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Carols at the Cavell Centre
The Cavell Centre in Peterborough will be welcoming in the frosty season with a Carol concert on the 7th December. Sacred Heart primary school and the retired member’s band from the Salvation Army will be performing a number of Christmas Carols to help kick start the Christmas celebrations. The concert will start at 2pm in the Cavell Centre, and will conclude at 3pm with mince pies. Everyone is welcome.
The Cavell Centre, a specialist mental health unit run by Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) often hosts arts events including concerts and exhibitions. The Cavell Gallery is open every day from 10 – 12 and 2- 4, and visitors are always welcome to view the latest exhibition. Currently, local artist’s work is being showcased in the Winter Exhibition. Mosaics, photography and jewellery are just some of the art forms on show. The Cavell Centre is a unique place that brings mental health and the arts together.
The Cavell Centre is based in Bretton, Peterborough, at the Edith Cavell Healthcare Campus and is about two miles west of the city centre, just off junction 16 on the A47.
Address:
The Cavell Centre
Edith Cavell Healthcare Campus
Bretton Gate
Peterborough
PE3 9GZ
MP opens new mobile arts studio
MP Julian Huppert braved the frosty weather to unveil a new mobile arts studio at the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) on Friday. Although launching in Cambridge, the studio is designed to take art workshops out to rurally isolated areas. The project, run by the charity Arts and Minds, aims to encourage people with mental health and social care problems to get involved with the creative arts.
Local artists will be involved in helping to run CPFT funded workshops such as ‘Arts on Prescription’ for people who are experiencing depression and anxiety, as well as offering training for artists and carers working with people with mental health problems. The van also displays advocacy and anti-stigma work to raise awareness and help combat the stigma often associated with mental health.
Cambridge MP Julian Huppert said: “I welcome this new initiative. This studio will bring opportunities for people of all ages. This is an excellent idea which will not only bring new opportunities and help to combat isolation but will also tackle the stigma of mental illness.”
Jenny Raine, Acting Chief Executive for CPFT added: “This project will make a real difference to people who live in rural areas where they have limited access to opportunities. One in four people will suffer from a mental health problem at some point during their lifetime, and this project will help to advocate the normality of mental health through the arts.”
Arts and Minds Executive Director Gavin Clayton said: “This is a wonderful way of taking art to the people and reaching out to rurally based individuals with mental health issues who would not otherwise receive the specialised cultural opportunities we offer.”
Leading national expert on dementia visits Cambridge
The NHS National Clinical Director for Dementia came to discuss mental health issues in older people with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT). Professor Alistair Burns spoke at a conference for trainee psychiatrists before visiting several care homes and older people’s therapy services.
Professor Alistair Burns said: “I was extremely impressed by all the CPFT services that I saw. The enthusiasm of staff and the commitment to the care of people with dementia is second to none. The degree of integration and in particular the links to care homes and primary care was most impressive. Robust plans to take forward the agenda of the care for people with dementia are clearly in place”.
Professors Burns’ visit was timely as members of CPFT alongside the Peterborough Palliative Care in Dementia Group recently won the “NHS Team of the Year” award at the International Dementia Excellence Awards 2010. The team specialises in developing practical methods to improve the end of life care for people with dementia and has taken on an educational and training role.
After the conference presentation, Professor Burns visited staff and residents at 3 care homes in Cambridge; The Manor, Woodlands and Browns Field. He then joined CPFT and practice staff at Dr Arnold Fertig’s surgery in Cambridge for further talks about the care of older people. Finally he visited a range of older people’s services based at Fulbourn.
Dr Tom Dening, Medical Director for CPFT said “we are delighted that Professor Burns was able to support the conference and wanted to take the opportunity to visit our service and meet some of our partners in promoting care for people with dementia.”
