Trust wide news
Chief Executive Prof Joe Rafferty CBE has written his latest blog about Mersey Care's Trust Strategic Framework, how it has evolved and recently refreshed in line with the changing population needs, the continued increased demand for services, post pandemic learning and the changing landscape.You can read the full blog on our website.
M-RIC welcomes Mental Health Research Mission
Following May’s announcement of £10.5 million funding from the Office for Life Sciences and the National Institute for Health and Care Research as part of the UK Mental Health Mission to Mersey Care and the University of Liverpool to establish M-RIC, the exciting plans are starting to take shape.
Last month M-RIC welcomed national UK Mental Health Mission co-chairs Professor Kathryn Abel and Professor Husseini Manji to an event at the city’s Spine Building to showcase their work which involves trialling new treatments and delivering more innovative services.
They also held the first official M-RIC patient and public involvement and engagement event at the University of Liverpool Management School, where they received valuable feedback on our research plans from service users, carers, families and other members of the public.
More patient and public events will be announced later in the summer and more information about M-RIC can be found on their webpage.
Welcome to Mersey Cares, our new charity
Mersey Care has launched its new charity, Mersey Cares, which has been set up to support our specialist mental health and community services. The charity plays a vital and growing role in working alongside the Trust to serve the health needs of our communities.
It will prioritise where funds are needed most to introduce and deliver innovative community projects and enhanced support to help people keep well and living well at home for longer.
You can keep in the loop of Mersey Cares' activities by subscribing to their news or otherwise find out more on our website.
Gold in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme
The Trust has been awarded Gold in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS), representing the highest badge of honour, awarded to those that employ and support people who serve in the armed forces, veterans and their families.
To win a Gold award from the Ministry of Defence, organisations must provide 10 extra paid days leave for reservists, and have supportive HR policies in place for reservists, veterans, Cadet Force adult volunteers and the spouses and partners of those serving in the armed forces. More information can be found on our website.
Mersey Care nurses win double CNO awards
Two of Mersey Care’s most experienced nurses have been recognised for their contribution to the NHS over their careers by being presented with Chief Nursing Officer Awards.
Trish Bennett, Mersey Care’s Executive Director of Nursing and Operations and Deputy Chief Executive of Clinical Services, was presented with the ‘Gold Award’ by Raj Jain, Chairman of NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, Christine Douglas MBE, Director of Nursing and Care at NHS Cheshire and Merseyside and Hilary Garrett, Deputy Chief Nursing Officer for England.
Clinical Team Leader at Mersey Care, Solomon Gwatidzo, was also presented with a ‘Silver Award’. More information about both awards can be found on our website.
Pictured above (L-R): Trish with Hilary Garrett and Solomon (centre) with Hilary and Raj Jain.
Nominate your Mersey Care ‘stars’ for our annual awards
Our annual ‘Star Awards’ celebrate the amazing work of our staff and recognise hard work, commitment to perfect care and personal or collective achievements.
You can nominate anyone who either works or is a volunteer at the Trust, so if you’ve come across one of our colleagues who you believe has gone above and beyond, why not put them forward? More information can be found on the Star Awards webpage with nominations closing on Friday, 8 September.
AGM date announced
The date for this year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) has been set for Thursday, 21 September 2023. It will be held at Aintree Racecourse in the Golden Miller Suite between 1.30pm and 3pm.
More information about the event, which provides attendees with an opportunity to find out more about the Trust and also review some of our highlights and performance from over the last 12 months, can be found on the Trust’s website.
If you would like to join this year’s AGM, please register your attendance by emailing: AGM2023@merseycare.nhs.uk
Recruitment success and events
Are you looking for a new challenge but didn’t think your skills would fit in the NHS? Think again because we have a wide variety of different roles available, all needing different expertise.
For more information see the advert below or why not have a look at our current vacancies?
Mersey Care has also won the prestigious NHS Pastoral Care Quality Award for its work on international recruitment and a commitment to providing high quality pastoral care during the onboarding process.
