Thursday 29 May 2014

Can't beat those revision blues? Help is available...


Leeds Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) offers assessment, support and evidence-based interventions to children and young people with significant emotional and behavioural difficulties (e.g. anxiety, depression, eating disorders) and their families.
This month saw the annual Mental Health Awareness Week; a nationwide event that encourages people from all walks of life to learn, talk, reflect and engage with others on all issues relating to mental health. According to the charity Anxiety UK, as many as 1 in 6 young people will experience an anxiety problem at some point in their lives. If you think about Leeds alone, that is a huge number of young people and families affected. This is particularly pertinent at present, as it is exam season and thousands of young people are feeling the pressure to achieve their potential. You can find some useful tips on managing exam stress on the Anxiety UK website.

As well as offering assessment, support and intervention to service users, the Leeds CAMHS Training Unit offers highly valued training workshops to professionals working with young people with a variety of mental health issues, including anxiety. Research carried out into the impact of our workshops on practice shows benefits at personal, organisational and inter professional levels. To find out more about CAMHS and the services they offer for service users and professional, visit our website.

For more general information such as practical advice, resources and a parent helpline take a look at the Young Minds website.

 
 

Thursday 22 May 2014

In The Spotlight with John Walsh...

York Street Health Practice's John Walsh found himself in the spotlight in this month's Leaders for Leeds newsletter. Read what he has to say about his work, what inspires him and how he ended up working with York Street.

Who are you, what do you do and where?
I am John Walsh. I work at York Street Health Practice which is part of Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust. York Street is the medical team for people who are homeless and in the asylum system. I have a number of roles at York Street. I work as part of the mental health team, I manage in the team and do a lot of the partnership and teaching across the city.

What is most important to you as a leader?
I think the essence of good leadership is to see the best in people and work with them to bring it out.

What is most important to you as a leader?
I think the essence of good leadership is to see the best in people and work with them to bring it out.
What aspirations do you have?
I would like to see Leeds become the best city for health and wellbeing. I would like to play a part in ensuring the most vulnerable and in need people get the best services and care possible. I would also like to see Leaders for Leeds really take off. I am inspired by L4L and what it represents. Recently the work for L4L I have done with Judith Fox and Jane Stageman and their colleagues from the local authority has had a real promise and possibility of what we can help happen in the city.
What are you proud of and why?
I'm proud that people in Leeds care and try to make the difference for the better. I'm proud of the NHS which, despite all the mess and mess ups, represents a social aspiration to care and heal.
Who has inspired you/ has been or is your role model?    
Not an easy question to answer. There have been many people who have inspired me and I keep on meeting more of them in Leeds. People like Rob Webster and Andrea North from Leeds Community Healthcare instantly come to mind. Councillors like John Hardy who work to assist the homeless and plan food networks for the city. If I had to pick three people I would name the following: Catherine Hall the Head of Service at York Street. Catherine is a wonderful human being and an amazing leader - who knows, maybe there the same thing. Catherine has played a key role in my own development. She has that rare gift balancing leadership from the heart and a real clarity of intellectual judgement. A great joy to work with and learn from. Then there's Yvonne Coghill the national lead for inclusion in the NHS. Words are a poor medium to describe Yvonne. I have never had any contact with Yvonne and not been lifted up in inspiration, vision and hope. She's a tremendous force for good inside health and far beyond. Yvonne ignites good wherever she goes. She also has played such a major part in the discovery and activation of my own gifts. The last is Lisa Mulherin. Lisa is a Leeds councillor and the chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board. Lisa has done incredible work to promote a dynamic Health and Wellbeing vision for Leeds - a vision we enthusiastically embrace. She is also a great voice for the most vulnerable of the people of Leeds. Lisa's calm manner, compassion, energy and sensitivity always inspire me. My apologies to those I haven't mentioned.
What has been one of your biggest learning?
I think the big learning for me is that we all have amazing gifts. The strange and sad thing is that we don't always realise this. Effectively we can be asleep. The possibility and need for us to awaken and grow in these gifts is one lesson I have hopefully learnt.
If you had one magic wish, what would it be?
A controversial one. I wish leaders wouldn't and couldn't use the talk unless they were walking the walk. When we use the words but do the opposite it discredits leadership and breeds cynicism. The words should flow from the walk not be a replacement for it.
What advice would you give to an 18 year old you, today?
To see, own and release your gifts. To see what your dreams, positive passions and hopes are and to follow them - therein lies your future!
What do you love about Leeds?
The variety, innovation, options and people.
A little known fact about you...
Every year we do a week long teaching at a local six form college about homelessness. The students always ask how I got into this work. The story is that many years ago I had just finished some postgraduate work at Leeds University and was working in sales (some colleagues would say I still am!). Anyway, a friend rang me and asked if I would like to be interviewed for a nine month secondment place at a hostel in Leeds. I went to the interview and was offered the job. I walked out feeling fine. A minute later the anxiety hit me. 'I can't do this, I can't work with people with mental health problems and alcohol issues. This is crazy'. The anxiety continued and I decided that when the manager rang to offer shifts I would politely decline. A week later the phone rang and it was the manager. He asked me to come in for a shift the next day. I said I would and put the phone down. Given my personality and the way I am wired I felt I had to honour this obligation. So off I set the next day. I can still remember being on the bus - it felt like I was going to prison. Anyway I got there and found after awhile I could do it. After this secondment finished a job at York Street came up and I applied and arrived at York Street. The lesson we share with the students is that sometimes we have to walk through doors when they open. Of course we shouldn't take dangerous risks but neither should we let fear dictate our life and decisions.
Final words...
A big thank you to Vera Woodhead for this interview and pulling together this newsletter. Leadership in action!
To read the full Leaders for Leeds newsletter with updates on what's going on across the city click here.

