Award success for our work on women’s wellbeing

Our innovative approach to caring for women has seen us scoop a regional award.
South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s women’s pathway team was chosen as the winner in the ‘Improving care through innovation or improvement’ category of Yorkshire and Humber Academic Health Science Network’s Innovation, Improvement and Impact awards.
The team vastly improved the way care is delivered for women in the Trust’s medium secure unit, Newton Lodge. Their work has seen a typical stay drop by 3.4 years since 2015, meaning women are recovering quicker and are able to return to their communities and families sooner.
This included developing a separate rehabilitation ward area specifically for women who are ready to start developing the practical and social skills needed for more independent daily living.
The team also put in place a dedicated medical team, manager, nursing team, occupational therapist, psychologist and social worker for the women’s pathway which means the women don’t have to build new relationships or have a new assessment when they move into rehabilitation.
Newton Lodge (also known as The Yorkshire Centre for Forensic Psychiatry) is a 90 bed medium secure hospital based at Fieldhead in Wakefield. The service provides care and treatment for women and men with mental health problems and men with a learning disability from across Yorkshire and the Humber.
Ward manager Jo Barber said: “Previously, the only alternative would have been to move women ready for rehab onto a mixed ward which could feel like quite an intimidating environment, and isn’t the ideal scenario in which most female service users will make a good recovery. The feedback from service users since we made the changes has been very positive, particularly from those who experienced the old and new wards when we first made the change.
Director for forensic and specialist services Carol Harris said “Winning this award in recognition of the team’s work is incredible news and I’m extremely proud of them. Their work on the women’s pathway has made a huge difference to the women in our care. Breaking away from traditional services and seeing these results in a short space of time is something that the team should be very proud of. It is testament to their commitment and expertise in this specialist field. It is also an excellent example of the culture of innovation to improve care that runs right through our forensic service.”