The Blog, Prof Joe Rafferty CBE

In his latest blog, Chief Executive Prof Joe Rafferty CBE has written about the importance of health technology to the future of the NHS and has highlighted the success of Mersey Care’s Telehealth service in finding different ways to provide healthcare during a pandemic. You can read it in full in our CEO's blog section.

Trust news

Recruitment event – 28 April 2022

We are recruiting qualified (band 5) mental health and learning disability nurses as well as students due to qualify up to September 2023.

We are holding a recruitment event in Liverpool city centre on 28 April 2022 where all applicants will be given a comprehensive overview of the Trust. Those attending will be able to discuss the many and varied opportunities provided by a Trust serving more than 11 million people, and will be interviewed on the day.

More information about the day and how to register can be found on our news page.

The Life Rooms launch their new website

The Life Rooms - New website preview on a laptop and mobile phone

The Life Rooms has launched a new website. There are lots of useful features to the new site including an interactive map, timeline and learning timetables. Please visit their website and have a look around.

Ambition Sefton has transferred to CGL

The Ambition Sefton service has now transferred to Change Grow Live (CGL). We look forward to continuing to work closely with them supporting service users in Sefton, who have transferred to CGL. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank and wish them well.

The Trust has worked closely to ensure a smooth transition of the service for our service users and staff, who are committed to providing a high quality service within the new organisation.

Mental Health

Zero Suicide Alliance – take the FREE training

The ZSA’s FREE online training courses teach you the skills and confidence to have a potentially life-saving conversation with someone you’re worried about.

Recently, the ZSA have launched two new training modules, focussed on veterans and university students.

Please visit the ZSA website.to find out more information about the training modules.

Need help in a mental health crisis?

Urgent Mental Health Helplines - Crisis lines.

For anyone struggling with stress, anxiety or feeling they can’t cope with day to day life, including thoughts of suicide, contact us on one of the freephone numbers below or visit our urgent help page.

  • Liverpool or Sefton (aged 16 and over) call 0800 145 6570
  • Halton, Knowsley, St Helens and Warrington (all ages) call 0800 051 1508

Text messaging support service

If you are feeling overwhelmed, anxious or stressed you can contact text messaging support which is a free, confidential, 24/7 text message support service.

HEAL and REACH text messaging mental health support.png

For people who live in Liverpool or Sefton, Text HEAL to 85258 for immediate support, available 24/7.

For people who live in Halton, Knowsley, St Helens and Warrington text REACH to 85258 for immediate support, available 24/7.

You can visit the Give Us A Shout website for more information about the text service.

Physical health

A review of our winter plan

Data up to the end of March 2022 highlighted the positive and significant impact of Mersey Care’s Winter Plan. Across the different schemes implemented, the number of potential bed days saved was over 46,000, 22 percent more than originally planned.

Winter-stats-2021.png

More information about the success of winter plan can be found on our website.

Changes to paediatric phlebotomy across Liverpool, South Sefton and Knowsley

From 1 April 2022, all children aged 12 years and over will now have routine blood tests taken in the community by Mersey Care, instead of Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. The following venues and extended operational hours will be available from 11 April 2022:

  • South Liverpool Treatment Centre, 8.30am to 4pm, every Tuesday
  • Old Swan Walk In Centre (clinic one), 8.30am to 4pm, every Wednesday
  • Old Swan Walk In Centre (clinic two), 1pm to 4pm, every Wednesday
  • Litherland Town Hall, 8.30am to 4pm, every Thursday

This will apply to children between the ages of 12 to 16 years old. The only exceptions will be those with complex needs, urgent blood tests, and any children with long term conditions who are already under the care of Alder Hey.

Further details are available on our phlebotomy web page.

For any other queries relating to paediatric phlebotomy tests, please contact either:

Alder Hey on 0151 228 4811 ext 3705 or Anne Lamkin from Mersey Care by emailing: anne.lamkin@merseycare.nhs.uk

Two hour Urgent Community Response from 1 April 2022

Mersey Care now has teams of advanced clinicians working in the community who can respond within two hours if someone’s health or wellbeing suddenly deteriorates at home, which will avoid the need for an ambulance and prevent hospital admissions.

More information about this service can be found on our service page.