1. health and fitness

News from South London and Maudsley
NHS Foundation Trust for staff and members
SLaM
news
+
A look at the
parental mental
health team
Institute of
Psychiatry's
parade of stars
Autumn Edition 2013
Let the music play
The life and work of our music therapists
SLaM
news
Autumn Edition
SLaM News is produced by:
Communications Department
South London and Maudsley
NHS Foundation Trust
Trust Headquarters
Maudsley Hospital
Denmark Hill
London SE5 8AZ
Page 17: Channel 4 documentary update
It’s been a busy year so far for SLaM with the appointment of
our new Chief Executive, Dr Matthew Patrick and the filming of
a four-part observational documentary series to be broadcast
on Channel 4 this autumn.
T. 020 3228 2830
E. [email protected]
W. www.slam.nhs.uk
Switchboard: 020 3228 6000
In this edition we bring you an update on the documentary
along with a roundup of all our media coverage this year and
our social media activity.
Design: bigfrankmedia.com
If you have a news story or idea for SLaM
News please call or email us.
Welcome to the
autumn edition
of SLaM News
Page 18: Southwark parental mental health team
Numbers in the newsletter are displayed
using the internal format.
If you’re calling from outside of the Trust
please add: (020) 322 + Extn.
We also bring you the story of the Southwark parental mental
health team, who give parents who are struggling with mental
health problems invaluable support and help them to turn
their lives around.
In this issue is a look at our music therapists and the
inspiring work they do across SLaM, both on inpatient wards
and in the community.
Page 20: IOP parade of stars
South London and Maudsley NHS
Foundation Trust is part of King’s Health
Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre
(AHSC), a pioneering collaboration
between King’s College London, Guy’s and
St Thomas’, King’s College Hospital and
South London and Maudsley NHS
Foundation Trusts. For more information,
visit www.kingshealthpartners.org
Page 24: Music therapy
Also featured are the King’s Health Partners’ healthcare heroes
who wowed members of the public at the big bang fair and
we also take a look back at 15 years of the Ladywell Unit. The
researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry (IoP), King's College
London have been shining both in the parade of stars and at
the Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry open day
where they fascinated visitors young and old, by showing them
exactly what makes them who they are.
Message from Madeliene Long, SLaM Chair
News in brief
Message from
the Chair
There has been a huge amount happening
here in recent months, not least the
appointment of our new Chief Executive
Dr Matthew Patrick. I’m sure you will
join me in welcoming him and I know he
will want to meet with as many of you
as possible once he is in post. There will
be an opportunity for you to meet him
at our Annual Public Meeting (APM) on
Tuesday 10 September, 5.30pm at the
Maudsley Learning Centre.
If you haven’t already been to the new
Learning Centre, then please do join us at the
APM. It’s a fantastic addition to the hospital
site – it’s light, spacious, beautifully designed
and a really great space to meet.
One of the issues we will be reflecting on at
the event is our mission within King’s Health
Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre to
bring clinical services, research and education
much more closely together for the benefit of
patients. Over the summer, work has continued
at a pace to explore how best we can achieve
this vision and this might involve some form of
organisation change such as a formal merger.
I will ensure that we continue to keep you
informed about progress over the coming
weeks and months.
One exciting development you can read about
in this edition of the newsletter is the four part
Channel 4 observational documentary series
about SLaM which is due to be broadcast in
September / October. Nearly two years in the
making, the series aims to show a personal
perspective of mental illness, told by the people
who experience it on a daily basis and clinical
staff who provide care and treatment. I know
a large number of staff, patients and their
families have been involved in the making of
the series. I’d like to thank all of you for your
efforts in helping us to promote better public
understanding of mental health issues.
Best wishes,
Madeliene
Our new Chief Executive
Dr Matthew Patrick with
Madeliene Long, Chair,
and Gus Heafield, Acting
Chief Executive
September 2012 marked the 15 year anniversary
of the Ladywell Unit, SLaM’s inpatient unit for
Lewisham residents. The building was commissioned
by Lewisham and Guy’s Mental Health Trust which
became part of SLaM just a few years later.
Ladywell opened its first ward on 29 September 1997 and
one of the longest serving members of the Unit, Carlos
Forni Powell unit coordinator tells his story which includes
his journey through Lewisham psychiatric services from
the closure of the asylum up to today.
He said: “I was involved from the very beginning.
Originally Lewisham patients were spread across a host
of areas including Guy’s Hospital, Cane Hill and Bexley.
4/5
“Over the years Ladywell has grown and developed.
We have adopted practices that may have seemed at
odds with those of our colleagues in the rest of the Trust
and we are well aware that we were viewed jokingly
as the ‘Independent Republic of Ladywell’. This was
because of the strange and unique relationship that we
have with our general colleagues in Lewisham Hospital.
“Now the Ladywell Unit continues its journey and is
heading for great changes again. This time it is the
development of Clinical Academic Groups (CAGs). What
I am certain of is that Ladywell has a strong resolve with
dedicated staff who I am certain can accommodate and
work with any challenge they face.”
“One of the many problems with the big institutions was
that they were built away from city areas and this often
meant quite a trek for families and friends to visit their
loved ones. I recall this would often be a problem for
people from Lewisham and by the early 80s it was
decided Lewisham patients should come home.
“Of course looking through nostalgic eyes it would be
easy to believe that everything was right. It wasn’t.
Looking back to the Nightingale wards of those times
modern day nurses would be shocked to know that
the only division between you and the person sleeping
alongside you were curtains.
“The next stage was the fusing of the wards into
the Ladywell Unit. We merged some of the existing
wards from Hither Green as they moved over at the
same time as developing the Johnson Unit, a psychiatric
intensive care unit. Previously severely ill patients
were still being transferred to Bexley so this new unit
was a great achievement.
SLaM through
a lens:
Ladywell
Unit
News in brief
Welcoming
our new
Chief
Executive
Dr Matthew Patrick has been appointed as
our new Chief Executive. Previously, Dr Patrick
was Chief Executive of Tavistock and Portman. He
trained as an adult psychiatrist at the Maudsley and
Bethlem Royal Hospitals and is also a supervising
psychoanalyst. For many years he combined
clinical work and developmental research. He said:
“I am delighted to be joining such a tremendous
organisation with such gifted and experienced staff
and I am very much looking forward to taking up
my new post.”
