Why NHFT?
Why NHFT?
NHFT is a CQC Outstanding rated Mental Health and Community Trust. Our vision is to be an outstanding provider of compassionate care and this is embodied within the Medical Directorate. There is a culture within the department where colleagues are encouraged to submit ideas, especially where the outcomes improve patient care or deliver efficiencies within the service. Everyone’s ideas are encouraged and listened to.
There are many opportunities to progress and develop at NHFT. If you are looking to take the next step in your medical career, there is plenty of support within the team and you will be encouraged to take on more responsibility. There are no limits on what you can achieve at NHFT and as long as you are carrying out the main responsibilities of your role, you will have autonomy in your work.
Whether you are joining us from other areas within the UK, or internationally, you will receive support settling into the area, advice and support with education and support for you and your family.
If you are new to Northamptonshire or looking to relocate to the county, there are many activities and interests to get involved in across the county. Northamptonshire is also just an hour from the major cities of London, Birmingham, Cambridge and Oxford, whilst, at the same time, you are never more than ten minutes from open countryside.
Specialties
Specialties
CAMHS
Our Children and Young People Mental Health Service, known as CAMHS, supports Northamptonshire’s children and young people with mental ill health. This service supports children and young people below the age of 18, registered with a GP in Northamptonshire.
CAMHS look after those with emotional wellbeing and mental health difficulties. The service provides a variety of interventions and therapies in both individual or group settings, and works with families across our county to help children and young people feel better.
The CAMHS service has both community teams and inpatient services, there is also a crisis team and intensive outreach team, meaning patients with all levels of distress can be supported.
Professional standards
The Professional standards team ensures that medical revalidation recommendations are carried out robustly, through an assessment of the appraisal outputs and by maintaining effective communication with medical and dental colleagues and RO.
We work in partnership to support clinical engagement and leadership of performance, clinical effectiveness, safety, patient experience, and service development.
We have incorporated a new mentorship scheme in the professional standards team and we are working in collaboration with neighbouring Trusts to facilitate its delivery.
We support and ensure a robust approach to job planning and provide professional advice and leadership to the Trust on quality governance and clinical performance issues.
Adult mental health
We provide a range of services to support those with mental health issues, whether a patient is experiencing a mental health crisis, or requires some support within the community.
If a patient requires an inpatient admission to support their mental health, we have two hospital sites in the county, Berrywood Hospital in Northampton and St Marys Hospital in Kettering. We have male wards, female wards, pyschiatric intensive care units and a Section 136 suite.
We also have a range of offers within our Crisis services. These include our new and innovative Crisis Response Unit, our Urgent Care and Assessment Team (UCAT), Crisis Houses and Crisis Cafes. These services provide support for those experiencing a mental health crisis, some aiming to respond within an hour and others providing support over a longer duration.
Our aim is to support patients in the community, in their own surroundings. Our Community Mental health teams can provide longer term support to patients in their own homes or within settings in the community.
Our community Mental health teams work in a multidisciplinary way with partners within a Primary Care Network. They can provide medication, therapy and other support which can help the patient to recover.
The teams regularly work with social prescribers based in GP surgeries, Mind, who help us run our crisis cafes and our 24 hour mental health number, as well as charities and organisations that support with homelessness. We also link up with other NHFT services such as Talking Therapies.
Co-production is a significant part of service development and design at NHFT, particularly in the Mental Health services. When patients who have recovered from mental ill health, come back and work with us to design and improve services, they give hope to patients and insight and support to staff. Together, with our staff and the lived experience of former patients, we can deliver services that support patients to achieve the best outcomes.
Older adults mental health
We offer a range of services to support older people who need an inpatient setting for a period of assessment and treatment with mental health problems and dementia. We provide medical treatment, therapy, nursing, and holistic treatment to make sure all our patients’ needs are met.
We work to minimise the problems caused by impairment and disability, helping older people and allowing them to lead a fulfilling life, involving service users and their carers and families in decisions about their care, treatment, and therapy.
Our inpatient services are provided in two purpose-built facilities, one located at St Mary’s hospital, Kettering and the other at Berrywood hospital in Northampton.
We have a memory assessment service, which is responsible for anyone with cognitive or memory issues. Our Memory Assessment Service (MAS) provides diagnosis and on-going information and support. Recently, we have introduced changes within this service to respond to the growing demand and increasing waiting lists which built up during the Covid-19 pandemic. When patients are referred into the service now, we offer a “one-stop shop” style of appointment, patients are sent for diagnostic scans in advance of seeing a specialist, meaning that all results can be provided in one appointment, along with diagnosis, medication and advice for the patient and their family. This reduces the number of times the patient needs to see a clinician and helps reduce the length of wait for new patients referred to the service.
We work with other specialists and services to achieve the best outcome for patients. Referrals come mainly from GPs, but they can come from anyone who has concerns about cognition or functional difficulties. Memory assessment services are based in all of our localities so there is no need to travel too far for an assessment.
Learning disabilities
Secured services
Secured services has a vision to provide integrated care which is compassionate, patient centred, easily accessible and trauma informed. Our philosophy is to build a foundation based on mutual respect and open communication irrespective of age, race, religion or gender.
