SLaMnews

Winter Edition 2012/13

News from South London and MaudsleyNHS Foundation Trust for staff and members

Interview with a young carer

Inside the Maudsley – new Ch4 documentary series

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SLaM staff take care to new heightsSLaM staff take care to new heights

Page 6: Interview with Gus Heafield

Page 16: SLaM’s NHS Heroes

Page 18: Shirena Watt on being a young carer

Page 30: Ensuring happiness at work

SLaMnewsWinter Edition

SLaM News is produced by:

Communications DepartmentSouth London and MaudsleyNHS Foundation TrustTrust HeadquartersMaudsley HospitalDenmark HillLondon SE5 8AZ

T. 020 3228 2830E. communications@slam.nhs.ukW. www.slam.nhs.uk

Switchboard: 020 3228 6000

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If you have a news story or idea for SLaMNews please call or email us.

Numbers in the newsletter are displayedusing the internal format.

If you’re calling from outside of the Trustplease add: (020) 322 + Extn.

South London and Maudsley NHSFoundation Trust is part of King’s HealthPartners Academic Health Sciences Centre(AHSC), a pioneering collaborationbetween King’s College London, Guy’s andSt Thomas’, King’s College Hospital andSouth London and Maudsley NHSFoundation Trusts. For more information,visit www.kingshealthpartners.org

Winter is proving to be an eventful time for the Trust and this edition of SLaM News is packed with many recent highlights.

We feature SLaM’s NHS Heroes who received recognition for going above and beyond their job remit to provide excellent care for service users and support for colleagues.

There have been a lot of changes in the Trust of late as we say goodbye to our Director of Nursing and Education Hilary McCallion and introduce our new Interim Finance Director Nick Dawe.

We bring you interviews with SLaM’s Acting Chief Executive Gus Heafield, Maudsley Learning’s Managing Director Genevieve Glover and young carer Shirena Watt.

We take a look at how coaching consultants SLaM Partners helps teams to develop beneficial skills and practices.

Staff may be interested to read about the happier@work project which aims to improve the wellbeing and happiness of all King’s Health Partners’ employees and Consent 4 Consent (C4C) a major research initiative conducted by the Biomedical Research Centre.

Welcome to the winter edition of SLaM News

Message from Madeliene Long, SLaM Chair News in brief 4/5

Only one in 10 people with schizophrenia are offered the psychological therapy they need, according to the Schizophrenia Commission. That’s a pretty shocking fact and it shows why the Commission called its report ‘The Abandoned Illness’.

There’s a glimmer of hope on the horizon now that the Government has put £1.2 million into a 12 month psychological therapy pilot for people with severe mental illness. SLaM is one of six pilot sites across the country and we were pleased to host the launch of the programme at the end of last year with the Minister responsible Norman Lamb.

The visit provided an opportunity for the Minister to talk directly with people who have benefitted from psychological therapy.

One of the striking personal stories he heard was from someone who said that she had lost a decade of her life as a result of psychosis and described how Cognitive Behaviour Therapy had helped her regain control.

The Minister described these testimonies as “immensely powerful”. Interestingly, he also spoke about the “institutional fragmentation of services” which has led to mental health becoming separated into its own compartment when we should really be thinking about the health of the whole person.

For me, this point echoes what we are trying to achieve through King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre. Bringing physical and mental health services much more closely together means we can begin to tackle another shocking statistic – the fact that people with serious mental illness live up to 18 years less than the national average.

Over the last year we have spent a lot of time discussing the idea of the organisations in King’s Health Partners coming together to create a new, single academic healthcare organisation. We are planning to develop a business case about this proposal over the next six months to explore this idea in more detail.

In the meantime, it is important to stay focused on what we are here to do – to provide the very best possible care and treatment to the people who use our services. And, as the Schizophrenia Commission put it, the committed individuals who went into the mental health profession to improve lives should be helped to do exactly that. The national psychological therapies pilot is at least a step in the right direction.

Best wishes, Madeliene

The Bloomfield Centre has been a base for CAMHS services for young people and their carers, for about 35 years. The Centre was built on the Guy’s Hospital campus in the 1970s, when Guy’s managed mental health services. Bloomfield was linked to the Hector Cameron Ward, the Newcomen Centre and the Bloomfield Dyslexia Centre, all of which formed the child and adolescent mental health service for north Southwark and beyond.

As the move to independent mental health trusts began, the Bloomfield Centre briefly became the mental health centre for Guys, then the temporary HQ for Lewisham and Guy’s Mental Health Trust. CAMHS mental health services continued at Guy’s Hospital with the Snowsfield Adolescent Inpatient Unit and the Academic Child Psychiatry Group, headed by Professor Tony Cox. Finally in 1999 the Bloomfield centre was absorbed into Southwark CAMHS as part of the creation of SLaM.

In the autumn of this year the staff left the Bloomfield Centre and relocated to the first floor of Mapother House at Maudsley Hospital. The move was necessitated by the planned Guy’s Cancer Centre which is due to be built on the site in the future.

Over the last few months we have been collecting stories and photos from people who have worked at the site over the past 35 years. In 1991 the service featured in an exhibition at the Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood, on the benefits of art therapy, something that the centre was particularly known for.

The first photo (below) is of the reception area at the Bloomfield Centre and the group photo is of Consultant Child Psychiatrist Dr Tom Moran discussing a picture with the multi-disciplinary team. Both pictures are from 1991.

The building image gives you an idea of the Bloomfield’s central location within the hospital site. Although a bland looking building, it stood in the shadow of the iconic 34-storey Guy’s Tower, the largest hospital tower in the world. Today this is dwarfed by the 95-storey Shard, currently the tallest building in Western Europe, which you can see at the top of this photo. It really forms a collective mix of architecture.

Those of you who know the centre, famous for its fish tank, will be pleased to know that the fish have been re-homed in the new centre!

Message from the Chair

SLaM through a lens: Bloomfield Centre, Guy’s Hospital

Reception 1991

Art Therapist 1991

Bloomfield Centre 2012

Being in charge of one of the largest and most successful mental health trusts in the country certainly comes with its challenges.

But Gus Heafield believes his 13 year stint as finance director has put him in good stead for dealing with the tasks ahead.

“In my previous role I got a lot of exposure and I have formed great relationships externally and internally,” Gus said. “This made the transition a lot easier. People already knew me so I was able to get straight on with the job. Everyone has been incredibly supportive and made me feel very welcome in my new post. It has been great so far.”

Gus – who is an Oxford chemistry graduate and a trained Chartered Accountant - joined the Bethlem and Maudsley NHS Trust in 1996 as Director of Finance and Information and was appointed as Director of Finance and Corporate Governance at SLaM in 1999.

He said the most important focus for him now is to combine the strategic outlook of the organisation with the overall operations and performance without losing identity internally.

“We have to work on maintaining parity in mental health and at the same time focus on operational performance, financial constraints and quality of care,” he said. “It is a real balancing act. The core part of our work at SLaM is the service users, staff and carers but is also about how we are strategically developing under King’s Health Partners (KHP).

“My aim in the new year is to meet more service users. It is really important to meet with people who receive care from us. Whenever I meet patients and staff it reminds me what

He has been a key figure at SLaM for more than a decade and has now taken on an even greater challenge. Gus Heafield talks to us about his transition from Finance Director to Interim Chief Executive, his vision for the future and why he is so proud to work for SLaM.

we do and why I am so proud to work here. Events like the recent NHS Heroes Awards is a prime example of staff who go above and beyond – these are real people in real situations.”

