Welcome to our newsletter for carers, families and friends of Ridgeway.
This newsletter is co-created with carers and staff, to share information from our service.
We work alongside people who care for their partners, family, or friends. We know that many unpaid carers may not identify as one, or know they are one.
In this newsletter, when we say carers, we mean anyone who provides unpaid support which someone in our care relies on.
Over the past couple of months, Ridgeway has received several recognitions that reflect the dedication and creativity of both our staff and service users.
Our service was honoured at the Positive Practice in Mental Health Awards, a national celebration of excellence in mental health care, receiving a special recognition award for outstanding work in forensic services.
The service user charity shop, Borrow and Buy, was recognised for its co-creation approach, showcasing the power of collaboration and lived experience.
Richard Hand - general manager
Two of our service users were named runners-up in a national art competition, a testament to the talent within the Ridgeway community. Several staff and involvement members have been shortlisted for the Trustâs Star Awards, which celebrate outstanding contributions across the Trust These moments shine a light on the compassion, creativity, and commitment that define Ridgeway â and weâre proud to share them with you.
In September, we welcomed six new peer workers to our team These individuals bring valuable lived experience and are currently undergoing comprehensive training before joining the wards to support our service users. We know youâll join us in offering them a warm welcome as they settle into their roles.
We understand that carers often want to know more about the facilities, activities, and support available at Ridgeway. To help with this, weâve created five new introductory videos, now available on our website These short films offer a closer look at what Ridgeway offers and how we support our service users every day. We hope these updates give you a sense of the positive developments within Ridgeway and reassure you of the care, creativity, and community that underpin everything we do.
Warmest regards,
Richard
Please note that these events are not open to those under the age of 18. For more information on visiting for those under the age of 18, please contact the ward or social worker directly.
Developed by carers for ALL who support or help a person receiving care from Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust.
We'll make sure you have a named person to contact
We'll listen and value your expert knowledge about the person you care for
We'll work with you to provide quality care
We'll include you in any decisions about the person you care for
Where this isn't possible we'll explain why
We'll support and listen to you and provide clear, accessible information to help you care
We'll respect the confidentiality of the personal information that you provide about yourself or the person you care for
We'll train our staff to understand and respect the essential role you play in the personâs care and recovery
We'll actively involve you in service planning and development
Alison Smith, Chief Executive
Work with us to provide personalised care and treatment for the person you care for
Share your experiences and history of the person you care for to help us provide effective care
Help us understand your own needs so we can support your health and wellbeing
Trust us to share with our colleagues as necessary the personal information you provide to improve the care we give
Respect that staff will listen but may not always be able to answer personal questions about the person you care for
Use the information we provide for carers to understand your rights and how we can work together
Help us develop better integrated, more joined up services that meet the needs of everyone
Bev Reilly, Interim Chair
If you feel you are not being listened to, or not being supported, please talk to your loved one's care team or contact our Complaints team on 0800 052 0219
The SIESTA research team are currently looking to recruit up to 8 carers to take part in a SIESTA carer focus group. The focus group would be a one-off MS Teams session, on Friday 24 October 9:30-11am, where carers would discuss the results of what was found in the SIESTA survey interviews (themes relating to patients sleep) and thinking of new ideas to help create a low-intensity sleep intervention. Carers would need to read the attached information sheet, fill in a consent form on an online call with a researcher, and attend the focus group. Carers will be thanked for their attendance with a ÂŁ10 love to shop voucher. th If you would like further information, please contact sarah.bentley16@nhs.net
Scan the QR code or follow the relevant web link (press ctrl then click the survey title or link) to find out more If you have any questions, please email Catherine.Jeynes2@nottshc.nhs.uk or telephone Catherine on 07702 168869
SURVEY
https://forms.office.com/e/gf1UzqEPTY
Recovery, Engagement and Co-creation team would like to invite you to the new monthly Carers Coffee and Chat. These have replaced the previous carers and familyâs monthly meetings, creating a more relaxed and welcoming space for carers to join online, meet the team and chat to other carers, over a cuppa.
The monthly Carers Coffee and Chat sessions will take place on the first Friday of each month:
Friday 3 October, 9:30-10:30 Friday 7 November, 9:30-10:30 Friday 5 December, 9:30-10:30
These will still be held on Microsoft Teams and the link will be sent out a couple of days beforehand
For more information, of if you need support with using Microsoft Teams, please contact the team on tewv.ridgewayrost@nhs.net or 01642 837532.
The annual ridgeway funday happened and wow! With 3 times more service users out for the event everyone had a great time. We had Cadence Grey come in and sing for us as well as getting service users and staff involved with the singing too which was extra special as everyone was their cheering each other one. This really gave us that ridgeway community feel. The inflatable obstacle courses and mix of stalls didnât disappoint either, the tombola is always a great success but this year we had art stalls, merchandise and various prop stalls all 80s themed. The fancy dress was probably the most amazing thing about the day with both staff and service users going above and beyond. We had people dressed as music legends like Angus young from AC/DC and Princess Peach from Mario!
