The Future of No to Hassockfield

It's going to be a long fight to shut down Derwentside, so the more people involved, the more successful the campaign will be!  

The No To Hassockfield campaign was set up in early 2021, and the group are fighting for the closure of the women’s Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) in County Durham.

Known as Hassockfield when first announced, it has now been renamed Derwentside IRC by the government. It replaces Yarl’s Wood in Bedfordshire as the main IRC for women in the UK.

Hassockfield/Derwentside IRC is situated between Durham and Consett, outside the remote village of Medomsley – a name still notorious locally as the site of the former Medomsley Detention Centre, where large scale abuse of young men in the 1960s-80s was uncovered in Operation Seabrook.

It has  capacity for approximately 80 women who have been sent to the IRC because the system indicates their asylum claims have failed or because the government wants to deport them for other reasons. For most people detained, the Home Office’s decision to detain is successfully challenged.

Getting Involved

There are monthly public zoom meetings to share updates and information, discuss upcoming events and hear from specialists in asylum and immigration policy. No To Hassockfield will be holding its third AGM on Monday 15th May 7.30–9pm on Zoom. We'll have guest speakers from End Detention, a group with lived experience, including women who have been imprisoned in Derwentside.

1st Sunday of every month, there is a vigil at 3pm for multiple faiths and religious groups to come together in opposition.

3rd Saturday of every month at 12pm a demonstration at the site to show solidarity with women detained by making noise, playing music, shouting chants and sharing speeches. Next one: Saturday 20th May.

At last month’s demonstration, movingly, the women inside the centre could be heard, from across the fence. It would be great to have as many people there as possible to support the women inside.

Find out more:   https://notohassockfield.org.uk/

HostNation North East refugee befriending scheme

HostNation North East is a refugee befriending scheme. They introduce refugees/asylum seekers to befrienders (volunteers), to regularly meet and socialise over 3 months. An introductory scheme, matches can meet for a coffee, a walk in the park, or a swim in the North Sea - anything they’d like for a couple of hours a week, to help a refugee feel more settled and confident in the UK.

See their poster
All applications are made online.  Website: https://www.hostnation.org.uk

YouTube Introduction: https://youtu.be/wQpMNtgN4dk
ITV Tyne Tees Feature (Refugee Week 2022):https://youtu.be/A3AxOGF26P4

[Sunderland Mind support group] Have you lost a loved one to suicide?

Sunderland Mind have a new support group session on the Second Thurs of every month at 1–3pm.

Contact Anne on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 0191 565 7218 or 07984595542 to book.

For info and support on this and other groups from Sunderland Mind visit: https://www.sunderlandmind.co.uk/

TEWV NHS Trust seeking feedback on "Our Journey to Change"

Tees, Esk and Wear Valley (TEWV) NHS Foundation Trust, are the Mental Health and Learning Disability NHS Trust for County Durham and Darlington, Teesside, North Yorkshire, York and Selby.

More than 2500 people took part in "Our Big Conversation", TEWV's biggest ever listening exercise, and the result, "Our Journey to Change", sets out where TEWV want to be in five years’ time – the kind of organisation TEWV want to be and their commitment to three big goals co-created with staff, patients, carers and partners over the next five years.

TEWV values:

  • Respect – listening, inclusive, working in partnership
  • Compassion – kind, supporting, recognising and celebrating
  • Responsibility – honest, learning, ambitious

TEWV's commitment to three big goals:

  • To co-create a great experience for our patients, carers and families.
  • To co-create a great experience for our colleagues
  • To be a great partner

TEWV have now shared the five journeys that outline specific goals and commitments. The journeys focus on the following areas, and for each one, TEWV are seeking feedback with a series of mini surveys:

Clinical – how they will provide high quality, safe, kind, effective and personalised clinical care to the people TEWV support

Quality – how TEWV will make their services safer and improve patient experience through evidence-based care

Cocreation – how they will seek out and act upon the voices of the people they work with to improve care

Infrastructure – how workplaces, such as hospitals and offices, the equipment they use, the information TEWV gather and the systems and processes put in place will support excellent patient care

People – how they will ensure everyone who works and volunteers with TEWV has a great experience, whether they’re permanent employees, people working as bank staff or through an agency, students or volunteers

For more detailed information and access to the short surveys:
https://www.tewv.nhs.uk/about/trust/our-journey-to-change/our-journey-to-change-engagement/

Report - Relief Care Services During the Pandemic - The Value of Breaks from Caring [Gateshead]

A report was published in April entitled: Relief Care Services During the Pandemic - The Value of Breaks from Caring and the Impact of the Loss of these Services.

In spring 2022, Carers Trust Tyne and Wear worked with JH Research to explore the value of short breaks from caring and the impact of losing relief care services for people in Gateshead. While it focusses on services during the pandemic, its findings and recommendations shed an important light on the importance of breaks from the caring role.