Gus believes our work within KHP has paved the way for a multitude of opportunities and developments.

“For example, we are working with our colleagues in physical healthcare in KHP,” Gus said. “We are able to use their knowledge and help improve the outcome for patients with mental health problems. We already have some clear successes in this area such as Alcohol Pathways.”

As well as the increasingly significant link between mental and physical health, Gus cites other key issues such as improving our interactions with carers and families to ensure we listen and take their views into account, “doing all we can to avoid admissions, where possible” by treating more people in more appropriate community settings and ensuring the principles of recovery based practice are at the heart of our provision of services. He also said the recent establishment of Croydon Triage is a major development for SLaM.

Along with every other health trust in the country, SLaM is working within financial constraints. Gus acknowledges that this is a major factor in delivering healthcare but wants to ensure that “we don’t lose sight of the overall perspective”.

“It is important that, even though we have to ensure we are maximising value for money, we do not lose the ability to develop, to create and to deliver,” he said. “We need to keep ensuring we focus on quality.

“Our goal is to give people the right support at the right time in the right place.”

So, has Gus noticed a difference in how mental health is perceived publicly in the past decade or so?

“There is greater understanding of illnesses like depression and anxiety but there is still a lot of stigma surrounding more severe psychiatric illnesses,” he said. “We are continually making progress and we tackle stigma though the work we do.

“Through KHP we have been finding champions outside the mental health field who are really effective at getting key messages out there, these are the real advocates in mental health. It is the time for mental health to be talked about. At SLaM we have the ability to talk speak more about mental health issues, we culturally encourage it and more people are recognising conditions and are able to relate to them.

“Teaching children at a young appropriate age and helping them to accept differences in people is a great way of building up understanding of potential mental health problems.”

Gus said he was looking forward to the future both professionally and personally. When he is not at work his most valued time is with his family. He has two young boys with his wife Nita, as well as well as two older children. He said: “Family is extremely important to me”. He is most looking forward to working with the “best academics and best clinical staff” in the future. He said: “I am most proud of our staff, carers and service users.

“They work so hard and constantly give us help in innovating and developing services. There is a constant drive to respond to individual’s mental health needs and I hope we never lose sight of that.”

“Teaching children at a young appropriate age and helping them to accept differences in people is a great way of building up understanding of potential mental health problems.”

Gus Heafield

Interview 6/7

SLaM staff, service users and supporters turned out in their hundreds for Comedy SLaM, a night of top comedy and a great fundraising opportunity for the Trust.

The event took place at the Southbank Centre and featured headline comedy acts including Jo Brand, Nina Conti, Imran Yusuf and Robin Ince.

More than £15,000 was raised for Maudsley Charity, which supports individuals and organisations to undertake work that benefits service users and staff or improves service provision at SLaM and in the communities it serves.

Kumar Jacob, Chair of Maudsley Charity, said: “Thank you to all the staff and supporters who attended Comedy SLaM. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. It was a fantastic evening of laughter and awareness raising of the integral role we all play in providing the best of mental healthcare services and research.

“I can’t thank everyone enough, from the comedians who gave their time so generously, to the many first time supporters of Maudsley Charity who enjoyed the evening. This is the beginning of something very special for Maudsley Charity and shows the added value we can bring to many, including through the fantastic services and research

that SLaM provides.”

The event was organised by the togetherwecan… fundraising team. Find out more about fundraising for Maudsley Charity at www.togetherwecan.org.uk/maudsley or follow @togwecan on Twitter. To contact the fundraising team email support@togetherwecan.org.uk or call 020 7848 4701.

BBC’s Inside Out programme featured the Bethlem’s Apple Harvest Day as part of a report about apple orchards in London.

The BBC sent a film crew to the Occupational Therapy walled garden at Bethlem on what turned out to be a dull and drizzly day. The rain didn’t dampen any spirits though with plenty of staff and service users turning up to taste the fresh apple juice and devour the cakes made using fresh fruit and vegetables harvested from the garden.

The highlight of the day was the inauguration of the apple press – built by the woodwork department.

The Koestler Trust has given six Art By Offenders awards to SLaM service users within the forensic service at Bridge House and River House.

This is the second year the forensic service has successfully won awards from the Koestler Trust, the UK’s best-known prison arts charity. Koestler’s national exhibition attracts 14,000 visitors and showcases the talent and potential of offenders and people in secure settings.

John Sapani, Occupational Therapist on Waddon Ward, said: “I think that it is very positive for the patients that their art works are being recognised. It might help them it terms of their future vocation. The feedback from the patients is that it builds their

self-esteem and self confidence.” MW, a service user on Waddon Ward, said: “Other people do many forms of work that are entered, which are used to express their feelings. Art is a way of sharing and showing how you feel about things.”

Comedy SLaM Top Tweets

Bethlem Apple Press

Forensic Service wins Koestler Awards 2012

News in brief 8/9

SLaM celebrated reaching 2,000 Twitter followers in the very early hours on 26 October – we now have one of the highest numbers of followers for any mental health trust in the UK.

The Trust marked this exciting milestone with a one hour Tweetchat with Dr Martin Baggaley, SLaM’s Medical Director. The Tweetchat focussed on depression, with Martin answering questions in real time about symptoms, medication and treatment options.

More people are engaging with and talking about mental health online, which is helping to de-stigmatise mental health conditions and raise much-needed awareness. Social media also provide an opportunity for people to connect with others in a similar situation, to get involved with support groups and to talk openly without having to divulge personal details.

SLaM’s second Tweetchat was held in December with Dr Bruce Clark, Clinical Director of CAMHS, who focussed on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children. Parents, carers and others interested in ADHD had a chance to ask Bruce questions that would have been difficult to get answers for from another source.

SLaM’s social media presence is also growing on Facebook with the Trust’s page receiving almost 500 likes to date.

An online presence, including Tweetchats and Facebook, helps the Trust to share news and information. It provides followers with direct access to ask questions, find out information quickly and explore our history, photographs, blogs and reports.

SLaM also gets involved with the work of other organisations to help champion mental wellbeing and challenge stigma. Through social media SLaM can stay connected with what is happening in south London and highlight events and resources that may interest our followers.

If you have news, an event or something you would like to promote via social media, email communications@slam.nhs.uk.

Follow SLaM

Twitter: www.twitter.com/maudsleynhs

Facebook: www.facebook.com/slamnhs

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/slamnhsft

Bethlem Royal Hospital Archives and Museum Blog: http://bethlemheritage.wordpress.com/

Aliens by Cedric

Below: If Only by MW

The apple press is used for the first time

News in brief 10/11

Celebrations took place all

around SLaM in October to

mark Black History Month.

Gerald, a service user at the

Lishman Unit, Maudsley Hospital,

wrote a poem thanking Ward

Housekeeper Yvette Mcconnell

for arranging a party to celebrate

Black History Month.

Gerald said: “I have written

many poems since on the unit,

but none have ever come to me

as rapidly as this one did. It

literally took three minutes to

scribble down. I have since

written it out neatly and

presented it to the wonderful

lady that is Yvette Mcconnell.”

On Tuesday 10 October 2012, World Mental Health Day marked its 20th anniversary and depression was the theme.

According to the World Health Organization, unipolar depressive disorders were ranked as the third leading cause of the global burden of disease in 2004 and will move into the first place by 2030. Depression can affect anyone and it is one of the most widespread illnesses, often co-existing with other serious conditions.

