Current opportunities for you to get involved

People who use our services and their carers and families have the chance to sign up for training to be involved in recruiting new staff.

The values-based recruitment training is being held to give service users and their families the skills to be involved in interviews and shape the future of NSFT.

We are committed to involving people who use mental health services and their carers or families through the People Participation. 

Sessions are capped at eight people so spaces are limited, and they will be booked on a first come-first served basis.

The training will be via Microsoft Teams and anyone who has difficulties accessing this or needs further support can email people.participation@nsft.nhs.uk.

New training dates can be found below: 

• Thursday 15 February, 13:00 — 16:00
• Tuesday 5 March, 13:00 - 16:00

To sign up go to https://forms.office.com/r/HSEfWeW0Sp.

Have you received support from our Under 18s Eating Disorder Service or cared for someone who has?

Do you want to use your lived experience to help us improve and develop our service?

We want to hear from you!

The forum will bring together staff and those with lived experience to consider:

• Development and feedback on projects
• Co-producing training materials
• Reviewing and producing service literature

If you decide to get involved this will not affect the care you or your loved one is receiving. If you would like to find out more, please complete an expression of interest form nsft.uk/EDForum.  

Alternatively, please contact us on 01603 421127 and ask for a call back regarding participation, or you can email us  at Caeds.participation@nsft.nhs.uk

Do you support someone With Personality Disorder or Complex Emotional and Relational Needs?

If yes, please consider joining us on our Workshop for Carers, Family and Friends Personality Disorder and Complex Emotional and Relational Needs. 

This is a 6-part online workshop, on Zoom, that runs over 6 consecutive weeks. (Future dates currently being arranged.) The workshop has been designed for family, friends, and partners (18+), who are supporting other adults (18+) with, or awaiting assessment for, Personality Disorder / Complex Emotional & Relational Needs, in Norfolk or Suffolk.

The workshop has been developed in collaboration with carers and people with lived experience throughout. We aim to bring people together to support and learn from one another in an inclusive atmosphere, explore topics and skills of interest, and offer a space for meaningful conversations about the experience of caring for someone.

Topics we will cover include:

• Exploring personality, personality disorder and complex emotional & relational needs
• Supporting someone experiencing difficult emotions
• Validation and containment
• Recovery, discovery, and management
• Walking the middle path
• Boundaries
• Advocacy
• Sharing resources, ideas, and advice
• Looking after ourselves in the short and long term
• And much more…

Emotive subjects often come up in these workshops, so please bear this in mind. Although we aim to support each other, this is not a crisis or emergency service for urgent issues.

If you are interested, please email KUFtraining@nsft.nhs.uk with your name, contact details, the reason you wish to join, and confirming you and your person are over 18.

We want you to know that you are valued and appreciated for the support you give. These socials are an opportunity for you to meet others in a similar situation and to access support and information in a friendly and safe environment.

Meet online via zoom:

• Tuesdays: 19:30 - 20:30
• Wednesdays: 13:00 - 14:30
• Friday: 10:30 - 12:00

Join the meetings here. 

Meeting ID: 860 6791 0795
Password: 4t4nSx

For more further information on any of the groups, please email:CarersQAservice@nsft.nhs.uk

Are you under the age of 25?

Are you a parent/carer of a young person under the age of 25?

Do you like designing things?

We are developing a new website to improve mental health services for Children, Families and Young People and we want to hear what is important to you. 

Our Website Working Together Group meets the third Monday of the month 6-7pm via Microsoft Teams.

Upcoming dates:

• 19 February 2024
• 18 March 2024

To join the next meeting please click on the date you want to join.

For more information:  Contact Andrea Bland, People Participation Co-ordinator People.Participation@nsft.nhs.uk

If you can’t make the date or have no internet access, please get in contact and we can make other arrangements.

The project aims to ensure we have those who have experience of our services 
working alongside us to monitor our improvements.

