"the staff tell me I am a role model"

Thank you for affording your time to share with us your journey to Recovery and your positive experience of being a patient at the National High Secure Mental Health Services for Women.

I trust that you will continue to be a role model by continuing to share your stories to journey to recovery. If you have not done so already, please put your words of what recovery means to you on a slab that will be planted with others in the section in the garden dedicated to recovery. These quotes on the slabs are very uplifting and encourage others to be remain hopeful about their future and their ability to build the confidence and skills to manage their mental health problems.

We have a robust recruitment strategy for ensuring that we maintain a high quality standard of nursing care. I am sure that you have seen new staff on your ward. Sometimes to enable all wards across the hospital to have a rich skill mix of established and new staff we have to move nurses to places of unexpected high clinical activity. These include an increase in observation levels or an unplanned emergency medical treatment for a patient in an acute general hospital. Shift planning and handover book audits are undertaken on a regular basis to ensure that staff re deployed to meet the varying demands on nursing care throughout the day.

In spite of the national shortage of health professionals including doctors and nurses, I am delighted that you feel you have positive experience of our health service. You and other patients have frequently reported that you receive a safe, high quality health service from caring, compassionate professionals who effectively respond to your needs and concerns.

You may be aware that the provision of activities is being closely monitored to ensure that each patient receives at least 25 hours per week of meaningful activities including fitness. The ward based and day care services staff have worked hard to ensure that you and every patient continues to receive a minimum of 25 weeks activities even when some of you are acutely unwell. Please continue to actively participate in activities offered and encourage your colleagues to do the same so that there is a light, hope and a positive future whereby each one of you proactively and positively manages your mental health problems

Yes the 10th anniversary celebrations were a great success! This was due to patients, staff and Involvement Centre volunteers all working together. Thanks so much for helping with the setting up and preparing those delicious snacks and the standards that had information on the range of therapies and activities offered by the Service.

I am looking forward to see you, the other patients, management, executive members and the health professionals at the Christmas celebrations!

Thank you.