News 2009
Public asked to vote for healthcare heroes
For the first time a mental health and learning disability trust is asking people to nominate their healthcare heroes and voting opens today (Tuesday 07 June 2009).
Bradford District Care Trust, the area’s main provider of specialist mental health and learning disability services, is allowing the public to nominate for their heavenly helpers at its You’re a Star Awards.
This will be the first time the awards have been opened up to the general public and it is an opportunity to vote for staff who deserve an extra special thank you.
Simon Large, the trust’s Chief Executive, said: "These annual awards are our chance to celebrate the hard work and achievements of staff."
"Following the success of last year’s awards service users, carers and voluntary organisations expressed a keen interest in nominating for those they felt have worked exceptionally hard over the year to make our care even better."
Service users and carers can nominate a winner of the Working Together and the Making a Difference categories.
Respectively, they are for any team or person that has shown outstanding commitment to service user and carer involvement, and for staff who have 'gone that extra mile' to improve the lives of others.
Community groups also get a chance to vote for those who have shown devotion to care with an emphasis on working with the community in the Working with Communities award.
Anyone wanting to take part can visit www.bdct.nhs.uk/ and download a nomination form or call the Communications Team on 01274 228351 to have a nomination pack sent out.
People who nominate a team that makes the shortlist will be invited to a ceremony at the National media Museum on Tuesday 1 December.
It is the trust’s chance to celebrate the hard work of individuals and teams.
Nominate your star at Bradford District Care Trust today!
Notes to editors: -The awards are open to any employee or team at Bradford District Care Trust.
For further information please contact Sam Hirst 01274 228174
Learning Disability Week Showcase
People with learning disabilities have showcased new found talents in celebration of learning disability week.
Service users who attend a programme of activities at Cottingley Cornerstone Centre funded by Bradford District Care Trust showed examples of their handy work – the culmination of seven months’ work – at the exhibition.
A puppet show displayed their craft making and story writing skills, while a gallery of images showed off their digital photography prowess. People attending the event were also treated to a dress rehearsal of theatre production, a music therapy session and a computer skills workshop.
Andrew Waller, learning disabilities project manager at BDCT, said: "This has all been about recognising people’s talents. And the courses have been designed to educate and entertain. So, for example while service users have learnt to take excellent photographs with the help of a professional they have also been learning about self-confidence and healthy eating.
"These kinds of projects are extremely beneficial to service user because they not only learn life-skills but gain valuable integration with the local community."
The event on Monday 22 June was well attended by service users, cares, staff and supporters. It highlighted learning disability week which runs Sunday 21 to Saturday 27 June this year and draws attention to the needs and rights of people with learning disabilities.
Emily Godfrey, development worker at Cottingley Cornerstones Centre, said: "We are here to support the community. People with learning disabilities can be excluded from involvement in community activities because of perceived problems, but today shows how inclusive we are as a centre.
"We are here for the community and today shows how popular we have become since opening and how effective our partnership work with the care trust is."
The work showcased is the result of daily workshops organised in partnership with the Cottingley Cornerstones Centre in drama sessions, digital photography, music therapy, dance, art, information technology, puppet making and performance.
Success for Trainee
One of our students has become the region’s trainee doctor of the year. Rhys Jones, of Ilkley, has won the Yorkshire School of Psychiatry’s Core Trainee of the Year Award. The school oversees psychiatrists’ training in West Yorkshire and the North East. 29-year-old Rhys undertakes the majority of his training at Lynfield Mount Hospital, Bradford, where he currently works with Forensics. He said: "It’s great to be recognised for something like this. When you are training you have enough to worry about, but it’s great to be told you are doing a good job. Winning this award means a lot to me."
