And there’s also a little ‘movie’ I flung together using photos I took while in hospital. For obvious reasons of confidentiality, no people feature in it and this possible makes it rather more melancholy than I was intending! But you may find it useful, even for staff training or, more radically, as part of recruitment selection. For example, you could show applicants the film and ask them to reflect on what a particular image might mean for patients, visitors or staff. Here’s the link to youtube:

and here
And in other news…. We’re thrilled to welcome Brixton prison hospital wing and Addenbrookes Hospital (Cambridge) as new members. Their joining the Star Wards’ community has developed our work from being to support staff in mental health hospitals to being about supporting staff working with mentally ill patients in any hospital setting. We’re slightly international already (a big hello to our members in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, America and Bermuda) and now TalkWell is about to be introduced to… Ethiopia! How cool is that? One of the many dynamic staff at Leicestershire Partnership Trust, Claire Armitage, is going to Ethiopia to contribute to their first university training course for mental health nurses, and taking TalkWell with her. Thanks Claire!

The theme of this newsletter is Cheap as Chips. Inspired by so many, many great ideas from wards, we’ve compiled a bunch of no-cost or low-cost suggestions. Two more I’ve come across since then – reminiscence boxes from local museums (thanks to The Retreat in York for that one) and pampering products for the guys eg footspas and Vibrohug – vibrating neck massager scarf/wrap (thanks to Leicester for those.)

We hope you enjoy the newsletter and, as ever, would LOVE to hear your ideas and examples.

Love marion and Buddy