Coronavirus Archives - Richmond Fellowship | Mental Health Charity Making Recovery Reality

A day in the life of a Recovery Work – Apply today

October 6, 2020/in Appeals, care home, Coronavirus, employment, peer support, Self-directed support, Supported living, Time to Change /by rfadmin

Right now, we are looking for someone like you to join our team in Northampton where we support people with learning disabilities, autism and mental health problems. Are you caring and compassionate? Looking for a role where you can make a real difference to people’s lives every day? Welcome to Richmond Fellowship as a Recovery Worker. In this blog post, we take you through the day in the life of a recovery worker.

A typical day at Richmond Fellowship? To be honest, there isn’t one. One of the best things about this job is the variety. When you are arriving for your shift you are never sure what is going to happen. One day you will be helping people develop the skills to live independently, the next you could be interacting with healthcare professionals developing their care plan or maybe you will gain further qualifications through Richmond Fellowship’s training scheme.

To start the day the team meets for a handover from the previous shift. This is an opportunity to talk about plans for the day, which person you will focus your time on and sharing out tasks. The handover paperwork is completed to make sure we don’t forget anything. We’re commissioned to provide these services and our commissioners have expectations. We must keep records making sure the building is a safe place to live and work. These tasks are built into the shift leaving plenty of time for getting out and about with the people we support. Then it is off to see if anyone needs a hand to get up, washed, dressed, and ready for the day.

Once breakfast is finished it is time to plan the day. Each person has a set of life goals and it is the job of a recovery worker to encourage them to work towards those goals. For example, someone may have a goal to find a relationship. We break down that goal into smaller, manageable chunks. To meet someone special they may need to join groups and activities. With that in mind, you would spend time together searching out groups of interest and building up their confidence to attend. It is easy to see how each day can contribute to achieving that long term goal.

This job is all about supporting people to do things their way. It would be easy to give people a list of local activities but that takes away from helping someone learn how to search and find activities and events that suit them and their interests. That can all take time and it must be done at a pace to suit the person or the journey to becoming more independent is interrupted. Bringing ideas and suggestions for the people who live at the service creates a real buzz when we find something new to try.

You don’t need to have loads of experience of recovery work or of learning disabilities, autism or mental ill health to be good at this job. Richmond Fellowship provides a lot of training to develop the technical knowledge but this job is all about building relationships with the people who live in the house and your colleagues. If you have the basic values of kindness, patience and compassion everything else can be learned.
There may be appointments to arrange and attend. There are often visits from other professionals who are involved in people’s lives such as care coordinators, nurses or psychiatrists. You will talk with them and the person you support to develop their care plan or take the next step on their recovery journey. There are families and friends to spend time with. You will need good communication skills and a positive attitude to meet all these people. This job is all about providing as much or as little support as needed to make sure that people are living the life they choose.

The end of the day tends to be focused on preparing for bed and encouraging good sleep. Sleep is an essential part of being well for everyone and developing healthy sleep routine is a great way to get the best out of the next day. After you leave you can do some shopping with the exclusive discounts for Richmond Fellowship employees or maybe cycle home on the bike provided by our cycle to work scheme.

It can be a demanding and full-on job. It requires a lot of energy to stay motivated and energetic even when people are lethargic and disengaged. You won’t be on your own. Richmond Fellowship is a team and there is a lot of support for this role including training, monthly supervision with your manager, and team meetings. There is a staff council so you know you’re views will be heard at the top. It is essential to make good use of all of these tools to keep your batteries charged and the ideas flowing.

Post lockdown tour of our services

August 20, 2020/in Campaigns, Coronavirus /by rfadmin

Since lockdown has started to ease, Jo Schofield, our Head of Operations in the North, has taken the opportunity to visit several services and see for herself how staff and people we support have been getting on.

In this blog, she tells us more about these visits and what they tell us about our staff’s commitment to Making Recovery Reality, and how proud she is of how well staff and people we support adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic

Moor View (Care Home)

Yesterday was a great day for me. As Head of Operations for the North, I have always been out and about visiting our services but due to Covid-19 that hasn’t been possible since March 2020. However, yesterday I ventured out to my first service visit since lockdown. I visited Moor View our registered care home in Halifax with 24-hour nursing. Upon arrival, I was temperature checked and offered disposable PPE.

Even though I was at Moor View for a meeting with colleagues, I took in the environment and was impressed with the cleanliness of the building. I introduced myself to two staff who I haven’t met before and they told me that they felt safe in the workplace, they felt well informed and supported. Whilst I have heard daily about the good work that is happening in services, there is nothing quite like seeing it for yourself!

Our frontline workers have continued to go into their workplace and adapted their home life to ensure they are as safe as they can be to continue to support the people that use our services.

Today I really felt such pride for everyone I met at Moor View. Not only our frontline staff for their awareness and alertness around Covid-19 but also the people living in our services. It was obvious to me that a lot of work had taken place to educate some of our residents about keeping themselves safe and respecting personal space and maintaining a safe distance with our staff and other residents and visitors to the service.