Monday 19 May 2014

Shop to get fitter at Kirkgate Market...

As the weather starts to warm up and salad season approaches, eating more healthily seems like such a good idea but many of us just don't know where to start. Our 'shop to get fitter' tour is a free, one hour trip around Kirkgate Market led by Community Dietitian, Rachel Vine, who offers tips and advice on small changes to your shopping habits that could have a big impact on your waistline. The tour is open to anyone who has heart disease or diabetes, has had a stroke or anyone who has a family history of any of these conditions.

Not sure if the tour is for you? Read how our guest blogger, Sue Carter, got on when she joined us for the day...

I found out about the change for life scheme through my doctor as I've had a bad back with Sciatica and a slipped disc causing a trapped nerve. I've had a number of treatments including injections, a discectomy and had a spinal cord stimulator which is being removed as it's not working. To cut a long story short, I've not been able to exercise and, due to depression, I've eaten a lot of unhealthy foods like cakes, sweets and chocolate that give me a quick sugar fix - as a result I have piled the weight on.  Recently, I've come to realise the importance of losing weight to prevent health concerns like type 2 diabetes and strokes and realise that carrying more weight is not good for my back.

I heard about the 'Shop to get fitter' tour in Kirkgate Market from a dietitian from  Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust. She contacted me to say that she would be doing a tour around the market to help people become more familiar with the produce and make healthier choices when shopping. She explained that the tour would be with other people and would last an hour; half an hour looking at food in the market, and then the other looking at food packaging and labels. We visited all the different stalls and shops on the market to see what produce is available. In the butcher's we learned that when meat it is bought per 1 lb it should feed four people (my portions have been massive so I definitely have to cut down, lol) we also learned that instead of making a meat pie, it is healthier to do a pie with a potato instead of crust and that grilling is better than frying, but as I can't bend with my back cutting the fat of the meat and dry frying would be ok as well. I am also going to get a slow cooker as my daughters and husband have different working hours so I can just prepare the food in a morning and leave it to slow cook so it will be ready at any time of the day.

In the grocery section we learned that many of the stalls sold packs of vegetables which needed eating that week for a £1.00. We saw some really unusual things; different types of cauliflower like Romanesco , and were given advice and tips on how to cook vegetables so they still have a bit of a crunch. Next, we went to the fish section where we were shown many types of fish, and we're told to chat to the fishmongers and they would skin or fillet fish and tell you how long they should be cooked for and that oily fish is good for us.

