1. religion and spirituality

Issue 14
“Why
I’m willing to
help AWP”
PLUS:
A Haven
of recovery
The spiritual side
of mental health
Meet The
Moustache of
the Year 2012
And more!
Julian Hendy on the
death of his father
and what we need
to learn from it.
December 2012
welcome
welcome
Recognised for
improving lives
Winter has arrived and you find the Ourvoice team
huddled around a candle for warmth. Should it get
particularly cold we may even light it.
Many congratulations to all the
winners, finalists and nominees in
the Staff Awards 2012 – and to the
fourteen staff and teams who were
awarded NHS Heroes certificates at
the celebration.
Still, it’s not exactly a big change from the rest of 2012
which turned out to be damp and miserable. Makes you
wonder how we manage to stay so positive! The secret
to that seems to be keeping busy, and this issue
is further proof of the packed working lives the AWP
gang lead.
All our winners, finalists and guests
Another reason for keeping busy is that we have a
new boss, as Iain Tulley has recently joined us as Chief
Executive. While there wasn’t quite the fanfare and
bunting of the US presidential elections, we’d like to
extend our welcome and we look forward to hearing
from Iain in future issues.
We’re also very pleased to welcome Julian Hendy to
Ourvoice (see pages 4-5). The tragedy that Julian’s
family went through has led to him giving AWP a
unique and challenging perspective on the way we
manage service users who may be violent. We think
you’ll find the interview thought-provoking.
Our three lifetime achievers share
a congratulatory group hug
An ironically unforgettable performance:
‘Why, why, why, dementia? ’ sung by
Forget-Me-Not Centre members and staff
Above: Duncan, Nicolette and Rosie
survey the wall of sound, while
(opposite) preparing for the abseil.
Ourvoice stalwart and roving reporter Lucy Robinson
has been finding out about living a good life down at
the Haven recovery project, plus we’ll discover what
H.O.P.E. is all about and so much more besides.
Before we see you next there’s the small matter of
Christmas to look forward to. Whether you celebrate or
not, have a happy, warm and safe festive season from
everyone on the Ourvoice team.
All the best
Joyce Starkie, delighted winner of the ‘volunteers’ category,
with runners up Gladys Medcroft and Emilia Love
2 Enabling people to reach their potential.
Simon
4 Father and son
Julian Hendy talks to Ourvoice
6The Mysterious World of AWP
Meet Chris Wall, Moustache of
the Year!
6
Stand by for action
Dealing with problems is a real
team effort
7
Driven and determined
8
A haven of recovery
9
Getting support and motivation
from your peers
Lucy Robinson discovers a secret
garden in the heart of Bristol
30 Second interview
Meet Dan Meron
10 In essence!
How good practice is energising
us all
11 All of me
Faith, H.O.P.E. and spirituality
Simon Gerard, Editor
Empowering people to live fulfilling lives. 3
feature
feature
Ourvoice: Julian, prior to the tragic
death of your father, what was your
view of mental health issues? You’d
made some films on the subject,
hadn’t you?
Julian Hendy: I’d made a number of
films on the subject and I was – and
actually still am – very supportive of
good mental health. I was very aware
of the blight that some serious mental
illness can have on people’s lives and
their families and communities.
Following the killing of his father by an AWP service
user, Julian Hendy had found himself at odds with the
Trust. So what has led him to want to help us?
Interview by Simon Gerard
convictions for violence seemed not
to have been part of a risk assessment
and he was therefore “at liberty” in
the community.
Julian’s battle to get the answers
he needed took place across emails,
telephone calls, newspaper articles
and a BBC2 documentary called
Why Did You Kill My Dad?
In April 2007, Philip Hendy was
walking to pay his paper bill in Bristol
when a chance encounter with an
AWP service user ended in tragedy.
Mr Hendy, a 75 year old father and
grandfather was attacked and stabbed
by Stephen Newton. There was no
motive, no reason, no explanation.
A week later, Philip Hendy died in
intensive care…
Above: Philip and Julian Hendy.
Opposite page: Philip Hendy with
grandson Alexander, Philip with
children in 1962.
