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The Trust’s Perinatal Team has received national recognition from the Royal College of Psychiatrists Perinatal Quality Network for delivering high quality care.

The team helps pregnant and postnatal women who are struggling with their mental health. The team can support a mother from conception up until their child’s second birthday.

As well as therapy, they offer a unique nursery nurse service and assist with maternal attachment and bonding.

“We have a broad multidisciplinary team. It includes mental health professionals, peer support workers, health visitors and a midwife.

“Additionally, we have recently developed a perinatal loss and trauma service. The team deliver psychological interventions and peer support to people who may have previously not had support.”

“We worked for a year to achieve accreditation. The process began with us collecting and submitting evidence for over 200 standards. Then in May last year, an external panel of experts visited us. They interviewed people who both access and deliver our services.” Ruth Marsden, Operations Lead

Growing self-belief

Hayley Gooding is mother to 5-year-old Evelyn and 2-year-old George. She received support from the team to help her with feelings of depression.

“The team began helping me during and after my first and second pregnancies. I had already had 2 miscarriages. I was also dealing with the difficulties of an eating disorder. As well as supporting me with medication and low weight, the team helped me bond with the idea that I was having a baby.”

“Once I had my children, I struggled with self-belief. I thought I was a bad mother. The team filmed and photographed me with the children. That was so I could observe my mothering skills. I thought I was doing everything wrong, but the films convinced me that I was getting important things right.”

The team uses a technique called Video Interaction Guidance. This helps a mother observe herself as others do.

Hayley explains, “I still make films now when I have self-doubt. This is just one of the techniques the team taught me.”

She adds, “Sometimes I still struggle with my feelings. But I now know that there are services available to help.”

10 years of delivering care

The Perinatal Team recently celebrated their 10-year anniversary. Prior to this, there was little in the way of maternal and perinatal care in the county.

The Angela Harrison Trust is a charity set up in the name of a young mother who took her own life whilst experiencing severe postnatal depression. They approached the commissioners and pressed for specialist services in Cornwall.

Ruth explains, “Receiving this accreditation demonstrates how far we have come in 10 years.

“This recognition means that our services meet formally recognised standards of quality care. As a team, we are thrilled that women and babies in Cornwall can be assured of this high standard of care.”

Contact details

The team are a county-wide service. They accept self-referrals as well referrals from professionals. We encourage anyone to contact us for consultation and discussion.

For more information, call 01872 246 820.

Read Cornwall Perinatal Team recognised for high quality service…

As part of National Apprenticeship Week, the Trust was delighted to welcome the Right Honourable Robert Halfon MP to its headquarters in Bodmin on Monday.

The week recognises and celebrates the achievements of apprentices across the country. It also aims to raise awareness for those considering the next step on their career paths.

The Trust recruited its 500th apprentice starting onto an apprenticeship programme in September 2023. There have now been 560 apprentice starts since the launch of the apprenticeship programmes. It has also utilised 35 different types of apprenticeship programmes across all levels from 2 (entry level) to 7 (masters level).

The Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education met some of the apprentices from within the Trust to speak about their apprenticeship journeys.

He also spoke with students from Truro and Penwith College. They are currently in the first year of their T-Level studies and will be undertaking placement experiences with the Trust.

The Minister then chatted with the Trust’s senior management team and chief executives from the Trust and Royal Cornwall Hospital Treliske. Among the topics discussed was how the Trust has used apprenticeships as part of its workforce plans and development.

He said: “I’ve been all over the country, but I have to say this is one of the best examples (of apprenticeships) I have seen. Not just in the NHS but across the board. Right down from the chief executives to every employee here, there seems to be a deep-rooted understanding about building an apprenticeship skills nation and making sure everyone, young or old, has an opportunity.

“That means job security, prosperity at the top of that ladder, but it also means meeting skills in the NHS. It’s a win-win.

“They (the Trust) are providing opportunities to everyone. Whether they are young or an adult, to train to do amazing apprenticeships, all the way from level 3 to degree.”

He added: “They are also building links with local colleges so we can have some fantastic T-Level students. Their presentations were absolutely brilliant.

“If you do the T-Level then they get jobs, they may go on to do apprenticeships, they may go on to university. It’s incredible to see the Trust doing everything possible to make it happen.

“It’s well worth coming here because the Trust really gets it. They understand how important skills are, they understand all the different skill choices for young people and adults.”

The Trust currently has 240 live apprentices. Another cohort of registered nurse degree apprentices are due to start in March 2024.

