A giant African land snail and a springer spaniel with a knack for agility tricks are giving young patients a confidence and wellbeing boost.
Herbert and Nellie are among the therapy animals at the Therapeutic Education Department at the St Aubyn Centre in Colchester.
The school – which is rated Outstanding by Ofsted – provides education for teenagers receiving inpatient care for mental health difficulties. The school and centre are run by Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust.
Headteacher Jim English brings his family dog Nellie into school once a week. Six-year-old Nellie has been a therapy dog for about four-and-a-half years.
“She gets on magnificently with everyone, she is as much a therapy dog for the staff here as she is for the young people.
“The young people are usually absolutely delighted to have her in and will cuddle and play with her in the classroom.”
As well as being a comforting presence, Nellie draws young people into lessons, especially those who struggle to engage in education.
Jim said: “I will offer the children the opportunity to take her for a walk or do some agility work. Because she is so well trained if I teach the young people the commands she will respond to them, and they’re just so overjoyed.”
This can inspire them to do project work about animals and gain qualifications that could lead them into future careers in animal care.
Jim said these are just some of the ways in which therapy animals like Nellie bring “immense value”.
They help children to open up and build a rapport with teachers and staff on the ward, provide comfort, and make the hospital environment feel more homely.
Eight-year-old Herbert is one of three giant African land snails the education unit has owned over the years.
Students have been known to hold them during lessons to help regulate their emotions.
Lead science teacher Jo Kedian said holding Herbert is like having a hand massage.
She said: “He did have a friend but about five years ago we had a patient who so, so loved him she kept him.
“We are thinking about getting another one, we are also thinking about getting a prickly stick insect.
“I had locusts here for a while, we grew them and they would fly around the room. I had a patient once who would sit with one on each shoulder and do her work.”
As well as Nellie and Herbert, a volunteer from Essex Therapy Dogs brings her Coton De Tolear dogs in to visit once a week.
And the school works closely with Dedham Therapy Farm, where young people can help to look after their animals, including alpacas, sheep, chickens and donkeys.
Jim said: “I think in general we’ve come to learn in the education department the value of animals working with children, particularly children with mental health problems.
“They will trust an animal more than they will trust a human, particularly if human beings have let them down or harmed them in the past.”
EPUT’s child and adolescent mental health wards at the St Aubyn Centre and the Poplar Unit in Rochford were recently graded good by the Care Quality Commission, following inspections that finished in March.
About EPUT:
- EPUT has a vision to be the leading health and wellbeing service in the provision of mental health and community care: Who we are – Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
- EPUT provides services to more than 100,000 patients at any one time and our staff are focused on providing high quality care in often complex situations.
- The organisation has invested in inpatient facilities and community services to make them safer and more therapeutic. We have extensively invested in technology to keep patients safer, enhanced training, and are continuously working with our staff, patients, their families and carers to use learning and best practice to enhance our quality of care.
- While there is more to do, the Trust has made significant progress through innovation:
- Our 111 mental health crisis phone line ensures people in need can access support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
- People with lived experience have been employed in designated roles across the Trust, ensuring patient voice is heart of the organisation and all that we do.
- A number of new initiatives have been launched, helping people access the support they need when they need it most. These include a mental health urgent care department, By Your Side maternal mental health service, Rough Sleeper team, mental health crisis ambulance cars, virtual wards and neuromodulation service.
- EPUT was formed on 1 April 2017 and provides community health, mental health and learning disability services across Essex, Luton and Bedfordshire and Suffolk. We employ more than 7,200 staff working across more than 200 sites.
- To read more about our priorities and commitments to deliver the highest quality and safest care possible, visit https://eput.nhs.uk/about-us/2023-2028-strategic-plan/