Mental Health in the Developing World

A PRIME conference for tutors and others with an involvement in mental health

8 January 2011, Johnson House, 6 Marshalsea Road, London SE1 1HL

Mental illnesses from depression to acute psychosis to PTSD are a major problem for those living in poorer parts of the world but often poorly understood, deeply stigmatised, poorly treated and often low on priority lists of governments.

Where can I fit in?

This day conference will include workshops where participants can share their experiences and network with others interspersed with keynote addresses from PRIME tutors and others working overseas either full time or with short-term teaching visits.

Chaired by Andrew Simms (past President of RCPsych)
Contributions so far confirmed are:

• The new strategy of WHO, and mental health in West Africa - Julian Eaton
• NHS-links as a means of building capacity - Ros Furlong
• Reducing stigma in Nepal - David Sims
• Involving church leaders in mental health - John Geater
• Conflict and Migration - Maureen Wilkinson

Cost £15 to include lunch and refreshments, payable on the day

Book online at www.prime-international.org.uk

New Nursing Student Staff Worker Appointed

As many of you will be aware, CNM and Christian Medical Fellowship have been working together to recruit and employ a full time student staff worker for Christian nursing students. Initially working in the southeast of England in and around London, this role will ultimately extend to a national ministry.

We are delighted to announce that Annie Leggett has been appointed to take up this post. Some of you will know Annie, who was UCCF’s Staff Worker for student nurses back in the nineties. She will be taking up her new role from October. We asked Annie to introduce herself:

CNM: Annie, can you tell us about your background professional background?

Annie Leggett: I trained as a nurse in the late 1970’s at the Middlesex Hospital London. I then worked in three London hospitals as a staff nurse before attending the Oncology Course at the Royal Marsden Hospital. I then staffed on a palliative care ward before moving to the Westminster Hospital where I pioneered a day chemotherapy unit as a nurse manager/sister before returning to the Royal Marsden to run their Intravenous Services as the clinical Nurse specialist/Senior Nurse.

CNM: Tell us a bit about what you have been doing for the last few years:

AL: For the last 10 years I have been working as the female Pastoral worker for City Evangelical Church in Birmingham. I joined the church after one year in its existence, and so again this has been a pioneering situation. My role has been to encourage and teach the women in the church, through bible studies, one2ones, and in larger groups, as well as heading up Christianity Explored and along the way offering lots of food! One of the biggest privileges has been to see the power of the gospel working in lives, as people are drawn into believing the gospel, or seeing others grow in their faith. It has also been a challenge but also a privilege to see how God has sustained and grown people through tough and sometimes ongoing situations.

CNM: Can you say a bit about what you will be doing with CMF?

AL: The main aim will be to seek to start a work amongst student nurses along the lines of the student work for medics. Initially, this will be making contact with student nurses and possibly other health care students, with the aim to teach the bible and encourage them to think through ethical issues, to help them be a light in their profession both individually and corporately and to be a friend. We hope to organise and run half and full day conference, and weekends. I am also very keen to establish good links with churches, UCCF and existing volunteers who have been supporting nurses during the last few years. We are all praying that God will provide others to help in the work and that from the student work a stronger vibrant work amongst qualified nurses might grow.

CNM: Annie, is there anything that we can pray about in connection with you taking up your new role?

AL: That I will increasingly know Jesus better and delight in him. That he will give CNM, CMF and myself His wisdom as we set out on this work, and that He will open doors. Please pray for nurses to be built up in Christ and for many others to hear the gospel. That I will quickly pick up the pressures that students are facing in the present day. For my departure from Birmingham and for settling back into London, and for wisdom to know which church I should join.

CNM: Thank you Annie, and we look forward to working with you over the coming years.

You will be able to contact Annie on students@cnm.org.uk and annie@cmf.org.uk from 4 October 2010.

God Loves the NHS

Saturday 27th November 2010

St Thomas' Church Philadelphia, Sheffield

A day conference to inspire, uplift and resource Christians who work within the NHS

The NHS was founded in 1948, is the third largest employer in the world and also the world’s largest publicly funded health service. The pressure, choices and challenges that are faced by those who work at all levels within the NHS can be intense, as they seek to fulfil its compelling ethos "that good healthcare should be available to all, regardless of wealth".

