In his latest blog, Chief Executive Prof Joe Rafferty CBE has written about the aftermath of recent documentaries into mental health inpatient services.
“Among the many political changes and focus on the cost of living in the media in recent months, there have been two television documentaries that will have alarmed anyone who works within the NHS or has loved ones within mental healthcare.
The two documentaries are an important reminder that abuse can happen and we must remain vigilant and responsive in everything we do. What do we do to ensure closed cultures don’t become the dominant culture within healthcare and how do we best serve some of the most vulnerable member of society within our inpatient and other services?”
Read Joe’s blog in full today.
Trust wide news
Fulfil your potential and SPREAD YOUR WINGS with Mersey Care
We have launched ‘Spread Your Wings’, our biggest ever recruitment campaign designed to increase positive perceptions and attract people to working for the NHS in mental, learning disability and community health in North West England.
Spearheading the new drive is a specially commissioned film that features a wide range of staff who share their pride in working for Mersey Care and their positive experiences of living and working in Cheshire, Merseyside, Lancashire and Greater Manchester.
Want to know more about working for Mersey Care?
Click the button below to see what benefits there are to spreading your wings with us... Visit our working for us section.
Our upcoming recruitment events:
- 12 November - Nursing Times Careers London
The Life Rooms latest news
Free family support events in Liverpool
The Life Rooms are hosting events from Transform Lives Company, to provide parents and carers with advice and support during the cost of living crisis. The events, in partnership with The Brain Charity and Torus, will offer services such as benefit advice, employment support, help with work worries, wellbeing and more on the day as well as on an ongoing basis where needed.
The events are free to attend and will be held at The Life Rooms in Walton on 25 November, and The Life Rooms in Lee Valley Millenium Centre on 9 December, both 11am to 2pm. For more information visit The Life Rooms website.
Mental health news
Rowan View wins environmental award
Rowan View Hospital has won another award at the prestigious Building Better Heatlhcare Awards which follows previous recognition from the design industry earlier this year.
The medium secure hospital at Maghull Health Park, which was opened in 2020, won the best External Environmental Award at a ceremony in London. The awards are open to the NHS, care homes, architects, contractors and suppliers. Find out more here.
Autism and mental health training
Are you a Mersey Care Mental Health/Local Authority/Community Practitioner? Then book onto one of our interactive autism training sessions, aimed at helping you to recognise, understand and work effectively with adults with autism in your services.
This interactive training will:
- Increase your understanding of autism and neurodiversity
- Provide information/tools on how you can understand, assess and provide effective interventions for adults with autism and mental health difficulties
- Reflect on and identify realistic and potential reasonable adjustments you can make in your own work
- Suggest what models and approaches can assist you in your work
- Show you why we think in the way we do, and understand why we can struggle with difference.
To book or for more information, visit our web page.
Suicide awareness training to support veterans
Zero Suicide Alliance (ZSA) and Help for Heroes have worked together to develop a veteran focused suicide awareness training course.
The training has been developed for those close to veterans, being their family members and friends, but can be taken by anyone aged 16 and over. It’s free, online and takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. Find out more about the training on the ZSA website.
Building Attachments and Bonds in Sefton
In January this year, we secured funding from Sefton Council for a 12-month pilot of the Building Attachments and Bonds Service (BABS) to enhance its early years support for children and families in the local area.
BABS has now reached the target number of referrals agreed as part of the pilot and will continue to work with 70 families until December 2022. Providing support during pregnancy and in the early weeks after the baby is born. This support will continue to be offered in the family home or local Family Wellbeing Hubs in the community until the end of the contract/pilot study. Read more here.
Need help in a mental health crisis?
For anyone struggling with stress, anxiety or feeling they can’t cope with day to day life, including thoughts of suicide, contact us on one of the freephone numbers below or visit our urgent help section.
If you live in Liverpool or Sefton, call 0800 145 6570 and aged 16 or over.
If you live in Halton, St Helens, Warrington or Knowsley, call 0800 015 1508.
Text messaging support service
If you are feeling overwhelmed, anxious or stressed you can contact text messaging support which is a free, confidential, 24/7 text message support service.
For people who live in Liverpool or Sefton, Text HEAL to 85258 for immediate support, available 24/7.
For people who live in Halton, Knowsley, St Helens and Warrington text REACH to 85258 for immediate support, available 24/7.
You can visit the Give Us A Shout website for more information about the text service.
Mental Health Support Teams in schools
Our Mental Health Support Teams in schools provide mental health support to primary and secondary schools in Knowsley, Halton, St Helens and Warrington. As schools returned in September, the teams have provided them with an update about their ongoing support which you can find on our website.
Physical health news
New partnership for end of life care service makes a big impact
A new service aimed at supporting people at the end of life has been launched in Liverpool and South Sefton following a successful pilot.
The Integrated Mersey Palliative Care Team (IMPaCT) service is one of the first of its kind in the UK and is made up by a group of healthcare professionals - including doctors, specialist nurses and specialist therapists - who work collaboratively in hospitals, hospices and in the community to deliver high quality, person-centred palliative care across the city. Find out more on our news page.
First community student nurses emerge from joint Mersey Care and Liverpool John Moores University internship
Mersey Care and Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) have celebrated the first 10 student nurses from their inaugural Community Nursing Internship Programme emerging from interviews and recruitment to begin their final year of training on a new bespoke programme.
The student nurses will follow a community clinical training pathway for the final year of their degree nurse training, working alongside identified clinical supervisors and assessors and supported by Practice Education Facilitators. Read more here.
Telehealth features on innovation podcast
The National Innovation Collaborative podcast recently spoke with Dr Rosie Kaur, Deputy Medical Director and Trish Bennett, Executive Director of Nursing and Operations and Deputy Chief Executive of Clinical Services to discuss how the Telehealth Hub has grown, diversified and adapted its services and resources to meet the needs of people across Cheshire and Merseyside. Listen here: Trust, opportunity, and options.
Coming soon!
Look out for our latest video featuring Colette, one of our Heart Failure Virtual Ward patients, who shares her Telehealth experience and talks about how this innovative approach has given her life back.