Retrain scheme is awarded for innovation and excellence
JULY 30, 2008
Tom Craig, Professor of Social Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London and colleagues have been awarded the title of Best Example of Patient/Service User Involvement for their project known as RETRAIN. This projects reflects a step-change in how people with mental ill health receive care through being coached to manage their own recovery.
The team comprises, Professor Tom Craig, Rachel Perera, Dr Mike Slade, Reader in Health Services Research, Sara Tresilian, Clinical Psychologist, Southwark, Sherifat Oduola, Project Co-Ordinatior (Lambeth) and Luciana Forzisi, Project Co-Ordinator (Southwark)
The training programme has been developed by the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London with funding of £206,500, so that staff can encourage patients to identify their own goals and methods of recovery, giving them more choice about the care they receive, including medication and psychological therapies.
Commenting on the accolade Professor Tom Craig said: “We are grateful that the Charity has realised the importance of empowering patients to manage their own care. By drawing upon real stories and insights, staff can now help people gain the confidence to be more independent.”
Around 150 staff, patients and members of the local community attended a celebratory event at St Thomas’ Hospital on Monday 28th July to highlight the contribution of Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity towards health service innovation and improvement.
Projects supported by the Charity were asked to nominate their work for commendation in one of three categories Best New Service or Service Improvement; Best Example of Patient / Service User involvement; Best Environmental Improvement or Art project and then staff, patients and the public were invited to vote for their favourites on the Charity’s website. The public vote also decided the most inspirational fundraising activity.
Graham Rushbrook, former Director of Health First said: “The Charity's funding allowed us to extend the scope and breadth of the project we had planned, effectively extending the reach of the work to those people who experience oppression and stigma on an almost daily basis. I think the artwork expressed that all too often it is the services provided to improve people's lives that cause them the most distress, and the use of art allowed them to challenge that and express their frustrations and report their joy in completely different ways.”
Speaking at the event, Baroness Cumberlege CBE DL said: “The involvement of patients at the heart of service improvement is one aspect of Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity’s work which I think is so important. It is crucial that people are consulted and involved in service improvement.”
Patrick Disney, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity’s Chairman said: "The Charity’s work enables far reaching improvements to the health services in Lambeth and Southwark and further afield. I am particularly impressed by its commitment to mental health service innovation; its support for new approaches which involve putting patients at the centre of their care and recovery is to be commended.”
Note to News Editors
Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity is the largest NHS-related charity in the UK, investing in improvements to the NHS in Lambeth and Southwark. Beneficiaries include Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, Lambeth and Southwark Primary Care Trusts, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and their academic research partners such as King's College London. The Charity’s funding helps support new services and innovations in the health services and fund research infrastructure as well as the translation of laboratory research into clinical practice. The Charity maintains the collection of art and heritage at Guy's and St Thomas' and commissions new works of art to enhance the environment at local healthcare centres. Find out more on the Charity's website:
www.gsttcharity.org.uk.