Service user and carer involvement - 15 Steps Challenge

We all know that first impressions count and when walking on to a hospital ward the first “15 Steps” will give you an impression of what is happening on the ward. The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement are developing the 15 Steps Challenge, a tool to support ward walk arounds, looking at productive wards from the patient perspective. The programme identifies simple things like protecting meal times, protecting drug rounds and preventing interruptions at staff handovers.

The Strategic Health Authority (SHA) are working with mental health trusts across the south of England in developing this tool for mental health, as it was originally developed for Acute Trusts. The Kent & Medway Partnership Trust (KMPT) have adapted this tool slightly to fit in with the productive mental health ward and will be part of the SHA’s work, but in the meantime will use the tool developed.

The process will be that a team of people consisting of non-executive directors, carers and services users, directors, service managers etc. will visit one to two wards every month to audit against the 15 steps criteria (no more that 4 people will be in any team). A programme will be produced and co-ordinated through the Compliance and Risk Management Team who will also work in getting teams together. A briefing session will then be delivered by the Deputy Director of Nursing to the teams.

The dates for the team briefings aimed at a more in-depth explanation of the process are 11th April in Canterbury at 2pm for 90 minutes &10th April at West Malling at 2pm for 90 minutes.

Anyone interested in getting involved in the team visits should contact Janet Lloyd, PPCI Manager Kent & Medway Partnership Trust, via email or on 01227 812034.

Maidstone & Malling Carers Project - newsletter

Here is a link to the February Newsletter of the Maidstone & Malling Carers Project - apologies for the late posting of this item however it was published late in February and is quite current, with much of interest.

Hitchhikers Guide to the Recovery Journey - coming soon for Mental Health Carers!

Carers FIRST’s next training programme will introduce carers to the key drivers that are shaping mental health services and give an overview of the interventions and treatment that people can expect to receive. The aim is to provide relatives and friends with the knowledge and understanding to better support their loved one on their recovery journey.

The programme will focus on

• Payment by Results
• NICE Guidance and Standards
• Alternatives to Hospitalisation
• Personalisation

 and include sessions on

• Mental Health Nursing
• Psychological Interventions
• Crisis Interventions
• OT Interventions

There will also be a stand-alone workshop on Brokerage which may be booked separately.

Sessions will be delivered over 4 consecutive Friday mornings in March (2 sessions per morning) beginning on Friday 9th March, with venues alternating between Tonbridge and Maidstone. There is no charge to attend.

To request a programme giving further details or to book please email

vivienne.hall@carersfirst.org.uk or fiona.baptie@carersfirst.org.uk

Rethink Mental Illness Physical Health Summit

People with severe mental illness face a massive health inequality, with high rates of diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some cancers. In fact, people with severe mental illness die, on average, 20 years younger than the general population.

Rethink Mental Illness is campaigning to change this. We are holding a Physical Health Summit in Kent and we would like people affected by mental illness to attend. We are getting everyone together to discuss physical health inequality and what can be improved in Kent. We are inviting top professionals to come and listen to people affected by mental illness - the real experts in mental and physical healthcare.

This is a chance to shape the future of physical healthcare for people with mental illness in Kent.

Location: Maidstone
Date: 16 March
Time: 10:15 - 4:00pm

If you are personally affected by mental illness and wish to attend the Physical Health Summit you must register online at:

www.rethink.org/phsummit
or by phone on 020 7840 3153

Lunch and travel expenses or minibuses provided free to people affected by mental illness.

This invitation is not intended for mental health practitioners.

Please do get in touch if you need additional information. Thank you very much for your support.