This Evidence Assurance Group has been set up to ensure our services are making the improvements needed and that those improvements are sustainable. We value the involvement of those who access our service and their supporters, and is important that together we work together to get things right. We know that the unique perspective of service users and their supporters will drive the improvement in quality that will be beneficial for all.

The EAG will be a supportive, multi-stakeholder, group which will check, challenge and discuss progress with services.

Each EAG session will be focused on a specific service. The expectation will be that each service will present a summary of the improvement undertaken, supported by evidence that demonstrates the progress made.

Services will also be expected to be able to explain how there is a focus on outcomes, as well as service user and staff experience. 

Services will be able to report progress and challenges. The group can then support in terms of testing this progress and completeness/sustainability of the proposed actions and mitigations to any improvement work. 

To ensure we have diverse representation within the Evidence Assurance Group we will ask interested individuals to attend a maximum of six meetings in total.

Names and contact details of those supporting the project: 

• Robyn Ward - Senior People Participation lead 
• Jodie Butcher - Senior People Participation Lead

The group will meet fortnightly.

Expenses: 

You can claim £10 an hour attending meetings. Meetings will mostly be held online but travel expenses and refreshments costs will be covered if they are held face to face. Please remember to check how payment may affect your tax or benefits. You can choose not to claim the involvement payment and take part voluntarily.

How to express your interest in the role

We are seeking individuals who from a variety of backgrounds (e.g. age, gender, ethnicity, geographical location) and a range of lived experiences to join the project. We are inviting people with lived experience of accessing or supporting someone to access, Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust, within the last five years to collaborate with us. 

When you are completing the expression of interest form it would be helpful if you could briefly tell us what attracts you to the role.

Your answer could also include any skills you have gained professionally, through voluntary work, and through experience of mental health challenges (your lived experience, or in those you care for).

Please let us know if you have any questions, would like support completing the form or would prefer to send us a video or audio response to the questions on the form.

You can complete the form here.

We will look at the expression of interest forms to ensure that people with a range of experiences are recruited to join the Project. Individuals who may be suitable for the role will be contacted for an informal (online) conversation soon afterwards. 

If you would like further information or have any queries, please email:
People.Participation@nsft.nhs.uk

Join us on a Wednesday morning at 10.30am-noon for a cuppa and a chat.

Just turn up and meet like-minded people in a relaxed, informal chat setting, meeting at a different Ipswich coffee shop each week.

February 2024

• 21 - The Mix James Hehir Building, University Avenue, Ipswich IP3 0FS 
• 28 - Coffee Cell Combat2Coffee 8 Northgate Street, Ipswich IP1 1EA

March 2024

• 6 - Christchurch Mansion Tea Room Christchurch Park Ipswich IP4 2EE
• 13 - Hullabaloo Café 14 St Peter’s Street, Ipswich IP1 1XB
• 20 - Issacs on the Quay 7 Wherry Quay, Ipswich IP4 1AS
• 27 - Geek Retreat 41A Upper Brook Street, Ipswich IP4 1DU

April 2024

• 3 - The Hold 131 Fore Street, Ipswich IP4 1LN
• 10 - The New Wolsey Theatre Café Civic Drive, Ipswich IP1 2AS 
• 17 - Coffee Cell Combat2Coffee 8 Northgate Street, Ipswich IP1 1EA
• 24 - Applaud Coffee 19 St Peter’s Street, Ipswich IP1 1XF 

For more information please contact Debbie Atkinson - People Participation Co-ordinator PeopleParticipationEastSuf@nsft.nhs.uk 

The Being Together Group is for adults, with a Learning Disability and/or Autism, carers or others who are interested in our services in Suffolk.

The group meet on Zoom, on the fourth Friday of each month, 11-12.

Join the group on Zoom to find out about how you can get involved in improving our services, talk to others and share your ideas.

Email Margaret.Tanner@nsft.nhs.uk for the Zoom link.

