Another step towards recovery for mental health service users

Michael Livingstone, (standing, left) and Gemma Kirk, (standing, right), deliver a presentation and to graduates at their celebration event

Eighteen mental health service users have been celebrating their graduation from the second term of a college aimed at helping their recovery.

The college is based at two of Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust’s Rehabilitation and High Support Directorate (RHSD) low secure units, Prospect Place in Rochdale and Tatton Unit in Ashton-under-Lyne.

The courses are free, recovery-focused and educational and are aimed at supporting service users with their recovery journey during and after hospital. This is part of the Trust’s Health and Wellbeing College.

The graduates chose to complete some of the following courses:

• Believe and achieve: Supporting people to believe in themselves, by celebrating every day and long term achievements 
• Drug and alcohol awareness: Developing a practical understanding of the effects of drug and alcohol use on mental health and wellbeing
• Healthy relationships: Learning about healthy and unhealthy relationships and how to develop positive ones
• Living well with psychosis: Making sense of the some of the experiences caused by psychosis and thinking about the idea of recovery 

These courses are all designed by someone with professional skills and someone with lived experience, including two service users from the units.

The graduates were presented with certificates of achievement by Michael Livingstone, Non-Executive Director for Pennine Care, at a celebration event in Oldham.

Gemma Kirk is Pennine Care’s RHSD Transformation Lead. She said: “The college really complements our existing rehabilitation programme and helps to empower patients to take control of their own health and wellbeing, both while they are on the unit and in the future.

“It’s great to hear feedback from both patients and staff that they are putting their learning into practice every day. One student said that it has shown him there is light at the end of the tunnel.

“Everyone who graduated should be really proud of themselves and the hard work they put in.”

Planning has started for the autumn term, with a new range of courses on offer – including two courses for family and friends who have loved ones on one of Pennine Care’s RHSD units.