Primary care latest updates

An innovative new response service has been launched in Northamptonshire, aimed at helping those in a mental health crisis.

The Crisis Response Unit (CRU), launched by Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, (NHFT) is a 24-hour response vehicle staffed by trained professionals, providing a dedicated resource to attend to mental health emergencies.

Through the ICN Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism Collaborative, the new service has been developed and co-produced with service users and carers who have used crisis services in the past. With this in mind, the vehicle is not obviously identifiable as a medical response vehicle, and once inside, there is a table and seating where individuals can sit, talk or even play board games. There is also sensory lighting available to support those with sensory needs, giving it a relaxed and friendly feel.

The new service is made up of a number of professionals. In addition to the Service Manager, the service is supported by senior clinicians, support workers, peer support workers, co-ordinators, lived experience leads, co-production, and a business support manager.

Bob Fletcher, Crisis Response Unit Service Manager said, “When someone is experiencing mental ill health and needs an urgent response, they may be in some distress, and their physical environment may also be chaotic. The response vehicle provides a calm space where the individual can spend some time with the support of trained professionals, in a quiet environment.”

Currently, when an individual calls 999, the case is triaged and when there is a physical or mental health emergency, it is given to the ambulance service. For the mental health patient, this can mean long waits in hospital while they are referred to the correct agencies for support, and for the ambulance service, this can mean patients with physical health needs have longer waits for care.

The launch of the Crisis Response Unit means that patients experiencing mental ill health that requires an urgent response, will receive more appropriate care for their needs, more quickly, by appropriately trained professionals. Where carers are involved, they too will receive support and guidance in supporting the patient.

Upon arrival, the team will carry out a comprehensive assessment of the mental health needs of the patient and develop an onward plan for support and, or treatment, with the aim of preventing the need for attendance at hospital Emergency Departments to access mental health support. Care plans, safety plans and packages of care will be developed to support the individual and carer in their own setting. 

Richard Tweed, Acting Head of Service for Crisis Pathway and Criminal Justice Services said, “We are delighted to launch our Crisis Response Unit service, after months of planning, coproduction, and work with partners, we are really excited to launch the service and start helping those who need us the most, at the point of crisis.

“Earlier this year, the Prime Minister described our mental health crisis and community services as ‘trailblazing’. The launch of our Crisis Response Unit is a further demonstration of our innovation and commitment to delivering coproduced services which meet the increasing and ever changing needs of our services users and carers.

The service is currently in its infancy, but it is hoped that a second vehicle will be introduced next year, providing additional support and capacity. The CRU will be working closely with the East Midlands Ambulance Service and the Integrated Response Hub to triage calls appropriately and ensure that support is allocated to those in greatest need.

NHFT already provides a range of mental health crisis services including the 24-hour mental health number which can be called any time of day or night any time of the year on 0800 448 0828. A number of crisis cafes also run in partnership with Northamptonshire Mind, details of locations and opening times can be found here Crisis cafés | NHFT

Read New mental health crisis response service launched in northamptonshire…

Integrated Care Northamptonshire (ICN) has subscribed to the Employers for Carers (EfC) Digital Resource for Carers.

This unique package, designed by Carers UK, brings together specially designed digital products and online resources that assist organisations to provide comprehensive information, and get the best support for their working carers. 

The package is accessible free of charge to managers and working carers within the ICN partnership.

Research by Carers UK shows that 1 in 7 of the UK workforce is caring for a loved one, and 2.6 million have resigned from their jobs to care for a loved one who is older, disabled or seriously ill, with nearly half a million leaving their jobs in the last two years.

The Digital Resource for Carers package will enable organisations to combine Carers UK’s digital products with their own information.

This will create a truly comprehensive support resource for working carers within organisations and will also help to support the increasing number of staff with caring responsibilities to stay in the workforce.

Benefits of the package for carers include the ability to:

• Find targeted information
• Build networks of support
• Develop personal resilience
• Manage care more effectively

Benefits for organisations include:

• A continuously updated, tailored and joint-branded platform hosting Carers UK’s products and resources combined with your own information and support for carers
• Use of all the resources on the platform for free as often as you want
• Material to help you promote the Digital Resource for Carers including leaflets, posters, template emails and a rollout toolkit

Northamptonshire Carers will be ICN's administrators for the Digital Resource for Carers package.

On Thursday 27 July 2023 at midday, Northamptonshire Carers will be arranging a Microsoft Teams briefing session on how to access the digital package and will also provide further information about the package. Additional briefing sessions will be arranged if needed. To register your interest in attending a briefing session, please email Jacqui Falconer-Blake at jacquib@northamptonshire-carers.org.

For any wider questions about the Digital Resource for Carers package, please email Diana Belfon, EDI Specialist, at diana.belfon1@nhs.net.

