Volunteers’ Week (1-7 June): Celebrating our incredible volunteers at Nottinghamshire Healthcare

It’s Volunteers’ Week, 1 – 7 June, and we’re celebrating and recognising the fantastic work of our volunteers.

Nottinghamshire Healthcare has over 150 registered volunteers who give hundreds of hours of their time every week supporting our colleagues, patients and their families. Our volunteers bring skills, knowledge and a desire to make a difference to our services and the lives of the people we care for.

We spoke to Lucy Paine, who has been a volunteer at the Trust for 2 years. She began volunteering as she wanted to give back to the service that has supported her throughout the good and bad times in her life.

Lucy’s volunteering story:

Mental Health Awareness Week: Processing my experiences and triggers helped me to continue to work

For Mental Health Awareness Week, were sharing a story about Gemma, 39, who works as a Forensic Scientist examining evidence for the Criminal Justice System. Gemma has had many things happen in her life which have become very overwhelming for her, and she has found these very difficult to deal with alone, both physically and psychologically. She has been supported by Nottinghamshire Healthcare's Primary Care Psychological Medicine (PCPM) service and she says it has given her more confidence and is helping her to understand and process her triggers.

 

Gemma shares her story:

Dementia Action Week: “I had a mum, a friend and now I have a child”

As part of Dementia Action Week, we’re sharing a story about Zofia* (86) and daughter Monika* (55). Zofia has suffered from dementia for over 10 years and her declining ill health has meant that Monika has had to give up work to care for her mum. Monika says without the valuable care and support from the Trust’s Bassetlaw Community Mental Health Team (Mental Health Services for Older People) she would not have been able to cope. 

Autism Acceptance Week: “I was always classed as the ‘weird kid’ who nobody wanted to talk to”

For Autism Acceptance Week, we’re sharing a story from Tom Hewitt, 32, who works at the Trust as an IT Service Desk Analyst. Tom was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome (now known as autism) at the age of 18 and talks about his experiences growing up, being classed as ‘the weird kid’ at school, his struggles with social interactions and how he found it hard to fit in. He also suffers from Generalised Anxiety Disorder, (GAD), a long-term condition which causes a person to feel anxious about a wide range of situations and issues, rather than one specific event.

Tom is really proud to work for Nottinghamshire Healthcare and says since day one, the Trust has welcomed and accepted him into the organisation, and for the first time in a long time, he feels proud to say that he works not for, but with a company that looks after and respects its employees like him. 

Thomas (Tom) Hewitt, IT Service Desk Analyst

“You don’t look autistic”

World Autism Acceptance Week takes place from 27 March to 2 April.  Autism is a lifelong developmental disability which affects how people communicate and interact with the world. There are approximately 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK.

Dave Pooley is Neurodevelopmental Transitions Lead for the Adult Mental Health Service at Nottinghamshire Healthcare.  The service is just 6 months old however it has received just over 100 referrals to meet the mental health needs of adults with neurodevelopmental conditions within Adult Mental Health (AMH) services who are transitioning.

Dave shares his reflections of autism and how it affected him growing up.

Reducing stress and improving our own mental well-being

Low mood can strike at any time of year, but many of us find the winter months – and January in particular – more difficult. 

A combination of post-Christmas blues, cold, dark weather and the tightening of purse strings may be some of the reasons why January can feel like a long and difficult month to get through.

With the past few years being a challenging time for us all,  the need for us all to look after our mental health and support each other, is all the more important.  So, what can you do if you need a mood boost? 

World Mental Health Day: I’ve suffered with my own mental health battles and now as a Senior Peer Support Worker I’ve learnt to value myself again

For World Mental Health Day, Monday 10 October 2022, we’re talking about mental health and how important it is to look after this, to talk about things and to get help if you are struggling.

Andrew works at Nottinghamshire Healthcare as Senior Peer Support Worker at Arnold Lodge. Before joining the NHS, he worked as a management consultant specialising in grant funding and IT management. Andrew shares his story about his personal experience of mental health difficulties, his recovery journey, and his role as a Senior Peer Support Worker.