Cakes which make a difference

Mental Health Nurse Maria Ditch bakes cakes which make a difference. Here she tells us the story behind her latest design, and why she wants to use cake to raise awareness of mental health issues.

All of my professional life I’ve been passionate about mental health. Since 1985, I’ve worked as a Registered Mental Nurse at Rampton Hospital - one of only three high secure hospitals in the country.

Former patient returns to hospital as an employee

A former patient of the Trust’s medium secure unit in Rotherham, Wathwood Hospital, has returned six years later as an employee.

Andy Reynolds spent five years as a patient at Wathwood and is now working in the Courtyard Café and Farm Shop in the Hospital grounds.

While at the Hospital Andy was part of the successful ‘Wathwood Hospital in the Community’ project which involved patients and staff working together with members of the public to help improve the local area, for example through providing gardening services.  Since leaving the Hospital Andy has kept busy involving himself with countryside activities and poultry rearing which will come in handy in his new role.   Here he tells his story…

David's story: my struggle with alcohol

David had always enjoyed the occasional beer however, as his drinking steadily worsened during a difficult few years, it took its toll on his health. After a stay in hospital, he found himself supported by the Trust’s Alcohol Related Long Term Conditions Team and is now firmly on the road to recovery.

Almost a year on, David, 45, is sharing his story to encourage others who are struggling with alcohol to access the help that is available.

An update on Tammy’s work in Zimbabwe

From left: Denford Gudyanga, Case Manager; Tendai Mayuni, Programmes Officer, M&E; Charity Shonai, Case Manager; Tammy Palmer and Mlambo Nefasi, Case Manager

In July we heard from Community Psychiatric Nurse Tammy Palmer, who was planning to travel to Zimbabwe to help spread the success of the Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) model of care. Here’s her first update.

I am now three months into my year-long career break, during which I’m supporting work to introduce the EIP model through the Zimbabwe National Association for Mental Health (ZIMNAMH), a non-governmental organisation that advocates for the rights of people with mental health problems.

International Volunteer Day

5 December is International Volunteer Day. One of our volunteers, Thomas, has written his volunteering story.

How I volunteer

I am now an established volunteer for Nottingham Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, with all of my work based at their offices at Duncan Macmillan House on Portchester Road.

With well-established skills in software development, and more recently, qualifications and skills in website related development, my main area of volunteering is in developing a more dynamic front end to a website used for managing and reporting on the feedback of patients on the services which they have received from the NHS. More specifically, I will be replacing graphical information presented as a static picture with graphics generated dynamically from information in a database.

With experience of being on the autistic spectrum, I also volunteer for Story Shop afternoons. On such afternoons, a number of us travel to a venue (a local teaching hospital, the offices of the local authority, or a public library) to give an account of our health related experiences to successive groups of medical students, local authority employees, or interested members of the public. On such afternoons, I talk about my experiences of being on the autistic spectrum.

Keeping people safe: Occupational Therapy and the Fire Service

Occupational therapist Lyndsay Beck explains why her team are working with the Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, to help older people stay safe and independent.

I am an occupational therapist at Nottinghamshire Healthcare and I work with older adults with mental health needs, such as depression and dementia. An occupational therapist’s role is to help people to carry on with the activities which they need and want to do.

It may seem like an unlikely combination, but my colleagues and I have been working closely with Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service. You may be wondering why? It’s because often the older people we work with – who may be isolated and have poor mental and/or physical health - are the types of people who are most likely to be affected by fire. Fires related to heating and cooking appliances are the most common in Nottinghamshire.

Life after Rio

Earlier in the year we heard from paediatric physiotherapist Julie Gray, who was looking forward to being part of the Rio Paralympics. Julie went to Rio as the Head of Classification for the International Canoe Federation (ICF). Now she's settled back in to normal life, we asked her about her experiences.

What was the atmosphere like?

The atmosphere in the athlete’s village and in Rio was joyous. The Brazilian people were so friendly and welcoming, and the Carioca spirit covers every aspect of daily life. They want to share it with all their guests, to help them to feel a little of the sheer joy of living, and to take it away with them to wherever they are going in the world.