Hear Us: Linkworking Project in Croydon

A	Hear Us Linkworking Project at The Bethlem Royal Hospital and other units in Croydon
B	Hear Us 2009/10 Annual Report
C	Linkworkers Required
D	Linkworkers Comments
E	Older Reports

Hear Us Linkworking Project at The Bethlem Royal Hospital and other units in Croydon

Hear Us Linkworking Project

The Linkworking project involves a group of (2-3) Linkworkers holding meetings with users of mental health services; On the wards at the Bethlem Royal Hospital service users to discuss issues that affect service users them during their stay on the ward. In other units and in the community the project looks at how service users pathways through services and how they connect with social inclusive services.

Linkworkers are current or ex users of Croydon’s mental health services; go through an intensive 3 half day training course and are line managed and supervised by the Hear Us Coordinator. They are also supported via SLaM’s Involvement Register and where possible with extra support from Status Employment.

During session on wards and units the Linkworkers listen none judgementally to the problems the service users face daily whilst looking at what life holds for them on discharge; Living in the community with a mental health diagnosis, openly discussing medication and the side-effects. Dealing with stigma and prejudice that encompasses mental health.

Over the last year the project has expanded into the community at SLaM’s Foxley Lane women’s service, Ashburton Road (all Male) and Selhurst Road Rehab Unit. Recognition that other services ran by voluntary services need the project and service user involvement we have started Linkworking at Imagines Service User Led Drop-in service ‘Kingfishers Association’ in New Addington. During the summer and autumn months of 2010 we visiting more of Imagines services and other voluntary services

Hear Us 2009/10 Annual Report

Download Hear Us 2009/10 Annual Report

The Trustees, of which I am the Chair, meet monthly for a two hour meeting. They consider a very full agenda, including the Accounts, each time with the coordinator. Effectively the Trustees supervise the work of Hear Us, its coordinator, staff and volunteers.

The Trustees have a subcommittee that also meets for two hours monthly to consider the documents (such as those of the Charities Commission and the Hear Us Manual), relevant to the smooth running of Hear Us.

This past year we applied for charity status in August 2009, finally obtaining it in April 2010. This will allow us to apply for extra funding hopefully to maintain and extend what we do.

During the year we have had the monthly meetings of the Croydon Users Council, which have been well attended with many speakers of interest to our members.

Our newsletter has come out quarterly and has gone from strength to strength.

One of our major activities is the work of staff and volunteers to provide Linkworking on all the mental health sites in the Borough, including the Bethlem. There is great benefit from the Linkworkers feeding back problem areas to staff and Linkworkers negotiating for improvements.

One of the Trustees’ purposes is to ensure that we meet our charitable objectives, and Trustees have a responsibility to ensure that money is spent in pursuance of Hear Us aims and objectives.

None of the above work could be done without the efforts of the volunteers as Trustees, Linkworkers and in the office. Not least too that of staff - the Coordinator Tim, the Administrator Jane and the Project Workers Carmen, Andy and Al. I would like to thank them all for their efforts.

Ruth Govan
Chair of Trustees of Hear Us.

Linkworkers Required - ‘Help Us Reinvent The Universe Or At Least Our Part Of It’

Linkworkers are ex or current service users that visit mental health sites across the borough of Croydon to meet with service users to listen to issues, problems, worries or needs. After the sessions the Linkworkers talk to managers about what was discussed without naming the service users.

The aim is to improve life on the wards/units and to inform and signpost.

Hear Us are Croydon’s Mental Health Service user group and have been working together with services to help with improvements in mental health services in Croydon through service user involvement. The group acts as the voice and by promoting, educating and empowering people with mental health issues.

Hear Us Linkworking project requires more service users to join team. The team consits of people that have or use Croydon’s Mental Health Services in particular those that have been an inpatient on the wards at Bethlem Royal Hospital.

The Linkworker Team will help in-patient service users have a positive impact on the ward environment & to improve the in-patient experience of Croydon Service Users.

Current Linkworking Locations

Gresham 1 (now the all female ward)
Gresham 2 (male ward)
Gresham PICU
Foxley Lane (Women's Service)
Selhurst Road
Ashburton Road

This will include:-

Simply listening to the issues, problems, worries or needs of inpatients
Informing and signposting
Supporting service user involvement in day to day activities
Monitoring changes and improvements
After the sessions the Linkworkers talk to managers about what was discussed without naming the service users.

The ability to listen and communicate are essential

Full Training will be given

‘One small step for service users and one giant leap for Service User-kind’

Tel: 020 8681 6888 Email: hear.us@hear-us.org

Linkworkers Comments

I was part of the first Linkworker training sessions for Hear Us and we started the actual Linkworking Project at the Bethlem Hospital 2 years ago on Gresham 1. The Linkworking Project has since proved to be interesting, rewarding, enlightening, and funny and, gives you a sense of achievement which you don’t expect, but it happens over time.

I have been party to Linkworking at the Bethlem, Westways, Tamworth Road, Purley Resource Centre, The Crescent and the Selhurst Road Unit; Linkworking at all these places has been varied and different. On Alex Ground Floor (now Gresham 1) there have been real highs and lows; from patients dancing for you, to patients who have been violent on the ward and us as Linkworkers, sitting down with them and explaining the merits of not being violent on the ward, the result of which, was the patient, who was on a section, then being given leave by the staff, and subsequently being discharged from the ward.

It’s so rewarding when you return to the ward and those particular patients have turned their ‘ward-life’ around to a positive rather than a negative experience as it was before. Just listening to what people have to say about the Mental Health Services that are being provided for Service Users (sometimes good, sometimes bad) and the fact that we, as Linkworkers are also Service Users too, shows the patients that there is light at the end of the tunnel, as we can empathise with them.

As with all situations, there are good and bad days, but I really enjoy Linkworking and as I mentioned before, it is very a very rewarding and therapeutic experience.

Carmen Gray (Linkworker & Project Worker for Hear Us)

Linkworkers Comments

I have been Linkworking for over a year on Gresham 1 and during my time there I have found it a really positive and rewarding experience.
No two sessions are the same as we get to talk to many different Service Users. Sometimes, it takes a while to establish a rapport with some of the service users, while others have plenty to get off their chests! I think the fact that we as Linkworkers have also been patients on the wards ourselves gives us a vital link to talking to service users and enables us to empathise with them and helps us to understand where they are coming from. This is especially true once we have made it clear that we are not staff and that there will be no staff present during our sessions. I also think that from a point of respect and courtesy, that it is important that we allow space for service users to speak and that we value what they have to say, even if it doesn’t always make sense.
An important part of being a Linkworker is in what we feed back to senior staff. This is an opportunity for both parties to relate what has been happening on the ward and hopefully for any issues to be resolved. This has been a learning curve for me, but I feel this process have now improved for the benefit of all concerned.
I look forward to continuing Linkworking as it has been a really worthwhile and rewarding experience.

Andy (Linkworker & Project Worker for Hear Us)

Linkworkers Comments

I’ve been Linkworking from May of 2008 and am as enthusiastic about the job as I was on the first day. I feel privileged that I was asked to take on this role and have found that my past and on-going status as a service user has been vital in establishing my role in regards to dealing with both staff and service users.
I have found that you can never predict which way a session will go, from just a guarded conversation, to a willing participant, to just lending an ear for an hour or so.
Key to our role is the feedback we give to the senior staff at the end of our sessions. I have found the majority to be very courteous and helpful towards anything we relate back to them.
From a personal perspective, I feel I have gained a renewed sense of self-belief and thoroughly enjoy interacting with service users, staff and Hear Us workers alike.
I look forward to extending my work hours in the future