Trevayler (Crisis House)

Continuing on my visits to services to see how things are going on the frontline during the pandemic, last week took me to Trevayler. Trevayler has two elements; a transitional unit for people moving from a hospital setting and also a crisis house for people experiencing a mental health crisis that require some interventions to prevent a further relapse in their mental health.

As I walked down the drive, I could see what has now become a familiar sight when visiting Richmond Fellowship services; the colourful rainbows in the window that residents and guests had coloured to represent “hope” during the pandemic.

On arrival I was told that I was entering a Covid-19 free zone and asked if I had had any of the identified symptoms, which I confirmed that I had not. I spent time walking around the building and viewing an area of the building that will be transformed into a Crisis Haven over the coming weeks.

There were six staff in handover and I talked to them about how they felt coming into work on the frontline during the pandemic. They collectively told me that this was their job and that they did what they do. At this point, they felt very supported and said that Richmond Fellowship had done everything possible to make sure they were safe.

As a senior leader in the organisation, I came away feeling proud of the staff working at Trevayler and how they had made adjustments to their lives to ensure the safety of those they support.

There are no words that can describe my gratitude of those working on the frontline to ensure that people we support continue to get the support they need, when they need it.

Tower House (24 Hour Supported Housing)

Last week, my service visits continued. I went to Tower House which is a 24 hour Supported Housing Service in Chester.

Upon arrival I couldn’t hide my smile as I saw the window covered in rainbows acknowledging “hope” during the pandemic. Residents engaged with craft sessions to decorate the window; joined in the clap for carers on Thursdays at 8pm and knew the importance of keeping themselves safe to reduce the risk of falling victim to the virus.

As I was shown around the beautiful building I met resident after resident who kept a safe distance and wore their face masks when they were in communal areas. One of the residents I spoke to explained that they had COPD and therefore was exempt from wearing a face mask but told me that they weren’t going to take any chances and was happy to wear one to keep everyone safe.

The three staff on duty spoke to me about how the residents have responded positively to changes within their living environment and how to start with it was extremely difficult but with lots of education about the Coronavirus and additional support offered, residents had responded really positively. They were really proud of how the residents had adapted during this really difficult time.

I came away from Tower House feeling confident that the staff and residents were working together to keep the service operating in a safe way and that the safety measures in place were not intrusive, but a true reflection on how the virus is being taken seriously within the setting.

What these service visits have shown

These service visits have reinforced what I already knew about our amazing staff and people we support. Throughout the entire pandemic, staff have shown resilience and commitment to our mission: making recovery reality. Even when the country was in a state of crisis, every staff member I encountered radiated hope and respect. They were all focused on enabling the people we support to achieve their goals even in the most adverse external circumstances.

As lockdown measures continue to change, we will keep working with staff and people we support to adapt how our services operate. We believe that everyone has a right to participate fully in society, and we will always ensure our services are running – whatever challenges the future might hold.

Coordinating kindness

May 22, 2020/in Coronavirus /by RF Comms

The current lockdown and pandemic has clearly taken its toll on people’s mental health. The isolation from peers and constant anxiety is exacerbating the conditions already caused by economic inequality. One of the ways we can improve the mental health of ourselves and others is through acts of kindness. This Mental Health Awareness Week Estelle, a recovery worker from Newbury supported housing service, tells us about the service and her community’s acts of kindness.

Since the coronavirus outbreak we have worked with the Newbury Furniture Project who’ve received food donations from local catering companies.

The project is delivering food parcels to the vulnerable, needy families around Newbury and West Berks on its own. Our service already had a good relationship with the project and we had a conversation with them about whether they would be happy for us to collect food direct from them to deliver to our service users. Our most vulnerable, self shielding and low income families received a parcel and it reduced the amount of deliveries the project staff would need to do.

“Making food for the other tenants gave me a sense of purpose”

One of the people we support used the donation to cook some meals for the other 3 tenants in her block of flats. The tenant said “Making food for the other tenants gave me a sense of purpose and helps us maintain a sense of community even with social distancing.”

Our service users have been extremely grateful when they receive a parcel saving them from going out and putting themselves at risk. We have also had a service user whose oven broke. We contacted the furniture project and within days she received a new one. Its been great working along side the project at this time and hope our relationship with them will continue in the future.

Employing new ideas

May 21, 2020/in Coronavirus /by RF Comms

Laura Whitehouse, Autism and Asperger’s Employment Advisor, at Cambridgeshire Employment Service, talks about how a few kind moments can transform virtual service delivery.

The Covid-19 virus and current lockdown has meant that many of us have had to adapt to a new way of working and connecting with others. This Mental Health Awareness Week find out how our employment services have been continuing to offer support and kindness in a new, more virtual, world.

Before the lockdown, we would meet with the people face to face in our offices and at outreach locations. In these meetings we would help write CVs, complete application forms and give careers advice. We would help people prepare for employer meetings and discuss returns to work.

Then the Covid-19 lockdown hit us and suddenly we were not able to see those we support anymore. We were working remotely form our homes and we thought work would be quieter. However, we were still able to run our service and support those in need. We changed our face to face appointments to telephone calls allowing us to continue to work in a person-centred way.

