Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust’s Early Intervention service in Solihull has been crowned this year’s Team of the Year (work-age adults) by the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
In an online award ceremony yesterday (Wednesday 10 November) - hosted by RCPsych’s President Dr Adrian James – Solihull Early Intervention Service was described as ‘a dedicated team with compassion, innovation and ambition at its core’.
The service currently works with 120 closely individuals aged 14-65 from Solihull who have experienced a first episode in psychosis. The team assists recovery, reduces any distress and helps people to understand what is happening to them so that they can manage their illness.
Twenty-six dedicated people make up the multidisciplinary team including Community Psychiatric Nurses, Psychologists, Psychology Assistants, Occupational Therapists, Medical Secretaries, Health Instructor, Family Intervention Lead and Art Therapist who work with service users at Maple Leaf Centre and in their homes. It’s a seven day per week service, running between 9am and 5pm.
The award was accepted by BSMHFT’s Consultant Psychiatrist Erin Tuner, on behalf of the Solihull Early Intervention team. She said: “I’ve worked with so many teams throughout my career who are really good, but I have to say that this team has got something really special. If I had to use three words to describe the team it would be compassion, dedication and ambition.
“Compassion not only to patients and their families but to each other, dedication exemplified through the COVID-19 pandemic and their commitment to going the extra mile and ambition because as a team we never sit on our laurels. We are always looking for ways to improve our service to give the very best to our patients.”
In this year’s RCP awards there were 17 categories, with Solihull Early Intervention Service up against Isle of Wight’s Mental health Intensive Support Team and Cheshire And Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust in their Team of the Year (work-age adults) category.
BSMHFT’s Clinical Director at BSMHFT, Dr Selvaraj Vincent, said: “This award is well deserved and recognition for strong and enthusiastic leadership of Steve Harrison and Erin Turner – for their progressive approach in embracing patient-centred care for their vulnerable service users.”
The team was presented with a certificate which is now pride of place in the Maple Leaf Centre.
