Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV)

Great to see our very own Russell Smith supporting such a great campaign.

Autistic clinicians become Amazon best-sellers! Two of our autistic clinicians set out to create the book they couldn’t find and soon became chart toppers. When Nikita Shepherdson, trainee clinical psychologist, received a diagnosis of autism she turned to Google to find the lived experiences of other autistic mental health professionals. She didn’t find many. Her solution was to team up with consultant psychologist Vicky Jervis and together they set out to gather accounts of life as autistic mental health professionals from colleagues all over the UK. In total, 25 submitted completed chapters and the result is a fascinating book which offers inspiration to aspiring autistic colleagues and insight to anybody with an interest in varied life experiences. It busts a few myths too! An Autistic Anthology – Neuro-Narratives of Mental Health Professionals shot to the top of Amazon’s social sciences chart on its first week of sale, proof that many others were also seeking what Nikita couldn’t find. #AutismAwareness #MentalHealthProfessionals #Neurodiversity #AutisticClinicians #AutisticAuthors #LivedExperience #AmazonBestSellers

Be prepared over the festive holidays by keeping healthcare essentials at home. 🤒 Plasters, indigestion remedy, allergy relief, cough and anti-diarrhoeal medicine is a good place to start! Your local pharmacist can give you more advice. You can find pharmacy opening hours here 👇 https://lnkd.in/deYWWGQ #HereToHelp

Miles of smiles... Pupils at the British School of Valencia in Spain are spreading positivity thousands of miles via a letter exchange project, with almost 100 letters of hope being delivered to our Selby CAMHS service. ✉️ Spearheaded by their teacher Sarah Barker, originally from Wigan but now teaching English in Valencia, 233 letters were split and sent to three organisations providing care or supporting mental health awareness - with Selby CAMHS being one of them. The team plan to give them to children and young people when they are accessing the service for the first time. They will also add the messages to the recovery tree in the waiting area and plan to have them printed in a book which people can read when they come in. Inés, 14, who was involved in writing and sending the letters, said: “It was really fun, trying to organise the letters and sorting through them. But more than anything, it was amazing knowing that they would help someone, maybe more than we thought." School teacher, Sarah, said: “I started the Correspondence Club earlier this year to spread hope and positivity, both near and far, primarily through letter writing. “This activity promoted the act of simply giving, without any intention of receiving anything in return, which seems even more prevalent now, after the devastation caused by recent flooding in Valencia." Read the story by clicking the link in the comments 👇

Our very own North Yorkshire Talking Therapies from the trust, fielded a 5-a-side football team and entered the first North Riding Football Association: ‘Tough to Talk’ Cup, an initiative driven to encourage men to talk more openly in the North East and access mental health support through football. 🏆 With seven teams in the draw, our team who have never played together before, played against tough teams securing save after save and amongst others goals they also claimed the goal of the tournament with a net shaking volley. ⚽️ Our team reached the final and the lads set to face a much younger team in the closing match. It was a closely played game with a questionable disallowed penalty near the whistle, but sadly they did not quite win the trophy in a 2-1 defeat… but they will be back next year! 👊 Well done to our team - take a look at the photos below and to find out more about how our Talking \therapies service can help you, head to the link below 👇 https://lnkd.in/ghtcr9Wa

Young people have helped to lead the creation of an amazing new mental health online resource. 🙌 A dedicated #CAMHS section on our Trust website, has been co-created by children and young people, their parents and carers, and staff. It includes video tours that have been filmed and narrated by young people from CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services). The young people wanted to reduce anxiety for people visiting for the first time and show them what to expect. 🎬 One of our young people from CAMHS said: "I found my first appointment at CAMHS quite worrying. By doing the video I wanted to show young people my experience and help them feel safer.” 💬 The co-created webpages also include practical tips and advice to support children and young people’s mental health, signposting to links and self-help resources, details about local CAMHS services, and other useful information. 📲 Lynne Brown, our CAMHS speciality development manager, said: “We are very proud of our new webpages. It’s a significant development for CAMHS and our Trust, and provides children, young people and their families with access to resources and information in one place. 💬 “It was important that we worked with our young people to develop the new webpages and listened to what they wanted. We would like to thank them for all their contributions throughout this project. 🙏 “This new online resource for CAMHS will ensure we continue to provide the best possible care to families.” ❤️ 👀 Take a look at the new CAMHS web section at www.tewv.nhs.uk/camhs