When we went back to the Ministry of food, for a sit down and a cup of tea, we looked at package labels on the back of pre-packaged foods. We looked at the traffic light codes (green = low, amber = medium  and red = high) to see how to identify high fat meals - if anything is hi-lighted more red than green you know that is a high fat meal.  We were given some mock portions of butter that represented 10g of fat each. We had to look on the back of the packets of different ready meals, see how many grams of fat were in each food, and lay the butter portions on top of the packaging; if something had 35g of fat, like a meat pie, it was three and a half packs...  and the cake was even more! Looking at the traffic light system we were able to start identifying the lower fat, healthier options, like a tomato based curry instead of a creamy one, so even when we're eating in a hurry, we're able to make better choices.

I had a great time at the tour; we all got packs to take away with lots of information and labelling guides but even better, we got information about cooking lessons at the Ministry of food where you can find out how to prepare and cook the food we learned about on the tour - I definitely think I will go there as well.

I'm going to try my best to lose weight; I know it won't be easy especially when you have two teenagers at home sat eating cookies lol! but understanding more about healthier eating should help me on my way.  It was also lovely meeting all the other people who are trying to eat more healthy and if anyone gets the chance to go on the 'shop to get fitter' tour I would highly recommend it.

If you're interested in finding out more about the tour click here or contact Community Dietitian Rachel Vine on 0113 295 2858.

Monday 12 May 2014

International Nurses Day - What our nurses mean to you.

International Nurses Day provides a great opportunity to take time to consider the difference nurses make to peoples’ lives each and every day. Here our Professional Lead for Nursing, Debbie Myers, reflects on the feedback our nursing staff receive from the people they care for.
A recent call to our nurses asking for examples of the difference they make in the community returned few replies. This may in part be due to lack of time, though I suspect it is also due to nurses not recognising what they do as anything other than ordinary and they are simply ‘doing their job’. However, after reviewing feedback from patients, their families, stakeholders and students they underestimate the impact they have as it is clear that the smallest things can make a massive difference.
 
Here are a few examples of the things we’ve been hearing:
The placement area was very good, my Mentor was amazing. Anyone who has her as a Mentor will be most fortunate. My memories of my four weeks there will always stay with me. She taught me a great deal, not only about nursing but about different experiences, how to handle them, myself etc. I left this placement feeling inspired and confident. (Student Nurse)
My mentor was a really good nurse who had great rapport with patients. She was experienced, a good teacher and explained things to me very clearly. She had a keen interest in wound care and I felt spending time working with her added to my knowledge in wound care. I loved working with her. (Student Nurse)

She was the most knowledgeable nurse I have ever worked with, as well as having a lovely way with patients. Truly inspirational! (Student Nurse)

The team were very welcoming, and inclusive of students, easy to approach and always provided time to answer questions. A very professional and friendly team that made me aim to emulate their practice. (Student Nurse)
To the District Nursing team - Big thank you to you all for the care, help and support you gave to the patient and her family over many years. Without this they would not have been able to stay in her own home until aged 91 years, and also able to leave us peacefully in her own home. (Relative / Carer)
For the Cardiac Team - The whole experience was thoroughly professional but done with humour and a passion for the patients well-being. I would recommend this to everyone who has been through my symptoms. (Patient) For the Night Service - She feels the District Nurse night service nurses are the "backbone" of the service. The nurses are very skilled at delivering high quality care and know how to ensure the care is delivered promptly. She thinks we are all wonderful. (Out of Hours GP)

To the District Nursing Team - I really don't think I can find sufficient words to express my heartfelt thanks of all your nursing care and concern in treating [patient] at home. Your daily visits were so appreciated as they were always to do with keeping him as comfortable as possible but at the same time intent on healing his dreadful sores. It was with all your help and compassion he managed to bear his illness with the utmost bravery. (Relative / Carer)
For the Safeguarding Children Team – I was very impressed with your demonstrable commitment to making things better for children and families. I was also impressed with your knowledge of the safeguarding agenda. (Other healthcare provider)

