Other nominations

William Morris Centre, Bracton Centre
The team has worked hard to set up a new day centre service for offenders with personality disorders. This pioneering service engages challenging and distressed people who have failed in the past to benefit from mainstream mental health provision. It has been successful in making large numbers of assessments and engaging around 20 people in an intensive long term treatment programme.

Justice Gone Mad Film Team, Danson Clinic, Bracton Centre
Art Therapist and Film-maker Tony Gammidge worked intensively with service users over three months to produce an excellent and highly creative animation film, Justice Gone Mad. The project engaged people, many of whom have been inpatients in our medium secure hospital for many years, in a personally meaningful and creative activity which revealed hitherto unnoticed skills and provided them with a sense of purpose and engagement with the wider world.

Ayub Gul, Senior Support Worker, Rehab Support Team, Blean Grove
Ayub was nominated for “always going the extra mile”, whether it be for his team, individual colleagues or clients. He is always ready to listen and give sound advice when needed. He organises eagerly awaited service user led outings each summer and ensures that everyone’s needs are met.

Dr Sally Browning, Consultant Psychiatrist, Erith Community Mental Health Team
Sally recently retired and was nominated for getting to know all her patients personally, and basing her treatment on their total wellbeing rather than just medication. She worked tirelessly to ensure her patients got the best plan of care for their needs and her approach was always non judgemental. Sally is also concerned to raise the standards of healthcare abroad, and recently went on a fundraising trek in Sri Lanka. Since retirement she is greatly missed by colleagues and patients.

Stevie Cole, Admin Manager, Orpington Community Mental Health Team (CMHT)
Her nominator describes Stevie as “an unsung heroine” who as well as running Carlton Parade like a well oiled machine supports and guides staff in the CMHT. Though not client facing, the outcome of her efforts is to raise standards for service users.

Bexley Self Harm Group
The team were nominated for developing a borough wide service that both helps service users who self harm and supports their carers. The service has improved the provision and the quality of care for this group in Bexley borough.

Pan London Dual Diagnosis Training Team
The team was put together through the dedication and commitment of dual diagnosis ‘champions’ across Bexley and now works hard to run regular training courses for staff in Bexley.

Dispersed Independent Supported Housing (DISH) team
The team has been very proactive in preparing clients to make the leap from DISH sheltered housing to mainstream local authority and housing association accommodation. Though not a formal part of their role, they have continued to support clients following their move, helping them to adjust to their new responsibilities and location.

Amanda Collins, Early Intervention in Psychosis Care Coordinator, Greenwich Early Intervention Team
The service user who nominated Amanda praised her for the support she gave to them and their family. “She has always been positive, caring, sensitive and fun to deal with. She has helped me to get my life back by getting appointments for me to see my consultant, helping me fill in forms, enquiring how I'm feeling and having a genuine concern about my family. I have improved very well and things are returning to normal.” Amanda was also nominated by a carer for being “honest, respectful, courageous and helpful” in her support of a service user. She has treated them with kindness and gone out of her way to support them in practical ways that have made a real difference.

Support and Recovery Team, formerly LIT South, Bexley
Over the past two years the team has dealt with the changes in moving to a recovery model of care in a professional way while continuing to develop the service they offer to service users and carers. Their enthusiasm and commitment in supporting service users to plan their paths to recovery has helped them build confidence and resulted in an improvement to the quality of service.

SAT Team, St Nicholas Centre
The team were nominated for operating in difficult circumstances to offer therapeutic services to highly vulnerable children, including those who need to be assessed for self-harm and suicide attempts. In addition to this, the team has taken on the task of managing a daily self-harm duty rota.

Leyton Ward Team, Woodlands
The team has worked tirelessly to introduce the Productive Ward programme to the unit, embracing new ideas and ways of working to make sustainable changes. The programme has led to improvements including more efficient use of the ward clinical room and a board in the office where the status of patients can be seen at a glance.

Michelle Warnsbury, Support Worker, Shrewsbury Lane
Michelle was nominated for her good communication and assessment skills, for broadening links with community resources and because service users “value her and think she’s great.”