Following his father’s death, Julian
Hendy found it difficult to come to
terms with how any of this could
have happened. In his view, it was
preventable; all the signs were there
but nobody was paying attention to
them. Stephen Newton’s previous
4 Enabling people to reach their potential.
Fast forward to September 2012 and
Julian Hendy is preparing to stand in
front of an audience, primarily made
up of AWP staff, for an event called
Violence, Anxiety and Coping. It seems
strange to see him here, shaking
hands and talking with people that
he had been desperately trying to
get answers from for so long.
It was at this event that he agreed
to talk to Ourvoice just as soon as
schedules would allow. November
arrives and so does a space in his
hectic diary…
JH: I was surprised there was no
contact from AWP to the family of
the victim, even if just to say “We’re
here” so I was very affected when
I found out much later that, within
days of the incident, the Trust had
sent condolences to the perpetrator’s
family but hadn’t bothered to contact
me or my family. I since understand
why that was the case and that
unfortunately it isn’t all that unusual.
I also understand that there are times
when there’s no way that incidents
like this can be prevented. But all too
often it appears these are accidents
waiting to
happen.
I was particularly affected by going to
Brixton prison where we made a film
about mentally
disordered
“When my father was
offenders
OV: Back when
going through
the justice
we spoke at
killed I had, in the most
system and
the event in
how many of
September, I
fundamental way possible,
them were
said you’d be
ending up
forgiven for
s
to question those feeling
there rather
running a mile
than hospital;
from having
and beliefs.”
that didn’t do
anything more
their health
to do with a
very much
trust that you
good. I genuinely thought they were
found yourself completely at odds
some of the most tortured [through
with. And yet, there you were, the
their illness] people I’d ever met and
keynote speaker... Why did you feel
my heart went out to them.
able to do that?
OV: You certainly didn’t have any axe
to grind then...?
JH: Certainly not! I’ve had friends
that have gone through their own
mental health problems and I certainly
didn’t feel it was anything that should
be hidden or ashamed of. When
my father was killed I had, in the
most fundamental way possible, to
question those feelings and beliefs.
What I began to realise is that,
particularly in mental health care,
there seemed to be a real problem
with learning from previous incidents.
I appreciate the difficulties; we’re not
making tins of beans, we’re dealing
with people who are undergoing
emotional crises.
OV: Did you feel then, after your
father was killed and you were
starting to deal with AWP, that you
and the Trust were on either side of a
chasm of understanding? There was
no common ground?
OV: But if we accept this view of
things, what is it that brought us to
this point? Is it the rights of service
users being put before anything else?
Bureaucracy? What’s your view?
JH: Patient confidentiality is obviously
important but…we don’t need all
the details of a patient as sometimes
the bare bones is enough to inform
or raise the point that there may be
a particular risk to others. To also be
mindful of the rights of the people
who may be affected is not a bad
thing. This is why I agreed to speak at
the event, because I felt I had a point
of view which wasn’t often heard.
OV: Are you pleased you attended the
Trust conference? Does it feel like the
right thing to have done for you?
JH: Yes, definitely. I know it was a
one-off or pilot event but I’d be keen
to come along to another one. If I can
help to inform discussions amongst
professionals, to try and stop this
from ever happening again, then it’s
worth it.
Julian has created a web site which
offers information and support on
the issues surrounding serious mental
illness and violence
www.hundredfamilies.org
JH: Part of it was that I felt I had no
option but to be there! I follow the
Press regarding mental health and it
concerns me that there’s a message
coming across about violence and
people with a serious mental illness
that’s exceptionally one-sided. There’s
a fear that addressing that will lead
to increased stigma against people
with mental illness and I think that’s
misguided.
If someone with serious mental
illness is left untreated then the
consequences could be another
horrible incident which, in my view,
could create more stigma. I think
if you treat the [causes of] violence
you treat the stigma. I’ve seen all
these anti-stigma campaigns – and
I support them – but they do seem
to concentrate on essentially “well”
people, rather than those people I see
on the street with serious problems,
who appear to be off their medication
and in a lot of distress.
Empowering people to live fulfilling lives. 5
feature
feature
The Mysterious
World of AWP
Welcome once more to
our mysterious world. This
time we meet Chris Wall,
Care Home and Community
Hospital Liaison Nurse
(BANES), and owner of
an award-winning facial
feature…
Where are you right now?
I am at my desk at Bath NHS house
adopting the RiO position.
