The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence suggests 1.6 million people in the UK are affected by an eating disorder, and while any one of any age can experience this type of illness, it’s children and young people in particular who are benefitting from a new local NHS service.

The Specialist Eating Disorder and Intensive Home Treatment Service (SPEEDIHT), part of the Trust’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), is revolutionising the way services for children and young people are delivered.

With limited in-patient facilities locally for this age group, in the past those who have a combination of eating disorders and mental health problems have had to travel as far away as Lancashire or London, often for periods of six months or more.

More recently however, thanks to a dedicated team of psychologists, psychiatrists, therapists, support workers and nursing staff, the Trust is now able to provide the care and support they need in their own homes instead of travelling hundreds of miles.

Mark Vaughan, Head of Operations CAMHS, explains: “If a young person has to be treated out-of-area it means they are taken away from their family, which can interrupt their developmental years as a teenager and it can disrupt continuity of care at a critical time.

“Being able to provide locally based care in familiar surroundings means we are reducing the potential stress brought about by an unfamiliar environment. We believe that having a service locally, close to family and friends improves the overall emotional health and well-being of those needing this level of support.”

Despite only being launched in August last year, SPEEDIHT has already seen encouraging results – there has been a 58 per cent reduction in the amount of people needing treatment away from the area, highlighting the positive effects the introduction of a locally based service can bring.

Rebecca Brown, now 18, has battled anorexia for the past year. Before the introduction of SPEEDIHT she would have potentially had to travel far away from her friends and family to receive treatment. Instead, Rebecca explains how SPEEDIHT helped.

“Going away to get treatment would have been horrible, in a time of need you want to be somewhere near the people you love. Because I was able to be treated at home, it helped a lot, and the staff team were great in giving me the same treatment I would maybe have got elsewhere, here in Bradford.”

Thanks to SPEEDIHT, Rebecca continues to successfully battle her eating disorder and is currently studying for her final exams.

While the seven day a week service means an increased number of young people can now be treated at home, for those who do still need the specialist care and treatment of an in-patient unit, this can still be accessed with support from the service before, during and after admission.

“The team offers an extension of care to a greater number of young people,” Mark continued, “those who may have faced hospital admission in the past, can now choose an intensive home treatment package instead. I’m confident the service will continue to strengthen the options available to young people and their families and where possible we can help to keep care in Bradford.”

Trust Board members at Bradford District Care Trust are working closely with clinical staff as part of an innovative project to improve quality of services.

Under the Clinical Buddying Programme, they’ll be teaming up with consultants to get an insight into their roles. The aim of is for Board members to build relationships with staff on the ground, to see how they work and get a better understanding of the challenges they face. It started as a pilot project last year and is being re-launched for 2012 due to its success.

Award winning doctor, Mahmood Khan, Consultant Psychiatrist and Associate Medical Director, is leading the initiative.  He said: “We recognised that clinicians and Board members had a limited understanding of each other’s roles and responsibilities. The project gives the Board a better understanding of some of the pressures faced by frontline staff. It also gives them an insight into some of the clinical complexities that we deal with.”

Each Board member taking part is paired up with a consultant. They visit them in their clinical settings for one-to-one sessions and attend ward rounds, case conferences, team meetings, outpatient clinics and forums with them. This gives them first-hand experience of the types of patients seen and a better understanding about both staff and patient needs. After three months they rotate to another consultant, working in a different specialty, to further build their knowledge.

Feedback from the pilot project, which ran in 2011, was 100% positive with both clinicians and board members saying the process was useful and that they had learnt a lot from it.

Michael Smith, Non-Executive Director, taking part in the project, said: “You can’t know or understand what’s happening in an organisation just by attending Board meetings. Engaging with clinicians in this way really helps inform your decisions.”

Dr Khan added: “The feedback from clinicians was that they felt they could talk openly about a range of issues with their buddies, knowing that it was being heard by and taken up by someone at Board level.”

The Clinical Buddying Programme was showcased to board members from other NHS organisations across the Yorkshire and Humber region at a recent event.

