As we enter another period of lockdown, in England at least, here at the PTC we are once again navigating our way through the various new pieces of guidance to try and continue to best support our Officers. It has not been a simple task as we cross boundaries between healthcare, leisure and hospitality with the added complication of operating in both England and Scotland with associated variations in rules and regulations. Staff at both centres have approached the task with typical dedication and commitment.
We are fortunate in that during the initial closure period earlier this year, we took the opportunity to invest in and develop two exciting and forward-thinking initiatives that mean we can continue to offer quality Wellbeing input at all times.
Firstly, we have invested in a video platform called Attend Anywhere which we believe offers the best clinical experience for remote Physiotherapy consultations. Initially this was a necessity due to the obligation we have to carry out a remote consultation with all Patients before we consider a residential admission. The platform has been so useful and successful that last month, we expanded its use to include virtual out-patient treatment for all our donors.
This additional service allows Attend Anywhere technology to provide our donors with access to
the usual high standard of expert advice and treatment with the benefit, flexibility and comfort of carrying this out from their own home anywhere in the country. The secure online service enables you to attend video appointments with your clinician without the need to attend the Centres on a residential basis and is ideal for donors who would find it hard to travel or attend at present, or who have dependents making a residential stay difficult.
The new Remote Physiotherapy Outpatient Service will supplement our established residential treatment and I believe it will be hugely beneficial and in time become firmly embedded within the range of clinical services we offer.
Secondly, we have also partnered with Thrive, the only NHS approved mental health app, to produce an exclusive PTC version of the app to support Mental Wellbeing. I’m really pleased with the outcome and we have worked with the developers to customise it for the Police Treatment Centres to help our donors manage stress, improve wellbeing and build resilience in order to
tackle common issues effectively.
Thrive can help in many ways and delivers over 100 hours of content including a range of stress reducing sessions. A good starting point is the CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) programme which comes in 25 bite sized sessions designed to be opened daily. Following the CBT process allows you to unlock other elements of the app.There are also a number of different guided relaxation sessions, some distraction games and activities and a progress journal to allow a user to track their moods and stressors. There are links and signposts to other resources and importantly, if ever required, there is the facility to speak directly to a qualified Psychologist via a text chat service.
We are recommending Thrive to all our Patients at present and if you feel it is something that would benefit you then please do get in touch with us for further information.
Our thoughts are inevitably now starting to turn to Christmas and also the promise of a brighter new year with a potential vaccine in the offing and hopes of a return to a more normal life. 2020 has certainly had its challenges for all but the staff at the PTC have been positive and committed to supporting our donors throughout.
The new Clinical Services Wing is continuing to take shape at Harrogate and this fantastic new facility is something that means we can look forward to 2021 with a renewed sense of optimism.
Take care and stay safe.
Mark Oxley
Head of Clinical Services
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