How could the NHS better use its facilities to support social prescribing, holistic care and community resilience?
Source: Kings Fund
The NHS long-term plan has pledged to refer at least 900,000 people to social prescribing by 2023/24 to help improve people’s wellbeing; the fitter, healthier and more socially connected people are, the less likely it is they’ll need to access local GP or other health professionals. This research, based on a survey conducted with more than 2,000 people in England, shows that there’s also a strong appetite from the public for these services.
Jason Beresford is the author of ‘The Fabulous Four Fish Fingers’, ‘Frozen Fish Fingers’ and ‘Fish Fingers vs Nuggets’, three laugh-out-loud books about a gang of superhero kids. He is also, at times, a teacher, bad ukulele player and a man who speaks Japanese with a Coventry accent. Jason is the first author to feature in our Meet the Author Project. He has kindly answered a few questions about books and his work as an author and would like to use this opportunity to say thank you to NHS staff.
Before Jason became a children’s author, he worked in television for over 20 years. This included a long stint as a reporter for the Japanese TV company TV Asahi where he helped cover Nelson Mandela’s election as President in South Africa, the Rwandan refugee crisis, conflicts in Syria, Israel and across Europe. Jason also worked for the BBC in Coventry and Newcastle and for Tyne Tees TV where he was sent to join the army, he abseiled off Durham cathedral and he was attacked by a jackdaw that thought it was a dog.
Jason went on to direct two of Britain’s best loved soaps (Emmerdale and Coronation Street) and he produced many other TV shows. His memorable moments include reuniting the last surviving Oompah Loompas, crossing Britain on a lawn mower with John Sergeant and filming the party of the year at David Beckham’s house (even though he spent the whole night stuck in the kitchen.)
Jason lives in Leeds and has two daughters who both think he is quite funny at the moment but he knows this won’t last much longer.
Read here for more information about Jason and his work.
Coming soon: a library project to say thankyou to our hard working front line staff
Our clinical and support staff are working tirelessly to look after an increasing number of patients with serious mental health issues as well as supporting other patients and staff with anxiety and depression brought on or exacerbated by the current Covid-19 pandemic.
As librarians we are helping our staff to find valuable research in order to help them treat patients but also to help clinical leaders to try and predict the increased resources for mental health treatment which will be needed as the pandemic continues through the winter.
We are looking at ways to try to reward and motivate our valuable and brave front line staff, and we are inviting authors to send a message of support, thanks or encouragement, or just to raise a laugh or smile.
If you have a suggestion for an author you would like us to interview please email us at academic.library@lscft.nhs.uk
How has Covid-19 and the associated lockdown measures affected mental health and wellbeing in the UK?
This briefing provides insights into how mental health conditions have changed and which risk factors need to be recognised when supporting people’s mental health.
Now more than ever, we need to look after our wellbeing and take time to ourselves. We know that the new lockdown may have caused additional stress, worries or anxieties. We have a great range of welbeing and stress relief books to help you throughout the next month and beyond.
There is a growing body of research on the links between volunteering and wellbeing. This review (co-published with Spirit of 2012, and in partnership with the Institute of Volunteer Research) brings together the most relevant studies. It focuses on the experience of adult formal volunteers, and looks at the key factors involved in improving wellbeing through volunteering.
More than six months after the Covid-19 pandemic began many of us are feeling exhausted, anxious and overwhelmed. Now, more than ever, it’s so important to take some time to look after your wellbeing. King’s Fund have put together some useful resources, from ‘wellbeing plans’ to useful toolkits.
Many of us have busy lives and with the rise of pressures from the Covid pandemic, tasks and worries can start to build up; leading to a sense of feeling overwhelmed. Ultimately, this can have an adverse effect on our health and well-being.
The Control Influence Accept Model (CIA model) was developed by HR specialist Neil Thompson and social-work lecturer Sue Thompson in their 2008 book, “The Critically Reflective Practitioner” and identifies 3 ways to respond to challenges (as seen in the diagram below):
This model aims to help put things into perspective and clearly identify what is achievable compared to those challenges or tasks which aren’t.
Mindtools.com describe 4 simple steps to use when you’re feeling overwhelmed with a situation:
Describe the situation. What has happened and why has it become difficult? List every aspect of it that makes it overwhelming. An Elephant List exercise might be useful here. This encourages people to be candid about the problems that they are facing – in other words, to name the “elephant in the room.”
Sort and place items on the diagram. Once you’ve completed your list, write each item down on a separate sticky note and place it on the area of the diagram that it belongs in – control, influence, or accept/adapt. You can also use their interactive diagram to do this.
Consider each item in turn. Ask yourself or discuss with your team whether it is something that you could realistically control. Can you solve the problem using existing resources? Or will you need outside help? If you believe you can realistically control even part of the problem, place it in the Control section of the diagram. If you think the situation is beyond your control, consider whether it’s something you can influence. Do you, for example, have useful skills or knowledge that you can provide to someone else to solve the problem? If so, add it to the Influence section of the diagram. Place the remaining problems in the Accept/Adapt part of the diagram.
Take action. When you’re done sorting through the problems, address each section of your diagram in turn, starting with the things that you can control.
To find out more or to identify other tools to combat stress and anxiety click here.
Public Health England have launched a new campaign – Every Mind Matters, to support the well being of children, young people and their carers. The Covid pandemic has impacted everyone and research shows that children are more anxious, worried and lonely than ever before. These new stresses could cause harm to the mental health of the young generation.
This new advice supports parents and carers to recognise signs that their child may be struggling with their mental health and provides support to help them maintain good quality well being.
Hosted by Chief Executive, Caroline Donovan and her team of directors, the festivals have focused on the improvements made since the CQC inspection and the commitment of staff during this unprecedented year. What soon became clear, was the overwhelming sense of teamwork, commitment and dedication from each and every staff member, both clinical and non-clinical.
Each day celebrated a different network including;
Community and well-being
Children and young people
South Cumbria
Mental Health
Corporate services
What was evident was how each team adapted to the new way of working, ensuring safety was at the forefront of everything. Even through the pandemic, support has still been offered to patients and families, providing excellent patient care each and every day. Every network has embraced the use of digital software, from attend anywhere to Microsoft Teams, allowing people and patients to stay connected.
Congratulations to all those individuals and teams who were nominated and of course to the winners. To watch the videos click here.
