New runner Mandy takes on double marathon challenge
A specialist nurse who only took up running 18 months ago will pound the pavements of the capital this Sunday as she completes her first ever marathon to raise vital funds for a cause close to her heart.
Mandy Beresford, Community Respiratory Nurse Specialist and Clinical Lead for Pulmonary Rehabilitation with Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust (NCH&C), decided to sign up to the 26.2 mile race to challenge herself before celebrating her 50th birthday in July.
After initially failing to get a place in London through the general ballot, she entered the Edinburgh Marathon, which takes place on May 25, instead. She was later offered a club runner place in Sunday’s race – which means she’s now taking on twice the challenge and will complete two gruelling marathons within the space of just six weeks.
Mandy has been training hard in preparation, completing five training sessions and one long run in the north Norfolk countryside each week. Despite suffering a knee injury, she is hoping to cross the finish line in around five hours.
“I only started running about 18 months ago when I took part in the Sheringham Park Run,” said Mandy, who lives in Sheringham and is based at Kelling Hospital. “It took me months to be able to complete the 5km distance without stopping, but I really enjoyed it so joined the North Norfolk Beach Runners, who are an amazing, friendly and supportive bunch of people.
“My running has improved and I decided a marathon would be a good challenge to tick off before I reach my 50th birthday, but never thought I’d end up doing two! I’m nervous about Sunday, but also really excited as it is fantastic event to be part of and the atmosphere should be brilliant. I’ve invested a lot of effort, energy and time into preparing for the day, and will be delighted to cross the finish line. The fact that I’ll also be raising money for a cause close to my heart just gives me extra motivation.”
Mandy leads NCH&C’s Pulmonary Rehabilitation Service, which helps people with lung problems to successfully manage their condition through education and exercise.
Working with colleagues and partners from the British Lung Foundation, she has recently helped to set up a Breathe Easy group for lung patients in Sheringham – and will be raising money through Sunday’s marathon to help with its running costs. The group gives people the opportunity to find out more about how they can self-manage their lung conditions and pick up advice from health experts, including Mandy’s colleagues from NCH&C’s Respiratory Service.
“Our new Breathe Easy group has been really well received by local people, and already has around 60 members,” added Mandy. “It is ideal for anyone who has finished their pulmonary rehabilitation, and offers fantastic social support and the opportunity to meet others in the same situation while also giving people the chance to ask questions and find out more about how they can help themselves.
“As we are a new group, we don’t have much money at the moment, which is why I decided to run the marathon to raise funds. The more we have in the kitty, the more we will be able to do, such as buy equipment and give demonstrations, organise trips and hold awareness sessions. Every penny really does count and I’m hoping to raise as much as I possibly can,” she said.
The North Norfolk Breathe Easy group takes place at Sheringham Community Centre on the first Friday of every month between 1.30pm and 3.30pm. Anyone with any lung condition, as well as families and carers, is welcome to drop in and find out more.
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“Marvellous” staff to showcase their first class services
“Marvellous” community health staff who support scores of patients with complex needs are to showcase the expert services offered by their team at a special open event.
Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust’s (NCH&C) West Norfolk Community Neurology Team will hold the drop in event at Tesco Extra, on the Hardwick Roundabout in King’s Lynn, on Tuesday, April 15. On site all day from 9.30am, members of the specialist team will be on hand to talk to the public, patients and carers about the wide range of services they provide to patients with brain injuries and other long-term neurological conditions, including Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis and Motor Neurone Disease.
NCH&C’s Community Neurology Team consists of staff from a range of disciplines, including neurology nurses, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, an occupational therapist, a clinical psychologist and assistant practitioners.
The team offers assessment, treatment and tailored interventions, including advice to patients, families and carers. This support continues from diagnosis until the end of life, and includes helping patients cope with changes in their conditions and equipping them with the tools they need to self-manage their condition where possible, so that they can enjoy the best possible quality of life.
