NHS initiative celebrates becoming four-time finalist

An initiative developed by South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust which has helped over 4,000 local people through promoting creative approaches to healthcare has been shortlisted in four categories at a national awards.

Creative Minds has been shortlisted in four categories at the Patient Experience Network National Awards (PENNA) – ‘personalisation of care’, ‘including social care to improve experience’, ‘strengthening the foundation’, and ‘partnership working to improve the experience’.

Creative Minds was launched in November 2011 in response to service users and carers expressing their desire for more creative approaches to understanding and supporting their health and wellbeing. To date, it has delivered almost 200 creative projects in partnership with over 70 community organisations and groups, benefitting over 4,000 participants.

The annual Patient Experience Network National Awards recognise and celebrate the people in the healthcare industry who are leading the way by delivering excellent patient experience and care.

Mark Wisbey, Creative Minds co-ordinator, said: “We are over the moon that Creative Minds has made the final of such a prestigious awards in not just one, but four categories. We hear it from the participants themselves how much of a difference taking part in an art class, football match or walking group has on their health and wellbeing – and for Creative Minds to receive the same recognition from professionals in the healthcare sector just goes to prove its worth even further.”

The impact of Creative Minds was recently also recognised at the 2014 Health Service Journal awards, where the initiative was chosen as the winner in the ‘compassionate patient care’ category.

Trust chief executive Steven Michael OBE said: “For Creative Minds to be recognised on a national platform is testament to how successful, innovative and effective the initiative is. We’re proud to pioneer taking an alternative approach to helping people recover from their mental health conditions and extremely pleased to see Creative Minds getting the recognition it truly deserves.”

The winners of the PENNA will be announced at a ceremony in Birmingham on 11 March 2015.

To find out more about Creative Minds, visit www.creativemindsuk.com.