Events took place throughout the Trust on and around World Mental Health Day which was funded by Maudsley Charity.

At Bethlem Royal Hospital, Tyson West 2

Ten nurses from the Mental Health of Older Adult and Dementia Clinical Academic Group (CAG) have completed two one-day workshops on Writing for Publication.

The CAG’s Head of Nursing Vanessa Smith was encouraged to set up the training by Jane Sayer, Programme Director for Nursing Excellence and Magnet Recognition. The workshops were facilitated by journalist and editor Ian McMillan, who has a mental health and learning disability nursing background, and former-SLaM clinical psychologist Dr Jerome Carson.

The main aim of the workshops was to demystify the publication process and to encourage nurses to write articles relating to their practice that could appear in professional journals. At the second workshop, participants read out samples of their work aloud, giving their colleagues a chance to

marked the day with creative activities including arts and crafts for service users and staff. Gresham ICU held various events including a self esteem group, massage sessions, movie and ward party.

Amardeep held a joint celebration at the Fanon Resource Centre marking World Mental Health Day and Black History Month with activities including music, Bollywood dance, yoga and a south Asian meal.

Dragon Café held a discussion on this year’s theme, ‘Depression: a global crisis’. The Dragon Café in the crypt of St George the Martyr Church (opposite Borough tube station) is open from 10am to 8pm every Monday. See http://dragoncafe.co.uk/ for latest events.

give them feedback and encourage them in their efforts.

The topics included dealing with loss and bereavement, the experience of being both a professional and a carer, and reclaiming the nursing role. Ian commented: “Having a second follow-up workshop was helpful in giving staff a deadline to work towards.”Jerome said: “Since retiring from SLaM, I can now see more clearly the tremendous opportunities that the Trust offers staff both in terms of encouraging a research culture and writing for publication.”

Vanessa noted: “The articles produced by nursing staff on the last day of the workshop were incredibly inspirational. I am looking forward to working on producing a booklet of nurse authorship and seeing staff publish their work in journals.

“The CAG recognises the unique contribution of nursing and nurses

to patients and their families and is committed to supporting their professional development through innovative programmes which empower them to reach their full potential.”

Contact the Training and Education Department for details of the next workshop.

Black History Month “celebration party”

There’s a lady on the Lishman whose name’s Yvette.Any problems you’ve got she tends to sort it.

She will help you every single day.Nothing’s too much trouble, she’ll go out of her way.

Today we had an awesome surprise.We couldn’t believe our BOGGLING EYES!

We all knew Yvette was preparing us brunch.But this turned into a lavish lunch.

Food fit for a King or Queen.Flavours from many of the countries I have been.

The variety of food was beyond belief.A definite occasion for stress relief.

Doctors and nurses mingling with clients.A wonderful therapeutic, stress free environment.

Fizzy pop and WELL COOLED JUICE!The excitement was bouncing off the roof.

I’ve quickly written this short rhyme.It only took up three minutes of my time.

It’s simple when someone offers such a gift.For my ink to start flowing it’s hard to resist.

So I have written this poem as quick as can be.A personalised THANK YOU to you from me.

In fact it’s a thank you from all us clientsfor the fantastic food, the occasionand in particular your patience.

Thank you for being YOU!

Black History Month

Writing for Publication

Director of Nursing andEducation retiringProfessor Hilary McCallion CBE has decided to retire and is leaving her position as Director of Nursing and Education at SLaM on 31 March 2013.

In a letter to SLaM staff, Chair Madeliene Long and Acting Chief Executive, Gus Heafield said: “Hilary has been hugely influential in the work of the Trust over the last 13 years. During this time she has provided professional nursing and education leadership of the highest calibre. She has been pivotal in shaping the Trust’s strategic direction and has played a crucial role in enabling the Board of Directors to have assurance on the quality and safety of care we provide to patients. One of the ways she has been able to do this is through the perspective she brings to the Board from her detailed knowledge and understanding of clinical services.

“Hilary has been a powerful advocate on the Board for frontline clinical staff and has always championed the voice of patients, carers and families. Her energy, passion and commitment to mental health have been invaluable to SLaM. She will be very much missed when she leaves us next March to begin her well-earned retirement and we would like to take this opportunity to extend our personal thanks to her.

“Discussions are underway about the arrangements for the role of Director of Nursing and Education from 1 April 2013 onwards. In the meantime, we are sure you will want to join us in thanking Hilary for her contribution to the work of SLaM.”

In a personal message to staff, Hilary said: “I have been privileged to work with so many wonderful people and to be part of a successful and dynamic organisation. The support I have received from the Chair, the Board of Directors, the Executive, my team, and many others, has enabled me to improve the experience for staff, patients and carers. As the professional head of nursing I have been honoured to lead and promote nursing standards and practice; and to champion the nursing voice and the important work of mental health nurses throughout the Trust, King’s Health Partners and the wider NHS.

“Although I am sad to be leaving, 14 years is a considerable time in one post and I think it is time for me to take a break and begin a new chapter in my life. Thank you for all your help and support over the years.”

In November 2012, SLaM welcomed delegates from all over England when the Trust hosted the National Association of Psychiatric Intensive Care and Low Secure Units (NAPICU) quarterly meeting for the first time. The event, hosted by the Psychosis Clinical Academic Group (CAG), focussed on multidisciplinary team working.

SLaM has been at the forefront of the development of Psychiatric Intensive Care Units (PICU) as this care has evolved into a distinct specialty within general psychiatry. NAPICU shares best practice and advises the Government on psychiatric intensive care.

The programme for the day-long meeting was coordinated by Faisal Sethi, Consultant Psychiatrist and PICU

The Estates and Facilities Department has helped SLaM to take further strides in energy efficiency and become the first NHS Trust to have the BSi Kitemark in energy management. This supplements our BSi ISO accreditaion in environmental management and our BSi ISO accreditation in Energy Management.

By achieving these high standards the Trust is helping to minimise the effect of our operations on the environment as well as improving energy efficiency and safety.

Better environmental and energy management helps SLaM to:

• reduce fuel/energy costs

• meetcarbontargets

• reduceconsumption(30%by2013-14 and50%by2020)

• reducerelianceonfinitefossilfuels

• enhanceourreputationasasociallyresponsible organisation.

Last year SLaM was ranked in the top 10 per cent of NHS Trusts in the first ever Energy Efficiency Performance League Table. SLaM has reduced its carbon footprint by 29 per cent over the last four years through the installation

of a centrally controlled heating system on hospital sites, an ongoing staff awareness campaign and the conversion from oil to gas boilers at Maudsley Hospital.

More initiatives are being considered which will assist the Trust in further improving its position as an exemplar

organisation in all areas of carbon reduction, including:

• solar panels to generate electricity and hot water

• improvingandexpandingthecombinedheatand power generation plant at Maudsley Hospital

• modernisationofthemainheatingboilerplantand ventilation plant

• groundsourceheatpumpsforheatingat Bethlem Royal Hospital

• enhanced energy monitoring.

Lead Consultant at SLaM, and Caroline Sweeney, PICU Clinical Services Lead.Lucy Canning, Psychosis CAG Service Director, introduced the audience to the CAG system and the place of PICU within it. Deji Ayonrinde, Consultant Psychiatrist at Gresham PICU, presented a fascinating historical account of the life of Margaret Nicholson, who stabbed King George III in 1786, was judged to be insane and was confined in the Bethlem Royal Hospital (on one of its earlier sites).

