Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust

Merry Christmas from all of us at Pennine Care NHS 💙🎄 We hope you have a wonderful festive period wherever you may be. Thanks for all your support and hard work throughout 2024, with a special shout out for those still working over the holidays. Please note our LinkedIn and social media accounts aren’t monitored on the Bank holidays, evenings or weekends.

We're so grateful to all our health and care colleagues working over Christmas and New Year. Abiodun is a senior mental health liaison practitioner, supporting people who come to A&E at Fairfield General in Bury experiencing a mental health crisis. Abiodun said: "This time of year brings unique challenges and opportunities to provide compassionate care to those in need. "Being able to support people during these critical moments is not just a job - it is a privilege. I feel proud and am grateful to contribute to their wellbeing during the festive season." Sam is nursing assistant who is working Christmas Day on Hope Unit, a child and adolescent mental health service also at Fairfield. Sam said: "Everyone deserves to have a magical Christmas no matter their situation. I have my own children at home and it's important that I set an example and show them that helping people who need it most is exactly what Christmas is all about." #PennineCarePeople #ChristmasDay #Christmas #MentalHealth

Thanks to Rebecca and the team at The Big Fandango for donating these lovely handmade quilts and chocolates for young people on Hope unit in Bury. Christmas on a mental health ward can be tough for families, so these donations go a long way and bring something positive to those who need it most. Rebecca and the team give something back every year to say thanks for the support previously given to her son on our children's mental health units.

Congratulations to Jen O’Neill and Sue Duffy for receiving community hero awards from Rochdale Parent Carers Voice. Jen is the operational manager for Rochdale CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health service), with parents saying: “[Jen] has a real down-to-earth, no-nonsense approach to looking at how best to support children and young people. She leads her team by example and has always found a way to help our families find a new way forward." Rochdale neurodiversity network, which includes Sue, one of our mental health practitioners, also received a community hero award for helping to signpost and offer advice to people in need, as well as improving access to services.

Fantastic to see all the festive fundraising and Christmas kindness, with many of our #PennineCarePeople raising money for services and Pennine Care Charity. Irwell unit’s Christmas craft fair made over £630 through donations for handmade items, which will go towards therapeutic activities for patients on north and south wards at Fairfield. Bury mental health support team’s bake sale raised £117 for Pennine Care Charity. Congrats to Claire for winning the bake off. And Arden and Norbury's teams held a Christmas fair fundraiser for the wards. If you would like to make a donation towards equipment and activities for patients, or groups to help people’s mental health, please check out the Pennine Care Charity website.

Thank you to all the wonderful Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust colleagues that stopped by Bury MHST's Bake Off Bake Sale on Tuesday! We managed to raise £117.35 for #PennineCareCharity Congratulations to Claire our wonderful Bake Off Winner!!🎉

Thanks to Louise for choosing to support Pennine Care Charity! Good luck with the marathons 🏃♀️➡️

Our Greater Manchester Resilience Hub’s pathfinder partnership provides support for survivors of sexual assault and abuse, who experience additional and complex mental health needs. The partnership has been running for a year and is holding an event to promote the service and how it supports people, while also considering how to develop and further meet the needs of survivors. The event is on 21 January 2025, 10am-3.30pm, at The Mechanics Centre on Princess Street in Manchester. For full details and to book your place, visit: https://lnkd.in/evWx23Q8

We’ve teamed up with North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust to launch a new mental health response vehicle. A mental health practitioner and an emergency medical technician will respond to 999 calls where the person is experiencing a mental health crisis. The person can be treated at the scene, instead of going to A&E. And the response team can help with any physical health needs that person may be experiencing too. The service is for all ages and runs from 1pm to 1am. Danielle Lord, our service manager, said, “Together we can make sure people quickly receive the right care, in the right place. This will benefit people’s recovery and make best use of professionals’ time." This work is part of our transformation programme. You can read more on our website.

Amy Lowe, memory clinic nurse at Whittaker Day Unit in Tameside, has been busy raising awareness about keeping our brains healthy to help prevent cognitive decline. "Many patients and their families come through our doors unaware that cognitive decline isn’t an inevitable part of aging. New research reveals that an astounding 45 percent of dementia diagnoses are preventable or could be delayed. “A few key lifestyle habits and daily practices can lower the risk significantly. Our goal is that everyone leaves our clinic with a better understanding of dementia risk factors and the small, meaningful steps they can take to strengthen their brain health."