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Bishop of Peterborough officiates service at Cavell Centre

The Bishop of Peterborough, The Right Reverend Donald Allister, officiated a Licensing Service this week that will help support spiritual care work at the city's mental health unit.

At the service on Monday (18 April), the Bishop gave his authority for Mary Hanna to work as a chaplain at The Cavell Centre, which is run by Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT). The licensing service took place in the Sanctuary at the Cavell centre and was attended by Trust and chaplaincy colleagues, and patients.  Bishop Donald took the opportunity to visit wards and meet staff and patients in the Cavell centre accompanied by Trust Chair Ann Campbell and Jenny Raine Chief Executive.

The Bishop said: “I very much enjoyed my visit to the Cavell Centre.  I was deeply impressed by the commitment to valuing people as individuals who should be loved and cared for.  The chaplaincy team makes good use of volunteers as well as paid staff and this allows much more time to be spent with patients which is wonderful.”

Of her licensing Mary Hanna said: “I want to thank everyone for coming along today. It means a great deal to me. I'm privileged to take on the role of lay chaplain and hope I can bring the skills I acquired whilst working for the Trust to my new role. I hope I can serve the Trust well."

Mary is a member of CPFT’s chaplaincy team, which is a recovery-focused service offering spiritual, religious and pastoral support and care to people of all faiths, as well as people who do not have particular beliefs. The chaplaincy team is also supported by community faith leaders and volunteers who help to provide spiritual care to staff, service users and local organisations. Mary started working for the chaplaincy service in 2010 after a 33year career working in social care and health settings. She is currently completing a degree in Health Care Chaplaincy which will provide her with a solid foundation for her new role.

Mary Hanna said, “I have felt privileged throughout my working life in being able to support people at the most difficult times of their lives. As a chaplain I still have that sense of privilege working with people who are coping with loss and distress arising from illness and their circumstances.”

‘The Maple Singers,’ a new singing ensemble made up of volunteers, gave their debut performance as part of the event. The group, organised by member of the chaplaincy team Rowena Bass, sing on the various wards at The Cavell Centre as part of music therapy.
 
The Cavell Centre is a 104-bed mental health unit and includes adult acute psychiatric wards, a Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit, older people’s mental health unit and a specialist service for people with learning disabilities. The centre is situated in the grounds of the Edith Cavell Healthcare Campus.

To make a referral or to find out more information about the chaplain service can offer, please contact:
Mary Hanna (Peterborough,  Huntingdon and Fenland )
01733 776080
07887655713

Fundraising event at Adrian House

On the 31st March, staff and service-users at Adrian House held a fun fundraising event in aid of Jimmy’s night shelter. They worked together to make Mother’s day cards, homemade sweets, decorated plant pots, gift boxes and cakes to sell at the event. There was also a ‘how many sweets in the jar?’ competition and the silent auction of a cake.

Jimmy's Night Shelter is a Cambridge-based charity that provides emergency accommodation for those who would otherwise be homeless. Service-users chose to support Jimmy’s Night Shelter, as many had had personal contact with their service, and were keen to give something back. The proceeds came to £211 and will go towards helping to support the charity and the 400 people who use the services each year in Cambridge.

For more information on Jimmy's Night Shelter visit: www.jimmyscambridge.org.uk

Fenland mental health worker awarded at Buckingham Palace

A Fenland health worker has received an award for her revolutionary work rehabilitating offenders with mental health problems during a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
Jacqui Saradjian received a Butler Trust Award, as well as the prize for outstanding achievement, from the Princess Royal, Princess Anne.

The prestigious awards are highly regarded by people working in correctional settings nationwide.

Jacqui is the Head of the Fens Unit run by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) at HMP Whitemoor. She helps to support men with dangerous and severe personality disorders within the high-secure prison setting. Her commitment to helping a group of offenders normally considered untreatable combined with her skill and creativity as a clinician and leader, have put the unit and her pioneering approach at the forefront of this work.