Henri’s Café and Social Centre, Bracton Centre
Henri’s was nominated for providing meaningful employment opportunities to forensic mental health service users who run it jointly with staff. The value of this project to a group facing particular social isolation can not be overestimated. Henri’s achievement has been to develop service users’ self confidence, skills and positive attitudes to work at the same time as providing a high class service which rivals local competitors.

Sharon Rodrigues, Communications Assistant, Pinewood House
Sharon was nominated for going out of her way to assist people, for being reliable and efficient and doing everything with a smile. Her assistance in providing resources for various projects was invaluable to her nominator’s work and enabled them to deliver effective training to staff.

Temporary Staffing Office, Pinewood House
The team was nominated for supporting service users by working round the clock to provide adequate staffing throughout the trust. One of the ways they have done this is by developing a system using mobile phone texts to contact staff when they need to cover shifts. By looking after their temporary staff, counselling them and arranging training where necessary, they have improved the services they deliver.

Jackie Waghorn and Kim Suchit, Mental Health Assessment Team, Oxleas House
Jackie and Kim were nominated for their novel approach to tackling the problems of poor service for mental health patients in A&E and the pressure on beds in Greenwich inpatient units. They volunteered to work nights for three months in Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s A&E department, during which time they were able to speed up the referral process and more than halve admissions into secondary services.

Bexley Inpatient Psychology Team, Woodlands
The team was nominated for increasing inpatient access to psychological therapies and for training the nursing team so that they are able to care for and offer appropriate treatment to service users. By bringing cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) onto the wards they have improved the quality of care for service users and their carers.

Sarah Turner, Trust Named Nurse for Safeguarding Children
Sarah has proved herself to be a very capable individual and a tireless campaigner for vulnerable children and their parents. She has greatly improved the quality and accessibility of information available to staff and service users. She is diligent and approachable and fully understands the need to embed safeguarding children work within the trust’s core systems. She does this by challenging staff in a focused way that builds general skill levels and improves the whole service.

Julia Sloane, Charge Nurse, Crofton Clinic, Bracton Centre
Under the leadership of Charge Nurse Julia, the team has made a real difference to the positive treatment of service users with severe mental illness and challenging behaviour. Their emphasis is on understanding the behaviour of service users and involving them and their families in their care. This has made a significant impact as service users feel listened to and staff skills and job satisfaction have improved.

TOPS and Tall Trees Day Services, Goldie Leigh
The teams were nominated for their hard work, dedication and creativity in working with service users. They have a wonderful rapport with their clients and go out of their way to improve their experience, for example by cooking special food like pie and mash and a full Indian meal.

Caroline Taylor, Occupational Therapist, Goldie Leigh
Caroline received her nomination for the superb quality of care she provides and for “the inspirational way she has affected staff.” The only occupational therapist with the Rehabilitation Service in Bexley, she has met the challenges of her role with drive and determination. She has also led on a complex project to set up a supported home for clients with severe and enduring mental health problems.

Somerset Villa, Goldie Leigh
The team provides intensive rehabilitation to clients by helping them to learn to live independently and to manage their mental health. They provide a spotlessly clean and homely environment and care for the ‘whole person’ by ensuring there are a whole range of health and wellbeing activities – such as walking, swimming and relaxation - for service users to take part in.

Bracton Centre Occupational Therapy (OT) Team
The team was nominated for their “excellent teamwork, responsiveness to service user needs, energy, enthusiasm and positive ‘can do’ attitude” and for “constantly reviewing and looking at ways to improve the lifeskills of service users, promoting social inclusion and recovery in a real and meaningful way.”

They have developed a full timetable of events for service users to help them engage in meaningful activities. This has included healthy lifestyle groups, smoking cessation and healthy eating. A huge achievement in the last year has been to set up the service user led Greenwich Market Stall project.

Shrewsbury Lane Team
This team was nominated for providing an “intensive community recovery” environment in Shrewsbury Lane which has helped people move on with their lives. They have improved communication both with clients and outside agencies as a result of which the turnover of clients has reached 80 percent – a huge success for a home which was in the past regarded by some as “a home for life”.

Gloria Clark, Charge Nurse, Green Parks House
Gloria was nominated for her team leadership and her skills in providing care for older people. She is very organised and is always approachable and willing to give her time to patients, carers and staff.