Professor Burns’ research and clinical interests are in older people’s mental health, particularly dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. He has published nearly 300 papers and 25 books, and is the editor of the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
CPFT provides mental health and specialist learning disability services across 75 sites in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, including a specialist older people’s mental health division that offer a wide range of services from in-patient to a specialist community dementia services.
Champion for Older People’s mental health shortlisted for award
A clinician from Cambridgeshire was shortlisted for an award from the Royal College of Psychiatry, for his work on improving older people’s mental health.
Dr Badraklimuthu, who is based in Ely, was one of four people to be shortlisted for the Advanced Trainee of the Year award. He was nominated by fellow Ely doctor, Dr Janya Freer. The awards ceremony was held at the Royal Society of Medicine on Tuesday 16th November.
Specialising in substance misuse in old age, hepatitis C and mental illness, Dr Badraklimuthu received distinctions in his Masters in Neuroscience. He recently took on the role of clinical leadership fellow, whilst continuing his work as a speciality registrar with the old age liaison psychiatry services for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT).
Professor Dinesh Bhugra (President of the Royal College of Psychiatry) recently visited CPFT where he gave an inspiring presentation to 50 trainee psychiatrists. Of the awards he said; “through the Royal College of Psychiatry Awards, we bring national recognition to those individuals and services who are delivering the highest quality care for service users and carers, and who are advancing our understanding of mental illness through research and public education.”
When Dr Badraklimuthu is not researching new ways of helping older people with mental health problems, he is a keen theatre goer, and even did an acting course at the Royal Norfolk Theatre.
Cambridge celebrates age
A group of enthusiastic staff from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) spent a day inviting people to find out more about older people’s mental health recently.
Dee Wall, Emily Alexander and Hannah Warne spent the day in the Concourse, at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, where, along with help from the Alzheimer’s Society, they had an information stand on ‘living well with dementia’.
Dee Wall, a team leader from CPFT, said: “People who came to our stand were really interested. We met carers of people with dementia and nursing staff. We were really pleased to get so much interest and we were glad to be able to offer help and support to people who really need it.”
Cambridge Celebrates Age is a partnership group and provides a varied programme of activities. The group promotes active living by helping to reduce social isolation and challenging age discrimination.
Local organisations attend safeguarding seminar
A seminar that aimed to make sure local people with mental health problems and/or learning disabilities are supported within the Criminal Justice System, was held on Monday.
Service users, carers and staff from different agencies across Cambridgeshire met to talk about the relationship between mental health and the law. The seminar, held at the Kingsgate conference centre in Peterborough, on 22nd November, was co-hosted by the Peterborough Adult Safeguarding Board and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT).
During the seminar, attendees looked at case studies such as Fiona Pilkington and her disabled daughter, who were found dead in a burned-out car after suffering years of abuse from teenage bullies. The seminar also looked at ways to improve responses to and support for service users and their families - for example, by raising staff and public awareness and by challenging discrimination.
Karen Wadham, assistant director of operations for Peterborough Community Services, said that “most abuse happens in the community, which is why it is important to form close relationships with other organisations in the community”.
Deborah Hunt, who works for CPFT as a clinical and forensic clinical consult, highlighted the importance of engagement. “If people don't use our services, it's very difficult to engage with them," she said. "We need to be more active in our approach to make sure people are aware of the services we're offering and how we can help them.”
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Cavell Centre hosts local art
The Cavell Centre in Peterborough is welcoming in the frosty season with a winter art exhibition.
Artwork by local and regional artists, including paintings, photography and mosaics, will be on display for members of the public to view. The exhibition will run from 3-19 December with a special preview evening on 2 December between 5pm and 7pm for anyone wishing to attend.
For a limited period they will also be hosting the “Spirited Collection” on loan from Westhill Endowment Birmingham. This is a bright and vibrant collection of artwork by children depicting their thoughts on the Spirit. The pictures, created by children from a range of ages and cultural settings, are the winning entries from a national competition ran by Westhill. The aim for the competition was to allow children to explore the meaning of ‘Spirit’ through art in Primary and Secondary RE.