Professor of Psychiatric Nursing at the Institute of Psychiatry, Len Bowers, presented a quick fire account of the many stimulating ways that PICU could remain at the forefront of general psychiatric management. Other areas covered at the meeting

included information systems for measuring activity and bed need; rapid tranquilisation; an award winning project that trains police officers about mental health services; and the role of both occupational therapy and physiotherapy in PICU.

Overall, this was an intensive and rewarding day with overwhelmingly positive feedback from delegates.

Senior staff changes

Psychosis CAG hosts national meeting

News in brief 12/13

Camden’s callingCalaminusService Director Paul Calaminus leaves SLaM in January 2013 to take up a Board level position as Chief Operating Officer with Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust.

Acting Chief Executive Gus Heafield said: “Paul is a highly valued member of the Trust Executive team who has worked at the Trust for more than 12 years. Having initially worked as Service manager at St Thomas’ Hospital, Paul played a pivotal role in the Trust’s successful application for NHS Foundation Trust in 2006. He was subsequently appointed to the role of Service Director within Southwark adult mental health services. More recently, he has undertaken the role of Account Director, with responsibility for key functions including contracts, whilst continuing as Service Director for CAMHS.

“Whilst I am sorry that the Trust Executive is losing a team member of Paul’s calibre and experience, this is an exciting opportunity for him and I am sure you will want to join me in wishing him all the best for the future.

“Paul has recently taken on temporary responsibility for the role of Service Director in the Behavioural and Developmental Psychiatry CAG. This role has now been advertised.” Jo Fletcher becomes Acting Director of CAMHS

effective 7 January 2013.

Paul Calaminus said: “I would like to take this opportunity

to thank everyone for their support over the last

decade or more. Whilst I am enthused about the new opportunities and challenges that Camden will bring, I am also sad to be leaving the Trust in which I have worked for the last 12 years.”

Introducing Nick DaweNick Dawe joined SLaM as Interim Director of Finance in October 2012.

Gus Heafield, Acting Chief Executive, said: “Nick is a highly able Finance Director with over 15 years’ Board level experience in NHS and local authority roles. He has an inclusive approach with a strong track record in transformation and change management and will be a valuable addition to the SLaM team.”

Nick’s most recent role was at Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire County Councils, each with a £1bn turnover. He has previously worked in demanding and complex senior roles in a wide range of NHS Trusts.

“I am really pleased to have joined the Trust and to return to the NHS and London” said Nick.

Margaret Nicholson was judged to be insane and was confined to Bethlem Royal Hospital

Energy efficiency

Plan ahead and brief all staff about the plans.

Before you move:

Include secure storage, secure transit, bulk secure destruction and bulk scanning costs in your transition business plan.

News in brief 14/15

Hear Us, Croydon’s mental health service user group, is working with national anti stigma charity Time to Change on the Reachout Challenge. The aim is for Reachout to be the most effective mental health anti stigma campaign that Croydon has seen. The Reachout Challenge is an entirely user-led initiative, with volunteers who have their own personal experience of mental health problems.

Hear Us held an event in October to celebrate the launch of the Reachout Challenge with key speakers including Tony Blair’s former communications advisor Alastair Campbell and SLaM’s very own Professor Graham Thornicroft.

Alastair Campbell spoke of his own personal experience of mental illness and the importance of more people being open about their mental health problems – especially in the workplace.

When Tony Blair offered Alastair a job he told him about his mental health problems upfront. He said: “I told him everything, that at one point I had heard bagpipes, a brass band and a

conversation about a story I was writing all playing out in my head. And I said ‘And what do you think about that then?’ And he said ‘I’m not bothered’. The truth is that a lot of employers don’t do that.

“If more people in public life came out and were open about mental health we would be closer to where you can go out and say you’ve got problems in your life but you can still work. Right now you are part of a campaign but it has got to become a movement.”

Professor Graham Thornicroft also spoke at the event about reducing stigma and discrimination around mental health. He identified three main challenges – ignorance, prejudice and discrimination (or problems with knowledge, attitudes and behaviour). Speaking of mental ill health, he said: “People think it is a moral weakness or failing when really it is a treatable medical illness.”

From his research, Graham found that one third of people with depression in Europe have actively stopped doing something important to them (like apply for a job or start a new relationship) because they expected to fail. He has worked with police, young people and medical students

and found active and positive change in attitudes when they have the opportunity to meet mental health service users. He said: “Local intervention and small meetings can be very effective if people who do have mental health problems are talking about their experience. This is promising, on a national level if more people are open about it this could be more effective to stop stigma.

“This is an amazing campaign – my role, along with colleagues at King’s College London, is to keep close and then see if it works. The good news is that we are seeing a series of consistently positive changes in attitudes.”

Find out more: http://www.hear-us.org/aboutus/reachout/reach-out-challenge.html

Reachout Challenge

Moving? Don’t leave your reputation behind!

Top: Hear Us members celebrate Reachout Challenge launch

Above: Alastair Campbell signs copies of his new book

They may sound like something being smuggled in a 007 flick but information assets could be as everyday as a cupboard full of patient records, a drawer full of staff reports, a box of old floppy disks, old AV equipment, a hard disk recorder or a laptop.

With lots of service moves and changes across the Trust it is vital to consider your information assets so you don’t end up leaving the lives of your patients in the next occupants’ hands.

Leaving information for others to find has a significant impact on individuals’

privacy and it can also cost the Trust up to £500,000 in penalties.

The Information Governance Team can arrange a site visit to help you when you are planning your move and another when you have vacated your premises.

For advice and support, email: dataprotectionoffice@slam.nhs.uk

Warn staff not to dispose of confidential documents in bags, bins or skips.

Check all storage areas to identify anything that may contain patient/staff identifiable and commercially/legally sensitive information.

If you have electronic copies of paper documentation you should avoid keeping duplicates. Dispose of information assets securely using a shredder or use the contracted confidential waste collection service.

Put any confidential waste in clearly marked confidential waste bags for secure collection and destruction. Arrange prompt collection and in the meantime store the information assets in locked areas so domestic staff and porters do not pick it up as general waste.

Consider scanning any paper documents with confidential information that has to be retained. There are scanning bureaus in the Trust, where you can book a slot and rapidly scan such documents in bulk.

Identify ICT equipment that needs to be decommissioned and contact ICT. All electronic storage devices must be disposed of securely.

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Cover story 16/17

The NHS Heroes campaign asked patients and colleagues to nominate people who go above and beyond their remit when caring for their patients and supporting their colleagues.

Some SLaM staff members received nominations for their caring, compassionate and hard work.

Altogether, 20 of our Heroes were able to attend the presentation and accept their award from Gus Heafield, Acting Chief Executive; Professor Hilary McCallion CBE, Director of Nursing and Education; Dr Martin Baggaley, Medical Director; Louise Norris, Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development; and Nick Dawe, Interim Director of Finance.

In November SLaM celebrated some very special staff members who were all nominated as NHS Heroes.

Many were shocked when they learnt they had been nominated and humbled as they heard what other colleagues had done to earn their award.

Gus Heafield said: “It is a great occasion to recognise the amazing work that staff members do at SLaM and to hear about some very exceptional people. It is very special because these awards are from patients and colleagues who recognise the further work these people do.”

