Welcome to the Final Edition of Our Social Inclusion and Participation Newsletter in Its

November Newsletter

Article 1

Welcome to the final edition of our Social Inclusion and Participation newsletter in its current form. As a Foundation Trust we are looking at how we use online and printed material more effectively to communicate with service users, carers, staff, governors and our wider trust membership. In particular, there will be a focus upon how we use the Life Rooms website and the trust magazine to reach out more widely and ensure clear and consistent communication across the board.

As this year draws to a close it seems right to reflect upon the continuing adventure that is the Life Rooms, Walton. It's hard to believe that we've been open for more than six months and already we are beginning to see significant impact on the recovery and social inclusions journeys of those accessing the building and its wider Recovery College curriculum.

In the last year there have been more than 1600 students enrolled to Recovery College courses with around 400 of them never before having accessed the college. Students have included our own staff and external partners such as Liverpool City Council staff as well as our own service users and carers both within inpatient settings and across the community. We currently have 30 courses available with around ten more courses and experiences being developed as I write. Please take a look at liferooms.org to keep up to date with our ever increasing range of events and opportunities.

Since we opened in May 2016 the Life Rooms has had almost 8000 people access the building for advice, support and Recovery College activity. We now have 35 external partners working with us to grow the education, advice and support available to our service users and carers through the Life Rooms.

I thought it might be nice to share just a very small number of the comments we’ve had from people accessing Life Rooms, Walton. They perhaps put some flesh on the bones of those statistics I’ve quoted!

Speech bubbles across the bottom

“I am really glad I have found a place where I can access what I want.”

“As soon as you walk through the door, you have this feeling. I feel really welcome here. I really want to complete these courses.”

“A local little hub for staff, volunteers, and for advice on the RC or on our own mental health. Being able to touch base, lean on someone. Can come to lots of events.” “Here is sanctuary, peace and calm.”

“Very welcoming. This is such a much needed resource, I am so glad I heard about the Life Rooms – I am really looking forward to using the things on offer.”

“As a service user I am so impressed with the new building, it is warm, welcoming and a place with loads of potential in mental health.”

“Well done, let the light in this brilliant building shine life into service users lives and their wellbeing.”

Box out

This work is not limited to Walton as we are delivering Recovery College services across 13 venues within Liverpool, Sefton and Kirkby. We hope to focus our wider Life Rooms work in a more localised way moving forwards so that people can access these services in their own communities. I'm particularly delighted that our plans to open Life Rooms, Southport are progressing nicely and we hope to commission services there in the Spring of 2017.

Thank you to all those who have contributed to our story to date. The Life Rooms is a beautiful building but as those beautiful comments reveal we are about so much more than bricks and mortar. We are human beings and we need the light and warmth of human relationship to truly transform our lives!

Article 2

Recovery Groups Service User Involvement at Clock View Hospital

As part of the new psychology service at Clock View, the inpatient wards will soon begin running a variety of psychologically informed group interventions for our service users. We would like to recruit a team of service user co-facilitators to take part in these weekly sessions along with a member of the psychology or nursing team.

The groups will run for two hours each week, following a rolling timetable. The groups aim to:  Provide a forum for service users to share experiences of coping with mental health difficulties with others who have had similar problems  Provide regular help and support for service users in working towards recovery  Provide education and skills to help service users feel more in control of their mental health  Promote a sense of hope and empowerment to work towards their recovery  Groups include: The Recovery Group, the Staying Well Group, Emotional Skills Group, among other titles.

The requirements for the service user co-facilitators are:

 Ability to attend on a weekly basis for two hours (days of the week are yet to be agreed)  Experience of being a mental health inpatient (preferable but not essential)  Experience of successfully managing a mental health problem  Willing to share some insights into recovery and what has worked for you  An interest in working jointly with staff to provide a therapeutic intervention for current service users  Respect for service user confidentiality.

Training and on-going support and supervision will be provided.

For further information please contact: Dr May Sarsam, Consultant Lead Clinical Psychologist Tel: 0151 330 7239 E mail: [email protected]

Catherine Mills Service User & Carer Lead Tel: 0151 527 3428 Email: [email protected]

Article 3

Hospital Food Standards for Mersey Care NHS Trust

New Look Vending to come to Mersey Care

From September you will have noticed a new look and feel to the vending machines, still having your old favourites but with some new snacks now available. This is exciting news for Mersey Care as we notice people eating habits are changing and we wanted to provide healthy low fat low sugar tasty snacks and more low sugar drinks for our patients and staff to enjoy.

Hopefully you will also agree the vending machines look healthier. Vending machines have a vital role to play in providing snacks and drinks when we are caught by a hunger gap or energy slump during the day. Having the best food that we can at these moments can make all the difference. Nutrition is everywhere with information on what we should be eating popping up everywhere. Mersey Care wants to demonstrate a healthy, nutritious environment and lead by example. As an NHS organisation we have to comply with Hospital Food Standards.

Please tell us what you think?

Why not give them a try and tell us what you think. Also if you want to see more different items in a vending machine near you please let us know.