Beth Hutton has developed 'God loves NHS' conferences, one day events to be held around the country. The first conference was held at New Life Church in Lincoln in November 2009 and was attended by approximately 100 people from all over the UK. The Keynote speaker was Professor Chris Summerton, a Consultant in Gastroenterology and General Medicine at Trafford General Hospital, Manchester, who will be giving a seminar at this year's conference in Sheffield. In addition, Paul Blundell spoke on overcoming challenges within mental health, Pastor David Carr from Renewal Christian Centre in Solihull on how the church can work alongside and with the NHS and also Pastor Stuart Bell from New Life spoke on ‘Healthwise’ – health from a biblical perspective. Worship was led by Geraldine Latty and the New Life worship team. In addition, the following organisations supported and were part of the event; Transform Work UK, Christian Medical Fellowship, Parish Nursing and Theos, a public theology think tank.

Chris and Helen Cotton, Chris Atkins and Jude Stone from St Thomas' Church, Philadelphia attended the event in Lincoln. Testifying to the success of the Lincoln conference in validating and empowering those within the NHS, these four individuals returned from the event determined to bring the God loves NHS conference to Sheffield.

For more information and to book a place, please visit http://www.stthomaschurch.org.uk/workplace/godlovesnhs

Caring Across Boundaries

The eighth European Regional Conference of NCFI was held 31 May – 5 June at the Rehoboth Centre, Valea Draganului, Cluj County, Romania. The conference centre is beautifully situated in the Western Carpathian Mountains of Transylvania, the north-western most province of Romania, towards the Hungarian border.

The conference was the culmination of at least twelve years of networking and building contacts, and prayer. Rodica Morar (a retired paediatric nurse, and founder of the Fundatia Creştinâ de Ajutorare, Cluj, [the Christian Aid Foundation of Cluj]) and Claudia Persa (a rehabilitation nurse in Cluj and volunteer at the Foundation) have attended several European and International Conferences of NCFI, with the support and encouragement of NCFI Trustee and former International Board member, Pat Ashworth. Their vision has been to see the establishment of a Christian nursing fellowship in Romania, and they have worked long and hard at building both national and international contacts.

Over eighty people attended for some or all of the conference, including 43 international nursing delegates and 36 Romanian nurses (including, for the final day, the Dean of the Baptist Nursing School in Cluj) – this was in large part due to a generous donation to the European Regional Scholarship Fund by the Finnish NCF, SSKS.

The Bible addresses were given from the book of Daniel by Pastor Beniamin Faragau, an internationally known Bible teacher and pastor of the Iris Baptist Church in Cluj – his personal experiences of ill health in the last two years gave a powerful insight into the challenge of caring in the name of Jesus, and his expositions explored the themes of living with change, difference, uncertainty and opportunity. The plenary sessions were led by Uta Bornschein (Germany), Sue Allen (England) with Dana Chantree (Romania) and Ioana Tomoletu (Romania & Spain), Barbara Parfitt (Scotland) and Kamalini Kumar (USA) on respectively on the themes of nursing in times of change, nursing with uncertainty, nursing with difference and embracing new opportunities in nursing.

There were several national and international papers and seminars presented on themes as managing burnout, praying with patients, teaching a whole person and biblically based model of care and Parish Nursing, etc, etc. The feedback on all the plenary and concurrent sessions was very positive, and the standard of presentations was uniformly high.

However, as with all conferences it is the meetings outside the official programme that often bear the most fruit. One major development was that through several meetings, the Romania nurses (who came from seven different cities or provinces across the country) agreed to establish a national Christian nursing fellowship, appointed a leader and established a preliminary programme for meetings and email networking. KFSS also provided some initial funding to help establish the group, and there will be ample opportunities for the European Committee to meet with the new leadership and support their work in the coming year.

Secondly, a very positive link was built between NCFI and PRIME through the training programme in Armenia undertaken by Barbara Parfitt and two Scottish nurses in May, and by the presence of PRIME director Dr John Geater at the conference. We were able to explore possible future projects and programmes of joint training between PRIME and NCFI, and will be following this up with a conference in Glasgow, Scotland in mid-June.

Finally, we were also able to sponsor a couple of nurses from Albania and two from Armenia, as well as three from Moldova, strengthening and establishing new links with all three nations. We have a good link into the Moldovan Association of Christian Nurses through Anna Suvac, and a new link into the nursing division of the Armenian Christian Medical Association through the joint NCFI/PRIME training programme piloted by NCF Scotland in May. We also hope, through ICMDA and PRIME links in Albania to support the development of an Albanian Christian nursing network.