One patient from King’s Lynn, who wished to remain anonymous, has received care and support from the team since she was referred to the care of NCH&C following an MS diagnosis in 2001. Since then, her family have developed an excellent relationship with specialist nurse Jane Bradshaw, who visits regularly to offer support and advice.
“Jane is absolutely marvellous and we would be lost without her,” said the patient’s daughter, who fits her part-time job around caring for her Mum full-time. “The care which she and the rest of the team at NCH&C have provided has been great. It doesn’t matter what our problems are – we just leave a message and Jane will get in touch and help us sort things out.
“If we need a prescription or support with managing particular symptoms, Jane and the team will help. If we need any advice at all, we just give Jane a ring, explain the problem and she will suggest solutions. She’s always happy to come to the house and help if we need her to, and knowing she is there is really reassuring for both Mum and myself.
“Mum’s illness has affected everything and she now needs help with every aspect of daily life. She gets very tired very quickly, can get confused and has painful muscle spasms. She needs help with organising her finances and paying bills, as well as things like showering and doing her hair.
“But we know there are other people much worse off than us, while Jane and the team also help us to make life as easy as we possibly can. Over the years, she has become more of a family friend than a nurse, and we’ll often meet for a coffee and a chat. It’s nice to have someone who understands how hard it can be and is always there to support us.”
Jane Bradshaw, Lead Nurse Specialist in Neurology with NCH&C’s Community Neurology Team, said: “We are really keen to highlight the range of specialist services we offer to people with neurological conditions, and thought arranging this drop in would provide us with the ideal opportunity.
“We want to welcome as many people as possible along on the day, including patients, carers and anyone who is interested in finding out more about the work we do. We’ll be answering questions, explaining the care pathway following diagnosis and giving out lots of information.
“We will also have a separate room available in case anyone would like to talk to members of the team in private.”
The event has been organised to fall between Parkinson’s Awareness Week, which runs from April 7 to 13, and MS Awareness Week, which starts on April 28. Anyone is welcome to drop in for a chat, with the team at Tesco’s Extra, in King’s Lynn, from 9.30am until around 5pm.
For more information about NCH&C’s Community Neurology Team, go to: www.norfolkcommunityhealthandcare.nhs.uk/neurology.htm
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Starfish West celebrates a decade of caring
Expert health staff who run a vital service which has helped hundreds of children with learning disabilities to overcome mental health and behavioural problems are celebrating a decade of care after reaching a milestone anniversary.
Starfish West, which is run by Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust (NCH&C) and provides specialist help to children aged between four and 18, marked its tenth anniversary this winter. The service, which started life in a tiny office in a special school in King’s Lynn, has expanded considerably since its launch, and now helps around 30 children across west Norfolk every month.
At the end of March, the Starfish West team was named joint winner of NCH&C’s Integration and Partnership Award at the Trust’s Recognition of Excellence and Achievement in Community Health (REACH) Awards. They picked up the award after demonstrating a clear commitment to working across organisational boundaries to offer the best, joined up care to local children.
Starfish West was the first service of its kind in the county, and offers interventions for children with learning disabilities who develop challenging behaviour or mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.
Once a child has been referred, Starfish’s team of family support workers, nurses, therapists and psychologists will carry out a joint assessment, working with other agencies such as social services wherever necessary to find the cause of the child’s difficulty before helping to resolve it.
The model used in the west of the county proved so successful following its launch that NCH&C later rolled it out in the east and central regions, and 18 months ago launched a sister service, called Starfish+, for children in crisis who need more intensive support.
Anne Goodrich, Team Leader for Starfish West, said: “Our close-knit team were delighted to celebrate Starfish West’s 10th anniversary, and I would like to thank them all for the hard work they have put into building the service into the success it is today.
“Over the past decade, we have helped hundreds of children and their families to manage and resolve challenging behaviour and mental health problems.
