Funday showcases opportunities for young people, families and carers
A summer event to promote mental health services for young people gave service users, their families and carers a chance to ask questions, talk to staff and join in some fun activities.
Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) brought together its youth, education and peer support teams at 80 St Stephen’s in Norwich on 2 August to show what support is available for young people and their families. Teams included Discovery College, trust membership and participation.
People participation co-ordinator Andrea Bland said: “We were able to chat to the young people and their families about opportunities for getting involved with NSFT. Service users and their families and carers are so important in helping us continue to improve. Their views and ideas are so valuable.”
Peer support worker Emma Godbold said: “It was lovely to talk to parents and carers about peer support and give them an understanding of the services available alongside clinical intervention.”
The event was also a chance to gather feedback from young people. Andrea said: The fun activities were a great way to start a conversation and we had some really good chats with young people and their supporters.”
They suggested a brighter and more interesting foyer area and several parents/carers wanted to see more information events out into the community to raise greater awareness of the opportunities available withing the trust for young people and their supporters.
Andrea added: “We are now going to get together with young people to discuss their suggestions and how we can put them into action.”
Chief nurse Anthony Deery welcomed the feedback, saying: “The more we can meaningfully connect with the communities where people access our services the better. We have lots of opportunities within NSFT for participation and education and plenty of good work we can share about how we are making services safer, kinder and better.”
Email People.Participation@nsft.nhs.uk if you would like to find out more about getting involved with NSFT and the opportunities available.
Pictured are Andrea Bland, Hope Gunn, Emma Godbold and membership officer Lesley Hastie at the event.
80 St Stephen’s houses teams from Norfolk and Waveney young people’s mental health services, adult ADHD service and community mental health services.