For more photos of the day visit: www.facebook.com/slamnhs The following people have all been recognised as SLaM NHS Heroes:

Winners who could not be there on the day:

DR AMITA JASSI CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST

CALvERT WooDCHARGE NURSE

DR CLIvE TIMEHIN CONSULTANT PSYCHIATRIST

DR JuSTIN SAuER CONSULTANT PSYCHIATRIST

DR TIBoR KovACS SPECIALTY DOCTOR

JANINA vITKAuSKIENE CLEANER

JoHN BIggSHEALTHCARE ASSISTANT

MoRuFAT RAJIUNIT ADMINISTRATOR

NATASHA MoMCILovICCLINICAL BEHAVIOURAL

THERAPIST

PAT SKERvIN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST

TECHNICIAN

PATIENCE MCLEANSENIOR HR ADVISOR

RoSELINE ALIMINSTAFF NURSE

SHARoN FoSSALuZZA SPECIALIST PHYSICAL

CARE NURSE

SHEILA WooDWARD CLINICAL GOVERNANCE

OFFICER

STEvE LoDgESENIOR SUBSTANCE

MISUSE NURSE

THE FoRENSIC INTENSIvE PSyCHoLogICAL TREATMENT

SERvICE (LAMBETH)MATT BRUCE

THE TouCHSToNE TEAMBARRY JONES

THoMAS MANuCLINICAL ExERCISE

INSTRUCTOR

vENITA LoCKWooD HORTICULTURAL

INSTRUCTOR

NICK gREyCLINICAL

PSYCHOLOGIST

ELSIE WILLIAMSSOCIAL WORKER

HuMAyuN KHANSUBSTANCE MISUSE

WORKER

JIM TIgHETEAM LEADER

SAM QuARTEyCOMMUNITY

PSYCHIATRIC NURSE

SHAuN gRAvESToCKCONSULTANT PSYCHIATRIST

Feature 18/19

Shirena Watt is 18 years old and from Brockley. Her mum was diagnosed with schizophrenia before Shirena was born. Although she no longer lives with her mum, Shirena still visits every day to cook for her and help with things like the telephone or television because she does not understand them. She has been caring for her mum since starting primary school.

Shirena said: “From five years old I had to start looking after myself, I didn’t get any help. I had to cook. I didn’t use the hob but I boiled water for noodles, things like that. I washed clothes in the bath and I would clean while she was still asleep. I was never at school early until I was old enough to go by myself.

“I’d go straight to my nan if anything was wrong. There were never social workers involved or anything. My mum had her care worker, her support, but it didn’t involve me. As young as I was, I knew about her schizophrenia. She’d talk to me, tell me that she needs to get a higher dose of her medication, that it wasn’t helping - that she was going crazy again.

“I didn’t talk about it to anybody at school. It was only when I moved to a different school that they started picking up on the fact I was late. They brought a worker from the Young Carers Service into school and I was named a young carer.

“I was eight or nine years old when I moved out. Situations had happened outdoors, in public and the major thing that set everything in motion was when she tried to make me go somewhere and I didn’t want to go. Things became slightly physical and the police were called. At

As many as one in 10 young people living in Britain are young carers – looking after a relative or friend because of a physical or mental illness or substance dependency. The Young Carers Service in Lewisham has about 450 young carers registered with aproximately 100 who are actively engaged in group work, mentoring, counselling and respite activities. SLaM News spoke to one young carer about her experiences.

the police station they asked ‘Do you have anyone else?’ From then on it was back and forth. I was living with my mum, my nan and other people.

“I’d be out of primary school and she wouldn’t be home until 11 o’clock. I did not have a key. My mum was never in and I don’t know where she was. My neighbour helped me, she invited me in and I used to have dinner there. At one stage I lived with my neighbour and my mum wasn’t allowed to come near me.

“Through the Young Carers Service I had mentoring (one to one meetings) and I had respite breaks with other young carers. I’ve been on residential trips including a Young Carers Festival. It was for the whole of the UK and we slept in tents and got our food and took part in activities. It was good to just get away from my mum and not have to worry. That was beneficial.

“Now my mum thinks I’m still the same age I was when I was eight. She has not taken in the fact that I’m 18. She still treats me like a child. Whenever she comes to my house there are always problems. There is even a court order to stop her coming but she still comes.

“I can still get support from the Young Carers Service because it helps young adult carers between 16 and 24 years. I’m studying Forensic Science at college and I don’t attend the service as much now. I don’t need it as much. I can call the service whenever I feel I need support.”

“If I could say anything to people working with patients with mental health problems it is to talk to the carer and see how they feel about the situation. Consult with the carer because it is the carer’s responsibility, the carer has to look after them. Any decisions, whatever happens to the patient, are going to affect the carer. See if there’s anything that will support the carer in order for them to support the patient better.”

Professionals or parents can refer young people to the service. Download the referral form at www.carerslewisham.org.uk or call 020 8699 8686 for more information.

Being a young carer

"I’d be out of primary school and she wouldn’t be home until 11 o’clock. I did

not have a key. My mum was never in and I don’t know where she was."

Shirena Watts

Feature 20/21

Magnet is a system of accrediting nurses and their practice against an extensive set of rigorous and evidence-based standards. It’s a programme run by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Although it comes from America, it is now being taken up by hospitals around the world.

Jane Sayer, Programme Director (Nursing Excellence and Magnet Recognition), reflects on the three year journey to raise standards of nursing at SLaM by using the Magnet framework. Genevieve Glover was appointed

Managing Director of Maudsley Learning in August 2012. Set up as a Community Interest Company, Maudsley Learning focuses on raising knowledge and awareness of mental health and wellbeing and incorporates the new Learning Centre on Grove Lane (within the Maudsley Hospital site) as well as a Virtual Learning Environment. SLaM News interviewed Genevieve to find out more.

What work do you do at Maudsley Learning?My role as Managing Director is to set up the business and ensure that we balance meeting our business plan with providing innovative and effective learning events on the subject of mental health and wellbeing for anyone, anywhere, at anytime.

It is due to open in summer 2013 but why does SLaM need a new Learning Centre?Maudsley Learning will provide learning events for all, including everyone at SLaM and our other clinical partners. The Learning Centre will be the hub for this and provide a wonderful environment for face to face learning events to take place, as well as supporting learning in our Virtual Learning Environment. Learners could be any type of clinical professional, academics, carers, service users, other public services, corporates, etc. The aim is to provide a world class learning environment to support the world class activity that takes place across King’s Health Partners as a whole.

What can we expect from the new Learning Centre?Maudsley Learning aims to raise knowledge and awareness of mental

health and wellbeing through the provision of learning events. The Learning Centre will be the focal point for this and will provide a relaxed and professional environment in which to learn, both formally in one of our meeting rooms or informally in our cafe or breakout space. We will also be working closely with the Bethlem Gallery for our art strategy and hope to stage one off events to animate the fantastic space we have.

What do you like best about working at Maudsley Learning?I am enjoying the start up environment, as that’s my background, plus the opportunity to raise my own knowledge and awareness of mental health and wellbeing. In addition, I’ve enjoyed meeting a number of smart and passionate people who are excited about the opportunity to be innovative and contribute to the development of the Maudsley Learning vision.

When you are not at work, what do you enjoy doing?I enjoy being active and competing in triathlons and open water swimming events. I also play veterans rugby and am a Non Executive Director of the Wasps Legends Charitable Foundation. Last, but by no means least, I have an 18 month old daughter Freya who is currently enjoying running around the Common looking at leaves, swimming, dancing and stacking boxes!

