Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

22/12/2025

If you are experiencing significant emotional or mental health distress, call 111 and select the mental health option.

This service offers 24/7 advice and support if you are:

- Experiencing worry, anxiety or fear that you can't control
- Hearing voices or seeing things that others can't
- Considering harming yourself
- Find yourself withdrawing from your friends or family

22/12/2025

5️⃣ tips to boost your mental wellbeing this December ✨

If you need mental health support you can self refer to Talking Therapies via our website - https://www.lscft.nhs.uk/talkingtherapies

20/12/2025

Thank you to everyone who voted for this year’s People’s Choice Award winner. More than 1,000 people voted and we’re excited to tell you that the winners are… Dawn and Lee! 🏆

Let’s recap on Dawn and Lee’s story.

Dawn and Lee don’t know each other, but by pure coincidence they both happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Learning disability nurse Dawn Claeys from our Discharge and Co-Ordination Team had been on a clinical visit and was on the motorway driving to her next appointment. Meanwhile Lee Holmes from our Clinical Education Team was on the same stretch of road.

Dawn noticed a casualty on the hard shoulder and pulled over through three lanes of live traffic. Dawn found the casualty was breathing but had significant injuries.

Within moments, Trust colleague Lee, who is our Mandatory Training Manager had also spotted the casualty and pulled onto the westbound hard shoulder.

Luckily, in his spare time, Lee is a volunteer community first responder and is accustomed to being first on the scene of an emergency. As a result, he had oxygen and an automated external defibrillator (AED).

Both colleagues took the lead in administering the initial first aid at the scene, prior to emergency service arrival. They worked with an advanced paramedic at the scene and gave a full handover of the patient’s condition, before the air ambulance attended.

Both colleagues then returned to work, completing their appointments for the rest of the day.

Delivering the great news, Chief Nurse Officer Oliver Soriano disturbed Lee’s team meeting and there were cheers and tears aplenty from his colleagues. Meanwhile, Director of Nursing for Specialist Network, Jacquie Shenton, popped up in Blackburn to surprise Dawn.

Watch them find out the news below 😊

19/12/2025

Shaun Walsh, Support, Time and Recovery Worker within our Darwen Community Health Team has been recognised for his community spirit.

Shaun has demonstrated exceptional commitment, creativity, and compassion in his role in the co-delivery of “Mind Rover Matters” initiative in partnership with Blackburn Rovers Football Club.

Launched in June 2024, ‘Mind Rover Matters’ is a project that uses the power and symbolism of the Blackburn Rovers badge to promote physical activity, inclusion, and mental wellbeing among individuals experiencing mental health challenges.

Shaun has been supporting service users to attend the weekly sessions, offering encouragement, practical assistance, and emotional support. His advocacy has helped grow the project’s reach and reputation within the community, with service users reporting:

- increased confidence
- reduced feelings of isolation
- improved physical health
- the development of meaningful social relationships

Shaun’s work exemplifies the very essence of community care: bringing people together, fostering resilience, and championing recovery through connection and activity.

Chief Strategy and Improvement Officer, Phil Horner, recently presented the Community Champion Award to him (shown below).

Well done! 💙

18/12/2025

For many of us, the festive season is a time for family, food and togetherness. We know this is often juggled around work commitments as colleagues across our services continue to provide care on Christmas Day and throughout the holidays, ensuring people receive the support they need when they need it most.

For Funmilola, known to her colleagues as Lola, it’s also a time to give something special to the service users she supports.
Lola is a Healthcare Support Worker and has worked for the trust for almost two years.

Lola comments: “At home Christmas is all about family and tradition, as a Nigerian, we take our festive cooking very seriously. The season is about preparing lots of delicacies, spending time together, catching up with extended family and enjoying being out and about during such a beautiful time of year.”

“Being at work over Christmas means making a different kind of celebration possible. As a support worker, I take pride in helping to better the lives of the people we support, many of them don’t get to spend the holidays with their families, so it’s our responsibility to make their festive season joyful and memorable.”