At the time of this research, the Carer Relief Service supports 135 carers
supporting 118 people with care needs from across Gateshead.

Of the people they care for in Gateshead, who experience a range and combination of care
needs, approximately:

50% have dementia
25% have a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder
17% have mental health needs
3% have an eating disorder

Positive Impacts of the service:

The research identified that many carers were unable to leave the house or see other people, except when they were receiving a service. This enabled carers to: rest and relax; get tasks like shopping or housework done; have the freedom to go out; connect socially; spend quality time with other children; work; receive covid-19 vaccinations and attend medical appointments; and exercise.

The majority of carers receiving the service reported that it had helped to improve their mental and physical health, well-being and quality of life, and reduced loneliness or isolation.

Negative impacts of the loss of the service:

Loss of service for periods of the pandemic led to increased social isolation, stress and anxiety; worsening mental health; reduced quality of life and well-being; the need to reduce working hours; and difficulty in receiving a covid-19 vaccination.

Recommendations:

Carers stated that they valued services that were focused on them rather than the person with care needs; a relational approach of trust and care; a person-centred flexible approach; and consistency of workers visiting the home.

It is likely that carers receiving the service will be more likely to care better and for longer; will be less likely to personally need health and other support services; and that the people they care for will have a reduced or delayed need for statutory or residential care.

Find the full report here: https://www.carerstrusttw.org.uk/news/new-research-into-support-for-unpaid-carers-during-the-pandemic

New Quell.io digital mental health support platform for adults [Durham, Darlington and Teesside]

Kooth Plc are pleased to announce that Durham, Darlington & Teesside NHS Mental Health & Learning Disability Partnership has commissioned Qwell.io providing free, safe and anonymous digital mental health support to ALL adults over 18 in County Durham & Tees Valley.

Qwell is a safe and confidential online space where adults can share experiences and gain support from an online community and qualified mental health professionals. Adults can benefit from moderated discussion forums and self-help material.
 
Adults can use Qwell by dropping in for one-to-one text-based chats, or more structured booked sessions depending on individual needs. There is no waiting list, no referrals and no thresholds required to access the service, which is accredited by the BACP and delivered by Kooth Plc. Adults can sign up for a free account today by visiting www.qwell.io

To launch the service professionals working in the area are invited to find out more by attending one of three event webinars happening early 2022.

The next virtual event takes place on 27th January at 10am. To find out more and book your place please visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/an-introduction-to-qwell-county-durham-tees-valley-tickets-227068436807

Protesters Demonstrate Support for Women in Detention

The campaign against the incarceration of women asylum seekers in the former notorious Medomsley/Hassockfield Detention Centre (now renamed Derwentside IRC) has gathered pace over the past few months and is set to continue. The centre, which was originally due to open in September, was formally opened on November 23rd with an announcement by the Home Secretary Priti Patel in Parliament. At the same time Tom Pursglove MP, Minister for Justice and Tackling Illegal Migration, was given a tour of the centre, the management of which has been outsourced to private company Mitie.

The opening of the centre was swiftly followed by a national demonstration in Consett town centre with a solidarity demonstration in London's Hyde Park.

At some point between Christmas and New Year a small number of women were transferred from Yarl's Wood to the Derwentside IRC. Dozens of campaigners responded by mounting an emergency noisy demonstration on Sunday January 2nd in order to show support for the women locked up inside, tying orange hearts to the fence, singing songs and chanting #SetHerFree

Northern Echo article : Detainees arrive at Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre.

Campaigner Alison Stancliffe says:

"Our work goes on to push for closure of the facility but right now we must continue turning out at Hassockfield so that the women incarcerated there feel reassured they’ve not been abandoned by the outside world. We’re confident that word of our support will reach the women and they’ll know the outside world has not forgotten them. But that means being there and not giving up. Every one of us turning out will be offering hope and comfort to someone’s mother, daughter or sister."

Agnes Tanoh from Women for Refugee Women who has worked tirelessly to get the centre closed down, says:

"This is personal for me. I claimed asylum here because I was being persecuted in my country and I thought I would be killed. But I was locked up at Yarl’s Wood for three months in 2012. I know how detention destroys a woman. Women become depressed and suicidal in detention. Detention tears families apart and achieves nothing other than extreme harm. Women seeking asylum need protection and freedom, they should never be locked up like this. It’s time to shut down all detention centres.”

Research by Women for Refugee Women shows that over 85% of the women who had been detained in Yarl’s Wood had experienced rape, domestic violence, forced marriage, forced prostitution or female genital mutilation.

Former MEP and Durham resident Julie Ward says:

"The UK is out of step with international human rights norms regarding its treatment of asylum seekers. We are the only country in the 47-member state Council of Europe that practises indefinite detention whereby people seeking sanctuary are held for months if not years not knowing when their nightmare will end, if they will eventually be given leave to remain or whether they will taken in the middle of the night to be deported.

