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Elections time – put your name in the mix
If you’re interested in how local mental health and learning disability services are run then why not putting your name forward to become LPFT Governor?
Our Governors play a very active part in helping the Trust to provide quality services to people of Lincolnshire. They regularly hold out Board of Directors to account and challenge us to continue working with our commissioners to ensure mental health and learning disability services are given the same priority as physical health
The nominations open on Tuesday 15 May and close on 13 June. More information on how to apply is available here>>
LPFT awarded for support for carers
LPFT has been working with Every-One to gain the accreditation, recognising the commitment to identifying and supporting unpaid carers.
The work has been led by Donna Bradford, Service Manager for Rehabilitation said
I am delighted that Every-One has recognised the hard work that the Trust has achieved and continues to improve on. Inpatient services and crisis teams are committed to improving the information supplied to Carers and improving relationships.
Julie Goy, Quality Development Lead for Every-One, presented the award to the team. She said:
The Trust works very hard to provide excellent support for unpaid carers and are motivated and proactive in ensuring they have effective support in place and have rightly been recognised for their excellent work.
Royal recognition at Buckingham Palace for Anna
Anna was acting up into the role of team lead for a long time and did that with absolute professionalism. She has been brilliant with supporting staff, in light of some difficult situations that have occurred whilst she has been in post. She is a role model for staff at LPFT hence she was nominated to go to London.
Anna said:
It was a lovely experience, and quite surreal! The Prince of Wales gave a great speech; he’s a big advocate for nursing and spoke very highly of the profession. I was very proud to represent LPFT at the event, and it was great to meet so many people who work in different areas of nursing.
Children’s nurse awarded Florence Nightingale scholarship
The scholarship – one of less than 30 awarded each year – will enable Odette to travel to the United States in April to undertake a four week study into mental health service provision and promotion for children and young people. She hopes to bring back lots of learning to improve services in Lincolnshire.
Odette said:
I will be looking at a specific kind of talking treatment called dialectical behaviour therapy and how it can be helpful in supporting young people who experience suicidal thinking, self-harm or have a diagnosis of emerging personality disorder.
Trust continues contract for sexual assault support services
Spring Lodge is the only specialist sexual assault referral centre for the county, dedicated to providing a comprehensive service in a safe, confidential and caring environment to men and women who have been raped or sexually assaulted.
The service has been operating from their Lincoln base for eight years. Following a competitive tender process it was successfully awarded the contract by NHS England and Lincolnshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner to continue to provide the free, confidential service to anyone over the age of 18 living in Lincolnshire.
The service is open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday but can be contacted at any time or any day for help. Visit www.springlodge.org for more details.
Further improvement seen in national staff survey
Staff feel supported by their managers and would recommend LPFT as a place to work and receive treatment according to the findings of a national survey.
Nearly 60 per cent of staff responded to the national NHS staff survey and the results this year show another marked improvement across a number of key areas.
The survey is used by trusts to help improve staff and patient experience and by regulators such as the Care Quality Commission to make sure safety and quality standards are being met.
This year LPFT performed above the national average for mental health trusts in 18 of the 32 key findings in the report. As well as reporting 13 key findings in line with the national average, with only one area just below.
In national league tables LPFT is ranked seventh out of 25 mental health and learning disability trusts across England.
Patients' decorating skills come in handy at Langworth Ward
Activity co-ordinator, Anita Laskey, spotted an opportunity to use the barrier to create a mural of the Lincolnshire countryside involving the patients. Patients assisted painting a Lincolnshire landscape complete with red arrows, cathedral and windmill, which has become a much admired part of the ward.
Jacky Tyson, OT Technical Instructor, said:
The gentlemen on the ward appeared to particularly enjoy this activity and were keen to display their decorating skills and also instructed Anita on correct techniques! This meaningful activity promoted reminiscence discussions, with many patients recalling DIY activities they had done at home and reminding several of their past employment.
New medical school planned for Lincolnshire
For some time, it has been our goal to develop a medical school in the county and we are delighted to announce that as a local health and education community we are now achieving that ambition.
The Higher Education Funding Council England (HEFCE) and Health Education England (HEE) has confirmed that the University of Lincoln’s collaborative bid with the University of Nottingham to establish a new medical school was successful.
Lincolnshire is one of only five regions chosen to have a new school and it follows a rigorous bidding process. The new medical school will welcome its first cohort of undergraduate medicine students in September 2019.
The school will make a huge difference to the county, which will benefit from the establishment of this hub of medical expertise: clinical placements will take place at hospitals, GP surgeries and other healthcare units including here at LPFT.
Involvement Charter – every piece of the jigsaw matters
Rather than creating a text based document our Engagement Team worked with service users, carers, governors and staff to put together a graphic representation of how we can encourage everyone to get involved. The Involvement Charter shows a jigsaw and how we can all connect, share and listen.
Are you interested in being involved in projects and share your experience? Contact:
The Engagement Team on 01529 222272 or involvement@lpft.nhs.uk
High Sheriff awards nurses supporting the police
Our nurses sit within Lincolnshire Police’s control room and offer advice and help to officers when they deal with cases involving mental health or learning disability issues.
Mr Clark said he was honoured to be able to recognize the work, passion and commitment of the men and women who devote their time to helping the communities they serve.
I was humbled by the stories of what these extraordinary people are doing to serve and protect the residents of this area,” he said. I am delighted to be given an opportunity to personally thank them for their efforts and to provide them with some recognition for the incredible work they do every day.
Get creative and win awards
For your chance to win £50 or £25 vouchers create your artwork around the theme of overcoming anxiety and/or depression.
LPFT will be taking part in this audit and we’d love one of our members to win, so get your creative hats on and submit your entries by 31 August 2018 to NCAAD@rcpsych.ac.uk or NCAAD, Royal College of Psychiatrists, 21 Prescot Street, London E18BB.
Asking about sexual orientation - it’s not just box ticking
From 1 April 2018, all NHS organisations are required to ask people they care for about their sexual orientation.
Why is the NHS asking this?
Over 1million people in UK identify themselves as lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB). There is strong evidence that LGB people are at a higher risk of suffering from mental health problems which may lead to self-harm and suicide. By asking about sexual orientation the NHS will be able to see if its services meet the needs of LGB people and if there’s anything else that we can do to improve our care.
