We are always looking for ways to help people maintain good health and well-being that goes beyond just medical treatment.
Our Intensive Outreach Team (IOT) started an allotment project this year with their patients, with support from the Lower Bell Field Allotment Association in Rettendon.
The team provide crisis care for people who have a severe mental illness and need extra support at home.
They have been developing their allotment plot, using upcycled and donated materials to grow fruit and vegetables and create a haven for wildlife.
Gardening has helped the patients to reduce their stress and improve their wellbeing, while learning new skills.
Patients being cared for at two of our mental health wards have been encouraged to cook a meal for their loved ones as part of a new Come Dine with Us activity.
It is one of the ways we are supporting adults on our wards in Basildon and Rochford to make the transition from hospital back to living independently at home and boost their confidence.
Patients design and cook their menu under the close supervision of occupational therapy staff, who also help them buy ingredients and budget accordingly. Staff also help them to prepare the meal if needed.
The original idea came from a patient who wanted to cook a traditional meal for her family as part of her recovery process.
Throughout the year, volunteers from Essex Therapy Dogs have also continued to visit patients being cared for in our inpatient wards, including the Linden Centre and Crystal Centre, both in Chelmsford.
Pet therapy has been proven to have many benefits for mental health and help people to feel calm, provide comfort and help soothe emotions, reduce boredom, lower anxiety levels and bridge communication gaps when people may otherwise feel unable to talk about what’s on their mind.
Our community services have also been trying new ways to support patients.
In September our Children’s Asthma and Allergy team combined education with fun to teach children with asthma about how to best manage their condition.
To coincide with the national #AskAboutAsthma campaign, they organised a Laser Tag party for 19 children at the MegaCentre in Brook Road, Rayleigh.
Our nurses spoke to the children and their parents about managing asthma, including how to use inhalers and spotting asthma symptoms and triggers.
The children then enjoyed three games of Laser Tag and dinner.
Melanie Moylan, projects manager for the service, said: “It was such a fantastic evening and the children had so much fun while learning about asthma.”
And in June, our wound care specialists and colleagues from Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board visited a soup kitchen at the St Vincent’s Centre in Southend to give vulnerable people free foot and leg health checks as part of Legs Matter Week.
Infections and sores can limit people’s mobility and as part of the health checks, visitors to the soup kitchen had their feet washed and moisturised and were offered clean socks that had been donated.
Our Southend Rough Sleepers Mental Health Team also work regularly with the St Vincent’s Centre to ensure people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness receive the physical and mental health care they need.