Can you describe your job in
twelve words?
Care Home and Community
Hospital Liaison Nurse in
Banes busy but enjoyable. That’s some fine facial topiary you
have there, Chris. How long has it
taken to reach this point?
I started flirting with facial hair a few
years ago, around the same time the
charity Movember started. I decided
to keep the ‘tache after Glastonbury
festival in 2011. It hit a few snags early
on with wild trims and an incident
with a flaming cocktail but I started to
look after it properly in the last year.
And you’re officially Moustache of the
Year 2012…?
Yes! The British Beard and Moustache
championships is a bit like Crufts but
for facial hair. You wouldn’t believe
the different categories, they range
from sideburns, full beards and
moustache styles. The category I won
was the ‘natural’ moustache which
meant no styling aids such as glues
or waxes. The competition was
extremely high, some of the guys take
it extremely seriously. The judging
criteria is always a closely guarded
secret so I was even more surprised
that I had won. Stand by for
actiON
It may not exactly be International Rescue, but our staff
are every bit as ready to cope with a crisis as the fictional
Thunderbirds team. AWP’s Resilience Manager,
Chris Williams picks up the story.
It’s not unusual at the start of any
incident, for a little bit of doubt to
creep in, and you may ask yourself,
‘Am I over-reacting, should we do
anything, should we wait to see what
happens?’ Taking decisive action is
often better than delaying a response
otherwise you may find yourself
playing catch-up.
With the recent flooding of the
Elmham Way site in Weston-superMare, service users had to be
evacuated so local staff advised the
service users’ next of kin that they
were safe, were being relocated,
where they were and how to
contact them.
Thanks to the calm professionalism
of our staff, along with those of our
maintenance contractors Rydon, and
the emergency services, the problem
at Elmham Way demonstrated that
when the right procedures are
followed, events can be rapidly and
effectively resolved.
6 Enabling people to reach their potential.
Do you have any hirsute heroes?
Not really. I’m too young to have
appreciated the likes of Jimmy
Edwards or even Tom Selleck, for
that matter…
I’m going to give you £50,000 taxfree. What are you going to spend
it on? I would spend it on helping my family,
in particular my three-week old
daughter Lily. Time’s up!
Driven and determined
Last year Bristol specialist drug and alcohol service (BSDAS)
recruited 12 volunteer peer mentors to support and
motivate fellow service users, using their own experiences
to reduce fear and give hope. A year on, four from
the original group (most have moved on to studies or
employment) have worked with Gareth Sharman, BSDAS
service user involvement worker, to train 17 new peer
mentors.
Lisa
I did my rehab in prison. With different lengths of sentence
not all women prisoners are psychologically ready to
actually make changes and they keep going back in.
Support from a peer mentor while they’re there could be
really valuable.
On graduation day the positivity and enthusiasm were
almost tangible. The volunteer peer mentors are all BSDAS
service users who have overcome huge challenges in their
recovery journeys. Listening to their stories it is evident that
many of them hadn’t believed it would be possible to get
to where they are. Now they want to help others make
similar achievements.
Marcus
I had a problem with authority but peer mentors would
have helped get me in the right place. I didn’t realise there
was a solution to the destructive situation I was in and for I
while I thought ending my life would be the easiest thing.
Now it is nice to be on the other side and to ‘be present’,
and I think I can use my experience to help others. Helping
brings me out of myself. I owe it to myself and to the people
in BSDAS. I feel passionate about this.
Ellie
This has been absolutely brilliant and a great opportunity
to talk to doctors and psychologists. I want to help other
women in a similar situation. I want to give them hope
about their children and the opportunities that are out
there for them. Peer mentors fill the middle ground
between service users and the authority figures of doctors,
nurses and social workers.
Sean
As one of the original peer mentors, it was very useful to
take part in the training. The role has evolved so it was
slicker and more focused this time. Being a peer mentor has
made me realise that, with the benefit of hindsight, I would
have chosen a very different path in life. I can honestly say I
get more out of being a peer mentor than I ever got out of
my previous career.
Wayne
Facing rehab can be very scary so I’m hoping to meet
people early in their contact with SDAS. I look forward to
using what I’ve learned on the training – it was extremely
interesting, useful for life as well as for being a peer mentor.