“By adapting we could continue to help and offer advice on how to manage their mental health.”

At the start of the lockdown, we worked as a team to create a leaflet for service users with guidance on coping with the situation. It offered advice on staying connected, managing your mental health, learning new skills and how we can support them. We also included some signposting options. We have also been encouraging those we support to use the online support community Big White Wall and to connect with their own community.

By adapting we could continue to help and offer advice on how to manage their mental health. We use video conferencing software to support individuals with employer meetings and general guidance sessions. We have been supporting people by connecting with them others in similar situations We have a quiz over Zoom at the end of the week for a little fun. Other times we’ve had Zoom breakfasts and choir rehearsals. We are encouraging people to call their friends and family to stay in touch if they struggle with video calls.

As an employment service we have been able to still work and support those accessing our service. As well as remaining connected as a team through the social interactions on the phone or video conferencing and allowing us to have fun at this time. Stay well, Stay safe.

How have our services adapted to the lock down – Willow House

May 19, 2020/in Coronavirus, Services /by RF Comms

We spoke to Deborah Webster, service manager at Willow House, on how our crisis houses have continued to provide care despite the lockdown. Willow House took in new referrals and provided high quality recovery care while keeping both staff and guests safe in line with government guidance.

Willow House is a crisis house that has been open for 3 years and it has always been a fast paced service. We offer provide a unique alternative to psychiatric hospital admission and address the needs of people experiencing a mental health crisis. We are proud of the relationships guest build together as peers and with our staff.

Usually people referred to us stay up to a week in our house with their own room and have several sessions a day with a recovery worker. Since the Covid-19 outbreak we have adapted to quickly and moved to a virtual service for guests. We have telephone and video call support 24 hours a day so guests can contact our staff any time they require support. We offer the same catalogue of interventions previously done face to face but in a safe way for both staff and guests.

We practically changed all our processes overnight to accommodate this. For new referrals we use an NHS screening tool to ensure people don’t have symptoms or haven’t been exposed to people with symptoms.

We practically changed all our processes overnight to accommodate this. For new referrals we use an NHS screening tool to ensure people don’t have symptoms or haven’t been exposed to people with symptoms. There are times slots for rooms so guests can still enjoy Willow House while maintaining social distancing. All our staff in the house wear masks, keep two metres apart and can’t spend more than 15 minutes face to face with other people. Some staff now work from home which has taken its toll due the isolation but I think overall we are a stronger, more resilient team.Our recovery workers have taken steps to help people we support with the transition to the new virtual methods. Staff are more casual and conversational over the phone. This new communication style helps guests feel comfortable and engage better with the intervention.

We are commissioned to provide a crisis service for people in Lancashire and we will provide it.

I didn’t think I’d face new challenges such as dogs barking over skype or parrots chirping during a telephone intervention but I think everyone will agree the pandemic has bought a new perspective to everything. We are focusing on our own wellbeing as individuals and a team so we can cope with these tough times. Some staff said they struggled with separating work from home. Together we have agreed that staff do not have to fill the day and that taking time out for themselves during the day is important. Screen time has shot up and people’s homes aren’t offices. Overall everyone has adapted well to the changes and new working routine.

We are commissioned to provide a crisis service for people in Lancashire and we will provide it. For a crisis house to stop during a crisis would be the last thing we want. We assessed the risks to our staff and guests and adapted the service as necessary. The hard work and dedication of the staff to keep the people we support on their recovery journey cannot be overstated.

We want people to know that our they can still access our service as an alternative to hospital admissions. In a time of high anxiety and uncertainty we will be there for those in a mental health crisis.

Coronavirus update (23 March 2020)

March 23, 2020/in Coronavirus, Corporate /by rfadmin

As a mental health and recovery focussed group of charities, we know how vital it is for people to look after their mental health during the current coronavirus pandemic.

We’ve put robust measures and contingency plans in place at both national and local level to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all staff and people we support during this time of uncertainty.

As of Monday 23 March, all our mental health services remain operational across England, but we are anticipating some disruption to our services over the coming weeks. We’re reviewing the situation on a constant basis in line with government advice and will publish any updates on our website accordingly.

In the meantime, we ask all individuals visiting our services to observe government and Public Health England advice and guidance, including:

– washing hands thoroughly for 20 seconds when arriving and leaving our services
– practicing the distancing measures of 2 metres between individuals
– not to attend face to face appointments if they’re showing signs of coronavirus and to self isolate.

We also ask if they’re unable to make an appointment, to let their Recovery Worker or Employment Advisor know.

Derek Caren, Chief Executive of Richmond Fellowship said:

‘As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to change rapidly, I’d like to pay tribute to our staff that are providing such an important service for people we support at the moment. The safety of both clients and staff remains our number one priority and we’re continually reviewing the situation in line with government recommendations. I’d also like to take the opportunity to remind both staff and people we support that they have access to Big White Wall, the online 24/7 mental health resource and to sign up if they haven’t done so already’.