6/7
Faith and
mental
health
conference
New ‘museum
of the mind’ to
open at Bethlem
Royal Hospital
In March SLaM hosted a faith
and mental health conference.
The conference aimed not just
to raise awareness of mental
health and reduce stigma with
people of faith and their local
communities, but to provide
a platform for the public
to learn, share and debate
developments and perspectives
on mental health.
In April, the Heritage Lottery Fund confirmed its support for
a new ‘museum of the mind’ with an award of £550,000.
The event was a fantastic success
with well over 120 people in
attendance representing a diverse
range of faiths, professions and
communities. Faith leaders engaged
in the conference spoke about how
they were advocating for mental
health and gave examples of how
they had encouraged members of
their congregations to seek help
from their GP as well as prayer.
The input of faith leaders, which
included graduates from the
spiritual and pastoral care course
in mental health that has been
running at SLaM for the last
few years, emphasised the
importance and positive impact
of specialised training.
Croydon home treatment
team accredited by
the Royal College of
Psychiatrists
This year Croydon’s home treatment team achieved coveted
accreditation by the Royal College of Psychiatrists. The home treatment
accreditation scheme is brand new and the team was part of the pilot
to introduce accreditation nationally. The accreditation will last for
three years and is a testament to the brilliant work of the whole team.
Health professionals including
Dr Jerson Pereira from the home
treatment team in Lewisham,
Dr Dele Olajide and Dr Deji
Ayonrinde all gave excellent
presentations on understanding
mental health and how innovative
good practice has been established
in local communities.
Matilda MacAttram from Black
Mental Health UK (BMHUK) also
spoke passionately about her work
and described the psychiatrists
who had spoken at the conference
as the 'best of the best'.
The museum, based at Bethlem Royal Hospital, will celebrate
the lives and achievements of those living with mental ill health
and bring the story of mental healthcare in the UK to a wider
audience. The Heritage Lottery Fund grant will fund the
creation of a new permanent exhibition, which will see many
items from the museum’s reserve collections put on public
display for the first time.
The exhibition designers, Real Studios (whose recent work
includes the David Bowie retrospective at the Victoria and
Albert museum) will also draw on the museum’s internationally
renowned art collection which includes works by Richard Dadd,
a former service user at Bethlem.
The project will open up the administration building to those using
or visiting the Bethlem site, allowing it to be enjoyed by all. The
building will also be fully accessible for the first time, providing
an access ramp, lift to the first floor, Disability Discrimination Act
(DDA) compliant toilets and baby changing facilities. It will also
provide the museum with a dedicated space for both formal
and informal learning, enabling it to offer a range of exciting
activities for staff, service users and the general public.
Speaking of the project Victoria Northwood, Head of the Archives
and Museum Service at Bethlem, said: “We are delighted that
the Heritage Lottery Fund has agreed to support this important
project. One in four people in the UK are affected by mental
ill health, and the new museum will have a vital role to play in
increasing public understanding, and reducing stigma.”
The new museum will open to the public in 2014.
News in brief
Children’s
department forensic
team at eurogang
conference
by Laura Misch
The importance of mental health problems for young people in
street gangs is now being acknowledged and for the first time a
symposium specifically dedicated to mental health took place at
a eurogang annual meeting, held in Canterbury in June.
SLaM consultant nurse Jane Padmore presented part of her doctoral
research which shows that young people in street gangs have very high
rates of mental health problems. Dr Peter Misch and Emma Gilbert, a
nurse from the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
forensic mental health team presented the innovative star pilot project.
The star project aims to help young people at risk of being involved in
violent offending and participation in street gangs and the project aims
to expand. It will continue for a second year with additional focus on
family involvement and supporting young people’s creativity, education
and positive social relationships.
There are plans to collaborate with other local projects, young offenders’
institutions and a large UK epidemiological study involving the adult
population and with other projects in Belgium and the USA.
8/9
First ever
conference
for healthcare
assistants
SLaM held the first ever
conference for 70 of our
healthcare assistants (HCAs)
at Bethlem Royal Hospital
in July. HCAs and support
workers attended from
all areas of the Trust and
represented a wide range of
our mental health services
including inpatient and
community teams.
The aim of the day was for our
staff to get updates on current
national issues for HCAs, to
attend workshops relevant
to their role and explore
the different training and
development options available
to them. The conference was
organised to recognise the great
contribution to patient care
given by our experienced and
committed staff.
As we believe that everyone
who has used or is using
SLaM services has a valuable
contribution to make towards
the training of our staff, all
workshops were co-delivered
with members of the service
user involvement in training
and education (SUITE) team.
External speakers and attendees
included the Royal College
of Nursing, London South
Bank University and service
user Katherine Quilty, who
spoke about her own experience
of recovery.
The final comment of the day
came from Deputy Director for
Education and Training Carolyn
Green, who said:
“You have inspired
me, I am very proud of
you all.”
Left: The
launch of
the scheme
is celebrated
at Clapham
library
Below:
John Manley
talks about
the benefits
of reading for
those with
mental health
problems
‘Books on
prescription’
scheme launched
in Lambeth
than for any other Trust nationally - showing how we
foster excellence in research and its dissemination.
"SLaM is proud to support this scheme, which is all
about increasing access to the best research and ideas
about how to deal with your mental health problem.
"Having the books at your local library gives a double
benefit of being able to get the books for free and also
bringing people into their local library, a local hub of
resources. ‘Books on prescription’ fits into stepped
care as a first step that service users can self refer to
or their GP can 'prescribe' books for them. The books
are also a resource that IAPT uses as part of its guided
self help work."
The scheme works within National Institute for
Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines and uses
30 books endorsed by health partners as having evidenced
cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) benefits.
The new English scheme has the backing of the Royal
Colleges of GPs, Nursing and Psychiatry, the British
Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies
and of the Department of Health through its improving
access to psychological therapies programme.
