Issue 39 - Southern Health and Social Care Trust
Issue 39 - Southern Health and Social Care Trust
Issue 39 - Southern Health and Social Care Trust
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Director’s Take: Paul Morgan<br />
Paul Morgan has recently taken up post as<br />
Director of Children <strong>and</strong> Young People’s<br />
Services. Paul has over 30 years’ experience in<br />
a range of Child <strong>Care</strong> Services <strong>and</strong> over 12 years senior<br />
management experience. He qualifi ed in 1979 with a<br />
BA Hons Degree in <strong>Social</strong> Work. He was Acting Director<br />
in the Craigavon & Banbridge Community <strong>Trust</strong> from<br />
2004-2007 <strong>and</strong> has been the <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Trust</strong>’s Assistant<br />
Director for Safeguarding <strong>and</strong> Family Support since April<br />
2007. Paul chairs the <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Trust</strong> Child Protection<br />
Panel, as well as being a member of the Regional Child<br />
Protection Committee. He has signifi cant experience of<br />
service reform <strong>and</strong> represents the <strong>Trust</strong> on the Regional<br />
Reference Group for Safeguarding Board NI <strong>and</strong> the<br />
Regional Reforming <strong>and</strong> Modernising Children’s Services<br />
Implementation Group<br />
A Director’s take on: your recent appointment<br />
I am really pleased to be appointed as the Director of<br />
Children <strong>and</strong> Young People’s Services. My entire working<br />
career has been spent in the area of Child <strong>Care</strong> Services<br />
<strong>and</strong> I am delighted <strong>and</strong> privileged to have this opportunity<br />
to work as Director, in driving forward the services we<br />
provide.<br />
A Director’s take on: the best bits of the job<br />
The best bits of the job are working with a diverse range<br />
of staff who have a vast amount of knowledge, skills<br />
<strong>and</strong> experience. We couldn’t provide services without<br />
them. I value the input <strong>and</strong> dedication of all staff working<br />
in the Directorate to ensure that we continue to deliver<br />
high quality services for children, young people <strong>and</strong> their<br />
families.<br />
A Director’s take on: the worst bits of the job<br />
With the dem<strong>and</strong>s of the post, means that I have less<br />
time to meet with staff <strong>and</strong> receive direct feedback from<br />
those staff providing frontline services. Also the endless<br />
number of e-mails.<br />
St Luke’s Hospital Gala Ball<br />
Over 400 people attended the Gala Ball at Armagh City<br />
Hotel recently to celebrate healthcare provision at St<br />
Luke’s Hospital from its foundation in 1821.<br />
The Ball, which marked the 190th anniversary of the<br />
Armagh hospital, was organised by St Luke’s <strong>Social</strong> <strong>and</strong><br />
Recreational Club <strong>and</strong> coincided with an exhibition.<br />
Speaking at the Ball, the Chief Executive Mairead<br />
McAlinden said, “Since its foundation in 1821 as the<br />
first purpose built hospital of its kind in Irel<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> the<br />
Western world, St Luke’s Hospital has provided a centre<br />
for innovation in the care of people with mental illness.<br />
St Luke’s shows that the models of care developed here<br />
have led the way <strong>and</strong> shaped the provision of mental<br />
health hospital treatment in Northern Irel<strong>and</strong>, nationally<br />
<strong>and</strong> internationally.<br />
A Director’s take on: the<br />
challenges facing Children<br />
<strong>and</strong> Young People’s<br />
Services<br />
A major challenge is the<br />
current economic climate <strong>and</strong><br />
the financial issues that the<br />
<strong>Trust</strong> <strong>and</strong> the entire <strong>Health</strong><br />
<strong>and</strong> <strong>Social</strong> <strong>Care</strong> family faces.<br />
We all recognize that there<br />
is a need to make further<br />
efficiencies while at the same<br />
time providing a wide range<br />
Paul Morgan<br />
of services that make a real<br />
difference to the lives <strong>and</strong><br />
futures of young people <strong>and</strong><br />
their families. They are our focus <strong>and</strong> priority.<br />
><br />
A Director’s take on: the future of Children <strong>and</strong><br />
Young People’s Services<br />
Early intervention <strong>and</strong> prevention is key in Children’s <strong>and</strong><br />
Young People’s services <strong>and</strong> we need to further develop<br />
partnerships with the community <strong>and</strong> voluntary sector<br />
to deliver on promoting <strong>and</strong> supporting these goals.<br />
We need to continue to provide a range of universally<br />
accessible services for Children <strong>and</strong> Young People but<br />
continue to deliver on new innovative specialist services<br />
for specific groups, such as children with autism. We<br />
need to ensure that young people <strong>and</strong> their families <strong>and</strong><br />
carers have access to information on <strong>and</strong> contribute<br />
to services provided by the statutory, voluntary <strong>and</strong><br />
community sectors at local <strong>and</strong> regional levels.<br />
A Director’s take on: relaxing away from work<br />
I currently manage the under 16 football team in my local<br />
community. I enjoy playing golf <strong>and</strong> walking my dog,<br />
Toby. I have also started running again after recently<br />
taking part in the Belfast marathon.<br />
“Buildings don’t provide care, people do, <strong>and</strong> we have<br />
been fortunate that so many people working in the service<br />
based in St Luke’s Hospital <strong>and</strong> in our communities have<br />
had the vision <strong>and</strong> drive to improve care <strong>and</strong> treatment for<br />
mental health.<br />
“We must pay tribute to these staff, past <strong>and</strong> present, who<br />
have been at the cutting edge of mental health care, <strong>and</strong><br />
who have continually shaped <strong>and</strong> infl uenced the policy,<br />
strategy <strong>and</strong> model of care for mental health care. The<br />
purpose of St Luke’s has changed over the years, but<br />
the ethos <strong>and</strong> values that drove its establishment 190<br />
years ago have not changed. They are to provide the best<br />
possible care for people with mental illness <strong>and</strong> to treat<br />
them with compassion <strong>and</strong> humanity.”<br />
Congratulations, Ruth<br />
2<br />
Ruth Carroll, <strong>Health</strong> Visitor Team Manager based in Dungannon,<br />
graduated on 2 July with a PhD in Life <strong>and</strong> <strong>Health</strong> Sciences. The subject<br />
of Ruth’s research was the <strong>Health</strong> Visitor’s response to family violence<br />
<strong>and</strong> abuse – a grounded theory study, <strong>and</strong> although relevant to <strong>Health</strong><br />
Visiting practice it can be adapted by other professionals. Ruth was<br />
runner-up in the RCN Chief Nursing Offi cer’s Award for Patient Safety<br />
2010. Ruth <strong>and</strong> her team were nominated for the work they carried out<br />
in identifying a number of non-English speaking clients who had been<br />
victims of domestic violence <strong>and</strong> offering them support on accessing<br />
services <strong>and</strong> developing personal safety plans.<br />
Julie McConville, Head of <strong>Health</strong> Visiting <strong>and</strong> School Nursing; Francis Rice, Executive<br />
><br />
Director of Nursing; <strong>and</strong> Ruth Carroll, <strong>Health</strong> Visitor Team Manager