“We visit the child in their school and home environments so that we can identify what may be causing the issues they are facing. Often the children we work with can’t talk very well, so we find other ways to communicate and spend lots of time with them so that we can get a better understanding of the problems they are experiencing.
“Our role isn’t just to help the child but also support their parents and siblings, showing them how to manage difficult behaviour and the things they could do to help. It is incredibly rewarding, and we get really good outcomes from our families, which makes our work even more satisfying.”
Depending on their individual needs, each child may see a nurse, psychologist, speech or language therapist or family support worker, or a combination of all professions. The team can then help in various ways, including talking therapies, going into the child’s school or working with their parents.
Anne added: “The range of children we help is enormous. Some can use words and benefit from more traditional therapies, but others don’t speak or use language, so we have to adapt to be able to communicate with them.
“Our overall aim is to coordinate the care which that child and their family receives so that we can make things better for them and improve their quality of life. We are so pleased that we have made a difference to so many families already, and look forward to helping even more during the next ten years.”
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Experienced NHS leader takes the helm at Norfolk’s community Trust
Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust (NCH&C) is pleased to announce that Mark Easton has been appointed as its new Interim Chief Executive Officer.
Mark – who has 10 years’ experience as a Chief Executive – will take the lead at the Trust which provides NHS community health and care services in and around the county. He will complete a handover with the Trust’s outgoing Chief Executive, Michael Scott, before officially taking up the interim role on May 1.
Commenting on Mark’s appointment, Ken Applegate, NCH&C’s Chair, said: “I am delighted that we have appointed somebody of Mark’s calibre to this interim role. With his experience of leading a range of NHS services, and his clear drive to create health and social care integration, he is perfectly placed to help our Trust deliver its own strategy to join up local services for the benefit of our patients, and to progress towards foundation trust status.”
Mark’s career has seen him work his way up through a wide variety of roles. Joining the NHS in 1982 as a management trainee, he has since provided leadership and support to a number of diverse NHS organisations, including community services, acute hospitals and primary care trusts, as well as strategic health authorities and mental health organisations (more in attached biography).
“I am really interested in the delivery of seamless patient care which brings together community services with social, primary, and acute services,” said Mark. “I know that NCH&C has made big strides in this area and I’m keen to enable the Trust to keep up the pace.
“Having worked for and led a number of NHS trusts, I understand the importance of providing strong leadership to frontline teams, to enable them to focus on doing what matters most – delivering the best care to patients.
“I’m excited about joining the Trust and providing further stability to ensure local patients can continue to access excellent services.”
NCH&C will continue its process of seeking a substantive Chief Executive and hopes to make an appointment over the coming months.
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Valentine’s cafe raises vital funds in memory of much-loved colleague
A Valentine’s café and tea dance arranged to celebrate the memory of a much-loved colleague on what would have been her birthday has raised more than £600 for a specialist unit providing end of life care.
Staff from Norwich’s Julian Hospital, which is part of Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT), organised the pop-up café and cake sale in memory of friend and colleague Sophie Gibbons, a Community Mental Health Nurse who passed away last year following a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Keen to celebrate her life while helping a charity close to her family’s hearts, they chose the Priscilla Bacon Lodge (PBL), run by Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust (NCH&C), to benefit from the sale, which was organised on February 14 to coincide with Sophie’s birthday.
Thanks to the generosity of staff, patients and visitors at Hammerton Court, a specialist dementia unit run by NSFT which is part of the Julian Hospital site in Norwich, the team raised a total of £625. The money will go to PBL’s Charitable Fund and be used to further enhance the care which NHC&C provides to palliative care patients.
“Sophie was a very dear friend and colleague who spent her last days at Priscilla Bacon Lodge before she died,” said Kerry Avery, who is aCommunity Mental Health Nurse based at the Julian Hospital. “Her family asked for donations to PBL at her funeral, so we thought that raising money for the same charity would be a really good way to remember her.
