Health and Wellbeing Service
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Health and Wellbeing Service The voice of people with emotional and mental health issues and their carers, across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly SPEAKING SummerUP 2016 II CRCC’s Health and Wellbeing Service CRCC’s Health and Wellbeing Service is an independent service, commissioned by NHS Kernow to be the voice of people and their carers in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly with emotional and mental health issues. We are an independent organisation working to support, promote and protect the rights of people with emotional and mental health issues. We aim to help people have a say about their care, treatment and quality of life when receiving services. Much of our work utilises the skills and experiences of our volunteers to collect this feedback. FEATURES Health & Healthwatch WHAT IS...? Wellbeing Cornwall Service PAGE 3 PAGE 19 PAGE 20 services in Support What’s ON cornwall groups in & IsleS of cornwall scilly & IsleS of scilly PAGE 23 PAGE 33 PAGE 45 Front cover photo by Justin Costello SPEAKING UP 1 WELCOME Here at CRCC, the Health Therefore, we need your help - if you have any ideas, would like to write an and Wellbeing team are article, have an image you would like us continually striving to to use or any other feedback we would improve our Speaking really like to hear from you. Up Magazine, which we Alternatively, if you could spare a few minutes filling in a feedback produce twice yearly. survey online, it would be very much appreciated. The online survey can be The magazine however, is your found by entering the following in to magazine and we try to adjust and your browser: www.surveymonkey. improve it, listening to feedback from com/r/speakingupmagazine you, our readers and changing things according to the that feedback we If you’d like to contribute an article, receive. photo, story etc for our Winter issue, please can we have submissions by November 2016. Health and Wellbeing Service CRCC Many Thanks 2 Princes Street Truro Health and Wellbeing team TR1 2ES Tel: 01872 243532 Email: healthandwellbeing@cornwallrcc. org.uk Web: www.cornwallrcc.org.uk/health- wellbeing Speaking Up magazine is produced by CRCC’s Health and Wellbeing team and printed by Polpentre Print, Liskeard. SPEAKING UP 2 HEALTH AND WELLBEING SERVICE Volunteer Activity Jane Yeomans This has been a busy time once 2. Forums/outreach actions again for volunteers within the • Develop a monthly timetable of Health and Wellbeing Service. forums up until end of contract • Organise key agencies to co-deliver The Health and Wellbeing Service monthly forums User and Carer review was • Organise key themes for each completed in March 2016 and monthly forum with co-delivery outlined six key action areas. agency • Organise volunteer support in 1. IVS delivering forums 2. Forums / outreach • Agree feedback mechanisms 3. Strategic meeting placements 4. Promoting our service 5. Signposting 3. Strategic Meeting Placement 6. Mental health awareness training actions • Discuss closure of strategic meetings 1. IVS actions with individual volunteers • Discuss working group roles/aims • Make an IVS leaflet for wards, staff, with key strategic chairs patients, carers • Recruit to working groups • Introduce two additional themes to • Complete working group protocol feedback sheets with ALL working group members • Reformat feedback forms • Induct working group and agree • Get agreement with CFT on how the dates / terms for meetings service will work best / what we need • Support volunteer working group from CFT volunteers • Add IVS issues to speaking up • Do training for IVS volunteers • Could we do IVS in patient groups across all wards? • Recruit more volunteers to IVS SPEAKING UP 3 HEALTH AND WELLBEING SERVICE 4. Promoting our service The Independent Inpatient Visitor actions Service (IVS) work has continued, with a total of six volunteers who regularly • Discuss with H&W team best ways of visit the seven wards at Bodmin and doing this and team capacity Longreach hospitals. Volunteers have • Look at literature promoting our been selected for four different CFT service recruitment panels and it is hoped that • Identify key partners to assist in this work will be developed further with promoting service (to include the CFT recruitment team. volunteers, statutory and voluntary sector agencies) Speaking Up magazine continues to • Agree roles for promoting the service showcase the work of our service and is a key publication for letting others know what is going on in the county 5. Signposting actions within mental health. Speaking up is Discuss best ways of doing this and also available on CRCC website team capacity www.cornwallrcc.org.uk/speaking-up- magazine/ and hard copies are available • Review literature promoting our at key health and wellbeing services service throughout Cornwall and the Isles of • Identify key partner agencies to assist Scilly. in mental health signposting • Agree team roles for mental health