The MPFT Podcast

While for some gambling is a leisure activity, for others it can be a slippery and dangerous slope that leads to serious real-life problems.

We’re joined on this edition of The MPFT Podcast by Sharon, who sought life-changing support from the West Midlands Gambling Harms Clinic to combat her destructive gambling behaviour.

The service is provided by Inclusion, part of MPFT, and has supported the recovery of hundreds of people like Sharon whose lives have been damaged due to the powerful impact of gambling harms.

Sharon talks about her story, the help she’s received from the service, and how she’s using her lived experience as a force for good in supporting others.

We hope you enjoy the episode and if you live in the West Midlands and feel you need help for a gambling problem visit the West Midlands Gambling Harms Clinic website for more information on how to self-refer: ⁠⁠https://www.midlandsgamblingclinic.org⁠⁠.

Despite impacting an estimated 3.5 million people of all ages within the UK, according to the charity Beat, eating disorders remains misunderstood by many.

This is particularly the case for the eating disorder ARFID, which stands for Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. ARFID is characterised by someone avoiding certain foods, forexample due to their smell, taste or texture, and/or limiting how much they eat for reasons unrelated to body image or weight. For families and carers, ARFID can feel confusing and overwhelming.

For children and young people experiencing this eating disorder, it may lead to nutritional deficiencies, impact physical growth and development, or cause anxiety anddistress around mealtimes.

Within Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin, MPFT is working with local NHS organisations, GPs, schools and the voluntary and community sector to improve the support available to children and young people, alongside their families who are already experiencing ARFID, or at risk of doing so.

For today’s episode, we’re joined by Vicky, a Clinical Lead for this new offer. We’re also really pleased to be joined by Lucy, whose young son died tragically after struggling with ARFID and who has gone on to become an advocate for raising awareness of the condition.

For more information visit www.mpft.nhs.uk/services/camhs/camhs-shropshire-telford-and-wrekin/cyp-community-eating-disorder-service

Links:

• ARFID Awareness UK: https://www.arfidawarenessuk.org/
• Beat Eating disorders: https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/
• First Steps ED: https://firststepsed.co.uk

Join Carol, a Health Visitor from the Staffordshire 0-19 Team, and Dannii and Sandra from Staffordshire T3 STaRS as they discuss substance misuse and young people. They talk about the signs parents and carers may notice, why young people may use substances, and how to start supportive conversations. They also highlight the help available for young people and families across Staffordshire. Support is available, and with the right help, things can get better.

A transcript of this episode is available to download: https://www.mpft.nhs.uk/application/files/8117/8765/5292/The_MPFT_Podcast_Episode_117_Transcript_-_0-19_Substance_Misuse.docx

Links and info:

• MPFT Health Visiting and School Nursing - Health Visiting and School Nursing :: Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust 
• T3 STaRS - Homepage - Staff Stars 
• NHS - Alcohol support - NHS 
• Frank -  Honest information about drugs | FRANK 

We know that the experiences of patients, carers, and families are really important. Their voices should help guide how we lead, how we work, and how we make decisions every day. And we want the people who use our services, our staff, and community partners to work together equally to help improve what we do.

MPFT launched its Co-Production Lived Experience and Community Voice Strategy, also known as our CLEVES strategy, to lay out how we will embed these areas of focus over the next 5 years and help will make our services better for everyone.

On this episode, colleagues from our Children and Families Care Group sit down with Louise, a Senior Peer Co-production and Involvement Facilitator who leads a great conversation about how this work is already taking shape across the trust. Louise is joined by Tori from our children and young people's mental health participation team and Dave from our children's diabetes team who both bring some fantastic examples on how they are embedding the ambitions of the strategy into their everyday roles and the people they work with.

We really hope you enjoy the episode.