Jacqui said: "I feel delighted and very honoured to receive this award, but I couldn’t have done this work alone. I appreciate the hard work that everyone on the unit - clinical, operational and admin - puts in on a daily basis to ensure that the service delivers such a high standard of assessment and treatment to a group of men previously considered "incurable".”

Jenny Raine, CPFT Chief Executive said; “We are very proud and fortunate to have talented people like Jacqui working with us. We are delighted her hard work was honoured at the Butler Trust Awards.”

The Butler Trust Awards recognise and celebrate outstanding practice by people working in prisons, youth justice, probation and criminal justice social work, throughout the UK. It receives more than 300 nominations each year.

Learning Day for Family and Friends of persons with Personality Disorder - 25 June 2011

Does someone close to you suffer from Personality Disorder? Would you like to find out more about understanding and supporting your loved one? Join us for a learning day to hear from the experts and to meet and share experiences with others who care for loved ones suffering from Personality Disorder.

The morning session includes contributions from:

• Dr Chess Denman (Consultant Psychiatrist). What is PD? What are its causes?
• Dr Alistair Collen (Consultant Clinical Psychologist). How to deal with difficult behaviours. Supporting coping strategies
• Karen Miller (Complex Cases Service - Team Manager). Care Pathways in the local health system.

In the afternoon session members of the Family and Friends Group will describe their experiences and there will be an opportunity for you to ask your questions and share your experiences. There is no charge and refreshments will be provided.

For more details, phone 0871 218 3060 (leave a message) or e-mail cambs@bpdcarer.org.uk or visit our website www.bpdcarer.org.uk

Distinguished clinician and researcher to lead mental health research

Professor Ed Bullmore has been appointed as the new Head of Research and Development for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT).

Prof Bullmore is a world-class expert in brain-mapping, and an academic psychiatrist who is dedicated to bringing better drugs faster to patients using his connections within the public and private sectors. Passionate about understanding how the human brain is organised, Prof Bullmore’s work focuses on complex brain networks identified in MRI and brain scanning. He is already an honorary Consultant Psychiatrist and co-director of CAMEO, a CPFT service for people who are, or may be, experiencing symptoms of psychosis for the first time. He has also published about 280 scientific papers.
Of his appointment Prof Bullmore said: “I am delighted to be taking on the role of Head of Research and Development at CPFT. I believe we have great opportunities to use modern scientific techniques to deliver better understanding of the causes of mental health disorders, and to find new and more effective ways of treating them. In this role, I will be trying to bring the research excellence of the university into closer partnership with the clinical services of the NHS, so that patients with mental health disorders can get access to high-quality specialist services and the chance to participate in research that will lead to even better treatments in the future.”

Prof Bullmore will also be responsible for research governance in CPFT, and ensuring that the research is conducted to the highest ethical and clinical standards. One of his main hopes is to establish centres of excellence in Cambridgeshire, where patients can receive specialist advice and treatment. Patients will also have the opportunity to be involved in the research, helping them to understand their condition better. He hopes to make research an integrated aspect of how clinical services are delivered.

Dr Chris O’Loughlin has also recently been appointed Head of Medical Education, bringing together all aspects of training junior and more senior mental health doctors across Cambridgeshire.

Dr O’Loughlin said of his new post; “Psychiatry is a fascinating and exciting specialty where a doctor’s knowledge and skills cover things as small as genes and brain chemistry right up to how people function in society.  I’m delighted to help ensure Cambridge continues its tradition of training excellent doctors in this area who can really make a positive difference in supporting our service users’ recovery.”

Squash Stigma campaign launches with a bang and a squeak!

Cambridge students attempted to create a world record for the loudest noise produced by balloons being let off in the air to help launch an anti-stigma in mental health campaign.

The Squash Stigma campaign run by CPFT was launched at Hills Road Sixth Form College on 6 April. The noise level from the balloons being let off was measured by students from the physics department. The launch also gave students the chance to talk to experts about different mental health problems such as depression, eating disorders and stress. The launch countdown was done by CPFT Chair Anne Campbell.