The school was looking for a good clinician in day-to-day work, someone who had done well with research, teaching and is an inspirational person. Born in Michigan, USA, he moved to Germany at 11-years-old. Later he moved with his family to Scotland, where he began his training, and has been living in Yorkshire since 2007. Dr Wendy Burn, Head of the Yorkshire School of Psychiatry, said: "Rhys should be congratulated on his achievement. He was selected as the best of 180 core trainees in Yorkshire for his achievements over a wide range of areas. We are very pleased to be able to attract trainees of his caliber to Yorkshire."
He is training on our psychiatric training programme which has helped train student doctors to a high standard for many years. Rhys added: "Yorkshire has a great reputation for psychiatry and I’ve really enjoyed working in Bradford and Airedale."
When he is not hard at work Rhys can be found performing with his band Waterland or pounding the pavements – he ran the Edinburgh Marathon in May. The award now means he is in the running for a national prize from the Royal College of Psychiatry based in London.
Counselling Reaches Muslim Men
A pioneering group has helped to reduce stigma in Muslim communities associated with mental health problems by providing counselling for men. The first of its kind programme will become a permanent fixture for Bradford District Care Trust this week (Thursday 9 April) following a successful pilot period.
22-year-old, Kesser Karim, who attended the pilot programme, said: "I went along to the group because I wanted to improve myself. It is about learning new skills and developing. By dealing with anger you can deal with problems that come out of it like depression, anxiety and social issues. I have gained an understanding of what anger is – a lot of people don’t understand anger. We looked a lot at perceptions. If you change your perceptions you change your ability to deal with anger."
The men’s group tackled perceptions and prejudices by inviting Imams to present on the theme of anger during Friday Prayer and inform about the new service. They also spoke directly to the community by visiting community centres and appearing on local radio. Saquib Ahmad, co-leader and interpreter of the programme, said: "This group is crossing language barriers others cannot. We’ve tried hard to communicate with the community in their own language bringing in interpreters, such as myself.
"Anger is something everyone experiences and is a kind of stress. We’re not saying Muslim men are angrier than anyone else. They’ve just been a hard to reaching section of our community in the past."
The group is called Sabr Men’s Group – sabr meaning patience in the Islamic language. It is a collaboration between Bradford District Care Trust’s Helios Centre, NHS Bradford and Airedale’s Community Therapeutic Resource Team and the Claremont Centre. The weekly self referral group meets at Claremont Community Centre on Thursdays at 1.30pm. Richard Carroll, Team Leader, said: "Anger should not always be a bad thing because it motivates people, but if you’re hot headed then acting with emotions rather than logic can have negative effects."
"We provide people with the skills to recognise symptoms of anger, so they can change the way they think if they start to become angry. We teach them the difference between anger and aggression."
Anyone wanting further information or to join the group can contact Richard Carroll at The Helios Centre (01274) 363216. For further info contact Dan Johnson, Communications Team, Tel: 01274 228351
Trust gets an £8,000 boost
Nursing staff in the Bradford district have received a bumper Christmas gift thanks to local firm – Sovereign Health Care. The Bradford-based health care cash plan provider has presented £8,000 to Bradford District Care Trust to promote nurse training and development in mental health.
Trust Chair, Barry Seal, said: "We are extremely grateful to Sovereign for their ongoing support". "Our staff are constantly learning and developing but this will give them the chance to access further specialist training and provide even better services for our users."
Previous donations from Sovereign Health Care have been used by the Trust across a full range of mental health services including; supported accommodation, race equality and recovery services in child and adolescent mental health.
Key Account Manager for Sovereign Health Care, Barbara Keiss, said: "We are delighted to help recognise some of the fantastic work going on across health and social care services in the district. We know that our contribution is helping to develop staff and put the district at the forefront of delivering high quality care."
Staff Praised
Bradford District Care Trust staff sashayed down the red carpet at an Oscar’s style awards ceremony where they were honoured for their achievements.
They converged on the National Media Museum for a chance to see themselves on the big screen and claim a share of the £10, 000 prize money kindly donated by Sovereign Health Care for outstanding work.
The 300 seat venue was filled to capacity for the new look staff awards.