Links

• You can view our CLEVES Strategy here: www.mpft.nhs.uk/CLEVES
• A recap of how MPFT has utilised the Whose Shoes co-production tool mentioned in the episode during the last 12 months can be found here: https://sway.cloud.microsoft/T0gk6QuED35NkJY5?ref=Link
• A transcript of this episode can be found here: https://www.mpft.nhs.uk/application/files/3417/8246/7252/The_MPFT_Podcast_Transcript_116_-_How_co-production_lived_experience_and_community_voice_is_shaping_our_work.docx- You can watch the video version if this episode at - https://youtu.be/S7L4m7kSdkc

A pioneering partnership is taking a preventative approach to supporting the mental health of young people involved in or at risk of becoming drawn into crime and violence in Staffordshire.

The Violence Reduction Team Wellness Project sees MPFT's Lauren Cockroft working closely with Staffordshire Police to identify vulnerable individuals and intervene in helping them access the right help when it's needed. The project funded by the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Violence Reduction Alliance is already seeing real success in addressing the root causes of violence and crime among the young people it supports and is helping to turn dozens of lives around.

We're really pleased to be joined by Lauren for this edition of The MPFT Podcast where we discuss the impact the partnership is having.

- You can watch the video version of this episode at: https://youtu.be/ZfvEFX2gCqY

- You can read the transcript for this episode at https://www.mpft.nhs.uk/application/files/7217/8162/4407/The_MPFT_Podcast_Transcript_115_-_Supporting_young_people_through_the_Violence_Reduction_Team_Wellness_Project.docx

MPFT is committed to offering those with lived experience the opportunity to become part of the Trust and work within our teams to provide their unique insights in support of service users. An increasing number of Peer Support Workers are joining MPFT and for this edition of The MPFT Podcast we were joined by Amy Hill, who works as a Peer Support Worker with our Perinatal and Maternal Mental Health Team in South Staffordshire. Whilst Amy’s story is unique, her journey of mental health recovery following childbirth is one that many will identify with, and Amy is channelling her lived experience into helping those requiring specialist support. If you find today’s episode rewarding, please also check out our podcast conversation with fellow Peer Support Worker Emma Mansell-Grey, who works in our Community Perinatal Mental Health Team in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin – https://youtu.be/hOcLeGIF_sc?si=TbgBTyhJL7P7PVgJLinks

You can watch the video version of this episode of The MPFT Podcast at - https://youtu.be/NZSIaUXYJiU

You can read a transcript of this episode of The MPFT Podcast at - https://www.mpft.nhs.uk/application/files/4017/7936/5656/The_MPFT_Podcast_114_Transcript_-_Amys_journey_from_childrens_nurse_to_perinatal_Peer_Support_Worker.docx

Relationships aren't easy, family life is stressful, and couples and co-parents face many challenges. In this episode, Caroline talks to Ginty Thorley and Caroline Porter as they explore why reducing parental conflict matters so much for children’s emotional wellbeing and family relationships. They discuss how everyday disagreements can escalate, the impact this has on children, and practical ways parents can communicate more calmly and constructively. Listeners will leave with simple, realistic strategies to manage conflict, protect their children from adult tensions, and create a more supportive home environment – even during challenging times.

A transcript of this episode is available to download: https://www.mpft.nhs.uk/application/files/9917/7868/3153/The_MPFT_Podcast_Episode_113_Transcript_-_0-19_Reducing_Parental_Conflict.docx

Links and info:

• Staffordshire Connects | Reducing Parental Conflict – Healthy Relationships 
• Health Visiting and School Nursing :: Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust 
• How to contact a Health Visitor or School Nurse Staffordshire clinics / service :: Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
• Professionals referral form Staffordshire County Council :: Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

It’s normal to expect to feel happy, excited and positive during pregnancy and when a baby is born. However, it doesn't always happen like this. Up to one in five women experience mental health problems in pregnancy or in the first year following the birth of a child. Without support, these mental health issues can have significant and long-lasting effects on the woman, the child, and wider family.