Read Free digital resources for working carers…

A packed programme of more than 40 free events is in store for health and care colleagues at this year’s Northamptonshire Virtual Wellbeing Festival (VWBF23) – and here’s how you can make it all about YOU!

Throughout the week from Monday 3 July to Friday 7 July, you’re invited to pick and choose from as many of the 41 entertaining, inspiring and informative online VWBF23 sessions as you like.

Create your own personalised Festival by following these quick and easy steps:

• Head over to the Virtual Wellbeing Festival 2023 website at www.wellbeingfestival.live
• Find the full Festival line-up by clicking on the VWBF23 programme page
• Click on any event to reveal a detailed description of what’s in store
• Click the ‘Download for Outlook’ button to download the event calendar appointment
• Open the appointment by clicking the downloaded file in your internet browser or in the downloads folder of your computer
• Click ‘Save and close’ to instantly add the session to your calendar
• Wait for your session and get ready to enjoy! Your saved calendar appointment will include a link to access your session when the time comes
• Do it all again! Add as many sessions as you like to your calendar to make the most of the Northamptonshire Virtual Wellbeing Festival 2022.

Heading up the 2023 Festival line-up are six headline speakers – style guru Gok Wan, ex-footballer Paul Merson, body positivity activist Harnaam Kaur, mind coach Vex King, adventurer Debra Searle, and presenter and engineer Ayo Sokale.

And throughout VWBF23 week there’s also a huge range of live and recorded online activities aimed at supporting your wellbeing – from daily exercise and meditation sessions, to learning something new and sharing experiences.

If you fancy participating in any session but can’t make the appointment, don’t worry – all VWBF23 sessions will be available to watch back on-demand whenever you like!

And it’s not too late to get the latest VWBF23 updates direct to your inbox – just complete this short online form to register for updates now.

Read It’s time to make Virtual Wellbeing Festival 2023 all about YOU!…

Our upcoming Leadership Matters Conversations session explores the importance of inclusive language and how it supports our colleagues in the LGBTQIA+ community. Coinciding with Pride Month 2023 celebrations, this insightful discussion takes place on Tuesday 20 June at 10:30am.

In the session we will be joined by members of the LGBTQ+ community that work across our integrated care system to hear why inclusive language is important to them. We are delighted to welcome Aaron Scott, Alistair Weston, Haitch Brackenbury, and Paul Shanley for this session. They are members of the LGBTQIA+ community working across our integrated care system. This enables them to share their genuine lived experiences, highlighting the realities we often overlook without meaning and provide us with insight into what we can do today to ensure everyone has a place at Integrated Care Northamptonshire (ICN).

About the presenters

Aaron is the Chair, and founder, of the North Northants LGBT+ Forum, and Project Coordinator within North Northamptonshire Adult Social Care.

Alistair is an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Engagement Officer at Northampton General Hospital, and Cultural Ambassador at the Royal College of Nursing.

Haitch is a SEND case worker within the Strengthening Families Team at Northamptonshire Children’s Trust.

Paul is a Commissioning Manager at Northamptonshire Children’s Trust and member of its Equality Steering Group.

 

Don’t forget to sign up for FREE

Read ICN is celebrating Pride Month with our latest Leadership Matters Conversation session…

With this year’s Northamptonshire Virtual Wellbeing Festival just a few weeks away, the full week’s programme of exciting online events has now been confirmed!

Throughout each day from Monday 3 July to Friday 7 July there will be no fewer than 41 entertaining, inspiring, and informative sessions – including six headline speakers plus a mix of live and recorded activities offering something for everyone.

Head over to the Virtual Wellbeing Festival 2023 (VWBF23) website now to check out the full line-up and start adding the events to your online calendar. 

All sessions are available free on Microsoft Teams and the Festival website exclusively for Northamptonshire health and care colleagues.

We’ll be kicking off each day in style at 8am with our VWBF23 Get Active series, offering exercise sessions to suit a range of tastes and energy levels. Then at 8.30am it’s time to reset with our daily live meditation classes. 

At 9am you can catch up with our VWBF23 personal stories and then at 10am, on Monday, we’ll be hosting our first headliner. Throughout the rest of the week at 10am you can catch a live session courtesy of our Stronger Together wellbeing support service.   

Every day at midday it’s the turn of our other five headliners to take centre stage, and then a whole host of exciting activities take up the 2pm, 3pm and 4.30pm slots through the afternoon – from learning a language, virtual book club and mindful drawing, to personal safety, managing financial anxiety, menstrual mythbusting… and much more! 

To explore the full Festival programme and add session to your online calendar, just visit the VWBF23 website at www.wellbeingfestival.live and click on the Festival programme page.

Read Full line-up now confirmed for Virtual Wellbeing Festival 2023…