40 mile walk
Grand designs in North Skelton
The official opening of
the therapeutic garden
Clare Serginson, occupational therapist and
project lead at Ashwood community mental
health clinic in Guisborough said: “Service
users involved in the design process have
shared some fantastic ideas. Those using the
garden will be able to experience the
therapeutic benefits of the natural
environment, and develop new skills and
greater self esteem as they progress towards
recovery.”
Liz and Nigel enjoyed a stroll around the
palace gardens before taking tea,
sandwiches and cakes along with other
guests in the marquee. At 4pm the band
played the national anthem and the Queen
and the Duke of Edinburgh appeared on the
palace steps and then walked around the
gardens, stopping to talk to guests along the
way. Liz and Nigel ended their visit by
viewing the reception rooms in the palace.
Liz said: “I was absolutely thrilled to be
invited to Buckingham Palace. It was an
honour to represent the trust along with
Nigel and we had a wonderful day”.
News in brief
The trust has been rated as a top
performer in the Patient Environment Action
Team (PEAT) assessments. The inspections look
at key areas including food cleanliness,
infection control and patient environment. Of
the 18 trust sites that were inspected, ten were
rated excellent in each PEAT category. All the
others received a mixture of good and excellent
ratings. Visit www.npsa.nhs.uk/peat for more
information.
Staff at the Hutton Centre in Middlesbrough
have been working hard to engage with the
family, carers and friends of the people in their
care. They have produced notice boards to
display detailed information about their
services and carer champions have been
identified on each ward to act as a first point
of contact for families.
The trust is a founding partner of the
Research Centre for Occupation in Mental
Health (RCOMH), which aims to develop world
class research in occupation and mental health
to influence best practice. Following the
RCOHM’s national launch in January this year
in London, its international launch will take
place at the World Federation of Occupational
Therapists Conference in Chile in 2010. Visit
www.yorksj.ac.uk/rcomh for more information.
What’s
going on
If you or your service have
anything you would like to
publicise in insight, or the local
media, the communications team
would like to know about it.
You can either send your
information to the communications
team at West Park Hospital, give us
a call on 01325 552023 or email
jeanette.duffy@tewv.nhs.uk