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The Exchange Recovery College
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About the service
Barnsley Recovery College, also known as The Exchange, is a new service that offers educational courses and workshops to people accessing Trust mental health services and their families and carers.
Courses focus on helping people to recover and give information to help people learn new ways of managing their health and wellbeing. Examples of courses include: confidence and assertiveness, fear the fear (learning how to live and manage anxiety) and getting a good nights sleep.
The focus of courses at the Recovery College is to help people develop new skills which help to improve health and wellbeing. Each person attending the college will be offered an Individual learning plan which helps them to plan their goals and aspirations.
All courses have been designed by college staff and people who have first-hand experience of mental health problems. A range of support, including emotional and physical, is available for those who need it.
Within the college, there are no exams or tests – all courses are fun and interactive and people can contribute as much or as little as they feel comfortable. The Recovery College is open the same as most schools and colleges and is therefore open school term-times only.
Why would someone choose the service?
- Each learner is treated equally
- People will not be segregated by age, diagnosis, ability etc
- People will not be asked about their diagnosis, history or medication
- The Recovery College promotes a focus on the future and people’s hopes and aspirations
- All courses are developed and delivered by people who have used or continue to use mental health services
- The college is designed by the people who use it, feedback is essential in all of the future developments
- Volunteers help to support the running of the college
- Courses take a range of elements into account including starting when people can use their bus passes, limiting to groups to a maximum of eight people and not being in hospital surroundings
Staff you may meet
- Administrative staff provide essential support to doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals. This can be in a variety of different settings, with administrators working as a receptionist in a clinic or a clerk on a ward. They may also be working closely with a consultant as a medical secretary.
- Receptionists are the first link for many patients and visitors. They often work on their own or with one or two other receptionists, greeting patients as they arrive and check them in. They might also collect patient notes and ensure that these vital records go to the right healthcare professional. In a clinic, they may make appointments and arrange patient transport.
Why a professional should choose the service
The Recovery College is currently running as a pilot project. As part of the pilot project, the service will gather data which will inform the social return on investment for the people living in Barnsley. The information will also provide details on the return on investment for the Trust and Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council. Such examples currently include:
- Qualitative and quantitative indicators to measure the level of services accessed before and after attending the college
- Testimonies and success stories of people collected through a variety of ways (eg focus groups, interviews, questionnaires)
- Data on the number of people enrolling on courses and attendance rates
- Identifying move to education, employment and training
- Linking into and using external agencies and partners to enhance and support the delivery of education. Data will measure the effectiveness of this partnership working and how this can promote inclusivity for people accessing the college
Support offered
- Education
- Interactive groups
- Access to gym facilities
- Supporting people in a caring role
- Onward referrals to other educational facilities
- Library and resource services
Outcomes
- Recovery
- Self-management of health
- Improved health and wellbeing
- Improved physical health through gym sessions
- Relapse prevention
- Adopting effective and appropriate coping strategies
- Understanding your experiences
- Reduction in accessing mainstream mental health services
- Increased social integration
Referrals also accepted from:
No referral process.
Referral criteria:
- There is no referral system to access the Recovery College. People are encouraged to enrol on courses that interest or may benefit them in the next steps to recovery
- Sometimes courses can become full very quickly and people will be offered alternative dates
- The college is not able to offer courses for anyone under the age of 18
- People are able to contact the college directly if they would like to look around prior to enrolling on a course