Help share the group with this poster: Being Together group promotional poster [pdf] 392KB

Do you support someone with Personality Disorder or Complex Emotional Needs?

If yes, please consider joining us on our: Workshop for Carers, Family and Friends Personality Disorder and Complex Emotional Needs.

This is a 6-part online workshop on Zoom. It will run on Monday evenings 6pm - 8.30pm, starting 30th January 2023. The workshop has been designed for family, friends, and partners (18+), who are supporting other adults (18+) with, or awaiting assessment for, Personality Disorder otherwise known as Complex Emotional Needs. 

The workshop has been developed in collaboration with carers and people with lived experience throughout. We aim to bring people together to support and learn from one another in an inclusive atmosphere, explore topics and skills of interest, and offer a space for meaningful conversations about the experience of caring for someone. 

Topics we will cover include: 

• Exploring personality, Personality Disorder, and Complex Emotional Needs
• Supporting someone with difficult emotions
• Skills for managing strong emotion
• Looking after ourselves in the short and long term
• Recovery, discovery, and management
• Walking the middle path
• Boundaries
• Advocacy
• Sharing resources, ideas, and advice
• And much more…

Emotive subjects often come up in these workshops, so please bear this in mind. Although we aim to support each other, this is not a crisis or emergency service for urgent issues.  

The next course will take place on the following dates at 18:00 — 20:00:

• Part 1 - Mon 12th Feb
• Part 2 – Mon 19th Feb
• Part 3 – Mon 26th Feb
• Part 4 – Mon 4th Mar
• Part 5 – Mon 11th Mar
• Part 6 – Tues 19th Mar

If you are interested, please email KUFtraining@nsft.nhs.uk with your name, contact details, the reason you wish to join, and confirming you and your person are over 18. 

Have you used the DIALOG scale with your mental health professional and planned goals and actions with them? Or has the person you care for/support done this and you are aware of their goals and actions?

The Care Planning team are currently looking for service user and carers/family of service users who would like to participate in a focus group to improve training and co-production for NSFT DIALOG+ staff training. Sharing your views with us and help us to improve the training we provide for NSFT staff.

Sign-up here. 

There are a few ways to be involved:

• Attend the monthly focus group and share your experience and views as often as you can
• Joining training and co- production meetings – (optional)
• Get involved by sharing views in short videos – (optional)
• Participation with staff training online (and at training venues to be confirmed) – (optional)
• You can give as much or as little of your time as you like
• If you change your mind and want to opt out that is okay

What are the aims:

• We aim to be a respectful group of people who can share experiences in a space which is safe to do so.
• We aim to improve the quality of training for staff by sharing your experiences and views.
• The experience and views you share will help to improve the quality-of-care planning and improve goal setting and make goals more person centred and be meaningful and purposeful for what services user’s want to achieve.
• Your experience will be invaluable for ongoing training of staff in DIALOG+, and co-production of the training.

About you:

• You are a current service user/ or have been, who either has a My Recovery Plan which includes completing a DIALOG scale or you have completed a DIALOG scale with a mental health care professional, and you have planned goals and actions with them.
• You are a carer/supporter of a service user who you are aware has completed a DIALOG scale and has planned goals and actions with their mental health care professional.
• You feel comfortable sharing your own views and experience and representing the views of others within the group setting.
• You approach engagement with others in an empathetic, compassionate and supportive way.
• You have time to carry out this activity.

What can you expect from us:

• Elizabeth Doolan, Care Program Approach Practitioner, will organise and attend each meeting and will be available to support the group.
• Meetings will be held monthly on Microsoft Teams or Zoom; you are not expected to attend all meetings.
• We will discuss your views and experience of your involvement in care planning process using DIALOG. With your participation we can discuss how to implement your views and experience into the training we provide to staff.
• If access to a computer or internet is an issue for you, we are happy to discuss ways to overcome this barrier
• This is a voluntary role.