NHS England confirmed Mersey Care as a recipient of the award for our work with internationally educated nurses (and midwives) during the recruitment, onboarding process and into their employment. More information can be found on our website.
Physical Health News
Mersey Care upgrade to Urgent Treatment Centres
Three walk in centres across Cheshire and Merseyside are being upgraded to urgent treatment centres (UTCs) to include improved facilities from this autumn as part of a national redesign to ensure consistency of service for local communities.
It will increase the number of UTCs across the region to four with Litherland having been upgraded in 2019. The UTCs, which are run by Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, will be based at:
- Kirkby (St Chads) Urgent Treatment Centre
- Old Swan Urgent Treatment Centre
- South Liverpool (Garston) Urgent Treatment Centre
- Litherland Urgent Treatment Centre.
In addition to treating minor minor injuries and illnesses that are not an emergency, the new UTCs are aiming to include diagnostics, urine tests and x-rays, and prescribe medication and issue prescriptions for some conditions. More information can be found on the website.
Simply Book a blood test online
Patients who need a blood test across Knowsley, Liverpool, South Sefton, and Southport and Formby, can now book appointments online.
The online booking system has been used across Liverpool and South Sefton since August 2021 and has now been extended to Knowsley, Southport and Formby.
More information about the new online booking service can be found on our website.
Sefton Mums helped by new list of breastfeeding venues
Mersey Care is calling on local businesses and public buildings in Sefton to help support mums by joining a register of venues that are ‘breastfeeding friendly’.
The initiative is a partnership between Mersey Care and the Feelgood Factory in Netherton. Businesses are invited to find out more and sign up to our database by contacting 0151 291 8010 or referring to our website.
Joint initiative aims to reduce sudden, unexpected death of infants
Liverpool’s health visitors have joined forces with Merseyside Police in a pioneering initiative to reduce the number of sudden, unexpected death of infants (SUDI) across the city.
As part of this initiative, Merseyside Police officers will be updated in best practice for identifying unsafe sleep practices and reiterating safer sleep advice, provided by the health visitor team.
The three month pilot programme which began in Liverpool on 3 July 2023, came about after Constable Craig Walsh from Merseyside Police, approached the health visiting team run by Mersey Care, who work with children and families in Liverpool and Sefton during the antenatal period up to five years. More information can be found on our website.
Hep C elimination – congratulations to our addictions team
Our addictions services at Brook Place have received national recognition for being one of the first addiction services in the country to achieve Hepatitis C elimination within their current, eligible caseload by way of proactive identification, health education, rigorous testing and treatment provision.
Hepatitis C is a virus that can infect the liver. If left untreated, it can sometimes cause serious and potentially life threatening damage. Many people have the infection without realising it and the only way to know for certain is to get tested. In the UK, most Hepatitis C infections happen in people who inject drugs or have injected them in the past.
This highly specialist team has so much more to offer than being a substitute prescriber – which is what many people think they do. They provide a recovery focused service to people living in Liverpool who have problems using opiates. They provide clinics for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Spirometry testing, Hep C testing, sexual health and wound care. More information, including how to access the team, can be found on our website.
Mental Health News
Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression
Talking Therapies is a free NHS service for adults registered with a GP in Knowsley, Liverpool, St Helens (aged 16 plus) or Halton (aged 18 plus) who want to learn how to overcome common mental health problems such as depression or anxiety (including worry, panic, social anxiety, OCD and trauma).
We encourage self referral, either via our website or by calling your local service, Monday to Friday 8.00am to 6.00pm.
Halton: 0151 292 6954
Knowsley: 0151 351 8600 (option one)
Liverpool: 0151 228 2300
St Helens: 01744 415 650
MC Magazine
Our latest MC Magazine is out now. Read about:
- Fibromyalgia
- Get into nature
- The best medicine
- Making friends when we’re older
- The Smiling Volunteer
- Healing the wounds of trauma.
Why not give the whole magazine a read via our website?
Join our stakeholder news mailing list
Do you know anyone who wants to learn more about Mersey Care by joining our stakeholder mailing list? Please ask them to fill in the form on our website and they’ll be the first to hear all our news.