Reflections 2021: Sarah Connery – Mental health support in Lincolnshire continues to grow

The year 2021 has continued to be an immense challenge to the NHS, our staff and the services we provide.

Over the past year I have been truly struck by the incredible dedication and resilience of our staff to try and provide the very best care to our service users during the pandemic.

It is our ambition to create services that support people with mental illness, learning disabilities or autism to live well in their communities and to deliver the outstanding care that patients deserve.

This year seems to have gone by very quickly, and while the overall picture in the NHS and indeed our Trust continues to be challenging with increased demand for services, it has been humbling to see the innovative work that is taking place across the Trust.

Our services have once again been acknowledged locally, regionally and nationally for numerous awards and we are particularly proud of our shortlist for Mental Health Trust of the Year at the Health Service Journal Awards. Although we did not win, the achievement of being shortlisted two years in a row is, in itself, no mean feat.

This year we have started work on our new acute wards at Peter Hodgkinson Centre in Lincoln and the Norton Lea site in Boston – part of our £37m-plus scheme to improve patient environments.

We’re pleased that work on both sites is continuing to progress well and we look forward to seeing these completed over the next couple of years.

The Lincolnshire mental health helpline introduced last year continues to provide vital support to those struggling with their mental wellbeing. Anyone needing someone to speak to can call the 24/7 helpline on 0800 001 4331. The Lincolnshire Here4You advice line also provides emotional wellbeing and mental health advice for young people and their families and is open 24/7 on 0800 234 6342.

One of the achievements I am most proud of has been how we have worked closely with our partners in health, care and the voluntary sector to start to increase more support in our local communities for people struggling with their mental health. By introducing new roles and investing in local community groups we are able to better support people to access activities that will help them stay well.

The Crisis Cafes (or Night Light Cafes) currently operating in Lincoln continue to provide a warm welcome and peaceful environment for people to go and talk to trained volunteers face to face. Thanks to additional investment, the cafes will be extending to other areas of the county very soon, particularly on the east coast where we know it is more difficult to access community support. You can find out more about Lincoln’s Night Light Cafés on the Acts Trust website here.

The new year will see lots of exciting transformation and developments come to life, including a further expansion of the crisis care we can offer and we’re really looking forward to seeing these improvements making an impact in Lincolnshire.

I’m sure when I reflect again next year we will be in a very different place and I look forward to seeing how things develop.

I’d like to finally take the opportunity to thank the compassionate and dedicated staff we have working in LPFT and across the whole health and care system for consistently putting patients at the heart of everything they do. I’m sure you will all want to join me in thanking them for all they do.