Staff at Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW) celebrate service user’s success.
A service user from Tweed Unit at Northgate Hospital is the first person on the Trust’s vocational pathways programme to secure paid employment.
The programme allows service users to take on job roles to prepare them for life in the community. Participants have been supported into a variety of voluntary roles on the programme, from porters and canteen assistants with NTW Solutions, to working in a local fire station.
The experience is added to service users’ CVs, giving them the best possible chance when moving on from hospital.
Andrew began working on a voluntary basis in Northgate Hospital’s café. With help from Catering Supervisor Deborah Blackburn, he started with small tasks like filling the vending machines before moving on to helping in the kitchen and serving customers.
Using the confidence and experience gained in the café, Andrew was able to use those skills in the community, securing a voluntary role at a charity café.
After working there for a year, he now has a paid role stewarding at events in Newcastle.
He got this job with the help of CNTW’s Individual Placement Support (IPS) Employment Service. The service supports people to find, or stay in, paid work, working with the individual to find a job that is suited to them.
Employment specialist James White said: “We had weekly appointments and worked out what sort of job Andrew would like based on his preferences. Now that he’s found a job, the support will continue for as long as he needs.”
Staff say the success of the vocational pathways programme is down to the involvement of professionals from many different teams.
Tom Hardman, a specialist occupational therapist at CNTW, said: “I’ve found one of the biggest issues for people coming out of hospital is not having any goals. By building their skills, patients are given purpose and direction and going into paid work helps them become productive members of society.
“The people I work with often think they’ll never get a job. We’re hoping to change that narrative and break down the barriers for people going back into the community.”
Specialist nurse Abbey Wardman added: “This is a dream job for Andrew. He said when he was working in the canteen he didn’t feel like a patient.
“He’s such a happy, infectious person, so it’s great he’s able to put those qualities into a job in the community. It gives others in hospital a sense of hope for the future as well.”
Everyone on the ward who has expressed an interest in work has been given a job. The aim of the programme is for all service users to secure a paid role.
James added: “Some people don’t have the hope that getting a job is an option. But regardless of who you are, your background or your circumstances, it is possible. This is a chance to change people’s lives forever.”