Overall the conference achieved its underlying aim of strengthening, establishing and renewing links with Christian nursing groups in Eastern Europe – and the challenge before the new European Committee is to see these links and contacts taken forward.

Whole Person Care - an Integrated Approach

17-19 June 2010
A three day conference, jointly organised by PRIME and NCFI, for all tutors and interested friends and colleagues in Kirkintilloch near Glasgow, Scotland.

For nurses, doctors and other health professionals interested in exploring and teaching an integrated, whole person model of care. This conference will provide an introduction to PRIME's vision, ethos and teaching methods, and will start to develop a Christian model of integrated medical/nursing whole person care. The conference will explore:

• Strategies for effective partnerships between doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals in different situations
• Different methods and materials available to help healthcare professionals be inspired and equipped to teach compassionate and whole person care
• The opportunities at home and in other cultures that exist to improve healthcare through value-based education using an integrated whole person approach

Cost:
£100 day delegate only, includes lunch and dinner - accomodation available with members of Kirkintilloch Baptist Church for a small donation

To book or for more details visit the PRIME International website

International Saline Study Days

The International Saline course has been developed to help nurses, doctors and other health professionals integrate faith and clinical practice, and to equip them to address the spiritual needs of patients, looking at the evidence base for the role of spirituality in healthcare, the basic skills of spiritual history taking and at other essential skills, this one day workshop is for all Christian nurses interested in spirituality and spiritual care.

Two International Saline courses for nurses are being run this spring - 17 April in Liverpool and 22 May in London. These are run in conjunction with the Christian Medical Fellowship. We are also involved with running an International Saline training day near Cardiff on 8 May in conjunction with Healthcare Christian Fellowship.

For more details, follow the links, email the CNM Office or ring 07941 800637

Nurses' Student Staff Worker - London

This is an exciting opportunity for a Christian nurse or midwife with a passion to develop a new ministry amongst student nurses, midwives and allied health professionals, starting in London and South-east England.

Christian Medical Fellowship (CMF) and Christian Nurses & Midwives (CNM) are collaborating to start a new ministry working with students in the London area. This will be a pioneering work with nursing, midwifery and allied health professional students, alongside CMF’s medical student team, building fellowship and prayer/Bible study groups, developing new leaders, organising evangelism, spiritual care and apologetics training and conferences, communications and literature, etc, etc.

You will be a qualified nurse or midwife with experience in Christian leadership and ministry within a student and/or local church context, with a vision to see Christians in the caring professions thinking about and practising their profession in the light of their faith and being salt and light in the health service. You will also need to have a commitment to pioneering new areas of ministry, and to the long term development of that ministry. You will be willing and able to travel, a good communicator and in sympathy with the vision and aims of CMF and CNM.

The full time post will be based out of the CMF offices in Central London.

Salary will be £20,000 - £23,500 (depending on qualifications and experience) plus pension and expenses.

For job description and application form contact Gwen Gowers, CMF, 6 Marshalsea Road, London SE1 1HL
Tel: 020 7234 9663
Email: recruitment@cmf.org.uk

or download an application form and background documents (Nurses Student Staff Worker Job Profile, Job Description & Person Specification and Background Information).

To talk more about this post, ring Steve Fouch (CMF Head of Allied Professions Ministries) on 020 7234 9668 or email info@cnm.org.uk

CNM Submission to Welsh Assembly Consultation on Spiritual Care

This paper was submitted to the Welsh Assembly on January 20 2010 in response to a consultation on standards for spiritual care provision by the NHS in Wales and on the competencies and capabilities for those providing spiritual care.

Copies of the consultation documents are available on request from the Welsh Assembly, or by clicking the links above (including the supporting guidance from the Welsh Assembly).

This consultation closed on 22 January 2010

Introduction:
Christian Nurses & Midwives is a membership body & registered charity in England & Wales (No: 1119533) for Christian health professionals in those nations, with five aims:

1. To encourage Christian nurses and midwives to grow in the knowledge of Christ and to make Him known
2. To promote Christian principles within nursing and midwifery
3. To develop a network of Christian nurses and midwives for fellowship and prayer
4. To strengthen and support Christian student nurses and midwives
5. To support the work of nursing and midwifery missionaries throughout the world who are in agreement with our beliefs

We were approached by several of our members in Wales to make a submission on this consultation, who have also provided information and views that inform this submission. Our Welsh membership in particular includes several senior nurses, nurse academics and spiritual care specialists.