I am very sorry to say that I will be signposting leaving the service as of May this year, but have thoroughly enjoyed and been inspired by the expertise and 6. Mental health awareness professionalism of both our volunteers (MHA) training actions and the wider CRCC team. As ever, the Health and Wellbeing team will • Review future funding/ continue to uphold and champion the commissioning for this rights and expertise of people with • Put together formal MHA training experience of mental health services package (including evaluation) and their carers. As a service, we • Identify key partners to approach for maintain that this is fundamental to the training delivery development, review and planning of • Ensure volunteers have suitable truly effective mental health services. training and support in place • Support volunteers to design, deliver Jane and review MHA training SPEAKING UP 4 CRCC Health and Forum Wellbeing Team Mental Health Feedback CRCC’s Health and Wellbeing Team put together three forums in Camborne (All Saints Centre), St Austell (Cuddra WI hall) and Launceston (The Liberty House Suite). This overview will give you an idea of the common themes at each of the forums Common themes • Communication/ Information: The overall feeling was that many services do not know what is out there in the community for people, it is hard to find information in the first place. • Carer’s issues: There were concerns over information being given to carers and that if they were a carer for an adult, many services would not accept a referral from a carer. There were also concerns around finances when people who care for people living with Mental Health issues go into a home or long term accommodation. • BeMe and Outlook: There was a feeling that some organisations are not joining up and people are unsure why they cannot access BeMe and Outlook services. • Services (including out of hours service): There were concerns over the out of hours service and getting through to an answer machine or no response. SPEAKING UP 5 HEALTH AND WELLBEING SERVICE Other issues • Benefits: There were concerns over the benefit changes and the impact this will have on people’s mental health. People felt that personal independence payments (PIPs) are really difficult. If you are concerned about this please have a look at the Citizens Advice website- www.citizensadvicecornwall.org.uk Tel: 03444 111444. • GP Services: Groups and individuals who campaign for conditions find it hard to get into GP services with information and signposting. There is sometimes a lack of consistency between doctors at surgeries and also seeing your designated doctor can have up to a four week waiting list. • Transport: Transport is still a big issue, getting to appointments and the cost. If you cannot drive it can be very expensive or you are reliant on other people. • Solutions: • Why can’t a mental health clinician run check-up clinics annually? • Having a sponsor (like Alcoholics Anonymous’ system) would be a great idea in mental health • There needs to be more mental health training for GPs and medical professionals e.g. staff in A&E • Is that an opportunity for the forums – having somewhere that people can come together for information and socialising – keeping in contact? Email [email protected] or write to Health and Wellbeing Service, CRCC, 2 Princes Street, Truro, TR1 2ES with your thoughts. SPEAKING UP 6 HEALTH AND WELLBEING SERVICE Peer support Darren Chaplin Peer support is something is a peer support service for adults in Cornwall with mental health needs who I feel passionate about and are identified by services as individuals it’s not just a money saving who would benefit from Integrated Personal Commissioning (find out more idea for commissioners, here www.southwestipc.wordpress. although that is always an com) added bonus. The other service will be working with adults with mental health needs It has been proven that peer support who have come into contact with the really does add value to a service being criminal justice system. Both of these delivered as the peer is often able to are areas which I am excited to work in break down barriers that exist between and where I see that peer support can a ‘service user’ and a ‘service provider’ really make a difference. as there is no power imbalance in the relationship between the two Watch out in future editions for an individuals. update. I am involved in developing peer If you’d like to know more contact support services in a couple of projects Darren Chaplin at CRCC on 01872 in Cornwall and although they are not 243542 or 07720955048 or by email fully operational at present I have great at [email protected] expectations for the value they will add. One of the services we are developing SPEAKING UP 7 HEALTH AND WELLBEING SERVICE Independent Inpatient Visiting Service (IVS) The Independent Inpatient Visitors Current issues Scheme (IVS) acts as a confidential Activities and independent listening ear and supports patients in having Activities continue to be an issue on many of the wards.