If you decide you would like to participate in training sessions and share your lived experience and views, you will be paid for time/ travel. Elizabeth will provide you with the claim’s forms and information regarding payments. What to do next If you are interested in participating in this opportunity, please tell us a bit about you by filling in this form. We will contact you when the group begins.

*Please note that by completing this form you are consenting for us to hold your details for as long as necessary for the project and for us to contact you using the email and phone number you have given. If you have any questions, please contact elizabeth.doolan@nsft.nhs.uk.

We are asking service users and carers with recent experience of our inpatient wards to help us design new wards. This will further improve quality and safety at Hellesdon Hospital in Norwich. 

Find out more about this opportunity.

Our Veteran's wellbeing support group is designed to stop social isolation and give veterans a sense of belonging, similar to the close bond they had whilst serving. 

These events will be taking place in a non-clinical environment but Veteran's are welcome to discuss any mental health concerns they may have.

Please see below for locations, times and the days of our wellbeing support group:

• Norwich: Monday 11:00 - 13:00, The Matthew Project 70 – 80- Oaks Street Norwich NR3 3AQ, Tel: 07584316272
• Sudbury: Monday 11:00 - 13:00, Sudbury/Toast Café (Winter) or Long Melford Country Park (Summer), Tel: 07584316272
• Bury St Edmunds: Tuesday 11:00 - 13:00, Combat 2 Coffee , Con Club, Guildhall Street, IP33 1PR, Tel: 07584316272
• Ipswich: Wednesday 11:00 - 13:00, Combat 2 Coffee , Whitton Clinic, Meredith Road, IP1 6ED, Tel: 07584316272
• Thetford: Monday 11:00 - 13:00, Steam, Tanner Court, Tanner Street, IP24 2BQ, Tel: 07584316272

You can watch a video, featuring some of our service users, who have used the service and their thoughts on it below.

NSFT's online forum for women who have served in the military has new dates and times for the autumn/winter season.

The forum is open to women who are serving in the British Armed Forces and about to leave the military, Reservists, and Veterans. It has been developed so that women can share life experiences and build a support network.

Michelle Firmin, senior armed forces and veteran’s practitioner in the Veterans Integrated Service (VIS), decided to set up the forum after working for the Ministry of Defence, where she witnessed a number of the difficulties women can face when returning to civilian life after serving in the armed forces."

The meeting time has recently been changed to evening to make it easier for people to attend.

Topics of discussion may be about concerns and frustrations experienced in transitioning from the military to civilian life which may include experiences that occurred during service that have remained unresolved; work in civilian life, family life and building friendships; and specific women’s health concerns such as, fertility, family planning, menopause, childcare and general concerns about getting older.

Michelle said: “It's important to acknowledge the high levels of anxiety that may be suffered by people transitioning out of the military, that can be triggered by the need to find new employment, meet like-minded people, be part of a community and make new friends.”

The forum meets on the fourth Tuesday of the month, 7-8pm

Dates:

• 27 February
• 26 March

To attend, email nsftvis@nsft.nhs.uk for a Microsoft Teams invitation to join.

Would you like to be involved in improving our mental health services for yourself and others? Your voice deserves to be heard!

Particip8! are a group of people with a personal interest in mental health for young people and a passion for improving mental health services.

Whether you’d prefer to be part of a group, have one-to-one sessions, or share your ideas and experience by email, Whatsapp or phone, we would love for you to join us.

You can be involved as little or as much as you would like and with the things that are important to you.

• Using lived experience, we have led on projects such as:
• The language of letters and ensuring these are young person and carer friendly
• Interviewing staff
• Sharing our experience of crisis services
• Art projects
• Development of educational courses and many more.

To find out more, email Sophie.davies@nsft.nhs.uk. You can also text or call 07342 066589 or use Whatsapp.

These walks take place in two seperate locations. 

