Issue 6
Happy 60th birthday Linda!
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Good ‘thymes’ as over 35
David Cockburn, Lead Community
missionaries volunteer
Garden Volunteer at PCP, said: “This is the biggest gathering of
Coming together from as far as Canada and the USA, the awardwinning and RHS recognised Community Garden in Aycliffe has made friends from afar, as 36 missionaries pledge their support. PCP's Community Garden is becoming a ‘rooted’ success, as developments continue to advance support for local community groups. Many of the missionaries are keeping in touch with PCP to check on the Community Garden’s progress and pledge their support.
missionaries we have seen at the Pioneering Care Centre and we can’t thank them enough for their hard work and support. “Their work has seen the development of the accessible woodland garden that supports the delivery of PCP projects Together 21, for children and young people with Down syndrome, and Options, a day service for adults with learning and physical disabilities. The Community Garden is shaping into a true haven for all.”
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Families affected by cancer make magical memories at tea party
There were grins to rival the Cheshire cats, as nine County Durham families were invited to a Mad Hatters Tea Party. The Macmillan Joining the Dots service was kindly gifted 40 tickets from The Angel Trust to the lavish event on Saturday 10th April, from 12 noon until 4pm, at Hardwick Hall Hotel in Sedgefield. Through dedicated partnership work with both Joining the Dots and The Angel Trust, the event offered families the opportunity to make lasting memories and enjoy the royal ‘Queen of Hearts’ treatment, with fun and games, prizes galore, a scrumptious afternoon tea - and not forgetting, special guests of Alice and the Mad Hatter!
Paula Spark, Macmillan Joining the Dots Facilitator for South West Durham, said: “We’d like to thank The Angel Trust for its generosity to enable us to offer the people we support an enchanting treat to remember. “Many of the people we support are going through challenging times as themselves, a relative or a friend faces a cancer diagnosis, and the gifted tickets gave a chance to come together and have some goodhearted fun. “We were able to gift the tickets to nine separate families we support, and it truly was a wonderful occasion to see a large event able to take place safely.” Macmillan Joining the Dots is a free service for those in County Durham who are age 18 and over, and have been diagnosed with cancer.
3 Celebrating South Tees health and social care shining stars PCP is proud to deliver Healthwatch to the people of Middlesbrough, and Redcar and Cleveland - that together encompasses the South Tees area. Healthwatch South Tees supports communities with health and social care advice and information, by giving people a voice to have their say. To say thank you to local communities, Healthwatch South Tees hosted its annual Star Awards to shine a light on rewarding work taking place. On Wednesday 6 April 2022, organisations gathered to celebrate amazing individuals, teams, volunteers and services within health and social care in the South Tees area. Each of those shortlisted were nominated by fellow professionals, colleagues, and even patients who felt that local services
warranted the acknowledgment. A panel of Healthwatch South Tees' Board members then had the tough decision of picking winners. On the day of the ceremony, Healthwatch South Tees Vice Chair, Ian Holtby, presented individual certificates to those shortlisted in each of our categories and 2021 winners presented 2022 winners with their trophy. Compere for the day - PCP's Healthwatch South Tees Project Lead, Lisa Bosomworth, spoke about the work PCP's project have been doing over the last 12 months, including new priorities, areas of influence and community consultation. Lisa said: "Today is about celebrating all of the hard work by these great people. Especially those who volunteer their free time, or have worked over and above what's expected from them.
"They are invaluable to to our local communities and to those they work with, so to recognise them with our awards is something special." PCP Chief Executive, Carol Gaskarth, and Chair of the PCP's Board of Trustees, Barry Knevitt, closed the Star Awards with a message of thanks and appreciation to all of the Healthwatch South Tees for their hard work and dedication to recognising shining stars in the local community. They awarded Lisa with flowers for going above and beyond to organise such a fantastic event.
Care and Compassion Award:
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Winner: Dr Carolyn Rigby Community Innovator Award: Winners: Leanne Smith and Jen Standen Leading the Way for Change Award: Winners: Sophie, Michael and Sandra Community Mental Health Transformation Programme. Additional Award: This year Healthwatch South Tees also gave a Special Recognition Award to two deserving
Please see all category winners:
projects - which were within the Leading
Excelling in Support to Others Award: Winner: Laura Paterson
Local council representatives, Tees Valley
Making a Difference Award: Winner: Yvonne Theresa Bytheway Valued Service Award: Winner: Zoe's Place Baby Hospice
the Way for Change category.
CCG, Public Health South Tees and Central Middlesbrough PCN (among others), helped to give vaccines to the general public, and are still doing so to this day. So a huge congratulations goes to each and every one of them.