A ‘books on prescription’ scheme was launched at
Clapham library in June, presenting service users
with the first step into self-help. The launch was
extremely successful and featured a number of
service users, SLaM staff and individuals from the
local council and Clinical Commissioning Group.
The scheme aims to bring the healing benefits of reading
to six million people with anxiety and depression. There is
growing evidence showing that self help reading can assist
people with certain mental health conditions get better.
The apple press is used
for the first time
John Manley, Clinical Director, Increasing Access to
Psychological Therapies (IAPT) said: "More of the authors
of the books on the prescription list are working with SLaM
or the Institute of Psychiatry (IoP) King's College London
Powell
Innovation
Zone
Earlier this year services users and
staff on Powell ward on Ladywell
Unit came together to celebrate the
opening of the Powell Innovation
Zone. The space was created after
discussion at community meetings and
the goal was to create a space that
encourages service users to engage and
be productive with technology. Activity
coordinators and patients worked
together to create a bright and modern
area with service user internet access,
games consoles, up to date reading
materials and healthy snacks.
One service user who uses the
space said:
"The innovation zone has
helped me in the past few
weeks whilst being a patient
at the Ladywell Unit. It has
helped me wind down and
meet new people in a different
way and make new friends. I
believe the Innovation Zone
has a very positive impact on
myself and others on the ward."
News in brief
10/11
Rethink
praises the
national
psychosis
unit.
A new state-of-the-art learning centre for mental health
opened this June on Grove Lane at the Maudsley. The
centre is a great place to visit and to hold events and
meetings. Welcoming staff, service users and local
people to its café, meeting and exhibition spaces, the
centre has at its core world class facilities for cutting
edge delivery of learning in mental health.
Maudsley Learning Centre at the ORTUS shares skills
and knowledge in the field of mental health using new
technology and by engaging with people; whether that’s
SLaM or Institute of Psychiatry (IoP) staff and mental health
workers from around the country, or local people, service
users, carers, family members and friends of those affected
by a mental health condition.
Beth Hopkins, one of the members
of the team from Rethink has spent
time on a locked ward herself and had
been wary of stepping back into that
environment. Thanks to the hard work
of Dr Fiona Gaughran and her team at
the Unit, she was incredibly impressed
at the calm and friendly atmosphere.
Beth found the visit so positive that she
wrote about it in her blog. She wrote:
“I was genuinely surprised at the
atmosphere at the NPU; it was calm
and even homely, with staff greeting
patients warmly and by name, not
hiding from them in the office.
Funded by Maudsley Charity, the learning and events facility
is operated by new subsidiary community interest company,
Maudsley Learning.
Introducing
Maudsley
Learning
Centre at the
ORTUS
When a team from mental health
charity Rethink visited the national
psychosis unit (NPU), they were in
for a pleasant surprise.
It’s that rare beast – a ‘therapeutic
environment’. There are 23 beds, with
separate wings for men and women.
‘They treat him with dignity, and with
human kindness’ said one carer."
Fiona Gaughran said: “Rethink are
a wonderful charity, and a fabulous
resource for patients and their families
and take a very caring approach.
They also play an important role in
raising awareness of the importance of
equitable services for and challenging
attitudes to mental health.
"We enjoyed their visit immensely
and learnt a lot from their team as
always.” You can read Beth’s blog at
yourvoiceextra.tumblr.com.
Left: The
cafe at the
ORTUS
Kumar Jacob, Chair of Maudsley Charity, led the
development of the project and released the £4.6m
needed to make it happen.
Kumar said: “We felt that there was a need for a
mechanism to facilitate the dissemination of knowledge
and learning further, and for it to be brought
technologically into the 21st century.
“The old training centre, built in the 1960s, was no longer
fit for purpose - we saw a gap in the local service provision
which would enhance our learning provision and spread it
further, whilst also improving the local area and engaging
with the local community in a top class environment.”
The centre includes facilities such as event and conference
space and a community café. Profits from Maudsley Learning
and the centre will go to the Maudsley Charity for the
benefit of future innovative investment in mental health.
Genevieve Glover, Managing Director of Maudsley Learning,
said: “Our community café will be open to all, and we
hope that it will provide a welcoming space for SLaM
employees, service users and members of the local
community to meet colleagues and friends, have lunch
or enjoy a great cup of coffee.”
For more information please visit www.maudsleylearning.
com or contact Jonathan Price, Sales and Marketing
Manager, on [email protected]
Smoke free pilot for the
Behavioural and Developmental
Psychiatry CAG
National no smoking day on
Wednesday 13 March 2013 was
chosen by the Behavioural and
Developmental Psychiatry CAG to
begin their smoke free pilot in all
their inpatient clinical areas.
Smoking cessation amongst our patient
population brings about the single
most important health benefit and is
therefore a worthwhile intervention in
our clinical services particularly as we
work towards reducing inequalities for
our patients.
Mary Yates, Matron in the BDP CAG
said: “Our patients have demonstrated
that with adequate support they can
successfully quit smoking, the benefits
to their health status are enormous.
I would like to congratulate those
patients who have already quit and
those who have been able to reduce
their smoking. Being involved in this
smoke free pilot is without doubt the
most important thing I have ever done
in my career.”
News in brief
12/13
Mind in
Croydon
advocacy
team
Mental health charity Mind
has been providing services
in Croydon for over 40 years,
and advocacy has been a
part of those services for
over ten of those years.
Sometimes people find it
difficult to express concerns
about their treatment or care.
It can be particularly difficult
whilst on a section or if it is
someone’s first time in hospital.
Everyone has the right to be
heard and have their opinions
listened to by the professional
staff and the advocacy service
aims to help that happen.
An advocate can help either
by supporting service users
when they wish to voice their
concerns or by representing
their concerns if they feel they
are unable to do so. Advocacy
involves encouraging people
to speak for themselves and
becoming involved in the
decision-making process. They
also provide support for parents
with a mental health problem
who have concerns about
themselves and their families.
Mind advocate Andy Forey
said: “If as an advocate I can
encourage someone to speak
up for themselves then at the
very least that person has had
their voice listened to. At the
very most, they may have
moved their discharge forward
sooner than expected, which
is great for them.”