“So much good work has been delivered as a result of using the Magnet framework it’s difficult to know where to begin describing our achievements!

“Results from the 2011 staff survey and our local nurse engagement survey showed that our nurses feel more satisfied than the majority of nurses working in mental health across England. The introduction of the DAISY awards has enabled us to celebrate excellent nursing and to reward individual nurses who make a difference to patients every day.

“We have introduced a system of shared governance allowing direct care staff to be part of the nursing decision-making processes. Band 5 and 6 nurses have become regular members at nursing meetings, including the Executive.

“Some 31 SLaM nurses have become Magnet Ambassadors since 2010 and they act as champions for Magnet across SLaM and participate in a two year leadership development programme. Going to the Magnet conference has been an exciting part of the Ambassador’s role, with nurses visiting Baltimore in 2011 and Los Angeles in 2012.

“The Trustwide councils that have been in place for the past 18 months have focussed on improving patient care; strengthening the competence, professionalism and academic range of nurses; and developing research capacity in the nursing workforce. We have introduced programmes to reduce violence and medication errors and funded local nurse-led research projects to inform decisions about best practice. We are planning to introduce nursing practice councils in all clinical areas to strengthen nursing discussion and reflection at the point of care.

“We have had more than 30 nurses doing nursing degrees and all our senior nurses are working towards an MSc (Masters of Science). The next step towards Magnet Accreditation is to make sure that we can meet the requirement for all our Ward Managers and Nurse Team Leaders to have a degree. This is still some way off, so as we work towards it we will continue to use the Magnet framework as a way of driving up standards in nursing and in the care we provide.”

Magnet – three years on

Maudsley Learning

Genevieve Glover at the Maudsley Learning Centre building site

L-r: Delores Williams, Vanessa Smith and Jenny Keech

Feature SLaM Partners 22/23

Restaurant revamp

New ways of working: a helping hand

If you’ve visited Maudsley Hospital recently you may have noticed the building works taking place in the restaurant and main corridor. It has been over 15 years since the restaurant was last refurbished and in that time the number of people using it has significantly increased.

The redevelopment work will enable more people to use the space; there will be more seating and improvements to the decoration and lighting as well as new furniture. Costa Coffee will also be relocated to the main part

Change is the only constant it seems and while it can be refreshing, it isn’t always comfortable. SLaM has seen a major restructure of how its services are managed to create Clinical Academic Groups (CAGs) and in the course of that virtually every team has been reorganised. On the ground that means working in new teams, with different people and establishing working practices. How can a freshly minted team make the transition?

Lambeth MAP Assessment and Treatment South is a great example. Following the merger of elements of three teams, they have a new management team and around 17 mental health professionals. As if that weren’t challenge enough, caseloads have a greater proportion of clients with complex needs requiring increased expertise in assessment and treatment.

Faced with this, the question is not whether to adapt, but how quickly and well you do it. Seizing the moment, the Lambeth team decided to call in expertise from seasoned coaching consultants SLaM Partners who have been helping individuals, teams and organisations develop new behaviours and skills that nurture a new team culture.

Team leader Charlene DeVilliers described some of the challenges. “Bringing together our South East, North and South West teams, we had services with very different cultures and traditions. The new management team had to develop a united front that wasn’t played out in front of the team.”

So SLaM Partners’ Ian Fishwick did focussed work with the senior management team (and later the whole team) to find ways of valuing and respecting these differences and moving towards a shared approach that drew on the best of each culture.

For instance, very broadly speaking, those from the South East team had a more task oriented approach, with a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) focus centred on Maudsley Hospital; while those from the South West had a more therapeutic group-centred approach, with a psychodynamic focus that centred on St Thomas’ Hospital.

The teams had experience of different structures and different referral routes. The nature of the caseload had changed with more complex patients requiring more long term specialist interventions, related to personality, anxiety, and bipolar disorders and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

“We had away days with the whole team to look at new ways of working, valuing what people brought to the team in developing a shared vision and purpose,” says Charlene. “The key areas we focussed on were improving the patient experience and developing a shared identity.”

MAP consultant psychiatrist Anne Boocock said: “We put everything on the table. There were strengths in each team and Ian helped us to safely have frank conversations about which parts of each of our approaches we valued and which we did not, in order to take forward the best of each to create a new identity and culture.”

Tangible improvements followed. The duty function is now well embedded and highly effective in the team and team members’ quality of clinical review presentations has greatly improved. With training and practice care coordinators link work with GPs has been enhanced too.

“Most of us would say that it’s an enjoyable service to work in and that the quality of the service has improved,” said Anne.

“We are in a much better place now than we were last October and I hope that we can continue to work with SLaM Partners in the year ahead.” Find out more at: www.slampartners.com

of the restaurant creating a quieter space in the area of the former coffee shop.

Hilary McCallion, Director of Nursing and Education, explains: “We want to create a restaurant fit for the Maudsley of tomorrow. We’ve thought carefully about the environment and providing an area for everyone. We want the space to be adaptable and with that in mind we have tried to design an environment that will provide people with quiet space as well as social space.

“The way that we work is changing; the restaurant is not only a place for eating and drinking but also a place for people to meet in. We know that the restaurant is really popular both with our own staff and services users, and staff from the Institute of Psychiatry and King’s College Hospital. That is a compliment to us and we want to provide an environment that reflects this.”

The corridor leading down from the main entrance towards the restaurant is also being redecorated. It will be painted in different colours to represent each ward block, with the colours corresponding with those on hospital maps and signs. This will help people find their way around the hospital more easily. The works are due to be completed in March 2013.

SLaM staff can get project updates by visiting the Intranet homepage.

Top: Costa Coffee will move to the main restaurant

Above: New quiet seating area

Feature 24/25

SLaM clinical teams are embarking upon a major research initiative called Consent for Consent (C4C). The Mental Health for Older Adults and Dementia Clinical Academic Group (CAG) and the Child and Adolescent Mental Health CAG are already implementing C4C and over the next year it will be rolled out Trust-wide.

A first of its kind in the UK, C4C aims to increase the number of participants in research studies at the Institute of Psychiatry (IoP). The idea of C4C is to get service users to give their ‘consent for consent’, in other words service users agree to be approached in the future about taking part in research.

C4C is being conducted as part of the Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), a partnership between SLaM and the Institute of Psychiatry (IoP). Professor Tom Craig from the IoP is leading on the initiative and Caroline Morris is the IoP Project Officer appointed to assist with the implementation of C4C throughout SLaM.

Professor Craig said: “By getting service users to give their consent for consent, it will be much easier to research major areas of mental health. Ultimately the research conducted with service users who signed up to C4C should provide knowledge and findings to improve services and resources for people experiencing mental health problems. So participants who take part will be making a big contribution to improving the lives of all people with mental health problems.”

C4C is an opportunity to improve the links between SLaM clinical staff and IoP researchers. Caroline Morris will work with clinical teams to ensure that C4C is properly understood and that asking service users whether they would like to give their consent for consent will become a natural part of our work.

Clinical staff will be expected to ask the question of every service user: “Do you agree to be approached in the future about taking part in research where you meet the research project’s criteria?”

This process is about choice – not compulsion. Clinical staff will enable service users to make their own choices about whether they might like to be involved with research or not. Clinical staff will also document on the electronic Patient Journey System (ePJS) that a conversation about C4C has taken place, that capacity to consent was ascertained and whether the service user did or did not give consent.