Picture Caption: Michael Smith, Non-Executive Director, joins Dr Mahmood Khan on a ward round.

Bradford District Care Trust received the People’s Choice Award at the Lean Healthcare Academy Awards after presenting an overview of its ‘Productive Ward’ work.

Made up of a range of different modules, the Productive Ward improvements made at the specialist unit has ultimately released more direct care time for staff to spend with service users – an increase of 25 per cent since 2010.

Krishnakumar Nair, Productive Ward Project Lead, said: “The award is in recognition of the perseverance, hard work and dedication of all the front-line staff on the ward who have implemented a wide range of small changes that have had a big difference.”

Some of the changes made to the ward, which is based on the Lynfield Mount Hospital site, include: installing cupboard photographs on the exterior of furniture to reduce time looking for items, overhauling the dining experience and environment for patients and reducing the amount of staff interruptions. Evidence from a recent staff survey also shows a significant increase in staff empowerment, confidence and morale.

Janet Barker, Ward Clerk, said: “The Productive Programme has given us the tools we needed to transform the ward environment. The ward is now an even calmer and more dignified place and we believe service users get better quicker.”

The same work lead the Care Trust to be named as a finalist in the ‘Productive Ward Series – England’ category at the same ceremony.

Altogether Better Diabetes, run by Bradford District Care Trust, is helping patients to learn how to better manage their type 2 diabetes. The pilot project sees health trainers, community health champions and primary care practitioners all working together.

So far 200 patients have been helped by the team of three health trainers and seven volunteer community health champions.

Working with three GP practices, they offer support and advice to people who may be struggling to manage their diabetes, need help with weight management or lowering their blood glucose levels.

The GP, practice nurse or diabetic specialist nurse sets the patient a goal to achieve, the health trainer provides support and motivation to reach the goal, and the community health champion offers practical support in achieving it.

Nurjahan Ali Arobi, Manager of Health Trainer and Social Prescribing Service, says it’s a great example of effective team working: “If a patient is given a weight loss goal by their GP, the health trainer would get to the heart of the issue, identifying any barriers that could get in the way of achieving the goal. They might create an exercise plan with the patient or suggest food swaps. The community health champion then offers community based support in the form of a walking group or a free ‘cook and eat’ session, where the patient learns how to prepare fresh food.”

Also popular are supermarket tours where patients learn about food labels and levels of carbohydrates and fats in food. The community health champion translates the information into the patient’s first language and uses their training to address any concerns or myths about food and diabetes.

The project has received positive feedback from patients who say they value being seen in their local GP practice by people who speak the same languages as them and come from similar backgrounds.

One patient commented: “I understand diabetes a lot more now but know that the more knowledge I have of it the better I can control it. I am glad to be able to start walking with a champion who speaks my language and that I feel at ease with, I was so upset when I was first diagnosed that I found it hard to take the information in, but with the help of the team I have found it easier to deal with.”

It’s hoped that the project, which ends in June, will be commissioned due to its success.

The Bradford District Care Trust unit, based on ward 24 at Airedale General Hospital in Steeton, received a cheque for £455 at a recent Soroptimist meeting.

Jacquie Edwards, Ward Manager, said: “It was a lovely surprise and the donation will really go a long way to helping local people with dementia. We’re going to buy an orientation board which will help service users understand the date, day of the week, month and weather.”

A spokesman for the Soroptimist Society said: “Soroptimists are aware of the problems that come with an ageing population and feel that supporting agencies that help people with dementia is important’.

The purchase of the orientation board comes on the back of a trip to Stirling University where staff from the ward looked at alternative ways of improving the ward environment.

Seniors Show the Way, hosted by Bradford District Care Trust, recognised more than 150 of their 1433 Community Health Champions as part of celebrations to mark the service’s third year.

Held at Victoria Hall, Saltaire, the celebrations featured guest speakers, Community Health Champions’ personal stories, engaging activities and a luncheon.

Catherine Pitts, Team Co-ordinator at Seniors Show the Way, said: “The event helped us bring together those who have been at the forefront of making a difference across our district. It was a great way of showing them our appreciation and celebrating our successes – it was a fantastic day.”