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Crafting up a storm – PCP celebrates creativity for Craft Month From pottery making, to pebble painting – PCP staff celebrated Craft Month in March to promote positive wellbeing. PCP prides itself on putting staff first, by offering a range of activities throughout the year for staff to enjoy during working hours. The aim of the activities is to bring staff together, have a catch up with colleagues, try something new and take a break from the working day to relax. Sandra Roberts, Project Lead of Mental Health Services at PCP, said: “PCP’s mission of “’Health, Wellbeing and Learning for All’ is not only echoed through our projects and services that support local communities, but to our own staff too. “We have a team of Health Advocates and Mental Health First Aiders that meet regularly to plan and coordinate activities throughout the year that promote and prioritise staff wellbeing.” Craft Month recently saw staff try their hand at pottery making at the Pioneering Care Centre in Newton Aycliffe, as well as a virtual pebble painting session to bring together staff from across the region. Following a successful Craft Month for PCP, staff can now look forward to virtual ‘stretch to destress’ sessions and a friendly challenge, which will see staff compete on who can walk, swim or cycle 874 miles the quickest from April 2022 to March 2023!
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What's new with Wellbeing for Life
Behind the scenes of Wellbeing for Life (WBFL), the teams have been rapidly growing as facilitators head back into the community to create a happier and healthier County Durham. On Wednesday 23 March, WBFL held a full staff meeting at Bowburn Community Centre. The aims were to discuss successes throughout the 14 years of service, plan for 2022 and a general get together after two years of remote working. Hubs have grown in numbers, and some have changed roles to join new services supported by WBFL, such as Macmillan Joining the Dots, Social Prescribing Link Workers and the newest service, Wellbeing for the Time Being. The day was a cause for celebration, as staff learnt the service has supported over 600,000 people living in County Durham since 2008! Staff members from all areas came up with ideas to improve communication to the public, and set sights towards new goals. Delivered in partnership by the PCP, Carol and Nigel visited to kindly donate a chocolate Easter egg to each WBFL staff member, and gift hand-knitted ducks donated by mother-in-law of Wellbeing Facilitator, Shaun Gooch.
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What's on at the Pioneering Care Centre Events: Befriending Group Every Tuesday, 12.30pm - 2pm Walk ins welcome Silver Swans Thursday 5th May, 11am - 11.45am Authentic ballet lessons suitable for the over 50s Call 07367663606 or email laurenharrison1902@gmail.com to book
Silver Swans Ballet Class
Queen's Jubilee Community Celebration Tuesday 31st May, 12 noon - 4pm All ages welcome Befriending Group
New to the Pioneering Care Centre: Introducing Norma Williams, a fully qualified counselling therapist with years
Individual Counselling Sessions £45 per hour
of experience of supporting people to improve and manage their emotional wellbeing.
Special Offer £5 discount per session when you block book five or more sessions
Available at the Pioneering Care Centre, calm and friendly face to face counselling, virtual video link counselling and telephone counselling. A free initial consultation by telephone or by email is available, to give you the opportunity to ask any questions about how counselling can help you.
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Feedback from ROAD participants PCP is proud to support the delivery of Reaching Out Across Durham (ROAD) through health and wellbeing support to service users. The service recently received quotes from participants that it supports. ROAD helps individuals living in County Durham find their potential, this can be through helping them get back into work, moving into education, receiving wellbeing support, or get started in volunteering. See feedback below:
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Thank you to the County Durham COVID Resilience Team
Our County Durham COVID Resilience Team recently met up to celebrate all of their hard work. Project Lead, Donna Sheavills, thanked her fantastic team with delicious cookies for everyone to enjoy!
Find out more about the County Durham COVID Resilience Team at www.pcp.uk.net/covid-resilience-service
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Together 21: Rock Your Socks for World Down Syndrome Day
Together 21 (T21) Rock Your Socks 2022 #T21RYS2022 is a campaign by T21 and PCP, that aims to raise awareness of Down syndrome in a light-hearted way, highlight our work and help raise vital funds needed to support children. Taking place on World Down Syndrome Day on Monday 21st March, organisations, schools, community groups and individuals 'rocked' their best odd socks to show people with Down Syndrome are different, but the same! You can support T21 by spreading the word of its new Just Giving page www.justgiving.com/campaign/Together21
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PCP meet up at Hardwick Park Staff from PCP, projects and services met up at Hardwick Park to have a staff group photo, enjoy a leisurely walk and connect with colleagues, old and new.
It was great to all get together for the first time in a while, with over 50 members of staff meeting.