Gareth
Everyone on the training has been positive and passionate
and they are providing a huge range of experience that
we can match to the situations and needs of service users.
The peer mentor programme is about two things: helping
people progress through treatment, and our peer mentors
continuing their own recovery. I’m looking forward to
witnessing their achievements with service users but also
their personal progress.
Taffy
I see the peer mentor role as about being there, supporting
someone, using my experience to help someone else get
well. People have a fear of the unknown, they don’t know
what will happen during treatment. Talking to peer mentors
could kill a lot of the fear. If I can stop one person from
going where I went I will be happy.
“I see the peer mentor role as
about being there, supporting
someone, using my experience
to help someone else get well.”
Empowering people to live fulfilling lives. 7
feature
feature
A chilly early morning in autumn. As per directions from
3
THE
recovery support
an inner city block of flats.
worker Grace Weatherburn, I park outside
high metal gate, our fingers
Following Grace under a railway arch to a
n. Then I catch my first glimpse
are almost too numb to wrestle the lock ope
:
of the magical place I’ve been invited to see
SECOND INTERVIEW
to do anything like this before. I love that I can try things
out, do a bit of digging, have a cup of tea, dig some more.”
by Lucy Robinson
Lisa agrees with Rob’s sentiments. “It is great to be involved
in something that gives me a bit of structure, something to
look after. I feel good after being here, buzzing from the
fresh air. It’s really good to genuinely care about something
and to watch it progress – and to sit by an open fire with a
cup of tea and a biscuit. It would be great to maybe keep
bees or a few chickens here in future.”
This extraordinary 1.3 acre recovery
project was established by drug and
alcohol service users five years ago in
a hidden river valley. Once the site of
a market garden, the site was derelict
when co-founders Paul and Terry
secured it from Bristol City Council. The
site has evolved into an enchanting
series of sculpture-dotted gardens,
ponds, seating areas, workshops
and a hut complete with sofas and
woodburner. Everything including
the quirky composting toilet has
been handmade on site from recycled
materials. Reused signs are ironically amusing (‘please keep
off the grass’) and useful (the ‘stop/go’ sign on the path to
the toilet). Described by Paul as a missing link for people
in recovery, the Haven provides something other than
conventional group work and therapy.
Penny adds, “The Blackberry Centre raised £37 with a ‘wear
your wellies to work’ day and Viki is planning a sponsored
bike ride. We are so grateful to everyone. But we need
donations of seeds, plants and gardening equipment as
well – not to mention tea, coffee and biscuits!”
This year a group from SDAS’s Bristol and South
Gloucestershire recovery drop-ins took on a plot within the
Haven, supported by Grace, Penny Stanbury, Viki Bakehouse
and Kim Hewlett. The SDAS group is creating a
wildflower bed, pond and vegetable plots divided
by a mosaic path. Eventually they hope to sell
produce and chutneys at a farmers’ market.
Haven participants, importantly, are not volunteers, but
instead ‘owners’ of the project. There are some basic rules
but the project is hierarchy-free albeit under the caring eye
and gentle guidance of Paul and Terry. Open to all each
Tuesday and Friday, people can wander or sit, but most
garden or create. Thursdays, led by artist Julia, are for
women only.
Showing me progress on their plot, Grace
explains, “The Haven manages with almost
no money, relying on donations and Paul
and Terry’s ingenuity. But we need funds to
support the project and to develop our plot;
we are really lucky to have contributions
from Bristol and South Gloucestershire
specialist drug and alcohol services.”
8 Enabling people to reach their potential.
The benefits are many and varied. But as the gang sips tea
and bounces ideas around, I realise they are all learning one
very valuable lesson: it is okay to try things, make mistakes
and learn from them. There is no right or wrong
way of doing things at the Haven and that is
one of the keys to its considerable success.
By now my fingers are so cold that I can no longer write
so Paul and BSDAS service users Rob, Lisa and Tim join
us for a warming cuppa in front of the wood burner.
“I love coming here,“ says Rob several times. “Paul
was my befriender at Second Step so I’d heard of
the Haven but I only came when Grace suggested
it. I look forward to it every week, it’s something I
can commit to. I’d never been offered the chance
You can now follow Grace’s online
‘Haven diary’ via the links at
www.awp.nhs.uk/
Who has time to talk these
days? Consultant Psychiatrist
at Beechlydene Dan Meron
does but only for 30 seconds!