Rebecca McSorley is the lead practice educator with the Trust. She spoke at length with the minister and was pleased with how the apprenticeships had been received.

She said: “We should be really proud of what we’ve done in Cornwall. I’m really proud of the work that we’ve achieved, the number of apprentices that have qualified and we have more everyday asking ‘how can we start an apprenticeship?’ It’s a real success story for us.”

She added: “We really want to promote apprenticeships in the NHS. The minister seemed to really enjoy himself but also listened to some of the challenges we have.

“If he can help us to widen that, but also take on board some of the issues and challenges we have, we can hopefully solve them.

“It’s very much about how we can encourage the next generation. It’s okay having our current staff but we also have to attract younger people. We have to attract a wider group of people as well. So those who are unemployed or may have been homeless in the past. We want to open our doors to everyone and say ‘there is a career in the NHS for you’, and that’s what we want to drive forward now.”

National Apprentice Week also coincides with T-Level Thursday, which celebrates the success of T-Level and T-Level Foundation Year students and providers.

Student Jasmine is currently in the first year of a T-Level Health course at Truro and Penwith College.

She was with her fellow students at Carew House on Monday as they chatted to the minister about their career aspirations.

She said: “I did A-Levels originally for a week-and-a-half and I thought this isn’t for me. I went for a careers’ interview with the college. I wanted to work with people.

“It was a really good decision because I’ve spent the last 7 months doing some really worthwhile work. I like the practicality. We are in college 4 days week and then 1 on placement. I’ve been gaining hands-on experience and watching the way that things work.

“I work with the district nursing team and to know what goes on behind the scenes reinforces why I want to be a part of it. To know that everything I am doing in the classroom means something and you do put all those things in to practice.”

The T-Level in Health is a fantastic course for young people who are ready to take on a challenging curriculum and work in a clinical setting. It currently represents just 10% of Health and Social Care learners.

The Trust is one of the first organisations to offer paid placements to Year 2 T-level students, to enable them to join our workforce whilst still studying for their qualification. They are then automatically guaranteed an interview for clinical professional apprenticeships to continue their career development.

Read Minister says Trust’s apprenticeship programme is ‘one of the best’…

A ground breaking ceremony has been held to mark the start of work on a new state-of-the-art elective surgical hub in Cornwall.

The £15 million modular build will be located in the grounds of St Austell Community Hospital. Once in place, it is set to deliver around 5,000 day surgery procedures a year.

The hub will have 2 theatres, 4 recovery bays and 6 pre-op assessment rooms. It will also have a reception and waiting areas.

Steve Williamson, Chief Executive of Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust explains how the hub will benefit patients and the NHS.

"It is really important to local people that depending on the surgical procedure they need to have, some of them will be able to receive that procedure here. If you are a resident of mid, north or east Cornwall, you may be able to receive your care here in St Austell rather than travelling to the Royal Cornwall Hospital or Derriford Hospital in Plymouth. It is fantastic, as we know that travel is one of the factors that can add to the stress and challenges of having surgery. That care close to home is really important.

"Having 2 extra operating theatres increases our overall capacity. That is really important as we look to reduce the waiting times for surgeries. That is happening right across the NHS. We are absolutely thrilled that we are starting work on a new elective operating centre here at St Austell."

Debbie Richards, Chief Executive of Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust says this development builds on the success of joint working, like the recently opened Bodmin Community Diagnostic Centre.

"This is a really important milestone of our partnership with the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, but also the work that is being enabled by NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board.

"It means that local people will be able to access some of their surgical procedures in the St Austell community. These are day case procedures, but it does mean that people will be able to come here and access care in a more convenient way.

"It is also going to provide some additional capacity that means as a system, we will be able to bring down waiting lists across the county."

The elective surgical hub will be built by ModuleCo. It will be owned by Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and operated by clinicians from Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust.

Read Ground breaking for new elective surgical hub in Cornwall…

In 2017, the Trust became one of the first trusts in the country to introduce Collaborative Learning in Practice (CLiP) into adult nursing placements. It was implemented across several of our community hospitals.

This followed a successful pilot project by our Trust and Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust. It was led by lead practice educators PJ Holmes-Crips and Hayley Plowright.

Since then, CLiP has now been implemented by health Trusts across the UK.

Helston Community Hospital was shortlisted for Community Placement of the Year at the Nursing Times awards in 2021 thanks to the feedback from students about this style of support.

Last year Kerry Siau, Practice Educator, introduced this approach in mental health.

