Tuesday 19 October 2021
Our Big Conversation is all about listening to the people who we support, their carers, our partners and staff, and improving the services we deliver.
Here are some of the great things you’ve helped us achieve since our fist conversation …
In Teesside you said our mental health in schools team needed to become better known in the community. This included going to schools to talk about mental health.
What we’re doing: We’ve partnered with organisations from the voluntary and community sector who are delivering mental health support teams to children in schools across Tees.
We worked really closely with these partners during COVID-19 to support children back to school after lockdown. This included putting plans in place to help prepare teachers to support children and families in the best way. This support is ongoing.
A teacher told us:
“When I came back into school this afternoon I was looking at some of the children whose behaviour has changed significantly and was thinking it could be down to low level anxiety … I liked the idea of addressing worries at a particular time of the day and having a designated time or box for worries.”
In Durham and Darlington you told us we needed to learn more from good practice …
The Namaste project is about learning from what works.
It’s purpose is to give comfort and pleasure to people with advanced dementia through sensory stimulation
The approach helps patients feel connected to others and has been seen to settle anxiety in patients as well as help reduce distress and restlessness, increase hydration, manage pain, support bedtime routines, increase communication and awareness, and improve morale among patients and staff.
Namaste care is described as holistic because it is incorporated into all aspects of daily life and involves a range of physical, sensory and emotional approaches.
Staff at Auckland Park created a Namaste room. They reported that on the very first day of the room being used, two patients fell asleep, and one cried with happiness.
Patients’ said:
“I did not want the session to end, I was so relaxed I fell asleep.”
“Thank you, this room is like my own personal hideaway luxury.”
Christine Murphy, our locality manager for older people’s services in County Durham and Darlington, said “Namaste Care has really had a wonderful positive impact all round for patients and staff. Namaste means ‘honour the spirit within’ and we really are seeing the benefits of this.
“Our patients seem calmer and happier after Namaste sessions and the ward environment has been more settled. The approach has helped in many interesting ways, for example a patient was offered a hand and foot massage before attending a podiatry appointment and was much more relaxed and settled ahead of their appointment.
“Families have told us they appreciate the very personalised approach and appreciate that care is specific to their loved one’s needs. If, through the sensory biography, we learn that someone was a keen gardener or used to enjoy listening to music for example, we will build therapeutic elements of that into their Namaste Care to support them.
“For our staff, Namaste Care has given confidence, purpose and direction behind the things they often did instinctively like brush a patient’s hair or stroke their hand. Staff have said they feel an improved sense of worth and are really making a difference doing the hands-on nursing care they came into the job to do. One member of staff told us that a simple bath is now not just a daily task but a mindful experience for them and their patient – taking time to give a head massage when washing hair, it might take a bit longer but it means more and relaxes the patient.”
You can join Our Big Conversation until Friday 22 October.
