1st ever NHS Trust awarded for supporting asylum seekers and refugees

LANCASHIRE and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust is the 1st NHS organisation in the country to receive a City of Sanctuary Award for supporting people who are seeking asylum and refuge to access the health services they need. The known number people seeking asylum and refuge in Lancashire has risen rapidly in recent years with over a thousand in Lancashire at any 1 time.  Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust has been working to understand the challenges that many asylum seekers and refugees face and taking positive steps towards making it easier for them to receive care. The trust has also been supporting staff to provide the best services possible despite challenges they face when having difficult conversations and dealing with barriers created by language.

Nicky Ingham, Director of Workforce and Organisational Development for the trust said:- "We are so incredibly proud, not only to have received recognition for striving to be an inclusive organisation, but for being the first NHS trust in the whole country to be in receipt of a City of Sanctuary Award for Health.  1 of the things that makes the NHS so special is the fact that services are available to all so we look forward to building on this work further to make sure that everyone who needs health care can receive it."

Emma Allen, Equality and Diversity Strategic Lead for the trust said:- "We're really proud to have been recognised as leading the way when it comes to providing accessible healthcare services for all. We know that asylum seekers and refugees are likely to have particular health needs because of the distressing experiences they've faced and it's so important that we make it as easy as possible for them to get the help that they need. Empathy and compassion can make a huge difference when people are trying to navigate the health care system. We know that for our staff, dealing with complex issues can be challenging so have tried to make it as easy as possible for them to access the information they need to be able to provide the best care possible."

The trust has made guidance and training available to all staff around how to best meet the needs of those seeking asylum and refuge and will continue to engage with this population to continue to learn and develop this work. Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust recently hosted a special tenth anniversary Opportunity Knocks conference which celebrates diversity and connects colleagues, patients and carers from across the county to people to showcase learning across the Region.

Knowsley Safari runs storytime for Schools

KNOWSLEY Safari has created a series of short stories known as:- 'The Chronicles of Conservation' as it supports local Primary Schools in encouraging creative and imaginative storytelling among early years children.  The Safari's Learning and Discovery Team will bring the stories to life in School classrooms around:- 'National Storytelling Week' an annual event that helps thousands of teachers and pupils across the UK to tell great stories.

The Chronicles of Conservation have been created to capture children's fascination with animals and their growing interest in sustainability to engage them in storytelling. The 3 stories include:- 'Rainforest Rumble,'  a tale about Knowsley Safari's bush dogs receiving some alarming news from their cousins living in an under threat rainforest:- 'Fishing Fiasco' which tells the story of the Safari's sea lions helping fight falling numbers of fish in the seas and 'Wildlife Wasteland,' where a clean up crew of cockroaches fight littering to save the forest.

Nikki Mallott, Head of Learning and Discovery at Knowsley Safari, comments:- "We've created the stories to inspire children and get them excited about telling their own stories about topics they're really interested in and enjoy. We'll go into Schools, running Safari Storytime classes that will see us tell the stories using a host of artefacts, props and costumes, and most importantly, involving pupils in choosing how they want each storyline to develop. This will make the stories interactive and help the children to think about how they can take the story from the beginning, to what happens in the middle and how it gets to the end."

The lessons have been designed for early years foundation stage and reception classes. Each lesson lasts for 1 hour, with each 1 telling a story from:- 'The Chronicles of Conservation,' and are suitable for up to 30 children. Classes run from 20 January, until 14 February 2020, covering the period of National Storytelling Week, which takes place from 1 February to 8 February 2020.

The classes are designed and delivered by Knowsley Safari's Learning and Discovery Team, which has helped over 25,000 School children learn about wildlife and conservation during the past 12 months.  Nikki Mallott concludes:- "We've had great success working with Schools, delivering interactive and engaging classes like 'Move Like Me', which used animal movements to encourage children to get active. Children have such natural enthusiasm for animals and saving the planet, and we're confident we can draw on this to promote the art of storytelling. This is all about thinking creatively and helping children to construct narratives and tell great stories. It'll be a lot of fun!"

Classes are being rolled out in Schools across Merseyside and will be delivered free of charge. Schools interested in booking the Safari Storytime classes free of charge can email:- Learning@Knowsley.Com.  National Storytelling Week runs annually and is organised by:- 'The Society for Storytelling.' The organisation helps Schools and pupils (and lots of other people outside of classrooms) to tell great stories.