Seniors Show the Way supports people aged over 50 to spread positive health messages and encourage people to stay active and healthy and improve their well-being.

Lord Mayor Councillor Naveeda Ikram, who was a guest speaker at the event, praised the work of Community Health Champions.

Councillor Ikram said: “It’s a sad fact that sometimes older people can become vulnerable or get isolated, but its projects like this that rise to the challenge and do what they can to bring people together. I’m so proud Bradford’s seniors are showing the way to healthier lives, not just for themselves, but for others around them too.”

For more information about Seniors Show the Way visit: www.bdct.nhs.uk/sstw/

Bradford District Care Trust has been recognised for improving health services for patients with learning disabilities.

Our Health Facilitation team received a silver award from Bradford People First (BPF) at their recent Healthy Living event.

BPF is a self-advocacy group, run by people with learning disabilities, for people with learning disabilities.

More than 100 people attended the event which was set up to bring together all services involved in maintaining and improving the health and well-being of people with learning disabilities. It also gave those with a learning disability the chance to find out about the services available to them and how to stay healthy.

Krystal Hemmingway, Strategic Health Facilitator at BDCT also picked up a gold award for having had the largest impact on improving health services for people with a learning disability in the last 12 months.

She said: “I feel really honoured to have been singled out for this award, but it is the team who really deserve the recognition. They have worked really hard over the last year to improve the health and well-being of people in Bradford who have a learning disability.”

Krystal and the team have been training local GPs to ensure patients get the best possible service and that their needs are being met, as she explains: “We talk to GPs about the reasons why people with a learning disability are more likely to die earlier and the types of illnesses they are prone to. We also advise them how to carry out annual health checks.”

The annual health check includes basic measurements like blood pressure, height and weight, but also more specific checks around things like diabetes, chronic heart disease and epilepsy.

The team is determined to make sure their patients are not missing out on general health promotion campaigns by encouraging GP’s to discuss issues like smoking and drinking at the yearly check-up.

The Healthy Living Awards were presented by Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Naveeda Ikram and members of Bradford People First.

 - ENDS -

Picture Caption

Members of the Health Facilitation Team with their awards: (Left to Right) Ruth Foster, Denise Priestley, Krystal Hemmingway, Sadie Dunne and Sarah Bearder.

Seniors Show the Way, a Bradford District Care Trust service, is encouraging anyone interested in setting up short walks in their community to attend the training on Tuesday 14 February, 9.30am – 4.30pm at the Sedbergh Centre on Huddersfield Road in BD6.

Sarah Jones, Project Support Worker, said: “We find people want to do something in their community but are sometimes unsure of how to go about it.

“We work to encourage people 50 years old or over to have an active and healthy lifestyle. By offering training such as the walk leader sessions, we are simply providing the support and guidance required to set up community groups and spread positive health messages to others.”

Once trained, qualified walk leaders will be able to lead local walking groups in a voluntary capacity.

If you would like to book on to the training please contact Seniors Show the Way on 01274 321911 or email seniors@bdct.nhs.uk. For more information about the service visit: www.bdct.nhs.uk/sstw.

The group, made up of staff from a wide range of local health services including mental health, podiatry and district nursing, have been recognised for 25 and 40 years service to the NHS.

Lynne Ash is one member of staff who has reached the 25 year mark.  She said “I can’t believe I’ve made it to such a milestone! I’ve always found my work very rewarding though, so it’s easy to see how the years have stacked up.”

Lynne has worked her way up the ranks and started a new post in 2011 as manager of the Trust’s Adult Mental Health Well-being Services which provides services throughout the Bradford district; including creating opportunities for people with mental health problems to get into volunteering or start work placements.

“I think the key to achieving 25 years is being prepared for change” Lynne explained,  “I learnt quickly that the NHS is one of the most rapid moving organisations out there. You need to be proactive instead of reactive and look at ways of moving forward with the times.”

Pamela Chapman collected her award after reaching 40 years service as a support worker in the Trust’s learning disabilities service. She said: “I only started as a Saturday girl all those years back!