“As Valentine’s Day would have been Sophie’s birthday, we felt it was the ideal opportunity to celebrate her life. The event was spearheaded by Donna Townshend and lots of colleagues stepped in to help by decorating the pop-up café with a Valentine’s theme, baking cakes for the sale and helping serve teas and coffees. We also had some generous donations on the day.
“A couple of the wards at Hammerton Court also held a tea dance, which gave patients who have dementia and their relatives the chance to get involved, enjoy some live music and stop by for a cup of tea. This was particularly fitting as Sophie’s passion was providing good quality dementia care.
“It was a great atmosphere and everyone really enjoyed themselves. I was blown away to raise so much money in just a few hours, and am really grateful to everyone who supported the event.
Louise Rawlings, Lead Nurse at Priscilla Bacon Lodge, which is part of NCH&C’s Colman Hospital on Unthank Road, said: “We are really grateful that Donna and her colleagues chose to support Priscilla Bacon Lodge while remembering their friend Sophie.
“Their generous donation will help us to further enhance the care and support we provide to patients nearing the end of their lives, as well as their families and carers. Our thanks go to everyone who supported the cake sale and tea dance.”
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Annette’s marathon effort in best friend’s memory
A dedicated Community Matron who lost her best friend to breast cancer will swap medicine for mileage later this month when she runs the London Marathon to raise funds in her memory.
Annette Yeomanson, who works for Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust (NCH&C), will complete the 26.2 mile course in memory of Tracey Howard, who passed away in January 2013 aged just 43 following a brave battle with the illness.
Annette, who works with the North Walsham Community Nursing and Therapy Integrated Team, only started running after her friend became ill, when she entered the Race for Life on Tracey’s behalf. Since then, she has joined the Coltishall Jaguars running club and completed half marathons in Amsterdam and Barcelona, recording a personal best time of 2hrs and 22 minutes.
She is now looking forward to crossing the finish line in London on April 13 after clocking up more than 350 miles during several months of hard training.
“The training has been going really well and it has helped immensely that I’m doing it for Tracey,” said Annette, who lives in Barton Turf. “When I’m on mile 19 and my legs are aching and I feel like I’m running out of steam, I remind myself its nothing compared with the things she went through, have a little chat with her in my head and find a bit of spirit again.
“There will be people from the charity along the course and my family and some members of the running club will be there to support me too. It’s going to be really emotional crossing the finish line and I’ll definitely cry. I’ll probably be feeling relieved, but will know it has all been worth it to raise money in Tracey’s memory.
“I’ve set myself a target to raise £3,000, and really hope I beat that. I’ve got a few more car boots planned and a sweepstake giving people the chance to guess my time for the marathon, which should boost the total a bit further.”
The marathon forms part of a year of fundraising which Annette has carried out on Tracey’s behalf. She has so far raised £2,500 for the Breast Cancer Campaign through car boot sales, concerts and raffles, and organised a special ‘Great North Walsham Bake Off’ for colleagues late last year.
“Tracey was such a fantastic friend that I wanted to do something special in her memory,” added Annette. “She was always smiling and throughout her illness she was incredibly brave and positive.
“I’m sure she would be proud of my fundraising efforts, but would probably also think I was completely mad as she wasn’t one for physical activity!”
Tracey lived in North Walsham all of her life and worked as the manager of two residential homes. She became firm friends with Annette in 2002, shortly after Annette moved to Norfolk.
“Tracey’s illness developed quickly and she passed away just over a year after her diagnosis,” said Annette. “She inspired my year of fundraising, which culminates in the marathon.
“Although I’m nervous I’m also really excited and want to raise as much as I possibly can to help this excellent charity. I would never say never, but am not planning on doing any more marathons after this. I’ll just be happy to complete this one!”
Anyone who would like to donate to Annette’s marathon effort can visit www.justgiving.com/Netty-Yeomanson
www.norfolkcommunityhealthandcare.nhs.uk
Monarch Catering Services, Norfolk, Suffolk