Bexley Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Group
The team was nominated for their programme of intensive CBT. This is delivered over a two or three week period and entails therapists working very closely with clients to give them high levels of support. The benefit to the clients is that they are able to get on with their lives with a minimum of disruption, access to CBT is increased, and waiting times for treatment reduced.

Erith Community Assessment and Treatment (CAT) Team, Erith Centre
The team has developed dynamic ways of working that have reduced waiting times for assessment and speeded up subsequent treatment. These include cognitive based problem solving and a telephone triage process for screening.

Hannah Whitfield, Occupational Therapist, Hazlewood
Hannah has shown resilience, tenacity, determination and commitment in setting up the occupational therapy service in the Hazlewood Challenging Behaviour Unit at Memorial Hospital. She started the enormously successful Cultural Cooking Group in which patients devise their own menus and cook them together. As many different cultures are represented, each patient takes a turn to cook their home dish and everyone learns about each other’s food and culture. She also coordinates the leisure group, organising community activities which are an essential part of their social inclusion. Her dedicated and resourceful work has led to patients taking pride in their own activities and making things happen for themselves.

Upton Day Centre Garden Project
Staff worked with service users to plan and implement the renovation of a previously unattractive and underused area. New pathways, raised beds, a potting shed, seating areas and a vegetable plot were installed. Service users attending the day hospital were involved in the planting and ongoing maintenance and have reported improvements to their feelings of wellbeing.

Theresa Roberts, Communcations, Pinewood House
Theresa was nominated for her prompt and determined efforts to restore the trust intranet when it was unilaterally deleted by the server company that hosted it. Against a severe deadline, Theresa responded quickly and excellently in an area outside her normal responsibility to retrieve all the information. This ensured that the trust intranet was down for the shortest possible time and staff access to key information was quickly restored.

Mati Pasipanodya and Oyenihun (Ronke) Sodunke,  Charge Nurses, Hazlewood
Mati and Ronke have shown great dedication and hard work in juggling management and clinical responsibilities. They have maintained busy caseloads while at the same time providing supervision, mentorship and support to the staff team. They are able to work without supervision and deputise for their manager showing great competence and reliability.

Sue Farndale, Social Work Assistant, Stepping Stones, Bromley
Sue was nominated for her tireless efforts to promote socially inclusive community based activities for her clients. This includes running a weekly swimming session which benefits clients physically and socially. She has also taken on the role of carers’ champion and made great efforts to ensure carers’ needs – including their right to a carers’ assessment – are met.

Sue Noulton, Support Worker, Bridgeways Day Hospital
Sue has led a project to transform a formerly underused garden into a therapeutic environment for older adults. Service users have been involved in all stages of the project, from planning through to planting, creating a newt pond and installing bird feeding stations. As well as providing a peaceful, therapeutic space, the project has helped clients to rediscover gardening skills and take part in decisions about their environment.

Maureen Pelton, Community Psychiatric Nurse, Upton Centre
Undeterred by staff shortages and a heavy caseload, Maureen has over the last year managed to establish a network of contacts with local voluntary services such as the Irish Day Centre. This has proved to be an enormously helpful resource for clients who often feel isolated.

Kate Butt, Clinical Psychologist, Green Parks House
Kate was nominated for her outstanding support of her clients towards discharge and reintegration into the community. This has included visiting them at home and setting up peer support groups on the ward.

Robert Barnes, Bracton Centre
Robert was nominated for “the fantastic work he has done with service users, developing their life skills, building morale and a culture of work opportunities.” Robert runs the successful picture framing training service and it was his idea to set up the Greenwich Market Project to sell the frames. He has a positive, ‘can do’ attitude, has done much to develop service users’ life skills and is greatly respected by his colleagues.

Noelle Weekes, Assistant Care Manager, Carlton Parade
Noelle’s nominator describes her as an “unsung hero” for helping service users with issues around benefits, housing, carers and pets. She also supports the whole team in this work which greatly improves the quality of service users’ lives.

Fiona Gifford, Administration Manager, Bromley Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
Fiona’s commitment to her work means that service users and parents are always kept informed about decisions and developments and her efficient admin system has proved essential to the smooth running of the clinical service.

