Local spotlight - Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust Care Home Wellbeing Service

Can you tell us about your group, service or organisation and how it started?

Our Care Home Liaison Teams in Mental Health Services for Older People, Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV) are well established across Durham and Darlington. Care Home Liaison nurses and support workers work as part of Community Mental Health teams, supported by a Psychologist (Dr Joanna Marshall) and an Occupational Therapist (Susannah Thwaites).The Care Home Wellbeing Service is a new service that has been created in response to the particular challenges facing our Care Homes during this pandemic.

Can you share how your group, service or organisation is making a difference and who you have helped?

In April 2020 we wrote to each of our 116 Care Home managers offering psychological support and resources to help promote and enhance the wellbeing of their staff and residents.  We have continued to provide support since then, by weekly telephone check-ins or specific guidance such as how to manage anxiety about wearing PPE.

“Just to say we have received our well-being pack today and it contains lots of useful ideas and handouts. I think it’s a great idea and just wanted to thank you for supporting us during this time”

We have also been there to support those bereaved and have created a “Saying Goodbye” resource which, we hope, provides bereaved families, friends and carers of loved ones lost through Covid-19 with the opportunity for a moment of solace and a time to say goodbye.

“I want to say the daily phone calls from your team this week and this letter really do help us feel there is someone out there when we need them, so please accept our deepest gratitude.” 

Thinking about the pandemic and who you have helped, have you learnt anything from your experience?

It is always a privilege to be able to work alongside and learn from our dedicated care home workforce.  What has really struck us during this pandemic is that whilst the impact has been devastating, there have also been many wonderful and creative ideas that have emerged from within the care sector that promote and enhance the wellbeing of both residents and staff.  Our principal clinical psychologist and clinical lead in the Durham and Darlington Care Home Liaison Team, Dr. Joanna Marshall, has worked closely with our colleagues in Teesside and from Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust to gather together examples of these ideas. You can read about them here.

What has been a highlight for your group, service or organisation so far?

We have loved hearing about the innovative work happening, despite the significant challenges, to ensure people living and working in care homes maintain their wellbeing and hearing the positive impact it has on residents and carers.  One event that really captures this for us was the “Musical Connection in Care Homes” event which took place in June 2020.  120 care homes joined a zoom call and watched musicians playing live.  The concert included Glen Miller classics and some local favourites such as “Blaydon Races.”  You can experience the event on You Tube https://youtu.be/fTAEatH7UEw  A spin-off of this is that there are now ongoing “Connections Through Music” events every week (Thursday evenings 7pm) which are open to all.  These have been shown to improve a sense of wellbeing and connectedness to others.  If you would like to join in check out the “Connection through Music” Facebook group for details.

What are your hopes for the future?

We are delighted that we have been awarded funding through until March 2021 to expand our Care Home Wellbeing Service.  Dr Joanna Marshall is now joined by Dr Clare Winter and within the next few weeks they will be joined by three Assistant Psychologists.  This means that over the coming weeks we will, in consultation with care home managers, be able to provide more psychological support and self-care resources to benefit staff and residents during this phase of the pandemic.

Do you have a message or words of encouragement for anyone who needs help or may be worried about lock down restrictions easing?

We know that the pandemic has meant that many of us have been unable to meet up with those who matter most to us.  This is so hard and we know from our Care Home colleagues how hard it has been to restrict visits in order to try and keep people safe.  But we also know that the prospect of lockdown restrictions easing is a big worry for lots of us too for many reasons.

We think that the biggest message for all of us right now is that there are no rights and wrongs for how to feel during these challenging times.  We are all in the same storm but not all in the same boat.  And because of this it is important that we are as kind to ourselves as we can be – and that, despite the challenges, we keep looking out for other people too – it really is true, we don’t know what battles someone else might be fighting. 

Whilst it isn’t a comfortable feeling, it really is ok not to be ok.  It is a totally expected response to these unexpected times.  And there is support available.  Don’t feel alone with your feelings.