“There is limited evidence out there to show whether CLiP has been implemented within mental health placements.

“This trailblazing coaching-led approach to teaching student nurses in mental health is producing encouraging results.

“As part of the Chief Nursing Officer’s Research Fellowship, I have focused my change project on evaluating placement experiences of mental health nursing students, following the implementation of a CLiP model.

“We have had to modify it to consider things like ward layouts, numbers of patients, single rooms rather than bays, and the number of students allocated to the wards.

“The early evaluations are really promising, and we’re excited to expand the project from Bodmin, down to Longreach House in Redruth.” Kerry Siau

So how does the CLiP model work?

Kerry adds: “In a nutshell you put more students into an inpatient area. It’s student-led learning, so they take charge of a group of patients. Between them, they decide who’s doing the tasks, who is doing the drug round, and they allocate their own breaks.

“This is as opposed to mentorship before, which was 1 student to 1 nurse. The students would follow the nurses around. They were being delegated to and told what to do.

“CLiP uses more of a coaching model. It gets students to think about what they’re doing and why. It encourages critical thinking. The hope is that it makes that transition into a registered nurse easier. That’s because they’ve developed a lot of those skills during their training.”

Since CLiP was introduced by the Trust in 2017 the feedback has been excellent.

“As part of CLiP we do a once weekly reflective meeting with all the students and 1 member of staff. A member of staff said that prior to the students starting morale had been quite low.

“But since the students have come in, she says it’s been like a breath of fresh air. It’s given her such job satisfaction. She’s really enjoying teaching them and supporting them.

“The students are having a really good time and feeling supported. If there are any little niggles or hiccups, they feel confident enough to broach it straight away. It enhances their learning because they are not sat stressing.” Kerry Siau

The Education Team have also been inundated with positive feedback from senior nurses, as well those training to be a nurse.

Here are just some of the comments Kerry and the team have received:

“It’s been good to be able to get involved and take lead on things, with supervision.”

“As an assessor, I felt CLiP supported independent student learning.”

“It has been great to learn from other students whilst in practice.”

“The support and time given to students is indescribable. Thank you.”

“Students are able to work more independently of the nursing team due to their peer learning and support.”

Read Trust student nurses benefit thanks to alternative training approach…

None of us want our loved ones to be in hospital unless they have to be. Our virtual wards are a key part of avoiding those inpatient stays. They offer people hospital care in the comfort of their own homes.

The service has grown since its launch during the pandemic. Our virtual wards can now treat up to 212 patients at any one time. Around 8 patients are referred every day. In the last year, our teams have seen almost 1,900 patients. That has saved more than 16,500 inpatient days in hospital.

Barbara Bennett from Redruth suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). She chose to be admitted to a virtual ward after developing an acute lung infection.

Barbara believes being treated at home helped ensure she could go away to spend Christmas with her family.

"I feel as if I have got better at home quicker, because I did not pick up any other nasty bugs along the way. I think if I had ended up in hospital I would have been a lot more tired. There is a lot of noise in hospital and you do not sleep as well. Being at home, I had the comfort of my own home.

"Yes, I got better quicker and yes, I was able to go away for Christmas and New Year. I was able to celebrate with my son, daughter and beautiful granddaughter."

Nurse Claire Bettison is the Trust's operational lead for digital health. She says there are many benefits for patients.

"If you are in your own home, you can carry on with your social connections. If you live with your partner or other half and you are in hospital, sometimes trying to get to and from the hospital to visit can be quite restrictive. Even little things like conversations with a neighbour are on hold when you are in hospital. However, we know all of that is important for a patient's recovery.

"As well as that social element, patients being cared for in their own homes can eat the food they are used to eating. There is nowhere like your own bed to get a good night's sleep. It is familiar. It is comfortable. All of that really helps with recovery.

"It is also good for the person to have that choice. This is a choice that was not there before, and it is really important patients are active in their care and make their own choices."

What does a virtual ward offer?

Virtual wards support people whose acute respiratory or frailty condition could be managed in their own home, instead of in hospital.

Virtual wards do not mean virtual care. When needed, clinicians carry out face-to-face treatments and diagnostics in a patient's own home.

The multi-disciplinary team offer daily phone calls. The service also provides remote monitoring and regular reviews by our medical and pharmacy teams.

Tamsyn Anderson is a GP and the Trust's chief operating officer. She says the ability to contact the virtual wards gives patients and carers a real confidence in being able to stay at home.

