Your comments: 20 January 2016

Mindfulness approaches are gaining popularity and the physiotherapists in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board have been particularly interested. The first eight-week course specifically for physiotherapy staff was delivered two years ago and another starts later this month.

 

We see ourselves as being champions for this approach as it fits well with our view of rehabilitation, supported self-management and the benefits of a strong mind-body connection. We are keen to develop a robust personal practice and bring the benefits of a mindful approach into our work culture and interactions with patients and colleagues. 

 

In the musculoskeletal service (MSK) we wanted to progress the application of mindfulness by focusing initially on staff wellbeing. We were supported by the MSK service manager Janice Miller and senior managers. With two other senior members of staff, John Muir and Aileen O’Gorman, I trained as a mindfulness teacher on a Mindfulness Scotland (a local charity) one-year teacher training course.

 

We were supported financially through the NHS Education for Scotland (NES) fellowship scheme. After qualifying, we delivered half-day taster sessions to 90 interested members of staff and 22 of them have now enrolled on an eight-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course starting shortly.  

 

This course will be delivered by two physiotherapists, myself and Stephanie Wilson from the NHS Centre for Integrative Care. We are members of Mindfulness Scotland, along with two other NHS physiotherapists.

 

The interest in the benefits of mindfulness is building within the board and Stephanie and I are linking with board-wide developments. You can find out more about mindfulness and its benefits in a forthcoming edition of Frontline.

 

Everyone at Alcester Integrated Health Team and within South Warwickshire NHS Trust wishes Marsha Fernihough a very happy retirement after 27 years at the trust. 

 

Marsha started at Alcester Hospital as a domestic assistant at 19, moving on to become a healthcare assistant in the community hospital.

 

Next, Marsha supported the physiotherapy team as an assistant, progressing on to becoming a technical instructor on the elderly rehabilitation wards and day hospital. 

 

Following the closure of Alcester Hospital, Marsha moved into Alcester’s community team, working with the physiotherapy team as a technical instructor in people’s homes. 

 

We wish Marsha all the best in her retirement and thank her for all her hard work and dedication to services in Alcester over the years.