We deliver comprehensive, clinically effective, evidence-based healthcare to those living in prison or immigration removal centres. We currently deliver healthcare in six prisons and an Immigration Centre across four different counties.
From GP primary care and physiotherapy services to substance misuse and mental health support, we endeavour to provide trauma informed, compassionate care to patients within these settings.
We understand addressing unmet health needs has a positive impact on reducing reoffending, and our patients are seen within safe and supportive environments by our outstanding multi- disciplinary teams.
Caring for people with both short and long term conditions we work in partnership and collaboration and with the belief that we can make a difference with those we care for.
In the first partnership of its kind, NHFT and Central North West London Trust (CNWL) have collaborated to develop and deliver an integrated trauma informed health and wellbeing (H&WB) delivery model, with input from senior clinicians, operational managers and subcontractors. The key ambition for our partnership is to meet the diverse needs of patients and reduce health inequalities through a process of continuous improvement and seeking excellence in care.
We recognise the importance of individualised pathways in both a physical and mental health framework, and we are proud to listen to our patients' voices. We use feedback and engagement groups to shape, develop, and innovate to improve continuously at every opportunity.
Community beds
We have 4 local hospitals at different sites spread across Northamptonshire with an aim to provide the best care to patients closer to their homes, family and friends. These hospitals provide support to patients leaving acute hospitals, who are not yet well enough to return to their homes.
One of the hospital sites is also a Stroke ward which provides access to a consultant led Multi Disciplinary Team (MDT) who provide care to aid recovery of stroke afflicted patients.
Intermediate care team
The Intermediate care team is one of the largest nurse-led services in the Trust. It is a well-oiled, fully recruited and perfectly functioning service. The aim is to build virtual wards in homes and community settings, hospital away from hospital emergency departments (ED).
Input is provided from consultants, nurses and therapy services to provide care to patients with long term conditions, in order to help patients avoid having an admission to hospital. Patients are monitored twice daily using remote technology, by staff who can identify early indicators of deterioration, and act to provide medication or treatment and prevent hospitalisation. On average, at any given time we look after almost 200 patients at home.
Specialist palliative care
This service is a consultant led service that provides specialist palliative care to patients nearing the end of life or with life limiting conditions, and their families. This care is delivered through two hospices, Cransley hospice in the north and Cynthia Spencer hospice in the south of county.
In addition we provide Specialist palliative care support to the acute hospitals and we also run a patient-centric “Hospice @ Home” through our district nursing team. This service allows patients to remain in their own homes with “virtual monitoring” from clinical teams who can identify any early changes that may indicate a need for further support.
Children’s Services
Children’s services are made up of a range of services at NHFT. The 0-19 service provides the Healthy Child Programme, a planned series of contacts (face to face or virtual) with children and young people up to 19 years old and their families. These contacts are provided by a health visitor for children who are pre-school age, and school nurses who help to look after children who are school age.
Our team also has an infant feeding support team, family nurses (if you are under 18 and pregnant), and children's weight management and continence services.
We aim to support families across Northamptonshire providing a universal service for all, whilst also identifying those who might need specific help.
Our child and young people mental health services support children and young people up to the age of 18 in Northamptonshire, who are experiencing difficulties with their emotional wellbeing and mental health. The team offers a range of interventions and therapies delivered individually or in groups, in partnership with families in a number of localities.
We also have a Children's Specialist Services department which consists of a number of specialty teams that can support children and young people in areas such as ADHD and autism, eating disorders, learning disabilities and many other specialist areas.
We have a participation, involvement and co production team for all people that use our services including the children, young people, families, carers.
We have also recently launched our iDiscover resource hub which aims to give children and young people more information that will be useful to them and their families. It includes information, both local to our services and more national information.
Sexual Health
The Northamptonshire Integrated Sexual Health Service (NISHS) team is a team of experts offering a confidential and non-judgemental advice and support in Northamptonshire.
The service offers testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), complex contraception (implants, injections and coils), emergency contraception and HIV outpatient care.
The service is for everyone, regardless of gender, sexuality, age, race or faith. We also run dedicated clinics for young people.
We have a highly trained and skilled staff mix of consultants, doctors, nurses, health care support workers, psychologists, pharmacists, dieticians and administrative staff. In addition we have an outreach team who provide outreach testing services, education and training.
We provide a confidential service and take our responsibility to keep patients safe very seriously. We also appreciate that it can be very difficult to make the first steps to get in touch, and we aim to make your experience with us as straightforward and simple as possible.
The new NISHS ChatHealth service is an text message based service for any person under 25 years of age living in Northamptonshire. The service is delivered by nurses and health advisers to answer queries sent in by text, and to offer advice and arrange interventions relating to sexual health, reproductive health, and contraception.
The team also attend a number of regular outreach and educational appointments in colleges and other settings where individuals may be more at risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections. The team also work with partners across the county and beyond to support events that involve different communities to raise awareness and educate members of the public about our service.
Medical Education
At NHFT we endeavour to foster a culture of continuous learning and professional development. We have a regular academic programme with multidisciplinary participation. We have an active Junior doctor forum and good engagement from senior medical staff with our education committee.