"We know that some patients need specialist care in hospital. However, most people would prefer to be cared for at home. For many, being in their own home helps them to stay as independent as possible. Particularly as you get older, there are a number of factors that can compound your wellbeing if you are admitted to hospital. You are in an unfamiliar environment, which can be a challenge if you have any sort of cognitive impairment.

"From a mobility perspective, there is a real benefit to being in a familiar environment. Our brains work on pattern recognition. They use a lot of tricks to keep us as independent and mobile as possible. These include something as simple as knowing how many steps it is to the toilet or where the sofa is. When you are admitted to hospital, those props are not available to you. These are among the reasons it is better to try and keep people at home as much as we can."

Do you want to be treated at home? Ask your GP or hospital staff, or read more about virtual wards.

Read Virtual wards treat more patients at home this winter…

The Talking Therapies Service has expanded and now offers interpersonal psychotherapy.

Myles* from West Cornwall, spent his working life as a pilot for the military and a commercial airline, living and working abroad. During the pandemic he became redundant, isolated, and struggled to adapt to life back in his home county.

“I had been in the military, living abroad and working as a pilot for all my working life. During the pandemic, I became redundant, so my wife and I decided to move back to the home I grew up in, in West Cornwall.

“I was made redundant 2 years before I should have retired and I felt like I had the ground whipped from beneath me. My life had suddenly significantly changed. Everything I thought I was had disappeared. I became reclusive, lazy, and started drinking alcohol excessively. I only wanted to socialise with my wife and leaned heavily on her. I was full of self-doubt and was miserable.” Myles

Interpersonal psychotherapy looks at the link between relationships and depression. It recognises that relationship difficulties can be a key factor in depression. Life can feel easier if you have healthy and supportive relationships around you.

Unlike other talking therapies, interpersonal psychotherapy is structured and practical. It focusses less on emotions and asks the patient to take an active role in their recovery. This is to improve their relationships with others.

Although not believing he was depressed, Myles was persuaded to visit the GP by his wife. It was there that the GP thought he had mild depression and could do with benefit from the Talking Therapies Service. Myles was treated by Laura Matthews, Talking Therapies Counselling and Psychotherapy Professional Lead.

“Interpersonal psychotherapy takes places over 16 weeks and for around 50 minutes per session. It requires time and effort on the patient’s behalf. It requires a level of commitment to look at current relationships and how to improve them.” Laura Matthews. Talking Therapies Counselling and Psychotherapy Professional Lead

Laura explains how using interpersonal psychotherapy and improving relationships helped treat Myles’ depression.

“Together, we looked at how Myles could adapt to life as a retiree. We also wanted to work on rebuilding social networks, so that he could rely less on his wife.

"We worked on encouraging Myles to spend time outside and to go on dog walks. We looked at ways to build up his confidence and to spend time away from his wife with old school friends. It was important to encourage him to have his own social network so that she wasn't his everything."

Gradually, interpersonal psychotherapy transformed Myles’ life.

“I had my treatment online through Microsoft Teams. It was 2 or 3 sessions before I realised that I needed help. All my family knew I was receiving help and they supported me.

“The therapy made me realise that I needed to socialise more so I got in touch with old school friends. I now meet up with them once or twice a month.

“Laura is such a likable person and I was able to build a rapport with her. I started looking forward to my sessions and had 16 in total. Laura set me tasks each week to do and then targets for me to reach.

“I feel like someone has given me the tools to carry on with my life and to now seek help with We Are With You, in Truro, for excessive alcohol drinking.

“I really enjoyed the structure of interpersonal psychotherapy. It is funny really because I sometimes miss my weekly sessions with Laura. I am now a lot happier to talk about things that are bothering me.”

The Talking Therapies service provides free and confidential talking therapy for people registered with a GP in Cornwall. Patients must be 16 years of age and over, experiencing common difficulties, such as, low mood, stress, anxiety, and worry.

The team can also help people experiencing long-term physical health conditions.

Anyone can self-refer to Talking Therapies service. A councillor will assess the patient and decide the best course of treatment, as recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Read New treatment for depression helps ex-pilot turn life around…

Trust nurse Charity Gladstone has spoken of her pride after being honoured with an MBE for services to nursing.

The New Year’s honours list recognises the achievements and services of people across the UK.

Receiving the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) caps what has been an extraordinary journey for Charity. From walking to school in her bare feet back in her native Malawi, to an invite to Buckingham Palace from His Majesty King Charles. Charity’s story is a remarkable one.