Former GP, Dr Helen Groom, secretary of the No To Hassockfield Campaign says:

"Women asylum seekers are amongst the most vulnerable people in our society and they deserve our attention and compassion. The moving of women seeking sanctuary to this prison gives us added impetus to increase the campaign to get this dreadful place closed down once and for all."

Regular demonstrations at the site organised by a broad coalition of organisations will continue on the third Saturday of every month from 12-2pm with prayer vigils happening every first Sunday at 3pm organised by the Hexham and Newcastle Diocese Justice and Peace Forum. Meanwhile there are a number of practical initiatives being established to show support to the women locked up in the detention centre.

You can find out more from the following campaigns.

Durham People’s Assembly
Email - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Facebook - @durhampeoplesassembly

Abolish Detention
Facebook - Abolish Detention - Hassockfield
Email - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

No to Hassockfield
Email - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Facebook - @No2Hassockfield

Women for Refugee Women
Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Facebook @4refugeewomen

NHS Community mental health survey results 2021

The NHS patient survey asked about the experiences of people who use community mental health services.  Specific reports for our regional trusts can be found at the bottom of this article.

https://www.cqc.org.uk/publications/surveys/community-mental-health-survey-2021
 
This nationwide report, published at the beginning of December 2021 by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), shows that people are consistently reporting poor experiences of NHS community mental health services, with few positive results. Many people reported that their mental health had deteriorated as a result of changes made to their care and treatment due to the pandemic.

In some areas of care, such as accessing care, communication, support and wellbeing, results have been declining for a number of years.

Findings show that, across many areas of care, experience of using mental health services is at its lowest point throughout the eight-year period 2014 to 2021.

The analysis found people who received telephone-based care reported worse than average experiences in four key themes: overall experience, access, communication, and respect and dignity.

Positive results

Organising care and Medicines

Key areas for improvement

Accessing care, Crisis care, Involvement

Trusts and commissioners are expected to take action to improve services based on the results.

Breakdowns for the responses relating to our local trusts can be found here, including useful comparisons with other trusts in England.

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV) Benchmark Report 2021
https://nhssurveys.org/wp-content/surveys/05-community-mental-health/05-benchmarks-reports/2021/RX3_Tees,%20Esk%20and%20Wear%20Valleys%20NHS%20Foundation%20Trust%20CMH21.pdf

Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW) Benchmark Report 2021
https://nhssurveys.org/wp-content/surveys/05-community-mental-health/05-benchmarks-reports/2021/RX4_Cumbria,%20Northumberland,%20Tyne%20and%20Wear%20NHS%20Foundation%20Trust%20CMH21.pdf

Adult AD/HD Groups North East Support Groups [North East]

Contact: Bill Scott 07856212564 | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |

http://aadhd-ne-uk.weebly.com/

Support Group Meetings: November 2021
 
Middlesbrough (Tuesday 2nd  Nov) Langdon Square Community Centre Coulby Newham, Middlesbrough TS8 OTF
Durham (Thursday 11th Nov) Waddington Street Centre, 3 Waddington Street, Durham City DH1 4BG
South Shields (Thursday 18th ) Age Concern (ACTS) Dora Dixon House, 29 Beach Road / Corner of Anderson Street. NE33 2QU
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Middlesbrough Tuesday 2nd November (6-8pm)

Langdon Square Community Centre Coulby Newham TS8 OTF
Thanks to Gordon Williams*, one of our long term allies in Middlesbrough, we will joining in with his new Neuro Key meetings at a new venue in Coulby Newham on the first Tuesday of every month! This gives us a fantastic opportunity to discuss the interrelationships between AD/HD and all the other neurodiverse comorbid conditions that can occur, including ADHD, ASD, PTSD, Brain injury, FASD, Tourett's etc.

The venue is great and there's a big free car park. As usual, everyone is welcome who has an interest in ADHD etc, including carers, family members, professionals working in the field etc. For further information about the venue, or Neuro key, an alliance supporting people with neurological conditions (established by Gordon) email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

facebook page @NeurokeyTVDNY And please check out Gordon’s amazing blog

https://neurologically-challenged.co.uk/hiding-neurodiversity-in-plain-sight-a-lifetime-of-masking-suppressing-and-acting/

Durham: Thursday 11th November  (6-9pm)

Thanks to our lovely friends at Waddy we will be having our support group meetings back in the heart of Durham City!  Venue: Waddington Street Centre, 3 Waddington Street, Durham City DH1 4BG

South Shields: Thursday 18th November (6-9pm)

Venue: Age Concern (ACTS) Dora Dixon House, 29 Beach Road / corner of Anderson Street, South Shields NE33 2QU. Thanks once again to Age Concern for their invaluable support.

We look forward to seeing everybody who can make it along to any of our meetings.