We have a developed faculty with Director of Medical Education, Associate DME and Undergraduate Lead roles. We have tutors who specifically support Foundation year trainees, GP trainees and a Return To Training champion.
We host students from the University of Leicester for undergraduate training and encourage doctors of all grades to be involved with teaching and examining.
Many of our doctors hold honorary lecturer and fellow titles with the university and we are working towards University Hospital status.
We also actively support doctors in the portfolio pathway and train international GMC fellows.
We are a relatively small Trust which is aiming to grow its medical workforce and this means that we able to offer lots of opportunities for involvement in medical education to those who wish to pursue this as a particular interest.
Perinatal mental health
Our Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Service provides assessment and treatment for women who are experiencing, or are at an increased risk of experiencing a moderate to severe mental health condition during pregnancy and up to 2 years postnatally.
This service has developed from a team of 4 to a team of over 55, having been one of the first services set up to pilot perinatal mental health services. The service offers faster access to mental health care for mums, in the higher risk immediate postpartum period.
Referrals can be made by any health professional working with an individual, including midwives, health visitors, GP’s, hospital based teams and mental health services.
Pre-conception counselling is available for those who have previously experienced a severe mental illness and would like to plan a pregnancy.
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Meet our leadership team
Meet our leadership team
Dr Itai Matumbike - Medical Director
I lead the Medical Directorate at NHFT, which is made up of several departments. These include Medical Workforce, Pharmacy, Research and Innovation, Clinical Audit, Mental Health Legislation, Psychological Therapies and Medical Education.
At NHFT we offer a multitude of medical careers in various specialisms including Psychiatry, Community Paediatrics, Forensic Medicine, Internal Medicine in Community Beds, Palliative Care, Gender Services and General Practice.
Within psychiatry there are numerous sub-specialties including General Adult, Forensic Psychiatry, Child And Adolescent Psychiatry, Mental Health Services for Older People, Learning Disabilities, Gender Dysphoria Services, Neurodiversity, Eating Disorders and Psychotherapy.
Dr Farida Jan - Deputy Medical Director
I provide clinical leadership and direction to the Older Adults Mental Health service, ensuring the development and delivery of high quality clinical services that are safe, efficient and cost effective.
I am responsible for managing medical staff within the Older Adults Mental Health service, ensuring that senior clinicians have the opportunity to participate in the management arrangements, and for ensuring that clinical service provision and patient care is the principal focus.
Driving excellence in Professional standards is everyday business for myself, my team and for the organisation. We deliver that at NHFT by creating an environment which supports medical and dental colleagues through professional development activities.
Dr Bharath Lakkappa - Deputy Medical Director
I am a Consultant Geriatrician, working in Community Geriatrics, specialising in Intermediate Care and Community Rehabilitation.
As a Deputy Medical Director, I work with the clinical directors in the mental health directorate focusing on the management and support of medics across mental health.
I work closely with the operational teams to help develop new and work around existing pathways and ensure patient centred outcomes are delivered.
The role also includes quality improvement, and working with clinicians to develop new pathways. I work closely with the Integrated Care Board (ICB) and the other acute trusts in the local area to support quality improvement across the system.
Dr Sachin Sankar - Deputy Medical Director and Clinical Lead East Midlands Provider Collaborative for Inpatient CAMHS
Northamptonshire is the Lead provider for the CAMHS inpatient collaborative service across the East Midlands region which includes Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire
As the lead provider, we are responsible for commissioning and quality support for all CAMHS inpatient beds across the region and for the inpatient needs of all psychiatric children. We also commission intensive home treatment services. Research tells us that where patients receive treatment closer to home, their outcomes are likely to be better.
The collaborative has seen a reduction in the number of children being admitted to inpatient beds and a reduction in the number of referrals to the service as a result of our investment in the intensive home treatment service. This service allows children to remain in their homes and schools where there is continuity and stability in the life of the young person.
Both of our CAMHS units are rated outstanding. Our teams are built on a foundation of support for each other, if we don't look after each other, then we cannot look after our patients and since looking after our patients is our primary concern, we ensure we look after each other.
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Sas Doctors and Dentists
Sas Doctors and Dentists
Speciality and specialist (SAS) doctors and dentists are a group of experienced medical professionals who form a significant proportion of the medical workforce in any organisation. We are proud of our SAS workforce and the difference they make in NHFT. Find out more by watching an introduction to SAS doctors and dentists:
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Research and Innovation
Research and Innovation
The Research and Innovation Department, which encompasses a research delivery team, a research governance team, and a research development team is based at Berrywood Hospital in Northampton. The R&I department is dedicated to driving continuous improvement in the care our patients receive through clinical research and innovation.
In the Medical Directorate, we have made great strides with our Research and Innovation; even setting up an innovation fund and holding “Dragon’s Den” style events where colleagues can pitch their ideas and bid for funding. Since it’s inception we have stimulated a lot of clinical entrepreneurships, enabling staff to implement ideas which improve quality, and realise efficiencies both within the organisation and in the system. Find out what the team does from Dr Stephen Zingwe - Head of Research and Innovation:
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