For more information, contact
[email protected]
Healthcare heroes wow
at big bang fair
In March more than 100 King’s
Health Partners staff hosted a
stall at the big bang fair –
the UK’s largest science and
engineering fair.
More than 60,000 children and young
people from across the UK tried their
hand at medical procedures including
keyhole surgery, cardiopulmonary
resuscitation (CPR) and endoscopy.
Approximately 120 staff and student
volunteers from Guy’s and St Thomas’,
King’s College London, King’s College
Hospital and South London and
Maudsley inspired thousands of
children by demonstrating the vast
variety of healthcare careers.
Children and families attending the
King’s Health Partners’ stand – called
‘healthcare heroes’ - were shown
how to stitch up wounds, how to
carry out keyhole surgery, how to
King's Health
Partners'
healthcare
heroes inspire
their rapt
audience
help someone who is choking and how
a baby is delivered.
Professor
Louise Howard
awarded
prestigious
professorship
Our staff performed several medical
scenarios live to rapt audiences, from
labour to cardiac arrest; audiences were
given a glimpse of what working as a
healthcare professional is like today.
On the third day the ‘healthcare heroes’
stand was selected to take part in a
special lunchtime show hosted by TV
science presenter Greg Foot where
our staff performed a birthing
scenario in front of a large audience.
Dr Steve Thompson, chair of the
King’s Health Partners widening
participation committee who
organised the stand, said: “This was
a truly King’s Health Partners
collaboration; hopefully we have
inspired some young people to
become the next generation of
healthcare heroes.”
In a first for the Institute of
Psychiatry (IoP), King's College
London researcher Professor
Louise Howard has been
awarded a prestigious National
Institute for Health Research
(NIHR) research professorship.
NIHR research professorships are
awarded to health researchers with
an outstanding record of clinical
and applied health research, and its
effective translation for improved
health. The awards fund leaders in the
early part of their careers, supporting
them to lead research, promote
effective translation of research from
'campus to clinic' and strengthen
research leadership at the highest
academic levels.
Professor Shitij Kapur, Dean and
Head of School at the IoP said:
“Congratulations to Louise on this
remarkable achievement. Louise is
an exceptional scholar and we are
delighted NIHR has recognised her
potential as a future global leader
in her field.”
Professor Howard’s NIHR research
professorship will enable her to spend
five years dedicated to translational
research in perinatal health. Professor
Howard’s research aims to contribute
to the evidence base on effective
and safe ways of treating women’s
mental health problems. Her research
will include studies on the risks and
benefits of medication in pregnancy
and violence and health.
Professor Howard said: “This award is
really recognition of the work of the
team at the section of women's mental
health at the Institute of Psychiatry
and colleagues at the King’s Health
Partners Women’s Health Academic
Centre. I am delighted and honoured
to be taking our work further
through this award.”
Louise Howard is an honorary
consultant perinatal psychiatrist
at SLaM, as well as Professor of
women’s mental health and Head
of the Section of women’s mental
health in the IoP’s Department
of Health service and population
research. She leads on clinical
research programmes in perinatal
mental health, the impact of
violence on mental health, and
the physical health of people with
mental disorders.
Professor Howard will commence her
Professorship in October 2013.
SLaM in the Media
14/15
27 April
3 January
Professor Janet Treasure, Director
of our Eating Disorder Unit, was
awarded an OBE in the New Year’s
Honours. This article appeared in
various publications, including the
Canterbury Times, Faversham
News, Kentish Gazette, Isle of
Thanet Gazette, Southwark
News. She was honoured for her
long-term service and commitment
to patients with eating disorders
and their carers.
8 January
The Daily Mail ran an article on
the benefits of coconut oil for
Alzheimer’s patients. Professor
Robert Howard, a Consultant Old
Age Psychiatrist at SLaM, warned
that there was a “huge placebo
response in Alzheimer’s” and
said it was important to “protect
patients from false hope and not
expose them to quackery”.
10 January
The Health Service Journal
reported that Norman Lamb,
Care and Support Minister, visited
Maudsley Hospital and suggested
that the government may
reconsider plans to make Payment
by Results mandatory in the mental
health sector.
1 February
Therapy Today reported
that e-therapy and smart
technology have become
a “part of the counselling
lexicon” due to how much
time we spend on the
Internet each day. As a
result, online counselling and
therapy is on the rise and is
forming a growing part of
mental health services.
1 March
Dave Hearn, Security Team
Leader at South London and
Maudsley NHS Foundation
Trust explained to Mental
Health Practice how use of
a global position satellite
device can help staff reduce
the number of patient who
abscond and protect patients
and members of the public
from risk of harm.
16 March
26 February
BBC Woman’s Hour
interviewed Simon
Darnley from our
Anxiety Disorders
Residential Unit
(ADRU) and Liz
Atkin, an artist who
exhibits her work
at Bethlem gallery,
about a mental illness
called compulsive
skin picking (CSP).
People with CSP find
comfort, pleasure or
emotional release
from endlessly picking
at their skin but this
can often lead to
bleeding, scarring and
physical deformities,
as well as emotional
and mental issues.
The programme was
picked up on various
social media sites
as well as on BBC
websites.
A study carried out by psychiatrists at SLaM
found the number of admissions for people
with behavioural and mental disorders linked
to alcohol use has gone from 3,247 in 2002
to 8,120 in 2012. The research, carried out by
Tony Rao, a Consultant Old Age Psychiatrist
at SLaM, found that alcohol is causing a rise
in the numbers diagnosed with dementia and
this was reported in the Mail Online.
30 May – 30 June
Channel 4 reported on
a trial being carried out
at SLaM which could help
in diagnosing dementia.
GPs across the country are
currently testing the new
iPad computer programme
which aims to speed up
diagnosis.
7 June
A new state-of-the-art learning centre which
will engage with the local community and
provide world class facilities for hundreds
of people was opened in June. The South
London Press and the Southwark News
carried articles about the new facility which
has meeting rooms, flexible learning spaces,
an open plan foyer, a café, wifi access and
landscaped gardens.
