Newton Lodge celebrates first place at regional conference!

Congratulations to staff and service users at Newton Lodge who won the Yorkshire and Humber Involvement Network competition at this year’s annual involvement conference.

Competition winners were announced at the conference on 17 September at the National Coal Mining Museum, with the Bretton Centre following closely behind and scooping third prize.

Securing a £250 prize, Newton Lodge was tasked with producing a short performance focusing on the theme of technology. The two-minute-long performance, co-produced by both service users and staff, showcased how technology is used at the service, with performers wearing an array of costumes; all of which were produced in-house at Newton Lodge.

Staff and service users are now deciding on how to spend the £250, with suggestions including new arts and craft materials for creative therapies.

Rebecca Shaw, forensic social worker at Newton Lodge, said: “The Yorkshire and Humber Involvement Network brings together service users and staff from 15 different secure services that include NHS and private organisations providing low and medium secure care.

“The Network is about sharing best practice and collaborative working to improve the experience and quality of support that people receive.

“This short performance was creatively developed to highlight how technology can benefit a services user’s experience within a secure care environment. It was a joint effort by all involved. Tasks ranged from recording the narration to making the comical props. We all had a great time and were delighted to have won the competition!”

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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.