NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, Health Improvement Senior
The Glasgow City North East Health Improvement Team (NEHIT) employ an early intervention and prevention approach to improve health and reduce health inequalities by addressing the underlying determinants of health.
In September 2023, the team supported the Community Justice Glasgow health and wellbeing event for people serving a Community Payback Order (CPO) in Glasgow City providing opportunities for people serving CPOs to enhance their health knowledge.
Our inputs aimed to challenge stigmas and raise awareness of topics (such as mental health, suicide, smoking cessation, cancer screening and sexual health) with the aim of buffering the effects of trauma and increasing individuals’ knowledge and understanding of what supports are out there and available to them. Helping work towards the community justice aim that the right services are accessible and available to people sentenced to CPOs.
We ran NHSGGC Healthy Minds Adult Mental Health Awareness sessions for CPO clients and UPW supervision staff. Participants left the sessions with a greater understanding of their own emotions and behaviours, and hopefully felt more confident in identifying signs, symptoms and triggers and learned self-care routines to manage challenging times in their lives. Ninety-seven percent of people who attended told us they found it beneficial.
“The engagement workshop was very beneficial to me. I feel like I walked away with good professional advice both to help me mentally and physically and general life lessons”
Client feedback
By the end of our engagement, the individuals who participated were enthusiastic, motivated and keen to learn more. Many left wanting to follow up on topics with friends, family, colleagues and professional services, such as their GP. Actions the Community Justice Unpaid Work Health & Wellbeing programme is looking to deliver on.
The event also helped to renew the collaborative relationships between the NEHIT, Community Justice Glasgow and, in particular, the Unpaid Work supervision staff. Building upon the success of last year, NEHIT and Unpaid Work Services are working in partnership to create “Send Silence Walking and Let’s Get TALKing” a campaign for World Suicide Prevention Day 2024.
The week of action will encourage individuals involved to start the conversation and engage in open, honest discussions about suicide. By initiating conversations, we hope to break down barriers and raise awareness, check in, share personal stories and advocate for suicide prevention and awareness resources and support services. Every conversation, no matter how small, contributes to a more supportive and understanding society.
To ensure a lasting legacy for the community in North East Glasgow people serving Community Payback Orders (CPO) with Unpaid Work are kindly creating a Tree of Hope, which will be situated in Parkhead Forge Shopping Centre. All members of the community will be invited to complete a leaf with an affirmation or positive message of hope, including CPO clients and staff. These will symbolise voices of individuals across the North East of Glasgow and encourage suicide-safer communities.