Various BBC websites, national
newspapers and Time magazine ran
stories on a new avatar system which
can help schizophrenics control the
voices in their heads. Professor Thomas
Craig, a SLaM Consultant Psychiatrist,
is leading a randomised study of the
computer-based system which could
provide quick and effective therapy
that is far more successful than current
pharmaceutical treatments, helping to
reduce the frequency and severity of
episodes of schizophrenia.
18 July
London Housing News reported on the success of a new art group as
part of the Psychology in Hostels Project in Lambeth. Two psychologists
from SLaM have been working alongside Thames Reach staff in the
project, using art therapy to support and help residents to understand
their emotions and build social skills. The project is particularly
valuable for the residents, many of whom have complex support needs
and a background of being excluded from other projects.
5 July
The Mother and Baby Unit at
Bethlem Royal Hospital was
recognised as a centre of “best
practice” in a recent report on
standards of care by the NSPCC. As
the South London Press reported,
the unit was singled out for praise by
the renowned children’s charity.
LBC Radio also interviewed SLaM
employee Sheila Woodward about
her services to the National Health
Service to mark its 65th birthday.
Sheila has worked for the NHS for
45 years and has dedicated her
career to improving the lives of
people with mental health problems.
SLaM in the Media
16/17
Social media
update
by Elliott Bernard
Channel 4
documentary
Connect with SLaM
Twitter: @MaudsleyNHS
Facebook: www.facebook.com/slamnhs
YouTube: www.youtube.com/slamnhsft
SLaM reached the milestone of 4,000 Twitter
followers in July, continuing our climb to
become one of the most-followed mental
health trusts in the UK.
Bethlem Royal Hospital Archives and Museum
blog: bethlemheritage.wordpress.com
A beginner’s guide to Twitter
Tweet: A 140-character message.
This support is spurred on by tweechats such as
the one in July with Dr Sarah Bernard, which
focused on learning disabilities in the community.
The chat, which involved members of the public, service
users and healthcare staff, widened our already large
social media presence with the hashtag #SLaMstigma,
reaching an estimated 60,000 user accounts.
Retweet (RT): Re-sharing or giving credit to
someone else's tweet.
Online discussions like these help to get people
talking about mental health openly and freely, raising
awareness of issues and conditions and helping to
de-stigmatise mental health conditions. Social media
can also help people connect with others in similar
situations or to get involved with support groups
which can help them.
Mention (@): A way to reference another
user by their username in a tweet
(e.g. @MaudsleyNHS). Users are notified
when @mentioned. It's a way to conduct
discussions with other users in a public realm.
We have also continued our presence on Facebook
and YouTube. Our YouTube account has a combined
87,507 video views - more than any other NHS
mental health trust.
This ever-growing social media presence helps us to
share news and information, and provides direct
access to the public to ask questions and find out
information. It also allows SLaM to get involved
with the work of other organisations in order to
challenge stigma and encourage mental wellbeing.
If you have something you would like to promote via
social media, email [email protected].
Feed: The stream of tweets you see on your
homepage. It's comprised of updates from
users you follow.
Handle: Your username (@MaudsleyNHS)
Direct Message (DM): A private, 140-character
message between two people. You may only
DM a user who follows you.
Hashtag (#): A way to denote a topic of
conversation or participate in a larger linked
discussion (e.g. #SLaMstigma). A hashtag is a
discovery tool that allows others to find your
tweets, based on topics.
You can also click on a hashtag to see all the
tweets that mention it in real time — even
from people you don't follow
In just a few weeks SLaM will
be featuring in a four-part
observational documentary
series on Channel 4.
The groundbreaking programmes aim
to give an insight into what it is like
to live with a mental health condition
and the series involves patients, service
users and staff across a wide range of
clinical services.
The series is an ideal opportunity for
SLaM to promote its services as well
as promoting public awareness and
changing perceptions of mental illness.
Filming has taken place in the Anxiety
Disorders Residential Unit at Bethlem
Royal Hospital, Triage at Lambeth
Hospital and the Mental Health for
Older Adults Unit at Maudsley Hospital.
The fourth programme will focus on
our community work.
The plan is to broadcast in September/
October 2013. The series is being made
by The Garden Productions, the same
company responsible for the hugely
successful 24 Hours in A&E series.
This is a great opportunity for SLaM
and is the first time a documentary on
this scale has been made here. It is a
chance for us to showcase the fantastic
work our staff do and continue to help
raising awareness of the realities of
dealing with a mental illness.
The landmark series aims to be real,
bold and honest – following a patient
on their “journey” through services
and their interactions with staff. It will
also aim to give a true picture of the
daily challenges which clinical staff
face when dealing with people with
mental health problems across some
of our services.
This type of filming has only been
made possible through the enthusiasm,
time and commitment from staff and
we want to thank everyone for their
invaluable input.
Please continue to read our weekly
e-news and our website www.slam.nhs.
uk for further updates.
Feature
18/19
Southwark
parental mental
health team
The parental mental health team is a nurse led early
intervention service, which works in Southwark to provide
help and support for parents who have children under
five and are experiencing mental distress. This service is
commissioned by Southwark Council Children’s service as
part of their early help provision.
Chris McCree, Service Manager, has led the
development of the team since it was set up in
2007. It was started as part of a drive to identify
unmet needs in support provision for parents
who have young children and are experiencing
mental health problems.
The parental mental health team recognises the needs of
parents as individuals with mental health problems, and the
needs of the child. They aim to promote positive parenting
and minimise the impact their mental health difficulties may
have on their children through supporting the parent with
their own needs. Service users are referred by a wide variety
of professionals from different health services.
Chris said: “The team provides both one-to-one and group
sessions in children’s centres. We therefore have a detailed
knowledge of the interaction between parent and child
which may not be immediately evident to other healthcare
professionals. We see the family in their home environment
and observe the interaction between the parent and
child which is crucial to helping us develop the right care
plan for the parent.”
Lucy Brazener, Team Manager, said: “Some of our families
really don’t have very much; they may be struggling
with benefits or have no recourse to public funds and by
going into their homes we are able to identify what they
need, for example, toys to stimulate the child or a fully
working pushchair to make it easier for them to go out and
thereby reducing isolation.”