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Staff photos from Hardwick Park
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New report from Healthwatch Stockton-on-Tees Experiences of Dental Care Services Report: A Public Engagement (Mar 2020 - Jan 2022) PCP's Healthwatch Stockton-on-Tees project engaged with the public across the Borough to seek their views and experiences of local dental services over the past year, in addition to a number of queries on NHS dentists through the Information & Signposting service. At the end of 2021, Healthwatch Stockton-on-Tees collaborated with seven North East Healthwatch branches to gain feedback from the
general public and discover their experiences of accessing and using NHS dental services across the Borough. You can find the new and full report on: www.healthwatchstocktonontees.co.uk
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Better Health at Work Award's upcoming Celebration Event
Giving organisations the tools and awareness to make a positive impact in the workplace, join an insightful ceremony to explore how organisations benefit from the Better Health at Work Award (BHAWA) at its upcoming Celebration Event.
Opening the event and reflecting on recent recognition for the award scheme itself, Amanda Healey and Mick Shannon from Durham County Council will speak on the BHAWA’s recent nomination for the LGC Awards 2022 Public Health category.
Taking place on Wednesday 8 June, 2022, at 10am, the virtual celebration will see special guests and award ambassadors take to your screen.
The LGC Awards celebrate excellence across a variety of sectors, with nominations for organisations and individuals that show best practice within their roles.
Karen Stubbings, Project Lead of Workplace Health, said: “This year’s Celebration Event will see organisations and individuals come together to reflect on the transformative benefits of the BHAWA. “Once an organisation is signed up, we give them guidance and informative training opportunities to support staff with different topics such as cancer awareness, mental health, financial wellbeing, and more. Awarded organisations from the BHAWA have reported a rise in productivity amongst staff, proving it to be a worthwhile focus for organisations. “Any organisation in County Durham that is interested in taking the first step to better workplace wellbeing is invited to attend the event.”
The event will also see Racheal Williamson from Harbour give an overview of how you can support staff suffering domestic violence, and Ellie Lowther from Essential Learning Curve providing an snap shot of the work they do. Those that have achieved Ambassador Status, Health Advocate of the Year for Durham and a Special Recognition Award will attend to give insight on value of putting health in the workplace first. New College Durham will be showcasing what it’s like to be a newcomer to the award in a pandemic, and what they managed to achieve.
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Purple Rose Vaccine Q&A and Vaccine Clinic with the Stockton-on-Tees COVID-19 Community Champions
Our Stockton-on-Tees COVID-19 Community Champions recently visited Purple Rose (Health and Well-being) at Newtown Community Centre to talk to a group about the latest COVID-19 guidance. The team were on hand to answer questions including: Q: Why has free testing ended? A: Free testing has ended as the UK moves to 'living with Covid'. The vaccination programme has given the general population better immunity to COVID-19, therefore there is less risk of serious illness. Q: Does this mean COVID has gone? A: No. Covid is still here, so we must continue to follow safe behaviours to reduce transmission and infection. You can help by getting the vaccine, staying home if unwell, let fresh air in, wash your hands and wear a mask in certain areas. Q: Do I need to test before I travel abroad? A: Check the entry requirements of the country you are visiting online. @StocktonCovid19CommunityChampions @CovidStockton
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Healthwatch County Durham video diaries project
As a young person who uses, or has used mental health services, Healthwatch County Durham would be interested in hearing your story, how you felt about your care and what it is like being a patient in County Durham. The team want to hear about your personal experience so that they can identify ways to continue to improve services for patients and carers. Over a set period, the team would like to talk to you about your experience of support services to help them understand your journey as a young person with mental health issues and how it feels to receive care in County Durham.
The team would like to visit you at a convenient, agreed suitable place and film you talking about your experiences. They will make sure that we do this in a safe way. When we do, it is flexible, and depends what you’re happy and comfortable with. If you are interested in taking part in the project get in touch with Claire Sisterson claire.sisterson@pcp.uk.net or 07756 654223
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Catch up with Options
Option's member Thomas, recently celebrated his 30th birthday - and Options made sure it was a memorable occasion with treats to enjoy during the day! In March, our Options members celebrated the strong women in the group and each wrote a bio about what makes them a strong women, to honour International Women's Day. For Easter, members celebrated the festivities with delicious chocolate treats and more!
Options have a new logo that was chosen by its members. They provided PCP's marketing team with rough designs and voted on their preferred choice. They have included their new motto - 'Be Our Best'.
