Connection and collaboration: VCSE Inreach Project partners and staff come together to improve inpatient care
Over 40 people across the Trust and our VCSE (voluntary, community and social enterprise) partners came together to share early feedback on the VCSE Inreach project.
The VCSE Inreach project is an opportunity for local organisations to have a positive impact on our ward and build meaningful connection. These activities are now taking place across 25 acute inpatient wards on evenings and weekends to introduce structured activities and reduce feelings of boredom.
Since implementation, service users have taken part in activities on the wards over 540 times, with an estimated 2,500 activities to be held over the next 12 months.
Hannah Tendler, Community Partnership Officer said: “This session was more than just connecting with others in the project, it was about learning from the early days to support any issues straight away. We’ve had such incredible feedback from the wards, but we know implementing anything new will come with teething issues. We want spaces like these to ensure we are doing the best we can with a project that we know is proven to improve the experiences of patients on our wards.”
Engaging with service users on the wards
Staff at the event noted that there has been really positive feedback from the ward and high levels of engagement and reception.
One staff member’s feedback noted: “The staff were particularly pleased that one of the service users took part in the session because they were aware of his low mood and the distress he had been experiencing throughout the day. As he had only recently been admitted to the ward, he has not yet begun his treatment, making his willingness to engage especially encouraging.”
In tandem, service users have shared in the first few months of activities that they feel “more relaxed” and “excited” with one noting that “this is therapy to me”.
Working with service users in a meaningful way
Activities on the ward have been chosen through an in-depth service user and staff consultation, ensuring they align with our service users’ broad range of interests. Most of which incorporate music, art, exercise and wellbeing activities.
On the day, we heard from two service users who were proactive members of the project team, Monica and Judy. Monica said “We all got to make the decisions together. It was a true case of co-production.”
One service user took part in one of the activities on the ward and in as little as a week post discharge, they were volunteering to support with activity delivery because of how much they connected with the team and the interventions.
Activities on the ward supporting wellbeing
Some of the organisations spoke about the activities they deliver, with Key Changes sharing how an open mic night would look on the wards. Participants shared some words that made them think about this project, themes, genres and the team quickly created an AI powered song based on the responses. This is something done on wards using the emotions people are feeling that day to express themselves through song.
Additionally, Maroon Fitness founder, Aaron Asomdew, shared that his work with the Trust began during the pandemic, working closely with the Ladywell Unit and Sophia Awan, Lambeth Head Occupational Therapist, to host small exercise classes on the ward. They shared that working together now in this capacity feels like a full circle moment.
Next steps and improvement plans
The project is new and evolving. The team are committed to ensuring it is successful and has equal benefit for staff, the VCSE organisations and our inpatients.
Hannah said: “We’re keen to hear feedback not only about what is working well, but what can be improved. We know that during evenings and weekends, our service users can have a tough experience on the ward due to a lack of structured activities, isolation and boredom. This project addresses those issues directly and alleviates the pressure on our staff. Having an activity our inpatients can continue with beyond their time with us helps the transition back into community living. Working collaboratively is key to making this work for everyone involved.”
About VCSE Inreach Project
The project, co-funded by Maudsley Charity and the NHS England Inpatient Quality Transformation Programme, aims to enhance the ward environment, reduce distress, improve outcomes and reduce restrictive interventions.
This project works by supporting long term recovery by connecting service users with their local community groups to continue post discharge.
Our 10 successful organisations were announced earlier this year.