In addition to the individual work the team runs a variety
of therapeutic sessions. The ‘keeping well post birth’ group
is a 10 week course that includes challenging negative
thoughts and developing positive coping strategies as
well as exploring feelings about motherhood. The team
also runs a ‘creative families’ group, an art programme
which aims to reduce the stigma of accessing a mental
health service and engages with families that are isolated.
Through the medium of art it encourages parents to
explore their mental wellbeing and to share their
experiences. These sessions provide lunch and a crèche
service, making it as easy as possible for parents to attend
without having to worry about food or childcare.
The team will see parents with a range of mental
health problems and they often work jointly with other
community teams and children’s services.
This service is available for any Southwark parent.
For advice about how to refer please contact
[email protected]
“I’m so grateful
to them for
showing me I
wasn’t alone.”
Jane’s story.
“I first met Lucy and the team when my
daughter was two, because I’d suffered
with postnatal depression after my
son was born a few years before. My
daughter was a very difficult toddler,
and used to scream the place down
when we went out, simple things like
getting on the bus became a nightmare.
I stopped going out as much because of
this so I became very isolated.
“Lucy took me to a children’s centre
where I did a parenting course. It
was going to this I realised that there
were other mothers in my situation.
The sessions helped me build up my
confidence, which was really very low.
I also went with my daughter to stay
and play sessions.
“What it took me a while to realise was
that as my son was autistic, he’d never
been curious as a toddler. My daughter
was completely different and was
into everything which I wasn’t used
to so I thought there was something
wrong with her. In actual fact she was
completely fine.
“The sessions also showed me that I
wasn’t depressed like before, just really
tired and down like most mothers get
at some point or another. The parenting
course taught me that I was actually a
good enough parent after all that time
I’d thought I was a bad one.
“I was discharged from the care of
the team but I still keep in touch with
them as I actually talk to some of the
groups now about my experience
with postnatal depression and it’s
great to think that I might be helping
others now. I’ve also managed to find
a job and I’m so grateful to Lucy and
the team at the children’s centre for
showing me I wasn’t alone and for
building up my confidence. It turned
my life around.”
Feature
20/21
Institute of
Psychiatry’s
parade of stars
In April 2013, the Institute of Psychiatry King's College London
hosted the parade of stars, an opportunity for 29 researchers
to celebrate their successes. It also showcased their research
portfolios which highlight the important research questions they
have been addressing. The Institute is Europe’s largest centre for
research in psychiatry, psychology, basic and clinical neuroscience
and substance use disorders and the partnership with SLaM
creates an excellent basis for translational research.
Professor John Strang, Head
of Addictions at SLaM, was
congratulated for his work on
heroin overdose deaths. He and his
team have explored the overlooked
opportunity to take technology
where it is needed and to empower
peers and family to become a
novel intervention workforce
through education, training,
and pre-provision of emergency
resuscitation medication.
Professor Sir Simon Wessely is
Head of Psychological Medicine
at SLaM and has carried out some
fascinating research into PTSD
in ex-service personnel. For his
work on military health and in
psychological medicine, he was
knighted in the 2013 New Year’s
Honours List.
Dr Sukhi Shergill, Consultant
Psychiatrist at the National
Psychosis Service, has carried out
some remarkable research into
the brain mechanisms underlying
the symptoms of psychosis and
how these can be used to guide
novel treatments.
Professor Michael Kopelman,
Professor of Neuropsychiatry has
carried out neuropsychological
and neuroimaging studies
into the effect of HIV on
cognitive ageing. He and his
team carried out cross sectional
and longitudinal studies of
HIV positive and HIV negative
men, with findings that may
be predictive of subsequent
cognitive decline.
Professor Philippa Garety, Professor
and Clinical Director of the Psychosis
CAG, headed up a team which
has been developing targeted
psychological treatments for
persecutory delusions. They have
been identifying the psychological
mechanisms which cause the
development and persistence
of persecutory delusions and
developing treatment approaches
targeted on these mechanisms.
Professor Rob Stewart’s work
is based in mental health
informatics: ‘real world research.’
Psychiatric research began in the
nineteenth century, and since
then, the wealth of information
in the electronic health record
presents unprecedented
opportunities to transform our
understanding of how mental
disorders are experienced and
how they should be treated.
Professor Carmine Pariante,
Professor in Biological Psychiatry
has been researching why stress
makes us ill. Stressful events
can significantly compromise
our physical and mental health
and Professor Pariante has been
studying the biological mechanisms
underlying this effect.
Professor Janet Treasure is in
charge of the eating disorders
unit. She has been carrying out
research into the families of those
with eating disorders and the
role they play in their treatment
and recovery. She was awarded
an OBE in the 2013 New Year’s
Honours List.
News in brief
Over the past few months we have
been redeveloping the sites based on
the feedback received from users. We
have redesigned the websites to make
them easier to use as well as adding
some exciting new features.
What’s new on SLaM?
Based on our analysis we have
introduced a service finder search
option to the SLaM home page of the
website. We know that approximately
22/23
65% of people visiting our website use
it to find out about our clinical services,
so we want to make it as easy for them
to find what they are looking for. We
know that a large number of people
visiting the site want to know about
the hospital services we provide, how
to get to hospital and how to get help
in an emergency. In response to this we
have made these key areas a prominent
part of our home page.
New SLaM and
NIHR mental
health biomedical
research centre
and dementia unit
(BRC/U) websites
You will also see that we have
introduced a range of pages about
mental health conditions. We identified
the top 15 condition searches on
the website and have developed
information pages about each one.
What’s new on BRC/U?
With the growing profile of our
Biomedical Research Centre and
Dementia Unit (BRC/U) we decided it
needed a separate subsite of its own.
You can now view the latest news,
highlights and training schemes all from
the homepage. We also have a new
blog where clinicians will take turns
writing posts about their work.
How the site works
The site has been built to be viewed
in the latest web browsers (Internet
Explorer 10, Mozilla Firefox 20 etc).
If you do have any issues viewing the
site, it could be that your browser
needs to be updated.