“I retired four years ago but came back as I still feel young enough to work, and more importantly I still enjoy my work; the people I work with are like a second family and I don’t want to leave. I intend to stay on as long as my health will let me.”

In recognition of their combined 980 years service, each member of staff received a certificate and badge in a ceremony held at the Mercure Hotel, Bingley.

Sandra Knight, Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development at the Trust, said: “Each one of these members of staff has shown a fantastic commitment to our Trust, and I would like to thank and congratulate every single one of them for their loyal service.”

A report by the Yorkshire and Humber Public Health Observatory[1] shows Bradford and Airedale had 1,457 females and 2,437 males (per 100,000 people) admitted to hospital during 2008/09 – a figure that has continually risen since 2003/4.

With alcohol consumption in the UK estimated to shoot up by over 40% in December[2], Bradford District Care Trust, a local provider of substance misuse services, is sharing helpful hints to help people keep track of what they are drinking and stay healthy this Christmas.

Jade McPhilimey, Head of Operations for Substance Misuse at the Trust, said: “Whilst we still encourage people to stick to the recommended limits of no more than four units a day for men and no more than three a day for women, we know Christmas is often a time when celebrating and drinking go hand-in-hand.”

Under Department of Health recommended guidelines, men are advised not to drink the equivalent of more than a pint and a half of beer a day, and women, no more than 250ml glass of wine.

Jade, who oversees the Trust’s Alcohol Care Team at Bradford Royal Infirmary, and community drug and alcohol teams, warns of the effects of binge drinking. She said: “Usually temporary, effects may include shaking, anxiety and damage to the stomach lining, resulting in sickness and diarrhoea. Excessive drinking on a regular basis though can lead to severe long-term health problems, including liver problems, addiction and mental health problems.”

“Christmas in particular is a time when people exceed their recommended limits but there are plenty of simple things people can do to reduce their alcohol intake this winter. This might mean just drinking slower, eating before you do consume alcohol or even limiting your spending power.

“We want people to have a good time this Christmas, but we also want them to know their limits and stay safe.”

To calculate your unit intake this Christmas, visit NHS choices and use their online drinks tracker or download the NHS Drinks Tracker Application on your smartphone.

For more information about alcohol and the affects it can have on your health and well-being please click here to download the Care Trust’s “Alcohol: What you Need to Know” booklet.

The Care Trust has the following tips to help make the party season safer:

1. Set drinking limits

Decide how much you’re going to drink and stick to it. Ideally your limits should be within your daily guidelines, 2-3 units for women, 3-4 units for men.

2. Learn to drink slowly

Avoid rushing your drinks. Timing your drinks against the clock can often help, you could maybe aim for a pint an hour.

3. Avoid drinking in rounds

Don’t worry about it seeming a bit anti-social – buying your own drinks gives you more control over your drinking and reduces the need to “keep up” with friends.

4. Limit your spending power

It’s easy to get carried away over the festive period so limit the amount of money you take out with you. That way, when you run out of money, you know it’s nearly home time.

5.  Eat before you drink

Drinking on an empty stomach can be harmful. Make sure you have a good meal before consuming alcohol to reduce your desire to drink heavily.

6.  Try out lower strength drinks

Cut down your alcohol units by trying out different drinks. Switching to a lower strength drink such as an 8% wine instead of a 13% wine, or drinking spirits with a mixer or iced water can help reduce your alcohol intake.

7.  Keep occupied

Slow down your drinking by playing pool, dominoes or cards with friends.

8.  Have a dry period

If you know you have festive parties coming up on the calendar, spend a couple of days alcohol-free beforehand, and after to let your body recover.

9.  Don’t try to keep up

If you socialise with heavy drinkers, don’t try to keep up. Drink at your own pace, and drink sensibly.

10.  Remember you can say ‘no’!

Don’t bow to any pressure put on you by friends. Only drink what you want to drink and don’t have more than you had planned. Be assertive and say ‘no’ if you don’t want another drink, after-all it is your health!

[1] October 2010
[2] Data from Alcohol Awareness Charity, Drink Aware.