Posted by Devon Partnership Trust in Mental health, Recovery and wellbeing on 21st April, 2023
Rosalyn Davis-O’Leary and Katrina Barlow, from the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) team at Devon Partnership NHS Trust (DPT), told us about the support they received from Devon Wellbeing Hub’s Lead Clinical Psychologist Jo Cheffey, and why they believe making time for your wellbeing is so important.
Why did you contact the Devon Wellbeing Hub? What made you reach out for help?
Our team had become a little stuck as we knew what we wanted to do but were struggling to find time to put things into practice. We also wanted time to reflect, as there’s been several changes throughout the years.
We wanted to look at where we are as a team, as well as our aspirations and how we might be able to facilitate them in the current climate with the size of the team and all the other contributing factors.
What did your session involve?
We had three workshops in total, which took place at Westbank in Exminster. We’ve all been working remotely since the pandemic and don’t have a dedicated base anymore. We were keen to pick a venue where it almost didn’t feel like we were at work.
Our first session was an hour and a half and involved reflective practice. Jo focused the session on the question: “where have we come from?” The second session was three hours and explored what we want to do and where we want to go. The final session was a wrap up, which was around two hours, and looked at how we want to do things going forward. Our new manager of the area we work in also joined this session to hear our feedback.
We wanted to spread out the sessions to make sure we didn’t feel overwhelmed. Having the breaks in-between also enabled us to have time to think and reflect.
During the sessions, we also looked at the challenges the team faces, size of team etc. Jo helped us do this constructively and see a way through. She helped us think more positively about some of the barriers we come up against.
Did you feel that the Hub listened to you and tailored your sessions to support you?
Definitely. We met with Jo a couple of times prior to the sessions to go through objectives and all three sessions were tailored to our needs.
Did you have any outcomes from the sessions?
We’ve got short-term, mid-term and long-term goals from the sessions. We made quite a few notes on flip charts which we took away with us and typed up. We’re building a plan around some of the things we said we wanted to take forward.
Were you satisfied with the sessions?
We came away from the sessions feeling really positive, so much so that we’ve recommend the Hub to other colleagues. We’ve been blowing the whistle because not only was it a really positive experience for us as a team, but as individuals too. It’s been really valuable to us and think so many other teams would feel the same.
Even if we’d booked a room somewhere and sat down as a team with a flipchart and tried to work through things, without the objective facilitation, I don’t think we’d achieve the same results. With Jo’s training and background she was able to dig deep into things and coach us towards a new way of thinking. It was so valuable to have an outside voice.
What advice would you give to other teams who might be struggling?
The biggest thing for us was being able to step away from work and make the time to go through things. I don’t think many people find that easy, which is why the Hub is so important. It gave us a safe space to spend time reflecting and make suggestions without worrying about work.
In the grand scheme of things, the workshops only took up a small proportion of our time. It’s just a couple of hours here and there and it’s made a really big difference to team morale and creative thinking. A lot of the time, teams don’t allow themselves that and it’s really crucial that they do because you learn when you take that time to pause. The system is not going to break in that small time you’re away and you gain so much more doing it than just carrying on as you are.
Jo said: “The ESR team were great group to work with as they were keen to talk and be open about the challenges they were facing. Spending time with Roz and Katrina beforehand enabled the sessions to be co-created and specifically tailored to their needs and identity. It helped me understand how they work as team and their fit within the wider organisation. I think this also helped the team get the most out of the time they spent together. Meeting somewhere outside their usual work space helped them think more creatively and consider the team they want to be going forward.
“Using a three session approach with teams can be useful to enable us to get to know your team and your needs better and work alongside you for a dedicated period of time. My approach is to meet and plan the sessions with the referrer, and preferably a couple of team members, so that your needs can be identified and the approach we use is then tailored around what the team want to work on. If you would like to find out more please get in touch.”
Get in touch:
If you work in healthcare, social care or the police in Devon and lead a team who would benefit from support, call 0300 303 5455 or email dpt.devonwellbeing@nhs.net, mentioning ‘team support’. If you are looking for 1:1 support, you can fill out the simple referral form on the Devon Wellbeing Hub website.
If you’ve been supported by the Devon Wellbeing Hub and would like to share your experience, please get in touch with Lauren Batten, Staff Wellbeing Communications and Engagement Coordinator, at lauren.batten1@nhs.net