Feedback
We hope you enjoy using the new
website, we welcome any feedback
you or your colleagues have. You are
welcome to contact us any time by
email: [email protected]
or call us on 020 3228 2830.
Service user artwork displays at Chelsea
College of Art and Design
A service user in River House at Bethlem Royal Hospital
has been working with SLaM art therapists to produce a
range of sculptures and photographs to go on display at
an exhibition at the Chelsea College of Art and Design.
This project is part of a collaboration between the
University of the Arts, London and the Doctoral School,
Academy of Fine Art, Budapest.
Michaela Ross and Josip Lizatovic, the art therapists who
have been working with the service user displayed one
of his sculptures and a series of photos showing the
same sculpture in different spaces across the hospital site.
For several months, the artist-service user has been
making a constantly changing cardboard structure,
which represents the constantly changing relationship
between him and the hospital. It simultaneously
represents a hiding place, an escape route, a filter, a
second skin and an alternative way of living within
River House. A structure was specially commissioned
and exhibited at the Chelsea College of Art and Design
alongside images which show the process of creating it.
Cover story
Music therapy uses the expressive elements of
music as the main means of communication
between therapist and client. SLaM is lucky enough
to have a team of music therapists who work
tirelessly with service users on inpatient wards
and out in the community.
Jo Hutcheson, one of the music therapists, talked about
the improvisational and reflective nature of the activity:
“I’ll go onto wards and start playing something that
reflects what sounds service users are making.
She said: "If nobody’s doing anything I’ll start playing
something that goes along with breathing or someone’s
foot tapping. It can be very subtle. The aim of my
work is to facilitate a space where people can be heard
and understood.
24/25
“Music therapy can be very cathartic and often one sound
that someone makes would need half a book in words. It’s a
non-verbal, primitive, very personal form of communication.”
Mia, one of our art
therapists gets into
busking during music
therapy week.
Fellow music therapist JC Larkin agrees. He said: “A client
could walk into the music space while they’re angry and make
a loud, crashing sound on a symbol. I might respond to that by
making a similar or complementary sound on the keyboard.
It takes it back to the kind of behaviour exhibited by a
mother and a baby. A baby cries, a mother recognises what
that means and soothes the baby. A number of our clients
experienced trauma during childhood and so music therapy
can penetrate through to their life pre-trauma.”
JC runs a music therapy group and said: “Music encourages
listening and can create a sense of belonging which isolation
prevents. People need to belong in some way to be mentally
healthy; building relationships in some way is very important.
Music therapy offers people a chance to do that.
Let the music play…
Music plays an important role in our everyday lives. It can be
extremely evocative, vividly reminding us of a certain time,
place, person or event. It can be a powerful expression of our
feelings and a way of communicating with others.
Cover story
26/27
"Music encourages
listening and can create
a sense of belonging
which isolation prevents.
People need to belong
in some way to be
mentally healthy; building
relationships in some way
is very important. Music
therapy offers people a
chance to do that."
“I often encourage members of staff to join the group.
Communicating non-verbally can be a new experience
for staff, and often the patients are more articulate in
their expressions. The relationship between patient and
professional levels out and this broadens and deepens
communication, offering both parties a different
understanding of each other.”
For national music therapy week in June, Jo and JC
conducted a busking session in the canteen at Lambeth
Hospital as a way of conveying to people what the team
does without breaking the confidentiality of any patients
who use their services. They invited the people using
the canteen to join in and used the session as a good
opportunity to educate and inform people of the
benefits of music therapy.
Jo runs a weekly music therapy group and said: "It's a
formal group with stable membership and any service users
within the Psychosis CAG can be referred to the group."
Music therapy falls under the umbrella of arts therapies
and art, drama and dance therapies are also available
for service users at SLaM. Mia Cavaliero works as an
art therapist both on a female acute ward and out in
the community.
She said: “Clients engage with the art materials and are
given the opportunity to reflect with me and the group.
It can be very useful for clients experiencing psychosis to
work with concrete materials in a safe setting and the
fact that they can work non-verbally is also helpful. The
focus is on gaining deeper insight and understanding
and supporting and maintaining recovery.”
Geri Harrison is a dance therapist and runs sessions in
the Mother and Baby Unit at Bethlem Royal Hospital.
She said: “It’s very important that service users have an
opportunity to access art therapies and to realign their
mind and body, and dance allows them to do this. On
the Mother and Baby Unit it is particularly fascinating
because the dance between a mother and her baby is a
beautiful thing. Even very young babies will mimic what
their mother is doing which is wonderful to watch.”
For more information about music therapy please
contact Jo Hutcheson [email protected]
For more information about arts therapies across SLaM
please contact Alice Jackson [email protected] or
Jo-anna VanDenBosch [email protected]
Left: JC entertains
the crowd in
Lambeth canteen
"I often encourage
members of staff
to join the group.
Communicating nonverbally can be a new
experience for staff,
and often the patients
are more articulate in
their expressions. "
Below: Jo
and JC work
together on their
improvisational
sound
"Music therapy can be
very cathartic and
often one sound that
someone makes would
need half a book in
words. It’s a non-verbal,
primitive, very personal
form of communication."
Membership
Feature
Journeys of
appreciation
programme
Journeys of appreciation (JOAP) is an
innovative programme which engages
inpatient service users and staff from
Mental Health of Older Adults and
Dementia (MHOAD) in museum and
gallery visits with follow-up creative
and therapeutic workshops.
SGDP open day
In celebration of the Medical Research Council’s (MRC)
100th birthday, King’s College London’s MRC Social, Genetic
and Developmental Psychiatry (SGDP) centre took part in
an ‘open week’, which ran from Thursday 20 June until
Wednesday 26 June. The SGDP centre open day took place
on 26 June and was a doubly special occasion as this year
also marked the 10th anniversary of the centre’s move into
its purpose built building at the Institute of Psychiatry (IoP).
Excited families with young children joined students and
adults of all ages in finding out about what social, genetic and
developmental psychiatry research involves.