It is not about getting service users to agree to participate in specific research projects. If service users agree to be part of this list, then IoP researchers will be able to access their contact details. Whenever possible, the researcher should contact a service users’ care coordinator in the first instance before getting in touch with the service user.

C4C has been given National Information Governance Board approval and the approval of the Trust Caldicott Guardian and formal executive committees. As a result of these senior approvals, the Chief Executive has put his name behind the widest and fullest implementation across the Trust.

For further information on the implementation of C4C please contact Caroline Morris, Project Officer on: caroline.2.morris@kcl.ac.uk

SLaM service users are now receiving better access to more effective treatments through the new Lambeth Talking Therapies service.

People experiencing depression, anxieties and phobias will be offered a wider range of psychological therapies than before.

The move comes as part of a reconfiguration of therapy services in Lambeth which means SLaM has been recommended as the preferred provider of all the psychological therapies and counselling services in the borough.

The new Lambeth Talking Therapies, which was officially opened in November 2012, follows NICE (National Institute of Clinical Excellence) guidance which indicates that therapies such as CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and guided self help are more effective than counselling for many conditions.

The new system means service users can be offered these forms of therapy as well as counselling if they need it.

Each individual will be assessed at the time of referral. Service users will have greater access to more appropriate treatments, there will be early intervention for those at high risk and counselling will still be provided if it is the most appropriate therapy for the person’s condition.

John Manley, Clinical Director for the new Lambeth Talking Therapies Service, said: “We are redesigning the service so that patients can access help more equitably and more quickly and receive treatments that bring about speedier recoveries. This means we offer treatments that are tailor made to the service user, whatever the problem is.

“This treatment isn’t about looking into people’s past, it is about making changes now that get them moving and working again.”

People can access the service via their GP or they can self refer. For more information visit http://www.slam-iapt.nhs.uk

Consent for Consent (C4C)

New: Lambeth Talking Therapies

By getting service users to give their consent for consent, it will be much easier to research major areas of mental health.

"We can now offer people the latest, new treatments from expert Cognitive Behaviour Therapists, trained by world leaders at the Institute of Psychiatry."

SLaM in the Media 26/27

2 November Ehealth Insider looked at how SLaM is engaging with patients though Myhealthlocker. They reported on how the new system has helped empower patients by giving them more control over their health records.

20 November Professor Janet Treasure, Director of SLaM’s Eating Disorder Service, spoke about anorexia and bulimia on BBC Five Live. She was interviewed about eating disorders, particularly in males, after cricketing legend Freddie Flintoff admitted he suffered with anorexia while playing the sport professionally.

29 September Radio Five Live came into Maudsley Hospital for a two-hour live broadcast on a wide range of mental health problems. There were a number of guests including former service users and clinicians. The debate covered major issues in mental health, including the links between physical and mental illness, depression, eating disorders and medication.

4 – 11November Both national and local publications reported on the new dementia detection trial in which SLaM is heavily involved. The Guardian, Health Service Journal, Daily Express, Daily Mail, Southwark News and many more covered the news on this pioneering service which could be rolled out across the country to help reduce the diagnosis time for dementia.

21 November SLaM was highly commended at the HSJ Awards ceremony in the Innovation in Mental Health category. Myhealthlocker was recognised as a scheme which empowers patients and encourages them to interact with their own care staff.

7 November James Bell, our Consultant Physician in Addiction Services, appeared on BBC London’s Breakfast Show to discuss the use of party drugs

1 OctoberBBC History Magazine ran a feature on Bethlem Royal Hospital, one of the world’s oldest hospitals for the treatment of mental illness. The magazine shows how the hospital, now in Bromley, continues to provide extensive services to provide services for people with mental health problems.

15 DecemberProfessor Janet Treasure was named as one of Britain’s top children’s doctors by The Times magazine. The in-depth feature discusses Janet’s work across eating disorders services, in particular the relatively unknown but serious illness of diabulimia – bulimia in diabetics. There is also an interview with Steff Mortlock, a 19-year-old who was an inpatient at the Eating Disorders Unit at Bethlem Royal Hospital for several months

SLaM’s documentary for

Channel 4There are exciting times ahead for SLaM as filming has now started on an observational

documentary series which aims to give an insight into what it is like to live with a

mental health condition.

Channel 4 has commissioned a four-part series, provisionally titled Inside the Maudsley,

which involves filming patients, service users and staff across a wide range of clinical services.

This is the first time a documentary on this scale has been made at the Trust. It is a chance for

SLaM to showcase the fantastic work we do and to help raise awareness of the realities of

dealing with a mental illness.

The series is an ideal opportunity for SLaM to promote its services as well as promoting public

awareness and perceptions of mental health.

The landmark series aims to be real, bold and honest. It follows a patient on their journey

through services and their interactions with staff. It will also aim to give a true picture of the

daily challenges that clinical staff face when caring for people with mental health problems

across some of our services.

The documentary is being made by The Garden Productions, the same company responsible for

the hugely successful 24 Hours in A&E programmes.

A wide range of teams from across the Trust are involved in discussions regarding taking part and

the filming has only been made possible through the enthusiasm, time and commitment from staff.

Filming started in December at the Anxiety Disorders Residential Unit at Bethlem Royal Hospital and

Triage at Lambeth Hospital. The plan is to broadcast Inside the Maudsley in September 2013.

26 SeptemberSLaM’s Consultant Psychiatrist and Director of Public Mental Health, Dr Jonathan Campion, spoke to BBC News about the relationship between high IQs and happiness. A study of almost 7,000 people showed low intelligence was often linked with lower income and poor mental health which contributed to unhappiness. The findings were published in the journal Psychological Medicine.

19 December SLaM was visited by Care and Support Services Minister, Norman Lamb, who officially launched our new Talking Therapies service for psychosis. SLaM has been awarded funding by the Department of Health for a new Improving Access to Psychological Services (IAPT) scheme for people suffering with psychosis. The pioneering service means 50 per cent more patients are likely to get some form of therapeutic help for their condition. The event was covered on ITV London Tonight. There was also an interview with the Minister in the Health Service Journal.

14 November The Pulse, Guardian and BBC News covered on the results of a hard hitting report by the Schizophrenia Commission which highlighted “catastrophic failings” in England regarding the treatment of people with schizophrenia. One of the reports’ independent commissioners was David Taylor, Director of Pharmacy and Pathology at SLaM. Recommendations included more Early Intervention Services.

Members’ Council News 28/29

Congratulations and welcome to our new governors Dr John Bainton, Caroline Chikowore, Angela Lewis, Olu Oluwashina and David Onalenna Nkwe.Congratulations also to Stephanie Correia and Dr Dele Olajide on their re-election to the Members’ Council and Roger Oliver and Paul Paterson who were re-elected unopposed.

The Members’ Council is made up of staff members, patients, carers and public members who help govern the Trust board and help SLaM shape future priorities. For this edition of SLaM News, we’ve put the spotlight on Dr John Bainton, our newly elected SLaM staff member to find out why he decided to become a Governor.

John is a trainee psychiatrist and he has experience in services for children and adolescents; adults; older adults; general hospital liaison and in specialised psychotherapy. Before working at SLaM, John worked in various medical specialties in Liverpool. He completed his undergraduate medical studies at the University of Liverpool, and his postgraduate studies at the University of Oxford. He has also recently completed his membership exams for the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Why did you put yourself forward as a Governor on the Members’ Council? As a staff member in SLaM, I am keen to maintain the Trust's reputation as a world class provider of care and research in the field of mental health. I am also especially hopeful that this can be achieved more easily within the King's Health Partners organisation, a partnership that is already proving helpful in maintaining and promoting the needs of people with mental illness in the wider healthcare environment. As a Governor on the Members' Council, I would value the opportunity to help guide the board of directors and permit consideration of the views of service users, carers, and staff in their decisions.