The ice cream van really finished the day off perfectly with everyone sitting in the sun enjoying a sweet treat cheering our peers on singing. The over all feedback is that its been the best funday yet, plenty to do and a perfect time to forget reality for a while.
It was extremely special for all involved.
We have had a successful couple of months for awards, from Service users having their art work printed, to their charity shop recognised for its co-creation element.
The National Lived Experience Awards are designed to recognise and celebrate the achievements of individuals accessing mental health, learning disability and autism services nationwide.
This year the Service users on Ridgeway alongside the Recovery Cocreation and Engagement team shortlisted for the âCommunity & Collaborationâ award category. Our charity shop is run by the service users and provides real vocational experience, builds community and all the money raised goes back into the CHIME fund to support service user recovery
Unfortunately the team and service users could not make the event but we were delighted to receive the news we had won the award. A member
of the National Lived Experience team came to meet the service users involved in setting up and running the charity shop and presented them with the award.
This year, Quality Network for Forensic Mental Health Services held their annual artwork and creative writing competition.
We were pleased to see two of our service users named as runners up for their artwork.
The Positive Practice in Mental Health Aw are an annual celebration that recognise honour individuals, teams, services and organisations who are making significan contributions to mental health services a support across the UK. This years celebra event took place in Stoke on Thursday 19 and we are delighted to share that Ridge Recognition Award for Outstanding Work in Forensic Services.
Ridgeway Education is seeing the fruits of 2 years labour spring into results! Since we relaunched in September 2023, 209 AQA certificates have been awarded to patients for vocational education, ranging from numeracy, literacy, woodwork, employment skills, IT, gardening, cooking, food hygiene, equality diversity and inclusion and most recently, quality improvement, to name but a few of our 80+ courses on offer... a portfolio that continues to expand as patients engage in broader subjects
In June 2025, several AQA patients identified a real growth in their knowledge and confidence, resulting in them joining our new Fast Track Functional Skills course and this has seen smashing results! We have supported our patients through no less than 17 exams in City & Guilds Functional Skills Maths and English, which, as of today, 100% of patients achieved a Pass on their first sitting, ranging from Entry Level 1 to Level 2 Maths and English.
Looking ahead, we are absolutely delighted to have supported our Lifelong Learning Tutor (Joinery) in the Ridgeway Workshop, who has completed his Level 3 Award in Teaching and Training, qualifying him as a Lifelong Learning Tutor to adults in further education.
And finally, we were thrilled to learn th were shortlisted for the Trustâs Star Aw and privileged to be able to work alongside our patients, support and nurture them and see them grow in their educational achievements.
We have just updated our âIntroduction to Ridgewayâ videos, which are now available to watch.
We often find that carers and families donât always know the full extent of the facilities we have on site, or what services and support is available for our service users.
We have taken some of this feedback and developed 5 short videos that people can watch to give a better understanding of Ridgeway, what to expect and how we support.
The videos are now available to watch on the Ridgeway page of our Trust website.
Each video is around 5 minutes long and split into the different sections:
An overview of our service
Life on the ward
Treatment and therapies
Activity and support services
Physical healthcare
You can can find the page by typing âRidgeway, Roseberry Parkâ into your internet search bar, by scanning the QR code with the camera on your digital device, or by clicking this link below.
https://www tewv nhs uk/locations/roseberrypark-hospital/ridgeway/
The start of October has been a very exciting time for us in Ridgeway as we have welcomed our six new peer workers to join the Ridgeway team. Our peer workers are people with their own personal lived experiences of accessing mental health support Peer workers aim to help support our patients who are navigating their journey through our service. As peer workers we created our peer values with patients, carers and voluntary organisations, these values guide our everyday work:
Authenticity- being true to our (best) selves
Relationship- the peer relationship is at the heart of our work
Validation- validating emotions, experiences, and being strengths based Respect- for every personâs experiences and expertise
Mutuality- strive to work together as equal partners
Empowerment- supporting people to access resources and be in the driving seat.
The peers are completing the Trauma Informed Peer Support training until the end of October and then will begin working into Swift, Newtondale and Lark wards
We are working towards having an offer of peer support throughout Ridgeway and are looking forward to the opportunities that this will bring both patients and staff.
We wish this was a thing! However, Graham is one member of staff that does get to do this.
Meet Hutton, our 9-week old puppy Trainee Detection Dog. When fully trained, Hutton will work alongside Toby (our top dog) to increase our searching and eventually will take over when Toby retires. Hutton is currently getting taken around different areas to expose him to different sights, sounds and smells that are unique to our environments.
We are also pleased to share that Graham has been chosen to be a Serving Ambassador for the National Foundation for Retired Service Animals (NFRSA), who assist with vet fees once animals retire. Since Grahamâs involvement with the charity, they now support NHS Detection Dogs nationwide
If you would like to contribute any stories, request feature items or include feedback in this newsletter, please contact the Recovery, Engagement and Co-creation Team on tewv.ridgewayrost@nhs.net