Additional Information

The Hospital Food Standards list five key standards. These are:

 Ten key characteristics of good nutritional care (The Nutrition Alliance) – http://www.bapen.org.uk/pdfs/coe_leaflet.pdf

 Public Health England – Healthier and more Sustainable Catering – Nutritional Principles - https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/ 347883/Nutrition_principles.pdf

 Nutrition and Hydration Digest (British Dietetic Association) -https://www.bda.uk.com/publications/professional/NutritionHydrationDigest.p df

 Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool, or equivalent - http://www.bapen.org.uk/pdfs/must/must_full.pdf

 Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services (Defra) - https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/ 418072/gbs-food-catering-march2015.pdf

Article 4

Hospital Food Standards (HFS) Steering Group Service User/Carer Member Needed

The Hospital Food Standards Steering Group is a key group within Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust providing leadership and ensuring compliance of Hospital Food Standards for the Trust. Every hospital, site or unit has a responsibility to provide the highest level of care possible for patients and includes the quality and nutritional value of the food that is served and eaten. Hospital Food Standards looks at three areas over five key documents. Theses areas are;

 Inpatient Nutrition & Hydration  Healthier eating across hospitals including staff, visitors and whole hospital community  Procurement, Sustainable food and catering services

For more detailed information about the standards go to https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/50486 6/Hospital_Food_Panel_Report.pdf

The group’s membership includes project managers, clinical divisions leads, facilities, catering, dietitians, procurement, communications, learning and development, carers leads and HR leads. Other members are involved as and when needed. The steering group seeks an enthusiastic and suitable service user/carer to join the team giving a service user/carer‘s perspective to the groups decision making process.

The purpose of the steering group is;

 To assess the status of nutrition based services and whether they currently comply with the recommendations from The Department of Health based on the required Hospital Food Standards  To lead on the implementation of National Standards and Guidelines relating to Nutrition  To identify areas of concern and avoid any unnecessary duplication of effort  To exchange ideas, strengthen skills and share examples of good practice  To assess and discuss gaps in training and workforce.

The Hospital Food Standards steering group will take account of and ensure that the above are properly coordinated and linked to the following:

 Trust Strategic Objectives  Care Quality Commission  Key Performance Indicators.

The service user member of the Hospital Food Standards Steering Group will be a full member assisting, advising and engaging in the decision making process.

The Hospital Food Standards Group will meet quarterly. The meetings are held at Indigo on the Maghull site and will be around 90 minutes long. As the role develops opportunities exists to provide support to inpatient forums. If you are interested in becoming a member of the Hospital Food Standards Steering Group or would like more information please contact:

Paula Day V7, Kings Business Park, Prescot, L34 1PJ Tel no. 0151 472 4072 Email: [email protected]

Article 5

Local Division Governance Experience Sub Group

The Local Division Governance Experience Sub Group is where the Executive Director of the Local Division can establish and maintain an effective system of clinical governance across the whole of the division’s activities.

The group allows us to monitor the experience that our service users have across the division and our staff have in the workplace every day. Examples of issues discussed include complaints, carer action plans, area updates, patient forums, patient experience and staff experience.

We are presently recruiting for a service user and/or a carer member for the sub committee.

To be eligible for the role, you must be or have been a service user or carer within the trust within the past three years.

Meetings are held monthly, usually on a Tuesday at Switch House.

Travel expenses will be reimbursed in line with trust policy.

If you would like to express your interest please contact Catherine Mills on 0151 527 3428 or by email at [email protected]

Article 6

Events

Service User and Carer meetings 2017

After listening to you we have increased the number of opportunities to attend our Assembly meetings. We will also be taking a number of the assemblies on the road. In addition to this we will also be holding two joint events with the wider membership. The dates are still to be set but we have the months and proposed areas below. All the dates will be published on the Life Rooms website on our what’s on pages www.liferooms.org

February Joint event Assembly and Members Quaker House

April Assembly Quaker House

June Assembly Whalley

July AGM Aintree

August Assembly Quaker

October Assembly Southport

November Joint event Assembly and Members Whalley

December Assembly Quaker House

Article 7

Poem by Anthony Tinsley

Dark Energy

Drip! Drip! It falls on my head- The ever incessant darkness That seeps and soaks In to my brain. Grip! Grip! It leaves me for dead- Boney fingers of starkness Saying life is a hoax And all that is true is pain.

It sucks life out of me, Stops me from being who I want to be, Blinds my eyes so I can’t see, Despises that I know there’s a word called “Free”!

I fight because it’s all I know, My spirit is dragged to and fro, Fraudulently high, desperately low, I’ll fight you until you go! And you will go!

My light will glow!

Article 8

Congratulations

Many congratulations to Sister Bridget Folkard, who has deservedly won the Primary Care Lifetime Achievement Award for her services to nursing, religious and pastoral roles over 50 years.

During a varied career, she has served for 39 years in Africa including helping Rwanda following the civil war, helping communities affected by AIDS and has been an active member of Mersey Care’s Spiritual and Pastoral Care Team for the last six years. She has been particularly active in a number of mental health and addiction units including Windsor House, the Kevin White Unit and currently at Windsor Clinic and her award is well deserved.

Further congratulations should also go to our No Force First team, who have been shortlisted for the Sustainable Healthcare: Patients as Partners award and everyone involved in the production of our excellent MC Magazine, which was a finalist in the prestigious CIPR Pride Awards.