HPFT shares successful innovation projects

27 Mar 24

Colleagues from the Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) team welcomed colleagues from across the Herts and West Essex Integrated Care System to an exciting innovation showcase. It highlighted how HPFT’s CQI team are empowering staff, service users and carers to identify and implement innovative ideas to achieve great care and great outcomes.

Here are some of the projects which were presented and have benefitted from funding and support from the CQI team.

Fishing for Health
This is about facilitating access to fishing and nature as a structured therapeutic activity for individuals with learning disabilities and/or autism to improve their holistic health. The benefits of angling can support service users with their self-esteem and confidence, social inclusion and also help to break down barriers and stigma for people with learning disabilities and/or autism.

Service users who took part in the pilot reported: “it taught me how to be patient and cope with disappointment and frustration.” They also described how “it was easier to talk about other things to do with my health when I was fishing.” They also helped to facilitate the next cohort of service users taking part.

The CQI team were described as “instrumental with the development and sustainability of the project” and it was also shortlisted for an HSJ Award – Mental Health Innovation of the Year.

Equine Therapy
Equine Therapy was trialled at Warren Court, an HPFT medium secure unit for male service users with a complex trauma history. It was suggested by a service user who had benefitted from this treatment elsewhere and he helped to pull a project plan together to approach the CQI team.

Funding was agreed and over a period of weeks, horses were brought to the unit where service users could join group or individual sessions. It improved their self-confidence, self-understanding and mental health. It also enhanced teamwork, physical health, communication and empathy skills. Violent incidents during and post equine therapy were also reduced in comparison to before.

Service users said: “I like it – it makes me feel free” and “I can be brave”.

Rachel Holt, Consultant Clinical Psychologist & Responsible Clinician, HPFT said: “It was an amazing opportunity and it made an amazing impact.”

Sophia Mody, Continuous Quality Improvement Lead said:

“We were delighted to have the opportunity to share our experiences, successes and challenges with colleagues from across the region which will hopefully help others wishing to undertake similar in their own organisations.

“Funding for an innovation project follows a rigorous process and ideas must trial a new idea or approach and must be a one off. Projects need to meet at least one of our core focus areas such as safety, clinical effectiveness and outcomes and productivity and efficiency. They are also subject to a rigorous multidisciplinary panel chaired by the Director of Innovation and Digital Transformation who review the application in detail.”

For further information about CQI at HPFT please contact hpft.qualityimprovement@nhs.net

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HPFT shares successful innovation projects