Melissa Sollich, Business Manager for the centre, said of the
event: “We wanted to create a fun experience that really brought
science to life. So we opened up our centre and had our scientists
guide participants through how their bodies and minds work.
The atmosphere on the day was electric, with children and adults
eager to find out more about what makes them ‘them.’”
On the day some of the most popular activities included being
connected to an EEG machine (which records brain activity) and
seeing how to control a toy racing car using brain waves;
exploring DNA through learning how to extract it using real
samples and building a brain to discover how it is structured.
For further information about the MRC Social, Genetic
and Developmental Psychiatry centre, please visit
www.kcl.ac.uk/iop/depts/mrc/events
Funded by Maudsley Charity, JOAP is a
three year programme, and is important
because it helps service users reconnect
with the world and with experiences
they may have had before their illness to
promote recovery, wellbeing and social
inclusion. This enhances therapeutic
relationships and encourages life story
practice through using the visits and the
creative sessions that follow them as a
way of doing this.
In the first 10 months of the programme
there have been nine visits to museums
and galleries with 62 service users taking
part. JOAP has also developed creative
partnerships with Dulwich Picture Gallery,
Horniman Museum, Tate Modern and
Tate Britain.
The programme allows for joint learning
for staff and service users alike and helps
them to engage in collective sharing of a
sense of freedom through going out and
getting off the ward. It also leads to wardbased creative and therapeutic training
and workshops for the staff and service
users involved in the museum and gallery
visits, which has a positive impact on
service user experience and ward culture.
28/29
Elections
Plain English
Spring/summer was a busy time for membership with
the elections for the Council of Governors taking place.
We had a great response, and in July the results were
announced. Tom George Werner and Iyoni Rebecca
Ranasinghe were elected for the staff constituency
and Christopher John Collins, Nashiru Momori and
Christopher Anderson were elected for the service
user residing in Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and
Southwark constituency.
Following approval from the Council of Governors, we
are pleased to announce we have decided to join as
lifetime members to the Plain English campaign. This
means we will set to work to make sure our publications
are easy to read and avoid any jargon. Find out more
at www.plainenglish.co.uk.
The Council supports the Board of Directors in setting the
long term vision for the organisation, and our Board of
Directors has a duty to consult, and listen to the views of
the Council of Governors. We look forward to continuing
that work with the Council.
We are in the process of updating our Constitution.
This is the key document that sets out how our Trust
should be governed. We’ve taken on board our members’
views on this, and will be contacting you with more
updates so watch this space!
SLaM Constitution
Discount scheme
We brought you news in May that our members
are now able to benefit from discounts with local
businesses through the healthcare staff benefit
scheme. The scheme offers discounts on over
200 brands, travel and insurance and financial
products in London.
This is completely free of charge and in order to benefit
from these discounts you have to be a member of SLaM
and register at www.healthcarestaffbenefits.org.uk
(click on the top banner) to obtain a gold card to
present at participating suppliers.
Why not invite your friends and family to join?
You can find out more and sign up by going to
www.slam.nhs.uk/membership.
Membership
Update
King's Health Partners
King’s Health
Partners
update
The King’s Health Partners Board has been
discussing for some time how we can go further,
faster with our mission to bring clinical services,
research and education more closely together
for the benefit of patients. This could involve
merging the three NHS trusts and becoming more
closely integrated with our university partner
King’s College London.
30/31
Stop smoking
service
We agreed that we would take stock at regular intervals
and did so most recently on 17 July. We are committed
to continuing our work on a full business case, which
will now be steered by the Chairs of our NHS trusts
and College Principal, and led by the three trust Chief
Executives and the College Head of Administration.
The key question for us is whether the benefits to
patient care, staff and student satisfaction and research
outputs are sufficiently compelling to merit a merger
of the three NHS trusts. In determining this, we will
give equal weight to considering what we could achieve
by close academic and service integration without an
actual formal merger.
In autumn 2013, the NHS trust boards and the
equivalent body within King’s College London
(the College Council) will review progress towards
completing a full business case and decide how
they want to proceed.
If you would like more information about this, visit the
King's Health Partners website for the full update at
http://www.kingshealthpartners.org/files/resources/
full_business_case_update_july_2013_3856.pdf
SLaM staff who want to quit
smoking can do so with the
support of King’s Health Partners
stop smoking specialist, Jana Lloyd.
Jana provides this support to staff
across Guy’s and St Thomas’,
King’s College London, King’s
College Hospital and SLaM.
Staff members can contact Jana to
find out more about the service,
which involves an information
sharing session with Jana, and a stop
smoking programme which runs for
approximately six to eight weeks.
Jana started working at King’s Health
Partners in March 2012. She said: “One
of the things I love the most about my
jobs is taking someone from the very
beginning, right through their quit
attempt and seeing them afterwards
as a non-smoker. Most of my clients
surprise themselves as they never
think they will be successful or can
imagine being smoke free.
“It’s not always fairytales and happy
endings, as quitting smoking is really
not easy. Some clients do struggle
and there are a lot of challenges to
work through. With patience and
determination however, most find
that they can get through it.”
One of the staff members that Jana
helped is Lucy, who said: “I started
smoking really young. I smoked all
through my last years of school and my
teens. I have tried and failed to quit
smoking several times in the past using
stop smoking services treatments but
have given in every time I have had an
alcoholic drink and then it started all
over again. I saw a poster on the door
for smoking cessation, called and was
offered an appointment.
“Jana empathised with my reasons for
smoking and was so supportive. She
showed me the effect that smoking
was having on my body, and I made
the decision once and for all to quit.
I threw away my cigarettes and my
lighters, and I feel so much better.”
If you would like some information or
advice, or a chat about how quitting
smoking could work for you, get in
touch with Jana [email protected].
Do you know
your five
commitments?
We constantly monitor and measure the quality of care we
provide at SLaM and are always looking for ways that we can
do things better. We're also assessed by other organisations
on a regular basis. Most important of all, we receive feedback
from the people who use our services.
Our aim is to build trusting and longstanding relationships
based on five commitments:
1. to be caring, kind and polite
2. to be prompt and value your time
3. to take time and listen to you
4. to be honest and direct with you
5. to do what I say I’m going to do