She moved to the UK in 2000. Her NHS journey began in Birmingham, where she worked in critical care. Continuing her career in Cornwall in 2018, as a matron in the community, Charity played a vital role for the Trust during the COVID-19 pandemic. She then joined Gloucestershire Hospital’s NHS Foundation Trust from 2021 to work in cardiology and respiratory services. Charity returned to Cornwall in July last year to begin a new role as an advanced nurse practitioner for the Trust.

Charity received the news of her MBE in a letter from Buckingham Palace in November.

“It was so surreal, so humbling. I never imagined in my life to get anything like that at all. From where I’ve come from in Malawi, to be where I am now and honoured is remarkable.

“I used to walk to school in my bare feet and now I am going to go to the palace. Can you even make that up?”

News of Charity’s MBE even reached the President of Malawi, Lazarus Chakwera.

He congratulated Charity, saying: “May this prestigious award inspire Malawians for greater service to humanity abroad and at home.”

Charity is also president of the Malawian UK Nurses Association (MUNA). She becomes only the third person from Malawi to receive the honour.

“I really hope to use my influence to raise nursing standards, patient care and patient experience in Cornwall. I really want to connect with the communities I live in. Exciting times ahead.”

In November last year Charity was invited to attend King Charles’ 75th birthday celebrations at Buckingham Palace. This was in recognition of the contribution of internationally educated nurses, midwives and the Windrush generation in the NHS. Representing the Trust, Charity was invited as part of the south west region of internationally educated nurses and midwives.

“It was a huge honour, another surreal moment. He was relatable, he spoke about his last visit in Malawi and said he really appreciated our services to the NHS and the country. It was a pinch me moment.”

Read Trust nurse Charity has been named in the New Year’s honours list…

Staff at Newquay Community Hospital say new x-ray equipment means they will be able to see more patients and treat them faster.

The major upgrade at Newquay includes new digital radiography equipment. It uses x-ray–sensitive plates to directly capture data during examinations. The data is then transferred to a computer system without the need for a cassette. This speeds up the process and produces higher quality images.

Senior Radiographer Suzanne Grice-Renault has been doing the job for 40 years. She tells us it is great news for staff and patients: "The upgrade is much needed. We will upgrade the whole room and patients will be seen in a very timely manner. It will take a matter of minutes, rather than 10 to 15 minutes per patient.

"At the moment, we get 25 to 30 patients a day coming through here. Other sites where the new equipment has been installed are seeing up to 50 patients. It is a win-win for everybody."

Important information for patients

Newquay Minor Injury Unit will remain open during the upgrade, however x-rays will not be available. The x-ray room will be closed from midday on Wednesday 10 January. Work to install the new equipment is expected to take up to 8 weeks.

Patients who feel they may need an x-ray can visit one of our other minor injury units. These include Camborne Redruth Community Hospital, St Austell Community Hospital and Bodmin Community Hospital.

Find your nearest minor injury unit. You can also check live waiting and opening times.

Read Newquay Community Hospital to get major x-ray upgrade…

Billy Dormand from Par says he wanted to give something back to the Trust as a thank you for the care he has received.

The 24-year-old has raised over £20,000 for the Trust and other organisations since 2020.

His passion for fundraising began when he was admitted to the Fletcher Ward at Bodmin Community Hospital over 3 years ago. The ward is an acute psychiatric admissions unit offering assessment and treatment for people aged 18 or older. Billy spent 14 weeks on the ward.

In his first year since leaving hospital, he raised £10,000 for the ward after organising a number of fundraising events.

Billy then went on to raise £3,300 for Man Down, a men’s mental health support group in Cornwall.

He presented this latest cheque to Sowenna in Bodmin after a number of fundraising events. Billy organised a pool competition and an auction at St Blazey Football Club, which raised over £5,000. A donation of £1,500 from Lloyds Bank and an anonymous donation brought the total to £8,000.

Billy said: “When I was in Fletcher Ward for 14 weeks, towards the end of the stay when I was a little bit more mobile. My brain was more active, I just figured I wanted to give something back to Fletcher Ward, which I did.

“I raised £10,000 the first year I came out of hospital. From then on, I have supported local charities. Last year for Man Down I raised £3,300 and this year it was Sowenna. I wanted to support the children as much as the adults.

“I’ve not only given back to Fletcher and Man Down, but also the young children (at Sowenna). My motto is ‘It’s okay not to be okay’. From any age it can affect anybody. People can hide behind a smile and not be okay.