My mentor was a really good nurse who had great rapport with patients. She was experienced, a good teacher and explained things to me very clearly. She had a keen interest in wound care and I felt spending time working with her added to my knowledge in wound care. I loved working with her. (Student Nurse)
To the District Nursing - Seacroft I have nothing but thanks, respect, admiration and confidence in the care I receive. A service second to none. (Patient)

To the Gynaecology Service Excellent service. Nursing staff and doctor very understanding. Treated me with respect and dignity having a very personal procedure done. I felt like it was listened to about prior concerns. (Patient)
JCMT - South 2 – on behalf of our family we would like to thank you and your team for all your care, support and excellent service. I know we didn't use your service for very long but the service you offer is second to none. Please thank all your carers on our behalf.
He died peacefully with all his family around him. He said it had been been one of the best Christmas days in all his years! He loved to always have his family around him!
(Relative / Carer)
Little Woodhouse Hall - Inpatients – patient - Thank you for helping, supporting and motivating me through my recovery. This will be the last time you ever see me -I PROMISE! Nothing will stop me, especially not an eating disorder. It won’t ruin my life ever again. Thank you. (Patient)

She was the best Mentor I have had so far. Not only an inspiration as a person but as a Nurse. She was fully aware of my learning objectives and did all she could to aid me in reaching them. (Student Nurse)

 

International Nurses Day 2014 - thanks to all of our nurses for all that you do!



Today is International Nurses Day 2014 and to celebrate we've asked our Executive (Nurse) Director of Quality, Angie Clegg, to share her thoughts on the profession:

I started my nursing career 33 years ago, training at St James Hospital in Leeds. There is not a day goes by that I am not thankful that I chose a career with so much variety and so many opportunities to develop personally and professionally. Nursing is often called a vocation, for me it has been a way of life. The experiences I share with colleagues, patients and relatives stretch my every emotion, from laughter to tears, compassion to grief. Over the years I feel that I have flexed and honed my emotions and professionalism to become a more compassionate person.  It is a privilege to care for others and to be cared for.  Nurses make a difference to people’s lives every day, and it is important to take time to recognise that.

We are celebrating ‘International Nurses Day’ in Leeds with blogs, articles in our internal news bulletin and by encouraging staff to spend time together this week with tea and cakes. I am celebrating with my Director of Nursing colleagues with a meal out in Leeds this evening.

I would like to say thank you to all my fellow nurses for having the courage to care even when the circumstances are tough. 

Friday 2 May 2014

Leeds Health and Well-Being vision hits Europe - part 2

In part two of his guest blog John Walsh, Mental Health Support Worker for our York Street Health Practice, talks about his experiences delivering a workshop on an integrated Adult Health and Social Care approach whilst at a recent conference in Oslo.

On the second day of the conference Jo and I ran our own workshop of around 60 delegates which was entitled 'On the Ground - street work, skills, techniques and engagements with youth and adults'.

We started with a very interactive exercise where the delegates had to try to access services that weren't integrated, didn't communicate and weren't offering person centred approaches. After this we had a classroom wide discussion of how the exercise experience made the delegates feel. From there we went on to identify what could be different. This involved integration, communication, a relational approach, the creation of positive space, advocacy and good partnership working. The exercise worked really well and several delegates asked us for the details of how it worked so they could use it. Throughout the workshop we drew on and examined the differing experiences of youth, adults and people from ethnic communities and how to work collaboratively.

For me this conference highlighted many things but three things in particular stand out. The first is how well Social Care and Health can work together. The second is that across Europe we are all facing the same issues (although the degree and intensity may differ). It was wonderful to be able to listen, learn and offer a contribution to the debate of how we proceed. The third is that Leeds has a lot to offer to this European discussion. In sharing what we try to do in Leeds I felt very proud that as a city we have an amazing vision and so many services and agencies working on the ground to make it real. I also felt very humbled to be able to play a part in this vision and work every day.