One set of events take place at Christchurch Park, Bolton Lane, Ipswich, IP4 2BX, m eet at the benches by the mansion (town centre end), with the group meeting at 11:00 on the following dates:

• 9 February
• 23 February
• 8 March
• 22 March
• 5 April 
• 19 April

The second set of events take place at Holywells Park, Cliff Lane, Ipswich IP3 0PG with the group meeting at 11:00 on the following dates: 

• 2 February
• 16 February
• 1 March
• 15 March
• 12 April
• 26 April

Contact the team by emailing Groups.EIP@nsft.nhs.uk.

Bowling Group (All Welcome)

Where: Tenpin, Gloster Road, Martlesham, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP5 3RJ

Cost: £6.00 per person, for two games

The group will meet at 11:00 — 13:00 on:

• 13 February
• 12 March
• 9 April

Contact the team by emailing Groups.EIP@nsft.nhs.uk.

This group is for carers and supporters only. 

The carer's cafés take place at two seperate locations, on alternate Fridays. 

Events take place at Old Felixstowe Community Centre, Ferry Road, Felixstowe, IP11 9NB ( Jane Boulton Lounge), between 17:30 — 19:00, on the following dates: 

• 20 February 
• 19 March 
• 16 March

Further events take place at Westerfield Village Hall, Church Lane, Ipswich, IP6 9BE (Main Hall), between 13:00 — 14:30, on the following dates:

• 6 March
• 3 April

Contact the team by emailing Groups.EIP@nsft.nhs.uk.

This group is for women only. Service users and carers are welcome.

The swimming group meet at Mid Suffolk Leisure Centre, Gainsborough Road, Stowmarket, Suffolk, IP14 1LH and the session costs £6.00 for adults, £3.00 concession rate and £1 is required for lockers (this is returnable).

Prior to swimming here for the first time, registration is required.  This includes your full name, postcode, telephone number or email address.

The group are meeting on the following dates between 14:30 and 16:00: 

• 13 February
• 27 February
• 12 March
• 26 March
• 9 April
• 23 April

An NSFT project aiming to reduce mental health inequalities for refugees and asylum seekers across Norfolk and Waveney wants to hear from those directly impacted to be the voice of lived experience and to ensure that our ideas best meet the needs of those using our services and their loved ones.

How can you help?

We are inviting refugees and asylum seekers based in Norfolk or Waveney to join the project as pivotal Experts by Experience (EbyE). We would be looking for individuals who would be willing to share their stories, experiences, and ideas to steer the project in the best direction and help us make the most meaningful changes.

As a project team member, we would be looking for you to join a monthly meeting held virtually over Microsoft Teams, where you will be working with a team of people from a range of different services and backgrounds. We always endeavour to create an environment where you can feel comfortable and confident in presenting your own views and sharing ideas to shape the outcomes of the project.

If joining the team isn’t for you, there are still other ways to share your experiences, such as one to one interviews and surveys conducted by our project team.

Want to join?

If you are interested in this opportunity of joining this project, want more information, or just want an informal chat with our People Participation Coordinator, Gemma Harris, please email QI.Team@nsft.nhs.uk and tell us how you would like to be involved.

Want a better understanding of Quality Improvement?

Join our Recovery College course – ‘Understanding Quality Improvement and how to be involved’ by visiting https://www.nsft.nhs.uk/timetable for more information and details on how to enrol.

Gemma, the People Participation Coordinator with our Trust’s Quality Improvement (QI) Team is inviting people with experience of using our services to join our improvement projects.

Gemma says "We want to make sure that every single QI project has service user and carer involvement as the only way to make successful changes and for services to evolve is to ensure their voices are heard and views taken into account."

If you would like to get involved please email Gemma for more information at QI.Team@nsft.nhs.uk.