Do you have enough repeat medication to last you over the festive bank holiday? 🎄 Don’t get caught short this Christmas and New Year! ❗Remember to order your repeat prescriptions in plenty of time. Use the NHS App https://lnkd.in/eeFdpjKs or visit your local pharmacy or GP surgery online ordering system. You can find pharmacy opening hours here 👇 https://lnkd.in/deYWWGQ #HereToHelp

Our enhanced health in care homes service has been awarded Highly Commended at the 2024 Yorkshire and Humberside Great British Care Awards. 👏🏆 Established as part of the NHS Long-Term Plan and in response to the Covid-19 crisis, the service improves the health and wellbeing of Tees Valley care home residents and those who care for them. 🫂 The team created a framework of care to support the enhanced health in care homes service to place the individual at the centre of all they do, making sure care is delivered timely, efficiently and is responsive. 💙 Working in partnership with primary care colleagues, the team regularly review and assess people’s needs, triaging and signposting to take care of physical, social, emotional and mental health and wellbeing, undertaking medication reviews, screening programmes and support safe and effective admissions and discharges within acute Trusts. The service also supports carers in the care they deliver, training or education and targeted interventions to help them become empowered and feel confident in recognising signs of deterioration for the people they care for. 🙏 💬 “The adult learning disability physical health team is a newly established service in Durham Tees Valley, and the team supports the enhanced health in care homes framework,” said Susan Eastick, service manager. 💬 “Staff have taken a lead role in supporting the primary care networks (PCN) with the delivery of this framework. Their dedication, commitment and holistic approach has been exceptional. 💬 “They have developed outstanding relationships with the PCNs and care providers which has been essential in ensuring the success of the framework. 💬 “Huge congratulations to them all, very well-deserved nominations.” The judging panel said: “The enhancing physical care team has shown immense dedication, care, and compassion in their work. “Their commitment to providing the highest level of physical care ensures that everyone receives personalised attention, promoting wellbeing and comfort. “Their passion for improving lives is evident in every aspect of their approach.” The service was nominated in the Social Care Nurse Award category and was also a finalist in the Social Care Co-Production Award. Well done everyone 👍

🤧 Feeling poorly this winter? A cold or sore throat? If needed, your pharmacist can now provide some prescription medicine without seeing a GP. Think pharmacy first. Find a pharmacy near you 👇🤧 https://lnkd.in/deYWWGQ

💬 “I have enjoyed gaining new skills that have helped me a lot because I am now baking at home too.” 🥖 In the summer, a partnership was formed between our mental health & learning disability teams at Roseberry Park & the Brickyard Bakery, a community interest company based in Guisborough, to help the people we care for gain skills that might help them access employment. The six-month project takes place in a supportive environment with guidance from master baker Ed Hamilton-Trewhitt, who provides first-hand & practical baking expertise to equip our patients with skills. 🧑🍳 💦👳♀️ Each week, everyone involved gets to work creating bread, focaccia & scones that are sold in the bakery shop. The project needed a name & the participants settled on ‘Care & Share Bakery’. A patient working with a community learning disability service set to work on designing & creating a fantastic logo. 💜 Not satisfied with selling produce in the shop, the group wanted to help those in the community, & they arrange for surplus food to be donated to support local causes Connections Community Café & Doorways Middlesbrough. 💬 “It’s quite good. It’s opened my eyes up to new horizons,” said one of our patients taking part in the project. “I think my scones have turned out alright & my bread is good as well.” Baking can be a great therapeutic activity. It helps stimulate senses & help to relieve stress from kneading the dough, experimenting with flavours & thinking creatively about the finished product! The project creates & builds relationships with others & boosts self-confidence. 🥰 💬 “I’m learning to bake all these different types of breads & tarts & being able to try to make new things, including eating them!” said another patient. Alongside the project, some of our patients have gone on to complete Food Safety level 2 qualifications with Debbie Fixter from Sprouts Community Food Charity in Thornaby. 🎓 Project lead & occupational therapist, Simon Honeysett, said: “The project is still at an early stage, but it has been great to be able to offer a new opportunity to the people we care for & allow them to experience vocational roles. 💬 “The aim is to develop long-term roles in volunteering, supported employment or supported enterprise & we are looking at building further community partnerships for this. 🙏🏻 “We are grateful to Ed at the Brickyard Bakery for offering the space at the bakery & his own time & expertise to invest in the potential of people who can otherwise be overlooked or excluded from vocational environments. “We see their confidence & skills growing week by week.” The Brickyard Bakery provides commercial training for bread-making & baking including internships for young people, alternative education provision in partnership with local schools, courses for the general public & activities addressing food & fuel poverty in the wider community. Awards have also been won for its community work & the quality of its products. 👏