Home Treatment Team (HTT) and Duty Senior Nurses (DSN), Green Parks House
Both the HTT team and the DSNs have worked hard to make the HTT a success in the 18 months since its introduction. They have provided outstanding support to each other which has ensured 24 hour treatment, gatekeeping and support of service users. They work under constant pressure, often dealing with very complex and difficult situations, and strive to deliver a high quality service in ways that are often above the call of duty.

Burgess Clinic, Bracton Centre
The team provides patient centred forensic care that balances respect and dignity with the need for safety and physical security. Their success has been reflected in no patients absconding and little use of seclusion. Following through on their practice of establishing strong therapeutic relationships with service users and carers, they have recently introduced patient engagement time (PET), run a weekly physical health clinic, a walking group and encourage a healthy eating lifestyle.

Upton Day Hospital team
The team was nominated by a service user for “giving so much of themselves” and helping people to “open up” and talk about their problems. Being able to share their problems has been very therapeutic for the service users.

Gary McKenzie, Continuing Care Nurse, Memorial Hospital
Since 2007 Gary has been working hard to develop a role divided between Oxleas and Greenwich TPCT. Within the TPCT he has taken on leadership responsibilities and been invaluable in helping his Greenwich colleagues gain an understanding of mental health issues. He has improved services in Oxleas by becoming an expert in a difficult specialist field and his involvement with the Greenwich Advanced Dementia Service has helped people with severe dementia to remain at home when they and their carers choose.

Marlene Goodwill, Therapy Service, Memorial Hospital
Marlene rose to the challenge when two members of staff went off sick leaving her as the only member of staff. She unhesitatingly took on the role of main facilitator of three groups in addition to the groups she already facilitated. This ensured that there was no interruption in services which safeguarded the service users under her care.

Julia Barnes-Fuertes, Unit Manager, DISH Project, Greenwich
Over the last year, Julia was instrumental in supporting six clients – some of whom had been in the service for 20 years – to move into independent accommodation in the community. She has a strong user focus, empowering clients to reach their maximum potential, self confidence and independence. She helps them to build their social skills and ensures they are aware of the importance of their medication as well as safety issues when preparing them for independent living.

Rapid Response Team, Ferryview Centre
As the first point of contact for many people referred to Greenwich mental health services, the team has worked hard to provide a positive experience and a seamless passage into services. This is a considerable achievement considering that they received 1,517 referrals over the last year alone.

Associate Specialist Team, Assessment and Shared Care Team, Ferryview Centre
The team were nonimated for tailoring the service to individual needs and focusing on choice at all times. The colleague who nominated them said “They strive to deliver a high quality of care, in a professional manner that is open and transparent.”

Bridgeways Day Hospital
The team worked seamlessly to safeguard a client who was in crisis, arranging with social services for his long term care. They averted a potentially dangerous situation in the client’s home and facilitated communication between him and his family.

Carers’ Support Group, Greenwich Recovery Team, The Heights
This group provides a vital forum for carers’ voices to be heard. Carers are able to learn about carers’ services within Oxleas and share their experiences with each other and staff. There is great comradeship between carers and staff and staff actively listen to carers and work tirelessly to promote their rights. A carer who nominated the team said “Having a space where carers can voice their feelings, their thoughts and fears without judgement and with people who understand your viewpoint  is a liberating experience.”

Sue McCullock, Support and Recovery Team, Yeoman House
Sue was nominated by a colleague who said “She has a number of clients who are constantly in a state of distress and she has endless patience and is always willing to listen. She works tirelessly, without complaining and often stays after hours to ensure the clients needs are met.”

Greenwich North Recovery Team, The Heights
The team was nominated for developing a ‘moving on package’ for service users who are close to discharge. This empowers them by giving them useful information which reduces stress and anxiety, including crisis contacts that may be needed after discharge. They also devised a ‘full case load profile’ with information like diagnosis which improves communication with other agencies involved in the client’s care.

