December 2022

From the Chief Executive

As Christmas and the New Year approaches, it provides a good opportunity for the Trust to reflect on the past 12 months and the last two months have certainly been jam-packed.

At the end of September, the Trust held its annual Quality Awards, which saw over 200 members of staff attend Syon House in Brentford to celebrate the best of West London and recognise the achievements of its diverse workforce.

It was that same diverse workforce that came under the spotlight for Black History Month, with the Trust reflecting on the work being carried out to improve staff equality and tackle racism as highlighted in the latest WRES data.

There have also been some Trust award winners, the Trust's Maternity Trauma and Loss Care (M-TLC) team won a Positive Practice in Mental Health Award, and a number of Trust training videos by practice development nurse Melville Jimmy Garber and his team have been commended at several prestigious events. Many more highlights from the last two months are below.

The Trust is now starting to look ahead to the future and has launched the Trust strategy for 2022 to 2027, while work to capture views on adult inpatient mental health services in Ealing continues.

The last two months have shown the resilience of West London NHS Trust staff and their dedication to not only their roles, but the Trust, and the wider NHS. It hasn't gone unnoticed by me and I hope you enjoy reading more about their achievements below.

Carolyn Regan

Chief Executive

Quality Awards shine a spotlight on hard-working staff

More than 200 staff from the Trust descended on Syon House for our annual Quality Awards. The wet weather did little to dampen the spirits of staff who stepped out in their glad rags.

The aim of the awards is to recognise and celebrate the outstanding work across the Trust. You can see a list of winners here.

Trust marks Black History Month

In October, the Trust marked Black History Month. The theme for this year's event was 'time for change: action not words'.

The Trust published a blog post from Adebayo Tijani, Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, who reflected on work the Trust is doing to improve equality and tackle racism.

A blog post from Venus Madden, Race Equality Network Chair, was also published, which shone a spotlight on the staff network and its work to celebrate diversity of staff and support those from BAME backgrounds.

Congratulations to Trust's Maternity Trauma and Loss Care team

Also in October, we celebrated our Maternity Trauma and Loss Care (M-TLC) team who were crowned winners in the Perinatal and Maternal Mental Health category at the Positive Practice in Mental Health Awards.



The service, which recently turned one, combines maternity and psychological therapy for women experiencing mental health difficulties relating to their maternity experience.

Trust celebrates World Mental Health Day

The Trust went above and beyond to celebrate World Mental Health Day this year (Monday 10 October).

There were plenty of initiatives to mark the day, including a presence at a QPR game, welcoming the amazing ‘Three Dads Walking’, and shining a spotlight on a ground-breaking research project to prevent self harm among children and young adults.

Help guide Trust strategy for the next five years

The Trust is seeking views on the next Trust strategy for 2022 to 2027 looking at some of the biggest challenges facing the organisation from recruitment, to tackling health inequalities and making sure the people who receive services from us get the best possible care.

As part of that, we've been inviting residents, staff and service users to have their say. You can read more about that, including how to get involved, here. Deadline Wednesday 7 December.

We want to hear your views on adult inpatient mental health services in Ealing

The Trust is also seeking views on adult inpatient mental health services in Ealing. As a result of the pandemic, the Hope and Horizon wards at St Bernard's Hospital have been suspended.

Feedback from staff and patients is that they find facilities challenging, so we're looking to gather as many views as possible from service users, patients, carers and local residents. You can read more about that, including how to get involved, here.

Trust attends opening of RHS Chelsea Flower Show gold award-winning garden at Viking Primary School

The Trust's Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) were invited to Viking Primary School in November to celebrate their award-winning Chelsea Flower Show garden.

Trust staff help to support children with their mental health at the school and the primary school also helped set the theme for this year's children's mental health week, so we were more than pleased to attend.

Trust pays tribute to long-serving members of staff

A few weeks ago the Trust paid tribute to some of its most dedicated members of staff. The Trust planned events for its workforce who have been at the Trust for more than 15 years, with CEO Carolyn Regan, presenting staff with awards and thanking them for their commitment and contributions over the years.

How music therapy is connecting patients living with dementia

Finally, we thought we would leave you with a heart-warming story about how music therapy is helping dementia patients. David Nicholson is a music therapist and works in the Trust's Arts Therapies Department.

He runs weekly music therapy groups at The Limes, Southall for service users who are in advanced stages of dementia. You can read David's amazing insight into his work here.