Three teams ran a joint event at HMP Littlehey to help celebrate World
mental health day. The day gave prisoners and prison staff the opportunity to learn about the services available in the prison as well as practical advice on mental health wellbeing. Those who attended were encouraged to give suggestions on what groups and information they would like to have on offer in future.
Staff members from MHIRT (mental health in-reach), IAPT (improving access to psychological services) and Hunts MIND ran a series of workshops, quizzes and relaxation sessions for the 60 prisoners that attended. There was also the opportunity to talk about and share personal experiences.
Girls at Phoenix shine at writing awards
Three girls at the Phoenix Centre were presented with literary awards by
the poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy. The Lighthouse Writing Challenge was set up to celebrate author Virginia Woolf's influence on both readers and writers. Young people in Cambridgeshire aged 14 to 18 were asked to submit 500 words about a place they like to go when they need time to reflect - inspired by Woolf's 'A room of ones own." Three of the five winners were Amy O'Hanlon, Isobel Zeitlyn and Tilly Webb from the Phoenix Centre. The winners were presented with awards at the Cambridge Central Library. Ms Duffy told the winners; "When I read the winning entries I was amazed by how mature and emotionally literate and truthful they were. I was very impressed."
Phoenix Centre receives generous donation
Two parents along with 6 of their friends completed the gruelling London to Cambridge bike ride in order to raise money for the Phoenix Centre. The team of 8, ranging from novices to experienced cyclists, completed the 60 miles challenge in an average of 5 hours. Through their connections with the Cambridge and Coleridge Athletics club and with the help of friends and family they managed to raise a total of £3850.
The mother said; “This fundraising project started as a discussion on the start-line to a local 5K race in the spring. Our daughter was being cared for in the Phoenix centre at the time. The natural reaction of friends is to want to help in some way and raising money for the unit seemed a positive and practical response. We are so grateful to all the staff at the Phoenix centre for the care and support that our daughter and we received during her treatment. The money we have been able to raise through the generous donations of our friends and families is a token of our appreciation. Alan Baldock deserves a special mention as the momentum behind the project.”
The Phoenix Centre team were presented with the cheque at a celebration attended by all the staff and people on the ward. The money will be used for new resources and outings.
Dr Tony Jaffa, consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist, said; “It is fantastic to have people think of us and support our work. We are extremely grateful and touched – these matters mean a lot.”
New films on recovery feature on CPFT website
Recovery stories are a really powerful way of sharing experience, inspiring others and helping us to improve. A new series of films have been made to promote positive messages of recovery by giving people the opportunity to tell their personal stories on film. These films are going to be used to help support the trusts work to promote recovery as well as for staff training to improve how people with mental health problems are treated in daily life, and in their health care. See here for the films and if you are keen to share your recovery story then please do not hesitate in contacting Diana Jakubowska
New Directions Service
The New Directions Service is a new initiative in Cambridgeshire that looks to engage with men who are being violent and abusive to their partners, helping them to recognise their abusive behaviour and giving them the support needed to change it.
As part of the New Directions service a confidential helpline has been set up for men who recognise their problem and want to seek help. Once they have called the helpline, they will be invited to attend an educational programme run by trained professionals experienced in working with abusive men.
What the service is offering is not an overnight solution but an opportunity to make gradual changes that will ultimately reduce domestic violence and keep more women and children safe. The men themselves need to be motivated to change to get the best out of this service.
New Directions is now taking referrals and we welcome calls from those affected by domestic abuse and from professionals who may be supporting families where abuse is occurring and would like to know more about the service.
For more information on New Directions Service please visit www.newdirectionsservice.org.uk or for a confidential chat call the helpline on 01223 366745.
Don’t let stress bowl you over…
Come and meet local teams and discuss how to keep happy and healthy!
On World Mental Health Day – Monday 10 October 2011 – the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies team from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) invite you along to their entertaining and informative event in the Serpentine Green shopping centre in Hampton. In conjunction with their colleagues from Mind, Richmond Fellowship, Vivacity, NHS Peterborough and the Good Lifestyle Company, they will be there from 9am – 5pm raising awareness of the negative effects of stress on physical and mental health. Visitors can look forward to giveaways, free massage, an informal chat and professional guidance on limiting the impact of daily stresses.