That sense of purpose is something Lola carries home too. When her nine year old daughter asked why she had to work on Christmas Day, Lola explained: “There are people in hospital who need my care and support, and I feel honoured that I get to help make their holiday special and contribute to the wellbeing and progress of their recovery journeys. My daughter replied by saying I love that mum, you are doing a good job!”

Lola is one of many of our colleagues who will be working over the festive season, thank you for supporting our patients and communities. Your dedication is appreciated.

18/12/2025

The Chairman’s Award!

This award is chosen personally by our Chairman David Fillingham, for a team or individual who truly live our Trust values.

This year David has chosen to award jointly to two teams who demonstrate fantastic teamwork making a real difference to patient care.

The Blackpool Mental Health Liaison Team and Home Based Treatment Team have collaborated on an improvement initiative to reduce long waits for mental health patients in the emergency department at Blackpool Victoria Hospital.

Through their partnership work patients are now seen quicker at a time when they need us most. Not only have waiting times improved but there has been a reduction in admissions from A&E meaning people are supported to stay at home and in their community whilst receiving care and recovering.

17/12/2025

We are recruiting Health Care Support Workers in Barrow and Kendal.

We are seeking compassionate and respectful band 3 Health Care Support Workers to join our teams in Barrow and Kendal. You will play a vital role in delivering high quality care and support in our inpatient units for patients with a range of mental health needs.

If you are successfully shortlisted, you will be invited to attend a two hour assessment consisting of an interview, role-play and written assessment.

Find out more and apply https://www.lscft.nhs.uk/vacancies #!/job/v7684841

17/12/2025

Our next Time to Shine winners have truly transformed their service offer – a massive well done to the Fylde and Wyre CYPMH team who have won the 2024 Improvement Award!

The team have shown outstanding commitment, innovation and resilience in tackling long waiting times for first assessments – one of its most pressing challenges.

In April 2024, more than 600 young people had been waiting for more than three years to be seen, but thanks to relentless efforts only one person remains on the list and the team are consistently meeting national targets for first and second contacts 🙌

Watch the moment the team were surprised by Abigail Harrison, Chief Digital and Infrastructure Officer, at Whitegate Health Centre!

17/12/2025

Happy Hanukkah to all our colleagues, service users, families and wider communities celebrating Hanukkah.

May your celebrations be filled with love, laughter and moments of reflection.

16/12/2025

Are you ready for another Time to Shine winner announcement? 🎤

We are thrilled to announce our Fylde Coast Early Intervention Team have been crowned winners of the coveted Clinical Team of the Year Award for 2025. 🎉

Despite facing challenges, this amazing team showed resilience, collaboration and unwavering dedication to delivering high-quality, person-centred care. Their efforts led to outstanding results in the National Clinical Audit of Psychosis, including 36% above the national benchmark for referral to treatment and 95% for paired outcome measures.

The team didn’t just maintain excellence, they raised the bar! From launching carer support initiatives to improving care planning for patients with autism and learning disabilities, their commitment to innovation and inclusivity shines through.

This award celebrates their teamwork, kindness, and passion for making LSCFT a supportive place to work while delivering the best possible care.

Watch as Oliver Soriano, Chief Nurse Officer presented the award to a shocked team working at Gateway next to Blackpool Football Club.

16/12/2025

15/12/2025

A huge congratulations to The Bay Network PA Team who are our Support Team of the Year Award winners 🏆

Based in Lancaster, the Bay Network PA Team describe themselves as small but mighty – and we’d have to agree! The team of six support colleagues, services and teams right across North Lancashire and South Cumbria.

Providing exceptional administrative and organisational support across the Bay Network, this ‘behind the scenes’ team ensure that managers and services can deliver effectively for patients and colleagues alike. They are the quiet force behind countless meetings, projects, and initiatives, often stepping in to assist other administrative teams when extra support is needed.

With their creativity, compassion, and commitment to excellence, the team embody the very best of our Trust and NHS values. They go above and beyond every day to ensure services run seamlessly.

Recognised for their uplifting team spirit, the Bay Network PA Team support one another wholeheartedly, share knowledge freely, and approach every task with a proactive, can-do attitude. Whatever the challenge, this mighty team responds with flexibility, positivity, and a smile!

Watch Phil Horner, chief strategy and performance officer, surprise the team 😍.