Attend our Recovery College course to explore how you can use the Quality Improvement methodology, skills, knowledge, and tools in everyday life to support your recovery and personal growth journey. Learn how Quality Improvement is used in healthcare settings, how to be involved in Quality Improvement projects in NSFT and how using your lived and learned experience of receiving or supporting someone with treatment and services from NSFT can improve quality of care.

The course covers:

• What ‘quality’ means to you and what quality looks like in mental healthcare services.​
• Explore why Lived experience is important in Quality Improvement.​
• ​Introduction to the Quality Improvement approach used in mental healthcare​.
• Use a ‘real life’ example to understand;​ how to create SMART aims/goals, how to measure improvement​, how to create change ideas and test these.​
• Consider what the benefits and challenges might be for people with lived experience participating in Quality Improvement projects.​
• Explore what it is like to be involved in Quality Improvement projects and how you can join a project and/or support improvement work at NSFT.

Course Duration: 3 hours and 30 minutes including short breaks on Microsoft Teams

To find out more information or book your place follow this link Browse our Recovery College courses and begin your personal recovery journey | Norfolk and Suffolk NHS (nsft.nhs.uk)

An NSFT Quality Improvement project aiming to reduce mental health inequalities for Black men wants to hear from those directly impacted to be the voice of lived experience and to ensure that our ideas best meet the needs of our service users and their loved ones.

How can you help?

We are inviting Black men who have used mental health services as well as family and carers who have supported Black men with their mental health to join the project.  As pivotal Experts by Experience (EbyE), we would be looking for individuals who would be willing to share their stories, experiences, and ideas to steer the project in the best direction and help us make the most meaningful changes.

As a project team member, we would be looking for you to join a monthly meeting held virtually over Microsoft Teams, where you will be working with a team of people from a range of different services and backgrounds. We always endeavour to create an environment where you can feel comfortable and confident in presenting your own views and sharing ideas to shape the outcomes of the project.

If joining the team isn’t for you, there are still other ways to share your experiences, such as one to one interviews and surveys conducted by our project team.

Want to join?

If you are interested in this opportunity of joining this project, want more information, or just want an informal chat with our People Participation Coordinator, Gemma Harris, please email QI.Team@nsft.nhs.uk and tell us how you would like to be involved.

We look forward to hearing and working with you!

Want a better understanding of Quality Improvement?

Join our Recovery College course – ‘Understanding Quality Improvement and how to be involved’ by visiting https://www.nsft.nhs.uk/timetable for more information and details on how to enrol.

Safewards is an evidence based package of actions and behaviours that inpatient wards across Norfolk and Suffolk can apply to help support safety and experience for all. As part of our plans for 2023 we want to implement Safewards in our wards and will be running a supporting programme over the next few months. We are hoping to create a small coordinating project group and are looking for 2 people who have lived experience of receiving care from inpatient services or people who have supported others who have received care from our inpatient services, who could join online discussions as well as attend face to face collaboration sessions at Diss Business Hub.

The anticipated meeting schedule will be an online video call once every two weeks for 1 hour, and a half day face to face session at Diss Business Hub once every two months.

If anyone is interested in participating or would like any more information about the projects and what support is available please contact Michael Lozano (Interim Director of Quality at NSFT) on Michael.Lozano@nsft.nhs.uk

or Gemma Harris (People Participation Coordinator) on Gemma.Harris@nsft.nhs.uk

Safety Culture has many opportunities to make a difference for our communities and staff. We are looking for people who access our services or have supported someone to access our services to join a coordinating group. The group will be responsible for looking at evidence for improving Safety Culture across Norfolk and Suffolk and helping to create communications and tools that staff and teams can use.

The anticipated meeting schedule will be an online video call once every three weeks for approximately 1 hour.

If anyone is interested in participating or would like any more information about the projects and what support is available please contact Michael Lozano (Interim Director of Quality at NSFT) on Michael.Lozano@nsft.nhs.uk

or Gemma Harris (People Participation Coordinator) on Gemma.Harris@nsft.nhs.uk