Thomas' 30th birthday
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Glowing review for Step Forward Tees Valley Step Forward Tees Valley received a glowing review from a person who uses the service to refer vulnerable people. PCP works in partnership to support the delivery of Step Forward Tees
Valley through health and wellbeing specific support. This can include sessions that inspire people to be the healthiest version of themselves they can be. Visit sftvalley.co.uk
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Ten years of Healthwatch Sunderland Celebrating ten years of Healthwatch Sunderland - the team have been highlighting achievements and recognitions to celebrate this occasion! PCP is awarded the contract! In 2014 PCP were awarded the contract to deliver Healthwatch Sunderland and still host the contract to this day. In 2015-16 the team undertook 'Enter and View' activity in 15 care homes to understand the range and quality of meaningful activity undertaken in those homes. The outcomes from the work were presented in a report, highlighting the good practice witnessed. The team were successful in securing the contract to work with GP Practices over a period of 12 months to create and develop vibrant and proactive Patient Participation Groups (PPGs) and continued to work with all residents of Sunderland localities to enhance this service. Across 2016-17 mental health was the focus. Over 200 people took part in research work into mental health services in Sunderland and as a result, a report was produced that provided recommendations to statutory and community organisations.
During 2017-18 the team began work on Care Home Life. In October 2017 they commenced an ambitious project to undertake independent reviews on all the care homes in the Sunderland localities. Nationally and locally in 2018-19 saw GP practices having to make changes to the ways they provide better and more sustainable services for their patients. Locally the team saw this happening through mergers of some of our GP practices across the city. The findings were then used by the practices involved to develop their future services, putting patients at the heart of what they do. 2020-21 was the year Sunderland said thank you! During this year the team engaged with 790 people during the COVID-19 pandemic. This included two pieces of work on peoples experience of health and social care services during the pandemic and the COVID-19 vaccination programme.
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Healthwatch Sunderland team 2022
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Catch up with Primrose Lodge Over the Easter period, residents at Primrose Lodge enjoyed a busy day of crafting. Together everyone got creative and produced an 'eggcellent' masterpiece celebrating the season! To add to the Easter spirit, everyone wrote down what they like about spring and added them to the piece.
For Red Nose Day PCP's Kimberley Graver and Luke Liddell were celebrated #RedNoseDay offering hourly challenges at Primrose Lodge. From exercise challenges, to a rednose and spoon, and a quiz filled afternoon!
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Catch up with the Happines Hubs The Happiness Hub service is funded by County Durham NHS Clinical Commissioning Group and delivered by PCP. The fund provides grants to support local community providers to launch or extend current project opening hours, that address and/or provide non-crisis mental health support, by providing spaces that can be accessed by local communities. These projects are in operation in County Durham and Darlington, with funding a part of the wider Community Crisis Care Transformation Fund.
In 2021-22, 24 projects were awarded £132,636.40, with the value of the match funding for these projects being £124,245.00, bringing the total investment into the communities of Count Durham and Darlington to £256,881.40. The average project award is £5,526.52. Overall the since its launch the project has: Supported 48 projects Support 43 organisations Provided a total of £218,072.56 in grants, which have been matched by a further £181,329.82 For more information, contact happinesshubs@pcp.uk.net
The Happiness Hubs has a new logo with slogan of: 'Welcoming, Inclusive, Safe, Supportive.'
28 PCP's HR team would like to thank everyone for sharing their views in the recent HR evaluation! How can HR support me? Staff Health and Wellbeing - We
Results of HR Evaluation
Most recent experience 8.9
Ease of access to information 8.8
Interaction with staff 9.0
Managed request 9.0
work with PCP Health Advocates to plan activities for staff through a Workplace Wellbeing Calendar. Providing staff with information on topics to support health and wellbeing. Get the latest information on staff benefits, including tech and cycle schemes. Keep you up to date with staff polices and procedures. Access to training and development
The team recently held its first Virtual HR Drop In Session focusing on working from home and the working from home allowance. If you have a topic you’d like the team to cover, please get in touch at hr@pcp.uk.net
opportunities both internally and externally Providing advice and support to all employees
Get in touch with the team: 01325 313133 hr@pcp.uk.net Teams: Debbie Bugg and Keeley Warrington for general enquiries
Pioneering Care Partnership (PCP) For any enquiries regarding this publication, contact jenny.lee@pcp.uk.net
Registered Office: Pioneering Care Centre Carers Way Newton Aycliffe DL5 4SF
@PCPandCentre @PioneeringCare @PioneeringCare Pioneering Care Partnership
Tel: 01325 321234 Email: enquiries@pcp.uk.net Website: www.pcp.uk.net
Pioneering Care Partnership