Response to Guidance & Capabilities Document
We feel that it is positive that there is an early clarification between Spiritual and Religious care, and that this can help unpack some of the more heated and ill informed recent controversy over the role of chaplaincy services within the NHS, and the nature and relevance of spiritual care.
We note the reference to the WHO’s recent statements on the spiritual dimension of health, and welcome a global recognition of this long held understanding amongst people of faith across the globe.

Under section 2.2.2 we welcome the recognition that the Chaplain’s own faith and beliefs have a bearing on the care she/he delivers. However, we feel that similar recognition should be given to the role other health professionals play in spiritual care within the NHS and the relevance and impact of their beliefs upon this.

Under section 4.2 we welcome the recognition that the spiritual health and development of Chaplains is integral to their delivery of effective spiritual care, and that space should be given in their professional development programmes to spiritual development. However, we also note that the spiritual care given by other health professionals also is affected in the same manner, and that space for a spiritual life within the workplace is important (e.g. supporting the role of faith based workplace groups in NHS institutions as part not just of diversity policy, but as a valuable source of spiritual support to all health professionals).

Response to Standards of Care Document
Standard 1 – we feel that there needs to be more focus on the multidisciplinary aspects of spiritual care, and in particular to the role of Chaplains in training and supervising medical and nursing staff in identifying the spiritual needs of patients and making appropriate referrals to chaplaincy services. We also feel that the role of nurses in particular as spiritual care givers needs more recognition, both in training and ongoing professional support – as van Leeuwen (2008) has noted[1] – nurses are uniquely placed to assess and deliver many aspects of spiritual care, but need to develop the core competencies and capabilities to do so . Furthermore, there is ample research on the role of nurses in particular as spiritual care providers, and the importance of engaging nurses in the spiritual care process[2].

The role of Chaplains as trainers and supervisors in this needs further development, and the importance of a team based approach that includes all staff (medical, paramedical, nursing and ancillary) in the spiritual care of patients needs further exploration and expansion in this document.

NB, we note a possible typographical error in the penultimate line of this standard talking about ‘religious transitions’ and wonder if the intended word should be ‘traditions’?

Standard 2 – again we feel that it is insufficient just to give patients written information about spiritual care services, but that all nursing and medical staff should be trained to make patients aware of these services as part of routine admissions procedures, to assess any needs and make referrals accordingly and during subsequent re-assessments of treatment and care the spiritual care needs of the patient should also be routinely re-assessed by these staff. Again, we would emphasise an vital role of Chaplains in the training and support of staff in this.

Standard 3 – we welcome the involvement of faith communities in spiritual care services, and the importance of developing and maintaining good relationships with these communities. Spirituality in most non-Western cultures and religions (and indeed for most practising Christians in the majority population) is not worked out primarily within the individual context, but in the context of wider family and community, and therefore the inclusion of the wider faith community (where appropriate) is more effective and beneficial than a purely individualised emphasis.

Standard 4 – we welcome a clear recognition of the role of chaplaincy services in the spiritual care and support of NHS staff. This is a vital, but often unrecognised role played by Chaplains. We also feel there should be recognition of the role of chaplaincy in supporting and sometimes facilitating faith based staff groups as a means to supporting the spiritual well being of staff.

Standard 7 – we welcome the input of chaplaincy services to major incident planning in NHS institutions, recognising the spiritual impact of major incidents on those directly affected, the wider community (including faith communities) and the NHS staff caring for those affected.
Overall we feel that Chaplains have a vital role in the induction and ongoing training of all NHS staff. It is vital that all staff are aware of the spiritual care services provided within each trust, why they are needed, and how to refer patients as appropriate. We also feel that there should be more recognition of the role of other NHS staff in spiritual care delivery in these documents, particularly that of nursing staff. Furthermore, in light of recent cases such as that of Caroline Petrie, good training and clear guidelines on spiritual care are vital to protect patients and staff from inappropriate interventions, or to disproportionate disciplinary measures due to misinterpretations of spiritual care interventions.



Finally, we would like to thank the Welsh Assembly for putting these guidelines out to public consultation, and for the recognition within the Assembly and Executive of the importance of the spiritual dimensions of healthcare.

_________________________
References:

1: Van Leeuwen, R (2008), Towards Nursing Competencies in Spiritual Care, University of Gronigen
2: E.g. Ross, LA (2006) Spiritual Care in Nursing: an overview of the research to date. Journal of Clinical Nursing 15 (7), 852-862