"Group Feedback from Forest Close"

Group Feedback from Forest Close, Intensive Rehabilitation Service.

We were invited to help facilitate a service user event at Forest Close.  It was great to listen to what the service users thought about the place in which they were living.

Here are the comments that we all agreed could go onto the Care Opinion Website.

Ailis Manzoni and Agnes Wozna, Engagement & Experience Facilitators, SHSC NHS FT

STAFF

Staff need to be here for the right reasons, wrong staff attitude can prolong your stay.

Staff are good here at Forest Close, the Occupational Therapists, Recovery College, activity programme, confidence group and lots of other groups.

If you are far away from home your family visiting helps and it feels protective. 

ACTIVITIES AT FOREST CLOSE

Forest Close gives you lots of activities to do on-site. There are also lots of trips out – like to Ponds Forge using public transport, we are taken to eat out alternative Thursdays. The social evenings received praise.

There is the Psychology group, café conversation group that discusses current affairs, one service user commented that they had only recently started attending the conversation group and they wish they had attended 6 weeks ago. The Moving-On group was also talked about favourably.

One service user would like to do a workshop with their DJ decks as this was something they really enjoyed.

One service user commented that they had their own set routine, they enjoyed going to the gym by themselves and sometimes they felt under pressure to join in with the groups, they knew what their capabilities were and they didn’t want to stress themselves out by doing too much.

NEGATIVES

The time waiting for Ministry of Justice to respond was something that nearly all the service users found stressful. There is a lot of uncertainty around when you might get a response and this led to frustrations about leave being granted for example. They all thought it would be better if there were set deadlines when you could expect a response, as the unknown feels very stressful.  One service user told us that they had been waiting 5 months for applying for leave and usually this takes 2/3 months.

ACTIVITIES THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE OF

We chatted about how people felt about trying to return to work and most would like to work towards being in employment again.  They said they would like more support and help in returning to employment. Help in writing CVs, applications, enhancing people’s employability. One person in particular stressed the importance of maintaining a job as they thought they had the skills to obtain employment but then wanted help in coping skills and strategies once in a job and how to sustain employment.

One service wasn’t aware that the Koran was available at all times in the multi-faith room so a suggestion was that this information (and other information like this of constantly available opportunities) could be added to the activity plan, rather than just the timetabled events. 

WORKING TOWARDS DISCHARGE

We chatted about how it would be helpful to access the off-site activities and places from where they would be discharged to (say their home) as they only know how to get there from Forest Close.

ONE GOOD THING ABOUT FOREST CLOSE

Staff and Occupational Therapy facilities.

ONE THING THAT COULD BE BETTER

Discharge planning

Feeling anxious about going out.

MOVING ON

Can’t wait to go home and no worries about this.