Your time starts now…
Q: Describe your most productive day so far this week.
We take pride in our close working with the home
treatment team to shorten hospital admissions which
means we have a high turnover of patients on the ward.
Each Monday I meet a whole new ward of people and
new families. At the end of the day we are shattered
but with a great feeling of having helped a lot of
people. So Monday is always my most productive day –
but closely followed by Tuesday. And Wednesday.
Q: Who has made you laugh today?
You! My children – they always make me laugh.
And my dog. They are a massive part of my life.
Q: If you weren’t working right now what would
you be doing?
Kite surfing badly in Poole harbour.
Recovery drop-ins
Colston Fort recovery drop-in:
every other Thursday, 2pm-4pm.
Contact Penny 0117 923 2077 or
Grace 0117 919 2310.
Blackberry Centre recovery drop-in:
last Tuesday of the month, 3pm-4.30pm.
Contact Viki 0117 378 4500.
Q: If you could swap jobs with anyone in the world,
who would it be?
I don’t think there’s anyone I’d swap with… although
I’d trade with Arden Tomison for a week to see what
challenges a medical director faces.
Q: What’s the best thing about your job?
I’ve wanted to be a doctor since I was 12 years old.
It’s never the same from moment to moment. I work
with really interesting patients, I get to work with
really great people – service users, their families and
colleagues – in a lovely city. Life is good.
Time’s up!
Opposite: l-r: Lisa, Grace, Penny, Paul & Rob. Photo by Tim.
Above: Tim, Penny & Lisa. Photo by Tim.
Empowering people to live fulfilling lives. 9
feature
feature
In essence...
All of me
Pictured: Lou, Ben & Teagle
How can “spiritual assessments” give us a fuller picture of the person
under our care? And how will staff be supported to carry them out?
AWP chaplain Rev. Michael Belfield discusses the need for H.O.P.E.
With AWP ‘energising for excellence’, the
Essence of Care team have been hearing
about good practice from across the Trust.
Ben Padfield reports…
Essence of Care is an initiative which
is for use by us all to get at the heart
of what we do. It aims to value and
improve communication, respect and
dignity, our care environments and
our standards of food and drink.
It involves gathering service users’,
carers’ and staff perspectives on care,
(both giving and receiving), in order
to set standards and recognise areas of
best practice. So what better than to
share some of that best practice with
everyone reading Ourvoice?
Working Together:
Natalie
Davenport
in North
Somerset,
ran her
Essence of
Care project
across
Natalie Davenport
inpatient
and
community settings to increase
efficiency and to develop a culture
of self-assessment and improvement
for staff. Service users reported that
the transition from home to hospital
and back was smooth, and that the
standard of care was consistently
high at all times.
Nikki Hobbs
‘diabetes-friendly’
Talking & Listening:
and ‘no-hassle’
In Bristol, service user
(for individuals
representative Lou
with limited
Winstone worked with
cooking skills or
inpatient staff to develop
facilities).
guidance around one to
one interactions. This
Teams and service
insight into service users’
users have used
experiences continues
Essence of Care to ‘think outside the
to support staff to question their
box’, bringing their creativity and
practice and enhance their talking and
imagination to the improvement
listening skills. New staff members and
process. In central Bristol Nikki Hobbs
students have welcomed having direct
used therapeutic activities to gather
access to service users’ experiences in a
service user opinions, including a
busy acute ward.
tombola of service-improvement
ideas, where prizes were given for the
Meaningful Activity:
most inventive, the most comical and
Lou Curtis and Pete Aston in Bath
the most forward-thinking.
started running nutrition and
Improving care is something we all do
wellbeing workshops for service users,
as part of our day to day work, and
involving cooking, physical exercise
it is not limited to registered nursing
and relaxation. Taking account
staff. So if you are a student or an
of feedback, nurses and OTs have
HCA, why not use Essence of Care to
teamed up to offer creative activities,
celebrate the good stuff in what
including ‘al fresco’ mindfulness
we do?
and meditation sessions with a
Buddhist nun.