Andréa Grosbois, project manager for the campaign at CPFT, said: “The event was a real success. It was great to see so many young people interested and talking about mental health. Mental health problems affect one in four people at some point in their lifetime, and through this campaign we hope to help normalise mental health and get young people talking openly about stigma.”

College Principal Linda Sinclair added: “This is a very important campaign that the college is happy to promote. The more we can do to increase understanding of mental health problems the more likely it will be that people will have the confidence to discuss mental health issues openly and receive the support they need.”

The Squash Stigma campaign targets young people and has run a number of competitions in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. The aim for the campaign is to offer young people the opportunity to get involved creatively in helping to Squash Stigma.

For more information on the campaign please visit our page here

You can also pledge your support to help end stigma by joining us on facebook: www.facebook.com/squashstigma

Shame No More - Lifecraft campaign

Does your mental health diagnosis make you feel ashamed, less worthy and less entitled than others?

Shame no More is a new campaign led by Lifecraft to put a stop to mental health self-stigma and discrimination. If you have lived experience of self-stigma and discrimination - ie, you have felt ashamed because of your mental health diagnosis and have discredited yourself as a result, Lifecraft would like to consult with you to help identify the key issues that need to be addressed.

Self-stigma causes us unnecessary suffering and hampers our recovery, let’s work together to put an end to it.

If you would like to get involved please attend one of the following meetings where Lifecraft will be providing a delicious buffet meal. You will also receive a cash gift of £10 in appreciation for your time. Privacy and confidentiality will be respected throughout.

Evening meeting: Wednesday 11 May, 5.30pm-7pm at Lifecraft, The Bath House, Gwydir Street, Cambridge, CB1 2LW.

Daytime meeting: Thursday 12 May, 12noon to 1.30pm at Lifecraft, The Bath House, Gwydir Street, Cambridge, CB1 2LW

Places are limited. If you would like to attend please contact amanda@lifecraft.org.uk or sharon@lifecraft.org.uk as soon as possible. Telephone 01223 566957 or visit www.lifecraft.org.uk

Volunteers in new carer project complete their training

The Dementia Carers’ Support Service Project, which aims to link former carers with current carers of people with dementia, has now completed its first recruitment phase.

The Dementia Carers’ Support volunteers will be able to use their knowledge and experience to offer regular and consistent support as a friend or buddy for at least one hour per week and to support the carer and person living with dementia throughout the lifetime of their illness.

The Dementia Carers’ Support volunteers have attended three certificated workshops facilitated by Rose Elliot who works for CAMTED-OP (Cambridgeshire Training and Education for Older People). CAMTED–OP is a specialist training team provided by the Older People’s Mental Health Division within CPFT. The team consists of trainers from a variety of clinical backgrounds including nursing, speech and language therapy, pharmacy, occupational therapy and clinical psychology.

The three workshops on dementia, carers' experience and supporting carers/families were developed by Rose to underpin the existing wealth of knowledge and experience already gained by the volunteers, who have previously been carers for a loved one living with dementia, and to celebrate their personal growth and development from carers to experienced and valued supporters of other carers.

The workshops are geared to be informal and relaxed and encompass theory, practical information for carers and a booklet on stress management and relaxation skills ranging from a quick STOP! Technique through to a full relaxation session. It is important that the volunteers enjoy their role and do not take on additional stresses in their work. 

The volunteers have arranged to stay in touch with each other and meet regularly as a group for peer support, organised between themselves, and they will also meet regularly with Fe Franklin who manages the project. This is an exciting time as the first cohort of volunteers are now ready to take on their role.

Fe is continuing to recruit volunteers to the project and Rose will be facilitating the workshops as required.

If you’re interested in taking part in the project, contact Fe Franklin on 01353 652090 or 07852 935928 or e-mail fe.franklin@cpft.nhs.uk

For information on the carers' workshop from CAMTED-OP, contact Rose Elliot on 01223 218541 or e-mail rose.elliot@cpft.nhs.uk