We’re joined for this edition of The MPFT Podcast by Emma Mansell-Grey, who shares her story of trauma, loss and recovery following childbirth, and how it ultimately inspired her to join MPFT’s Shropshire Community Perinatal Mental Health Team as a Peer Support Worker.

Emma talks with passion about her determination to ensure her lived experience helps others. It’s an inspiring story and one we’re proud to share on The MPFT Podcast.

A transcript for this episode can be found at: - https://www.mpft.nhs.uk/application/files/5417/7814/1528/The_MPFT_Podcast_112_Transcript_-_Emmas_lived_experience_journey_to_helping_others_through_perinatal_peer_support.docx

You can watch the video version of this episode at https://youtu.be/hOcLeGIF_sc

Join Health Visitors Stacey and Carol as they talk about protecting your child through vaccination. Vaccinations protect children from serious illnesses like measles, meningitis, polio, whooping cough and more. Discover how this works, why the national schedule might change, common myths, managing potential side effects and more.

Using NHS and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) guidelines to provide current advice, they consider the most commonly asked questions about vaccination.

A transcript of this episode is available to download: https://www.mpft.nhs.uk/application/files/4917/7625/3725/The_MPFT_Podcast_Episode_111_Transcript_-_0-19_Protecting_your_child_through_vaccination.docx

Links & Info:

• Health Visiting and School Nursing : Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
• Vaccinations - NHS School Age Immunisation Service : Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
• British Fatwa Council - Latest UK Islamic Fatawa/Rulings
• Kashrut and Medicines Information Service – no national website, please use search engine for local contacts.
• Children and Families Single Point of Access (CaFSPA)

1. Staffordshire - Freephone 0808 178 0611
2. Stoke-on-Trent 0-19 Hub - Freephone 0808 178 3374

Psychosis is a severe mental illness which affects up to 3% of the population and is associated with significant impairment in social functioning and shorter life expectancy. 

Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) teams seek, identify and reduce treatment delays at the onset of psychosis and promote recovery by reducing the probability of relapse following a first episode of psychosis. Timely access to EIP is shown to have a significant long-term impact on the lives and livelihood of individuals with psychosis and their families.

For this episode we’re joined by Jake and Dom, who have received support from the South Staffordshire Early Intervention in Psychosis team. Jake and Dom talk about their experiences of psychosis, and how the team has helped them.

We also hear from members of the team who talk about the work they do to make a difference to those accessing the service.

A transcript of this episode is available to download: https://www.mpft.nhs.uk/application/files/9717/7625/3679/The_MPFT_Podcast_Episode_110_-_Early_intervention_in_psychosis.docx

Accessing support

If anything discussed in this episode causes you to feel that you need to seek help, please call NHS 111 and select the mental health option (option 2).

If you live in South Staffordshire, you can also: 

• Call our Freephone 24/7 urgent NHS Mental Health Helpline - 0808 196 3002
• Text 07507 330605 to receive support for your mental health at any time of the day or night*
• Email [email protected]

*Please note for people using the text messaging service: We might inform someone if we were concerned about your safety, but we would usually speak to you about this first. Your messages are stored and can be seen by other health care staff who follow the same confidentiality rules. This service operates 24 hours a day including weekends and bank holidays and we aim to reply to you within one hour but during busy periods this could be up to 4 hours. You should get an immediate message back to confirm we have received your text. If you need help before you hear back from us, contact your GP, nearest walk-in centre or dial 111. Our text number does not receive voice calls or MMS picture messages. We support messaging from UK mobile numbers only (which does not include messages sent from landlines, international mobile numbers and some 'number masking' mobile apps). To prevent the health professional from sending messages to you, text STOP to our number. Messages are charged at your usual rates.

If you live in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, you can also:

• Call our Freephone 24/7 urgent NHS Mental Health Helpline - 0808 196 4501
• Text STW to 85258 to receive support for your mental health at any time of the day or night
• Email [email protected]