Ken Deaves, Driver and Support Worker, Adult Learning Disability, Goldie Leigh
In over 15 years working for adult learning disability services Ken has formed close bonds with both colleagues, service users and carers. He has been much more than just a driver, acting as an additional and important means of communication between the team and service users and carers. He introduced the drivers’ activity diary which ensures clear communication between staff and carers and takes time to ensure the safety and security of both clients and staff

Carol Golding, Approved Social Worker, Goldie Leigh
Carol was nominated for taking on the task of organising the Carers’ Group (North) following the retirement of a colleague, for her sympathetic handling of carers’ problems and for arranging a programme of speakers to provide information and support to carers throughout the year.

The Older Persons Service (TOPS), Goldie Leigh
The team from this day service for older people with a learning disability were nominated by two service users for making TOPS something to look forward to. They said “When it is someone’s birthday, they always help them celebrate. They help them choose their lunch, prepare it, they make them a cake too. If we want to go on a day trip they sort it out. We went to the seaside last week, we had a good time. We always give them places we want to see and they always take us.”

Neil Springham, Carers’ Art Therapy with Tate Britain Group
A carer nominated Neil because of the benefits this project - where carers talk about paintings in Tate Britain and make their own drawings based on the paintings and their own experiences - has brought to carers. She said “We all felt that talking about the paintings helped us to discuss and explore painful experiences about life as a carer of someone experiencing severe mental illness. As carers we feel very valued to have been given the opportunity by Oxleas to participate in such an interesting and positive experience.”

Pauline Boyd, Occupational Therapist, Upton Day Hospital
The service user who nominated Pauline said “she is very approachable, helpful and jolly.” She assisted the service user when she moved, helping with the paperwork and supporting her through the whole process.

Sherherdleas Ward, Oxleas House
The team was nominated by a carer who said “All the staff have been helpful and willing to explain what we (carer the person she cares for) did not understand. I have confidence that she will recover due to the efforts of the whole team.”

Lucy Kayiya, Carers’ Support Worker, The Heights
A carer nominated Lucy for “helping individual carers to network with others in similar circumstances and empowering them to have the confidence to make positive changes.”

Dr Steadman, Assessment and Shared Care Team, Ferryview
Dr Steadman was nominated by a number of service users. Here are some of their comments:

“He made me feel that I could get help when I needed to. He treated me like a person interested in my wellbeing.”

“He possesses great listening skills as well as analytical gifts which provides great comfort and insight.”

“He treats people as human beings and with respect.”

Betts Ward Team, Green Parks House
The team was nominated by a service user who praised “their hard work and understanding of patients’ needs and wishes” and said “The service they provide is second to none. There is no delay in providing the necessary care and advice. They have a very modern outlook on patient care and physical health needs.”

Employment Team, Erith Centre
The employment team was nominated by a service user for helping him to find a permanent job following a long period of unemployment and illness. He had been very disillusioned and says that without the team’s ongoing support he would not have had the confidence to find and continue with a job.

Iyabode Balogun Greenwich Recovery Team, The Heights
Iyabode was nominated by a service user who said she “has shown commitment in her role as CPN and helped with issues to enable me to lead a normal life, for example getting benefits I am entitled to.”

Angela Grant, Employment Advisor, The Heights
A service user nominated Angela for “supporting me on employment and education issues and helping me gain a sense of worth. She has shown true commitment and empathy in her role.”

Reception Desk Team, Ferryview Centre
The team was nominated by a service user because they “consistently provide a calm, friendly point of contact at the reception desk and equally at the end of the phone.”

Karl Treichel, Consultant Psychiatrist, Yeoman House
Karl was nominated by a service user for taking a personal interest in her art exhibition. “This was very important to me and was a very positive experience at a time when I was really struggling with my view of services.”

Susan Jennings, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and Michelle Shapiro, Child Psychologist, Bexley Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
Susan and Michelle were jointly nominated by a carer for their support, patience and understanding in treating her daughter. She says that following the successful treatment “It has given me my daughter back as a friend. I know that without their help she would have stayed a very angry mixed up person. We cannot thank them enough.”

Josephine Canty, Group Psychotherapist, Bexleyheath Centre
Josephine was nominated by a service user who attends a women’s psychotherapy group that she runs. She said “She has improved our lives and helped me gain confidence and skills. Though she is retiring soon she is sorting out other help and resources for the group for after she has left.”