“There has been a lot of hard work. Hopefully, the money which was raised will go towards a silent disco, or some new pool cues, or activity sets.”

“It’s absolutely amazing. He’s really shown such determination. He’s a credit to his family and himself. It’s no mean feat to fundraise in the current climate.

“To raise £8,000 is absolutely amazing. It really will make a huge difference to our young people here.

“We use the funds raised for us for everything, from clothes for the young people. Some unfortunately do not come to us with anything. We will go out and get them clothes if they need them. The things we take for granted, like toothbrushes.

“We also do events for our young people, and we do trips and things which will help them recover and be able to move forward. It’s absolutely vital and we could not move forward without it, so it’s really, really important.” Laura Patrick, Sowenna Business Support Manager

“We’re so grateful to Billy for the money that he has raised for Sowenna. It’s going to make such a difference. For an individual to raise this amount of money is just a phenomenal effort. We cannot thank him enough.

“It’s real, hard work that goes into raising that amount of money. Putting on fundraising events is not an easy task.

“Sowenna has been open for 4 years now, so people need to keep supporting it. We are so grateful to the people that do because the young people have ongoing needs. Some of the equipment we have raised money for needs replacing. There’s a really extensive activity programme to fund as well so we are so grateful to fundraisers like Billy.

“Fundraising for NHS charities is really vital. The NHS would not function as it does without the charities that support them. The hospitals and the community services and mental health services that we deliver. The fundraising makes such a difference because we really do raise money for everything over and above what you’d normally find in a medical environment.

“At Sowenna the charity has all of our amazing fundraisers that’s made it possible to have a café, parental accommodation on site, a sports barn, a gym, a music room, and an extensive activity programme. All of this is funded by the charity. All of this makes a difference to a young person’s wellbeing and recovery.” Stephanie Pomeroy, Fundraising Manager for the Trust.

Read Fundraiser Billy gives something back with cheque to Sowenna…

The Trust is delighted to have received highly commended in 2 categories at this week’s Parkinson’s Excellence Network Awards.

Set up by the charity Parkinson’s UK, the awards celebrate outstanding health and social care services for people with Parkinson’s.

The Trust received highly commended for the ‘Innovation in Practice’ award. This follows a successful project to cut waiting times for medication for people with Parkinson’s. It was also highly commended for the ‘Sharing Learning and Education’ category. This project promotes physical activity and exercise for people living with Parkinson’s.

In March 2021, we began a new project with the aim of reducing waiting times for medication. It wanted to ensure that people with Parkinson’s received their medication within 30 minutes of being prescribed.

To achieve this the team brought in a new and improved method to be used across the Trust. The Parkinson’s Service have been working with our Education Department. Training is in place for all ward-based staff to support the project.

So far there has been a 13% reduction in medications received outside the 30-minute window. 5 wards have achieved the gold standard target of all medications received within 30 minutes.

“It is great that this project has been recognised. It has been beneficial for people with Parkinson’s. With plans in place to continue this ongoing project we hope it can help many more.

“We are 1 of 3 services nationally to be nominated for this award, and to receive highly commended is great.” Lynne Osborne, Consultant Nurse

The Trust was also highly commended in the ‘Sharing Learning and Education’ category. This project aims to help people with Parkinson’s lead active lifestyles.

Since 2019, the Trust’s partnership with Active Cornwall has helped the team provide high quality training of new Parkinson’s friendly providers. This is thanks to an evidence-based and sustained approach to training.

The project has also built greater awareness of Parkinson’s, showing the value of exercise. It has also opened up new paths for people living with Parkinson’s, with a range of activities to choose from. This also means people are able to self-manage in a highly active and fun way.

“The Trust is passionate about promoting and supporting physical activity and exercise for people living with Parkinson’s.

“By collaborating with Active Cornwall, we were able to expand our work and improve the opportunities for our patients to be more active in a variety of ways, right across the county.

“The project has been a great success both for people with Parkinson’s in Cornwall and the team. The team’s highly commended at the Parkinson’s Excellence Network Awards is a fantastic way to spread the word about what we have achieved so far.” Sophia Hulbert, Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist in Parkinson's

The awards ceremony took place at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens on Wednesday 22 November.

“To hear we have received highly commended not once but twice at the Parkinson's Excellence Network Awards fills me with great pride.

"As a Trust, our vision is for outstanding care for all. It is great to hear of projects that worked towards supporting that ambition acknowledged nationally.” Debbie Richards, Chief Executive

Read Parkinson’s Service highly commended at national awards…