The Cavell Centre, a specialist mental health unit run by Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, is unique in having an art gallery available to the public. The gallery is often used to help promote local artists work whilst encouraging the inpatients to get involved in art.
Top marks for our wards
CPFT has received top marks for two of its learning disability wards from the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ quality assessment process.
Accreditation for Inpatient Mental Health Services (AIMS) help wards demonstrate compliance with the Healthcare Commission’s ‘Standards for Better Health’ and support the implementation of NICE guidelines and the National Service Framework. The two CPFT wards that have been accredited are the IASS (Intensive Assessment and Support Service) ward in Cambridge, and Hollies Ward, an in-patient facility for people with a learning disability, at The Cavell Centre in Peterborough.
Inpatient mental health services can be challenging environments for staff and patients alike and AIMS is an initiative from the Royal College of Psychiatrists' Centre for Quality Improvement that identifies and acknowledges services which have high standards of organisation and patient care.
The standards have been subject to extensive consultation with all professional groups involved in the provision of acute in-patient mental health services and they have also been tested by several mental health trusts.
The standards cover aspects such as general standards, timely and purposeful admission, safety, environment and facilities and therapies and activities.
Jenny Raine, CPFT Acting Chief Executive, said: “This is fantastic news for both the people who use our wards and the staff who work there. I know how hard the teams have worked to achieve these very high standards of quality and we congratulate them. We are especially proud to be the first trust in the east of England to receive this accreditation for the high standards of our wards.”
Trust celebrates end of Black History Month
It was with Chinese moon cake and Punjabi Ludi dancing that Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) marked the end of a busy Black History Month.
Staff from CPFT turned up to talk about their different cultures and backgrounds. The event kicked off with introductions from Pat Mungroo, Chair of the Black and Minority Ethnic network (BME), and Anne Campbell, CPFT Chair, closely followed by a feast of dishes from around the world.
Anne Campbell said: “It’s a great way of raising BME’s profile and helping to create a greater understanding of the huge contribution that people from different backgrounds can make. That, in turn, greatly improves the experience of people who use our services.”
Black History Month is celebrated nationwide every October. The aim is to promote knowledge of the black history, culture and heritage, focusing on the positive black contributions made to British society.
Pat Mungroo highlighted the importance for “service users to see they are being looked after by people as diverse as they are".
The event also saw a painting exhibition by the contemporary artist Tony Nero featuring portraits of many famous black people throughout history. The event concluded with music from the Caribbean and everyone discussing ideas for next year’s event.
CPFT triumphs at regional Health and Social Care Awards
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust has been recognised at the annual East of England Health and Social Care Awards for its innovative Peer Worker Programme. CPFT has trained more than 50 people - 49 people have graduated and 41 peer workers are now employed in key roles in a wide range of services throughout the trust. CPFT plans to train and recruit the next cohort of peer workers in the spring of 2011 in both Cambridge and Peterborough.
CPFT fought off tough competition to scoop a finalist award in the mental health and wellbeing category. The judges said of the Peer Worker Scheme: “We were very impressed by this highly innovative peer support project within mental health and the real benefits to patients it is already starting to produce.”
CPFT was presented with its award during the presentation ceremony held at The Wellcome Trust in Hinxton, near Cambridge. Jenny Raine, Acting Chief Executive, said: “Sharon Gilfoyle and Jane Joel have done a superb job in developing this innovative programme that trains people with lived experience of mental health problems to support people currently receiving treatment. It is ground-breaking work and we are leading the UK in implementing this rigorous and hugely impactful service which changes people’s lives forever”.
Organised by NHS East of England, the regional Health and Social Care Awards showcase the very best practices and initiatives in health and social care and reward individuals and teams for their outstanding work. This year from more than 300 submissions, 144 were shortlisted and 22 projects were selected as finalists in eight categories.