What do you think the Members’ Council can help SLaM achieve? The Council is responsible for approving the appointment of the Chair of the Trust, its Non-Executive Directors, and its Chief Executive. In this way, the Trust is accountable to the values and needs of the various constituent bodies it serves, namely service users, staff, carers and local members of the public. The Members’ Council, representing these groups, ensures that the Trust's vision and priorities reflect those of the people it answers to. The Council helps ensure that

Thank you to everyone for submitting nominations and voting for our new Members’ Council Governors. We were pleased to announce on 26 November 2012 those who were newly elected and re-elected.

SLaM provides adequate services of local people, and is constantly reflective of the needs of its population. I think the Council bids scheme, in partnership with the Maudsley Charity, is a great initiative that supports the ideas that members may have to improve services, and can offer funding to support these projects. A variety of ideas from members could really support the work of the Trust, and the experience of service users.

Do you think the perceptions of mental health have improved over the years?I think that the public is slowly perceiving mental illness differently. Stigma is reduced by reasonable and sensible public education from responsible bodies such as NHS Trusts, charities (such as MIND), and the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Celebrities discussing their individual experiences of mental illnesses are helpful in stimulating discussion, but can occasionally sensationalise types of mental illness in a way which may be unhelpful for the public at times. Print and broadcast media have a responsibility in promoting discussion of mental illness and are increasingly able to discuss the issues sensibly and helpfully, but I am still struck that at times, the media are still prone to rather dramatic and stigmatising portrayals of people experiencing serious mental health problems. I am keen to further the Trust's role in promoting sensible and open discussion of the work that occurs in mental health trusts.

Look out for biographies for all our Governors soon appearing on SLaM’s website.

We are always looking for opportunities to engage SLaM members about our priorities. At the end of the year, a programme of meetings was held by the Members’ Council to engage with the wider membership in Lambeth, Lewisham, Southwark and Croydon and involve our members in the development of SLaM’s next annual plan - an agreed set of commitments that include our budgets and quality programmes.

Zoë Reed, our Strategy and Business Development Director gave a brief presentation to the well attended meetings, after this group work and feedback took place. All the information provided has been collated and will help inform the development of the Trust’s annual plan.

Membership update

As well as this, we are excited to bring you news of a discount scheme being rolled out at the beginning of next year - exclusively for our members. Healthcare Staff Benefits (HSB) are working with SLaM to offer our members a variety of money saving offers, as a way of saying thank you for supporting SLaM.

HSB are working hard to enlist businesses in London, Kent, Essex and Surrey to bring you discounts on over 200 brands and services – including offers from taxi firms, health and fitness centres, restaurants and beauty salons.

Members will be issued with a card and a list of businesses that are offering discounts. You will simply need to present the card to take advantage of the offers.

Look out for the links soon appearing on our website, www.slam.nhs.uk/membership or call Carol Stevenson, Membership Officer, on 020 3228 2441.

Members’ Council Elections

Dr John Bainton

Feature 30/31

Mental health problems costs UK employers £1,035 per year for every person they employ. Work-related stress, anxiety and depression are the most frequent causes for days off work – they accounted for 9.8 million days lost in the UK in 2009/10.

So ensuring that all staff are happy at work is something that a new King’s Health Partners project is aiming for.

The Mental Health Promotion team at SLaM, along with a small group of King’s Health Partners staff from clinical services, HR and occupational health, has developed and begun to introduce the happier@work project. The hope is to create optimal conditions for happier working lives.

The programme focuses on improving staff wellbeing while responding to the challenging realities of NHS working life. Seven work teams have been involved so far – identifying factors that have an impact on wellbeing. Each team has also been job shadowed so that the happier@work project members get a better idea of the day-to-day working lives of staff.

happier@work has discovered that King’s

Health Partners staff are compassionate, caring

and highly motivated but has also identified definite areas

for improvement with regards to workplace wellbeing. Increasing demands, complex workloads, less control over work, weak support systems and ineffective procedures have all been identified as adversely affecting the work/life balance.

Over the next six months, a range of new pilot initiatives will be introduced under the banner happier@work, including free courses, workshops, activities and events. The initiatives will be easily identified by a distinctive multi-coloured logo: the happier@work wheel of wellbeing.

Keep up to date with happier@work developments, by registering your interest with carolyn.swan@slam.nhs.uk. Or to discuss the happier@work project, email SLaM’s Head of Mental Health Promotion at tony.coggins@slam.nhs.uk

happier@workDo you know that we spend one third of our lives and half of our waking hours at work?

Staff who are nominated for the Make a Difference award should have demonstrated some or all of the SLaM Commitments:

• Iwillbecaring,kindandpolite.

• Iwillbepromptandvalue your time.

• Iwilltaketimetolistentoyou.

• Iwillbehonestanddirect with you.

• IwilldowhatIsayIam going to do.

The SLaM Commitments are designed to help improve the experience of service users, visitors and staff. At

Make a Difference is a staff awards scheme recognising those individual staff members and teams who have made a positive difference by going above and beyond the call of duty.

Nominations are accepted from service users, family members/ carers and SLaM staff.

first glance they may seem to be common sense but they are the sort of things that can easily be overlooked in a busy environment.

There is no deadline for nominations – they are accepted all year round and award presentations are held four times a year. Any SLaM staff member can be nominated including nurses, health care assistants, doctors, receptionists and those working behind the scenes in non-clinical roles.

Winners are awarded a £50 gift voucher and are put forward for SLaM’s Employee of the year Award.

Call 020 3228 2442 or email pearl.pienaar@slam.nhs.uk for a nomination form.

Make a DifferenceNominate a SLaM Team or individual staff member.

Make a Difference

Make a Difference

Make a Difference

Exhibitions

The Bethlem Gallery was founded in 1997 to showcase the inspirational talents of artists who have experienced mental health difficulties from South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. Upcoming exhibitions include:

Bethlem Gallery Programme January to March 2013

A Museum of the MindThe exhibition will showcase the exceptional works contained within the Bethlem Archives and Museum's collection. The Archives and Museum is moving to a new site on the hospital's grounds in 2014. Join us to explore the 'Museum of the Mind' project and the art and objects selected for display in the permanent collection.

Opening Wednesday 23 January 3pm - 6pm

Exhibition continues Thursday 24 January – Friday 8 February

Wednesday - Friday 11am - 6pm

Museum and Gallery open Saturday 2 February, 11am - 6pm

My Singular FascinationSkin is Liz Atkin’s primary starting point, both as metaphorical membrane and physical boundary. Her work centres on a multilayered exploration of the possibilities of marking, extending and transforming the skin to question the limits of the body across and within the porous textures of light and surfaces. This personal investigation explores body focused repetitive behaviour, resulting in a rendering of the body to matter for re-sculpting.

Opening Wednesday 20 February

Exhibition continues Thursday 21 February – Friday 15 March

Wednesday - Friday 11am - 6pm

Museum and Gallery open Saturday 2 March, 11am - 6pm

Find out more about the Bethlem gallery at www.bethlemgallery.com

Above: Sketch of an Idea for Crazy Jane (1855) by Richard Dadd

Right: 55 by Liz Atkins