How your donations and fundraising have helped so many people

Artwork in Torbay; Salus, Beech and Haytor Wards

The Charity provided funding for the commissioning of new artworks for the inpatient wards Salus, Beech and Haytor at Torbay Hospital. With the help of acclaimed artists sourced by Hospital Rooms; an arts and mental health charity - clinical, austere hospital rooms are transformed into spaces that are calming, welcoming and inspire recovery.

“Art on inpatient wards provides space for conversation, debate, reflection, hope and inspiration – for staff as well as for patients.”

- Dr Jo Black, Consultant Psychiatrist

Salus Ward is a new mental health ward for Torbay due to open for admissions in summer 2022.

Beech Unit provides assessment and treatment for older people with mental health needs.

Haytor Ward provides assessment and treatment for adults with mental health needs.

Support of a doula for mum-to-be

We provided funding for one of our mums-to-be to have the support of a doula. Doulas provide physical and emotional support during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. The Senior Mental Health Practitioner looking after the mum said: “The mum in this case had very little family or social support and the doula was absolutely vital in helping her through what was a terribly traumatic experience. Tragically, the baby died at only 38 weeks’ gestation so the doula provided support through the stillbirth, helping make the funeral arrangements, and attending the post mortem.”

'This mum can'

'This mum can’ was a small 12-week pilot programme in the summer of 2021 which had the aim of creating a support network and embedding a healthy active lifestyle among women diagnosed with a perinatal* mental illness. Women with a raised BMI (Body Mass Index) can face complications in pregnancy and problematic births. All the participants who completed the programme, which gave them access to a dietician and a personal trainer, reported improved mental and physical health. The programme was funded jointly by Active Devon and our charity’s Little Something Fund.

E-bikes for community visits

We provided funding for the Exeter Home Treatment Team to pilot an e-bike scheme to facilitate community visits. Home Treatment Teams support people who are experiencing severe mental health issues and require crisis support which is provided in their own homes. Many of the team are keen cyclists already, and the electric assistance provided by the e-bikes persuaded other colleagues who did not cycle so frequently to adopt this mode of travel which is both ‘greener’ and better for staff health and wellbeing, and there are fewer issues with parking!

Andrew Greer Clinical Team Manager said, “Since having the e-bikes I have managed to use them a number of times, they are a great way to get about the city and on occasions travel time is greatly reduced and having the added bonus of power hills are no longer an issue. The bikes are great fun but serve a purpose of reducing our carbon footprint and improving health and wellbeing for staff.”

Staff Health and Wellbeing Lead

We funded a new staff role to improve the health wellbeing of staff. The Covid-19 pandemic has taken a huge toll on the health and wellbeing of many NHS staff and it is well-known that poor staff health and wellbeing also affects the experience of people using our services.

New Head of Staff Health and Wellbeing, Steve, said: “I’m very excited to be starting this new role at DPT. Over the last 15 years I have seen first-hand in public and private sector organisations how important, even life changing for many, a safe, understanding and supportive workplace can be. Most people spend the majority of their waking hours at work and evidence shows ‘good’ quality work is beneficial for health, wellbeing and performance.”

Llamas visit Franklyn Hospital

We funded Llamas to visit Franklyn Hospital. Zoe Fischer, Occupational Therapy Assistant on Belvedere Ward said: “The atmosphere on the ward that day felt different, there was a sense of excitement and anticipation in the air from staff as well as patients. The reaction from patients on Belvedere was unlike any I have seen before - nearly every patient wanted to see the llamas - and several patients from Rougemont came across to visit too. Some people were mesmerised by their fur, soft and pillow like, so much so that a few patients laid their heads against the llamas sides. We hope to continue using charitable funds to provide a range of tools and experiences to patients that they would otherwise not have access to, based on the interests and needs of our patient group, in order to provide patient-centred care.”

For a full report of the DPT Charity activities click here to view the Annual Reports.

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