Publish date: 30 December 2021
It's been another extraordinary year at the West London NHS Trust. Despite having to work through three national lockdowns, the Trust has continued to provide vital services across its communities.
In March, the Trust was thrust into the spotlight after being highly commended at the Health Service Journal Awards in the Mental Health Trust of the Year category. The achievement highlighted years of hard work to transform the Trust from a CQC rating of 'requires improvement' to 'good'.
It's been a bumper year for award wins. In November, Paula Betterton of the facilities team received an Unsung Hero Award, and in the same month the Trust received a Nursing Times Workforce Award for its success in recruiting mental health nurses from overseas
There have been two significant appointments at the Trust, Dr Derek Tracy, Medical Director and Dr Christopher Hilton, Director of Local and Specialist Services.
Concern about children and young people's mental health during the pandemic brought about two new services to support them with their mental health:
The Trust launched Speak CAMHS, a new specialist helpline for children and young people suffering from mental health problems. The helpline is for anyone, including service users, carers, family and friends for support and to discuss mental health concerns. You can find out more about Speak CAMHS here.
The new mental health service for young people 'Best for You' was launched in North West London. The service aims to help the rising number of young people requiring urgent mental health support. The Trust has teamed up with Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL), Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and the charity CW+ to provide the new service. You can read about Best for You here.
Other new services included a new Maternity Trauma Service in partnership with CNWL. The service supports women who are experiencing psychological difficulties following pregnancy loss, stillbirth and neonatal loss, as well as birth trauma and fear of childbirth.
The Trust partnered with Hammersmith, Fulham, Ealing and Hounslow Mind to provide Safe Spaces, a ‘more appropriate’ alternative to Accident and Emergency departments, for people who are in or near a mental health crisis. The service is available to anyone aged over 18 who lives in the area or is registered with a GP. To find out more information about Safe Spaces click here.
The Trust also shared stories about how staff and patients have benefited from stepping outdoors as part of their recovery to mark Mental Health Awareness Week. You can find further details here.
Within Ealing Community Partners we launched a respiratory nursing service and the Ealing Services for Children with Additional Needs (ESCAN) team continued to show the way on developmental language disorder. The Intermediate Care Team's work continued on from the success of the Mary Robinson Unit, delivering the only transitional capacity for Covid in North West London.
As Autumn arrived the Trust reached a vaccination milestone. The Trust-run mass vaccination centre at CP House in Ealing delivered its 100,000th vaccine in September. Chief Executive of West London NHS Trust, Carolyn Regan, called it a 'mammoth effort' and a 'huge success'.
October saw Royalty descend on the Hammersmith and Fulham Mental Health Unit when Princess Eugenie visited the Askew Ward to see a new art installation created by the mental health charity Hospital Rooms. The artwork was created with the help of patients and staff and was installed during the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
With this year now almost over, the Trust is highlighting its mental health support helpline.
If you need urgent mental health support contact 0800 328 4444. You can find out more information about the helpline here.