It saw teams and individuals who have launched pioneering projects, helping people with mental health problems and learning disabilities compete, in 10 categories.
First prize in each category was £1000 used for on going service or personal development.
Those short listed were interviewed by a film crew before the night and saw themselves up on the sliver screen in a two minute feature about their outstanding work. Sarfraz Khan, a Community Support Worker, took home first prize for Learner of the Year.
He undertook significant training on top of a busy work schedule and home life to attain certificates in Arabic and Spirituality from Leeds University and the University of Central Lancashire.
Sarfraz Khan, said: "I am honoured to even be nominated but to win – I am ecstatic.
"I would like to thank all my colleagues at Skipton Road Day Centre for the support they have given me, which has in turn given me confidence."
Service user development worker Tony Carey went home with first prize in the Making a Difference category.
He has been fundamental in promoting individualised support plans for people with mental health problems, making a significant improvement to services.
Mr Carey, said: "This is an extremely proud moment, but it wasn’t just up to me because I am a firm believer in team work. We need this approach to ensure our work is realist and not tokenistic."
The New Ridge Team, based in Cottingley, provides day services for people with learning difficulties.
They won Team of the Year for their work, which went beyond the call of duty, to allow service users to enjoy extreme sports such as archery, canoeing, caving, abseiling, rock climbing and fell working.
Previously people with challenging needs have not been able to engage in these sports because of the perceived safety risks.
Pam Hickinson, who works at new ridge, said: "This is a fantastic achievement for the whole team and a morale boost for everyone. It has shown us the way forward and how to build on what we have already achieved."
Sarah Goonoo, a specialist personal advisor with Connexions, and Penny Blair, a transitional care coordinator, scooped top prize for Outstanding Contribution to Improving Service.
They were recognised for their tireless partnership work to help marginalised and disaffected young people back into education, training and employment.
Penny Blair, said: "We are proud and thrilled to receive this award and it is a testament to the hard work of everyone we work with and makes it all worthwhile."
The Taskforce Team took home the Working Together prize. They are a group of staff and service users with learning disabilities based at Listonshiels Resource Centre.
The group ran away with first prize for producing an information booklet, which has since been awarded copyright, explaining how people with learning disabilities expect to be treated.
Sue Roberts, who works with the Taskforce group, said: "This has been a wonderful night and I have been humbled by he whole experience. Thank you very much to everyone who nominated us."
The award categories were: Leader of the year, outstanding contribution in the supporting the delivery of direct care, team of the year, valued colleague, working together, outstanding contribution to improving services, working with communities, leader of the year, making a difference and innovation
Barbara Keiss, Key Account Manager for Sovereign Health Care, said: "We are once again thrilled to be supporting Bradford District Care Trust in its mission to provide groundbreaking care.
"This year’s entries were of a particularly high standard and we are honoured to be involved with an organisation doing such good work."
Trust Chair Barry Seal, said: "Year after year we continue to see the fruits of personal achievements which improve and develop our services, the breadth and scope of which are impressive – as tonight showed."
List of categories and the winners
Learner of the Year – Sarfraz Khan
Outstanding Contribution in Supporting the Delivery of Direct Care – Assessment and Treatment Unit Team at Lynfield Mount Hospital, Bradford
Team of the Year – New Ridge Team, Stoney Ridge Road, Cottingley
Valued Colleague – Kath Schofield, Assistant Manager of Melville House, Bradford, and Vera Samociuk, Primary Mental Health Worker
Working Together – Taskforce Self Advocacy Group, Bradford West Supported Accommodation, Listonshiels Resource Centre
Outstanding Contribution to Improving Services – Penny Blaire, Transitional Care Coordinator and Sarah Goonoo, Specialist Connexions PA
Working with Communities – Temple Row Team, Keighley Day Services
Leader of the Year – John Vickers, Keighley Day Services Manager
Making a difference – Tony Carey, Service User Development worker
Innovation Award – Walks for All, based at Skipton Road Day Services