bite Health newsletter for teenagers and young people in Worcestershire

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1 Health newsletter for teenagers and young people in Worcestershire A publication by Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust The county s main provider of community and mental health NHS services

2 SELF HARM ON THE RISE WHAT IS THE RISE DOWN TO? The number of children who self-harm has increased by more than 70% across the country in the past two years, according to new figures. In Worcestershire the increase is around 41%, with the majority of instances involving girls. The rise in instances of self-harm nationally and more locally among this age group can be attributed to lots of issues, including family pressures brought on by financial issues and the rise in use of social media and associated links to online bullying. WHAT ARE WE DOING ABOUT IT? Picking up on signs early and working with young people and their families is a key part of our approach and we work with other teams, such as school health nurses, as part of this. In addition we are creating a Facebook page to better inform young people of local and national services available for them, and our staff have launched training workshops in local schools to advise teachers and other staff on the potential influences social media and cyber bullying can have on children. We provide a range of stuff including some of the services in this newsletter. We also provide Mental Health support for children and adolescents, children s physio, School Health Nurses, Sexual Health, and our SPACE service that supports people with drug and substance misuse issues. We ve tried to do something different from the usual corporate stuff so hopefully you find it useful. 2 If you or someone you know is feeling really down please visit your GP If the care I m getting isn t good enough, I need you to stand up for me tell someone! IF IT S NOT RIGHT SPEAK UP As a Trust we encourage any staff member who has a patient safety concern to raise this within the organisation at the earliest opportunity. The Trust has also recently put its name to the Nursing Times Speak out Safely initiative which aims to encourage NHS organisations and independent healthcare providers to develop cultures that are honest and transparent, to actively encourage staff to raise the alarm when they see poor practice, and to protect them when they do so. 3 IF IT S NOT RIGHT, SPEAK UP! We think it s really important that staff shout up and tell someone if they think care or services are not up to scratch. Sometimes staff can feel uncomfortable about doing this for risk of getting into trouble. We ve launched a new If it s not right, speak up campaign, which informs staff that they will be protected if they raise a concern.

3 EATING DISORDERS Have you noticed a relative or a friend who is often talking about their weight and shape, saying things like; I need to lose weight or If only I were slimmer, I would be happy? The best thing to do is to talk to them, be supportive and advise them to see their GP who can then refer them to our Eating Disorder service, which offers help for people from age 16 years. How is the service accessed? An eating disorder is about an unhealthy preoccupation with food, body shape and weight it s not just people who are underweight. Because there are different types of eating disorders, the team provides care that is tailored to suit the needs of every person. For example, they can offer individual counselling, a course of cognitive behavioural therapy, food and nutrition guidance or group work. For more info about this service please visit Referrals from GPs and other health professionals with consent to share information with GP. 4 Information for Carers Tel: Eating Disorder s Service Want more information? MIU WAITING TIMES REMAIN AT A LOW LEVELS If you sprain an ankle or a wrist playing sport, or suffer a minor burn, our Minor Injury Units can usually sort you out within a fraction of the time you could expect to wait in A&E. Patients with a wide range of minor injuries including cuts, grazes, wounds, sprains, strains, minor burns and broken bones can generally be seen and treated in an MIU. The average waiting time there is generally less than 20 minutes, so even if you live somewhere without a MIU, you can travel to your nearest facility to be seen, treated and get home much quicker. Obviously if you break something or a feeling seriously unwell then A&E is the right place. MIU: Bromsgrove Malvern Evesham Tenbury Opening times MIU: Bromsgrove Malvern Evesham Tenbury 5 Average waiting time to be seen 21 mins 18 mins 17 mins 14 mins * This is based on July 2014 data which is our latest full months worth of information. Open 8am to 8pm (last appointment 7.30pm) Monday to Friday, 12pm to 8pm Saturday and Sunday. Xray is only available Monday-Friday 9am - 5pm. Princess of Wales Community Hospital, Stourbridge Road, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, B61 0BB, Tel: Open 9am to 9pm, 7 days-a-week, X-Ray open 9am to 5pm Monday-Friday. Malvern Community Hospital,185 Worcester Road, Malvern, Worcestershire, WR14 1EX, Tel: Open 8am to 11pm, X- Ray open 9am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 4.30pm daily. Evesham Community Hospital, Waterside, Evesham, Worcestershire, WR11 1JT, Tel: Open 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week. Tenbury Community Hospital Worcester Road, Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire, WR15 8AP, Tel: TIMES AND MIU DEPARTMENTS

4 bite APPRENTICESHIPS Apprenticeships open doors for you into the NHS, where you earn while you learn and the benefits are felt throughout the teams you work with. Many have now gone on to secure permanent jobs in the Health and Care Trust, other NHS or public sector bodies or start their professional nursing training.for more information, please contact Penny West, Workforce Transformation Manager on hacw.nhs.uk or Zoe recently spent some time at Evesham Community Hospital: The apprenticeship training has helped boost my confidence and make me realise my goals. This is a stepping stone. I ve got a university place at Worcester to do a diploma in nursing and I believe being an apprentice helped me an awful lot in getting my place because I was able to tell them about my experiences in the interview. HAV E YO IN R U C ECE HEC NTL KED Y? Uni Lad s pad The girl from class and 7 other friends have checked in over Fresher s week. Here Now Recent Activity The girl from halls About 5 hours ago The girl from next door Monday 01:15 AM The girl from the bar If you are interested in doing some work experience then contact communications@hacw.nhs.uk and we will see what we can do. Sunday 04:30 AM The guy from socials Saturday 11:30 PM Like Comment Away from home and enjoying yourself at Freshers? Sexual Transmitted Infections can have serious consequences. If you are putting it about and have any concerns about your sexual health or need advice, call or visit 6 7

5 Got any ideas for future content? Got any suggestions for campaigns we can work with you on? Want to know more about a health topic? Want to support us with the next edition of Soundbite? Then us at laura.vallet@hacw.nhs.uk Keep up to date with the latest news and development by visiting our website Follow us on or follow Sarah Dugan our Chief