Psychologist Kerry Smith, who is leading the day’s events said; “Our stand will highlight the small choices we have every day that can make a big difference to how we feel. Depression and anxiety are the most common stress-related, mental health complaints seen by GPs, affecting 20% of the population. The theme for this years’ World Mental Health Day is; “Investing in Mental Health.” We’re getting quite good at hearing messages about our physical health, now it’s time to think about our mental health”.
Jenny Raine, Chief Executive of CPFT said; “All year round we work hard to encourage understanding and tolerance of mental illness. We know that about one in four of us at any time will have a mental health problem so it’s much closer than we think. But today is special, the one day in the year when we pay special attention, and I wish Kerry and her team a fun and exciting day; please visit them if you can. Invest a little of your time to find out more.”
New post links research with mental health services
A new post has been created to develop links between Cambridge University and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT).
Dr Emilio Fernandez has been appointed as Associate Clinical Director at the Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute (BCNI).
Dr Fernandez said: “I am looking forward to developing my research into the links between schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders with ageing. It is a really fascinating area of study and being able to feed the research produced at the BCNI into the services provided by CPFT is invaluable. The role will help to bring the research excellence of the University into closer partnership with the clinical services of CPFT. This will give local people access to high-quality specialist services.”
Dr Fernandez will continue to work 20% of his time as a consultant for CPFT, and the rest will be taken up improving the links between clinicians at the CPFT and basic researchers at the University, as well as developing his own area of interest and researching the links of schizophrenia and aging for the BCNI. He will be working together with Professor Ed Bullmore, the Clinical Director for the BCNI who is also employed by CPFT.
The Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute (BCNI) funded by the Medical Research Council and Wellcome Trust since 2002, links clinical research to basic work on the brain. The main objectives are to identify the areas of the brain that provide the behavioural functions that are responsible for the different symptoms of mental health illnesses. This will help to improve diagnosis and inform new ways of treating people.
The Institute is under the directorship of Professor Trevor Robbins, who is head of the Department of Experimental Psychology.
New project helps to combat stigma and discrimination
The Think Right! Project, which commenced in May 2011, is funded by Comic Relief for 3 years. The overall aim of the project is to provide a range of mental health promotion and campaigning activities across Huntingdonshire to combat the stigma and discrimination related to mental health challenges.
The project will provide a range of initiatives such as delivery of mental health awareness and stress awareness sessions to enable people to recognise and have an understanding of symptoms and where to go for support. The project will also be developing local campaigns to promote mental well being by linking in with national campaigns e.g. Depression Awareness Week, Mind Week, World Mental Health Day and National Stress Awareness Day.
The project is developing Top tips for mental well being which include: managing stress, relaxation, sleep, improving self esteem, improving confidence, and managing low mood. These will be made available to a wide range of organisations and community groups.
The project is keen to involve people with personal experience of mental health challenges to be involved in the delivery of talks / training or helping to plan campaigns. If you would like to find out more about the project or are interested in volunteering for the project, please contact Jenny Swain, Mental Health Promotion Co-ordinator for further information – jenny.swain@huntsmind.org.uk or 01480 470480.
The Friends of Fulbourn Hospital & the community look to the future
On 9th November at 6.30pm in Fulbourn Hospital, Resource Centre, a series of training events, led by John Nicholson, CPFT Senior Chaplain, will begin to cover what might be done to help people with a mental health problem during a period of bereavement, following the loss of one or more of their significant carers. He will be assisted by Ingrid Baldwin, CPFT Carers’ Representative and Sue Ginsberg BACP, who is a qualified Cruse counsellor. The Friends intention in launching this training is that in the early summer of 2012 those who have attended these events will be available as a new resource to support CPFT service users with any bereavement problems that they might have.
Dr Caroline Lea-Cox, the Executive Board Member of Cambridgeshire Association to Commission Health (CATCH), who leads on Mental Health, will give a talk on the future of commissioning of mental health services at the AGM of the Friends on 16th November at 6.30 for 7.00 p.m. at St James Church, Wulfstan Way, Cambridge. For further information about either event please contact d.a.livesey@ntlworld.com.
New arts project
Little St Mary's church in Trumpington Street are offering arts activities for service users, in their new community centre opened by the Bishop of Ely last June. Currently there is an open informal drop-in session running on Mondays between 11.30 and 12.30pm and a play-reading group at the same time on Wednesdays.
Together with Arts and Minds a new Wednesday project is being set up offering creative writing, poetry, story-telling and play-reading one week and dance, exercise and singing the next, alternating. For more information on these projects please visit www.artsandminds.org.uk