Managing the Menu:
Simon Hall’s early intervention
team in Wiltshire used service user
feedback to offer community food
boxes matched up to individuals’
needs and preferences. Types of
food box included ‘vegetarian’,
10 Enabling people to reach their potential.
For more information,
colleagues can search
‘Essence of Care’
on Ourspace.
“It’s the great British reserve,“ Michael
Belfield explains. “We never talk
about sex, money, politics or religion!”
That old line is about to be challenged
as it’s become clear that finding out
about the whole person can help us
understand and support them during
times of mental health crisis.
AWP has recently launched H.O.P.E.
– H= sources of Hope, O= Organised
religion, P= Personal practice, E=
Effects on care – a spiritual assessment
tool aimed at understanding more
about the service user.
“We have moved on from asking
service users simply what their religion
is; ‘religious’ describes the organised
worshipping faith, while ‘spiritual’ is
the personal – it is about those things
which give meaning and value and
purpose to someone’s life,”
says Michael.
“H.O.P.E. assists in finding out what
we can do to help identify those
things that really matter to a person
while they are in our care. It is about
helping them to feel human rather
than just ‘a patient’ or service user.”
a prayer mat. Having these items helps
him practise his faith but the strength
comes from the faith itself and not
from the mat or the book.”
H.O.P.E. is intended to be a
conversation between staff and
service user, not a set of questions.
Understanding if a person has any
faith or spirituality and what that
means to them will be an ongoing
process and there’s no intention of
bombarding service users with surveys
the minute they arrive.
Michael stresses that, while some
training will be put in place for nursing
staff, they won’t be expected to work
as experts in a multitude of faiths
and beliefs: “Nobody is expecting
our colleagues to do anything more
than understand a little more about
an aspect of the person they will be
talking with anyway.
“How they then use that information
to support a service user better is what
will make a great difference.”
You can find further information
about using H.O.P.E. by visiting the
RiO Clinical Manual (wiki) and finding
Spirituality under Assessments.
But what will we find out by using
this tool, and what difference could it
make to service users and staff? The
first, crucial point is that this is not
about ticking boxes; it’s about what
makes people tick: “It should be about
spiritual strengths as well as needs
and those two things may be linked,”
Michael says.
“As an example, a Muslim patient’s
spiritual strength is his faith in Allah,
but his needs may be for a Qur’an and
Empowering people to live fulfilling lives. 11
The achievers
Congratulations to the following colleagues
for passing their courses and exams.
Tracy Smith, HCA, Fromeside. Achieved NVQ in
health and Social Care level 3
Rebecca Parkhill, Administrator, North Bristol
Recovery team. Achieved NVQ in Business and
administration level 3
Joanna Humphries, PA, North Bristol Assertive
Outreach team. Achieved NVQ in Business and
administration level 3
Rachael Burfitt, PA, Prison drug service. Achieved
NVQ in Business and administration level 3
Gillian Bailey, Administrator, CJIT Bristol. Achieved
NVQ in Business and administration level 3 NVQ in
health and social care achieved August 2012
Stacey Bennell, Administrator, LLLS Management
team, BBH. Achieved NVQ in Business and
administration level 3
Claire Hutton, Senior Administrator, L & D team,
Woodland View, Brentry. Achieved NVQ in Business
and administration level 4
James Adams, Administrator, L & D team, Woodland
View, Brentry. Achieved NVQ in Business and
administration level 3
Alison Weerawardena, Administrator, BBH.
Achieved NVQ in Business and administration level 3
Shelley Smith, Medical Education Administrator,
Woodland View, Brentry. Achieved NVQ in Business
and administration level 3
Missed an issue? Don’t worry!
We know how annoying it can be to miss an issue
of your favourite magazine, especially one which
features the people you know and work alongside.
But don’t despair as we have a small stock of back
issues of Ourvoice, including the very first published
when it was called ‘Name Me’. It must be a collector’s
edition by now…
If you prefer to read them online you can now
find them on our website. Search ‘Ourvoice’ on
www.awp.nhs.uk and you can catch up on all
your favourite features.
Published: December 2012
Editor: Simon Gerard
AWP communications team
Email: [email protected]
Trust Headquarters
Jenner House, Langley Park Estate,
Chippenham, Wiltshire SN15 1GG
Telephone: 01249 468 000
www.awp.nhs.uk
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