Published on: 8th September 2020
Our staff in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale (HMR) have been absolute heroes during the pandemic and we’re so proud.
We want to say a Great Big Thank You to all of our teams in the borough, including our adult and older people's mental health, child and adolescent mental health, learning disability, rehab and high support and corporate services. And not forgetting those who provide vital support, including our maintenance and domestic staff and our porters.
They are all superstars!
Here are some gems from over the last few months.
A group for happier babies
Our Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale early attachment service has created a place for new and expectant parents to stay connected and get the latest advice.
Their new Facebook group is regularly updated with information on good mental health and parent-infant relationships, with post topics to cover mums, dads, pregnancy, development, sleep, events and local services.
Daniel thrives on kindness
Daniel Hadfield, 10, shared a heartfelt message about "amazing Julie", from #Thrive bereavement support group, who has been there for him since his mum died.
The #Thrive team were so kind to Daniel, his dad and sister during counselling sessions. In the following short video message he has shared what their support means to him.
A poetic thank you
For our Great Big Thank You week, one of our patients at Prospect Place social inclusion ward, Birch Hill Hospital, has written a thank you poem to all our staff.
Phil Thomas was inspired to compose his piece after their phenomenal efforts over the last six months.
Click here to play Phil’s 60 second video, which also features some of our other wonderful patients.
Phil has also shared this poem about his mental health journey and the help and kindness he’s received:
Kindness is magical
My mind is so magical, because I am radical
My true thoughts were so hard to find
But all through my life, I remained so kind
All people around me, screwed me into the ground
But when they thought they’d won, my mind became sound
I became resilient, because I am so brilliant
I suffered much more pain the world had to give
They tried to make my life so bad
I didn’t want to live
But I soldiered on until all my pain had gone
I came to social inclusion were they were very kind folk
Who are always there for a laugh and a joke
They help me be content and I love them and their kindness 100%.
Always here to help
It’s been inspiring to see superstar staff continuing to go above and beyond to help patients and their families, regardless of their role.
Jessica Clement, administration officer at Healthy Young Minds Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale, has made her team incredibly proud; particularly with how she helped a distressed parent, whose child was showing signs of an eating disorder.
Thanks to Jessica’s quick action, the child had a referral and an appointment sorted within 24 hours.
Jessica explained: “The mum was really upset when I spoke to her, so I wanted to do anything I could to help.
“I also used this experience to help put together a service leaflet, providing key advice for parents and service users about Healthy Young Minds and how to access support.”
What's happening in our other boroughs?
Each day this week we're shining a spotlight on teams and staff that are based in each of our five boroughs.
Have a look in the latest news section of our website home page to find out more about their great work.