Research: LYPFT participating in EQUIP project

EQUIP: Enhancing the quality of user involved care planning in mental health services

LYPFT are pleased to be involved in the EQUIP trial, involving service users, carers and clinical teams in research. Here is an outline of the project and what it entails for participants.

• The EQUIP project is funded by the National Institute for Health Research’s Programme Grants for Applied Research Programme.
• A joint project between University of Manchester; Manchester Mental Health and Social Care NHS Trust; University of Nottingham; and Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust.
• 5 year programme
• Aim: to develop, evaluate, implement and disseminate a user/carer led training package for mental health professionals to improve user/carer involvement in care planning

Service user and carer participation:

1. Researchers and Trust clinical studies officers assess eligibility of service users for participation in the trial
2. Service users are written to, inviting expressions of interest to participate
3. Face to face informed consent is sought
4. Service user is asked to identify an involved carer, friend, family member
5. Care coordinator asked to complete a brief risk assessment
6. Baseline questionnaire data is gathered prior to team training
7. Questionnaires are repeated 6 months after team training

Clinical team participation:

1. There are 3 pairs of community teams identified across Leeds and York
2. Teams are randomly assigned to control and experiment groups
3. All Mental Health professionals and Allied Health Professional’s will be asked to participate in the training (80%+ participation required)
4. The training package – co-produced and co-delivered with users and carers – is delivered over 2 days (October/ November 2015)
5. Team clinical supervision is offered post training (6 hours)
6. At the end of the trial, training will also be offered to the control groups

There is opportunity for service users, carers and Mental Health professionals to participate in interviews to explore the impact of the training after the event.

If you have any questions or comments, then please do not hesitate to contact donna.kemp@nhs.net

Smoking in NHS Trusts – what’s your view?

Smoking is an emotive subject: health; choice; freedom; rights; collateral cost. Never more so than in the NHS, Trusts are increasingly going Smoke Free. At March’s Service User Network, the topic is ‘Leeds and York Partnerships NHS Foundation Trust’s smoking policy’ – all welcome to join in the discussion, but in the meantime:

What are your views about people smoking during an inpatient stay? 

What can and should Trusts do to support people to stop smoking?

What about NHS staff smoking?

Click here for the transcript of a WeMHN’sTwitterchat about Mental Health and Smoking.

Service User Networks – January dates

The next LYPFT York, Service User Network Meeting will be held on 30th January 2015. The network covers Easingwold, Selby and Tadcaster as well as York. I am pleased to inform you that a representative from the Charity Together: for Mental Wellbeing which is an initiative to tackle mental health issues working with vulnerable groups of people who as a result of mental distress are intensive users of council, police, ambulance and fire services is going to attend to provide an update of the project and how it operates within this area.

As ever all are most welcome.

The next LYPFT Leeds Service User Network meeting will be held on 7th January; the topic will be Spirituality. All welcome to come along; if you want to know a little more about what the meetings are like, then click here. The minutes from the December 2014 can be found here.

 

Integrated Care Pathways in Mental Health

Jo Fryer and Emma Metcalf explain what Integrated Care Pathways are and how these are being developed at Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT):

Hi there, the trust is developing pathways that set out minimum standards of what people should expect and receive during their care. We thought it would be useful to outline work done so far, and what we are doing next. Below is some information that will hopefully be useful: 

What is an Integrated Care Pathway (ICP)?

An Integrated Care Pathway:

• maps what should be done, when and by whom
• sets a minimum standard of care
• incorporates relevant guidelines, standards and protocols

Why have LYPFT developed ICP’s?

ICP’s identify:

• the right people
• doing the right things
• in the right order
• at the right time
• in the right place

all with the attention to the individuals journey.

They also reduce unnecessary duplication and variation and are outcome and wellbeing / recovery focussed.

The trust has developed a ‘Core’ ICP that builds upon the information gathered at the assessment.  Areas of need anyone may experience regardless of ‘diagnosis’ will help develop individual care plans; other areas of need may include:

• Mental health and/or Learning Difficulties
• Physical health
• Social, Occupational & Vocational
• Medication
• Discharge planning
• Carers and Family interventions
• Finances
• Housing
• Supporting and Safeguarding children
• Safeguarding adults
• Engagement
• Advocacy
• Diversity
• Safety & Risk
• Advanced decisions
• Substance Use
• Mental Health Act
• Mental Capacity Act

In addition to these, specific needs based interventions describe the specific, expert interventions recommended by NICE and other best practice guidance for people with specific needs around Cognitive Impairment / Dementia, Psychosis and Common Mental Health issues.

We are currently working on how we can make the information meaningful and accessible for all and the best way of doing this eg the Trust web site. We will also be undertaking consultations with people who use our services.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and we hope you found it a useful introduction to ICP’s.

If you have any comments or questions please feel free to post them on here or email planningcarelypft@nhs.net

Jo, ICP Development Manager & Emma, ICP Developer

York Service User Network

The York Service User Network started in September 2014 and now meets monthly. The next meeting is on Friday 28th November at 1.15 and is at a new venue on Friargate. The meetings are relaxed and informal, the first half hour is devoted to welcoming people and sharing a cuppa. There is an agenda and this month there will be a discussion about Recovery, followed by a Q & A session. Some time will be put by to discuss the coming year and what the group would like to be included on the agenda. Everyone is welcome!

 

 

Choice: a priority for people accessing mental health services?

At Leeds and York Partnership  NHS Foundation Trust we are developing guidance for staff to help ensure that people are offered choice, including choice of worker. What is your view on people being offered a choice of worker? Please complete this quick poll, responses are anonymous.

If you would like to contribute to the development of this guidance or want to share your views to inform its development, then please contact donna.kemp@nhs.net Click here to read the comments from Twitter

Choice is a hot topic in Mental Health at the moment. People will be able to choose where they have their first outpatient appointment under choose and book, providing equal status between physical and mental health services.  This is a welcome move, but is only part of the story; Dr Sean Lennon writes about the broader picture of choice, of collaborating with service users, empowering people to make autonomous decisions about their own care and lives “Mental health service users are no different from anyone else in that they want to be able to exercise choice. They want to be treated with respect and be supported by skilled staff to receive high-quality care. Freedom of choice is absolutely fundamental to these aspirations”. You can read the full story here.

Locally, people attending the Service User Network (SUN) pulled together their views about choice and how they want to be treated within mental health services. The discussions were lively – clearly people had strong views about this and there were many stories highlighting the importance of choice and how it makes a difference to the persons experience and their progress. You can read about ‘Choice and how people want to be treated: key messages from SUN’ here.  There is more information about Leeds SUN here; you can click here for details about a developing service user group in York and there is also the Independent Mental Health Service User Forum, you can read about how to contact them and what they do here.

 

‘Service User Network’ York

Delighted to share that the next meeting of the York Service User Network (name yet to be decided) is 31st October; all welcome to attend: