We help patients and staff

• We sponsor educational and social projects to support the specialist treatment of people with personality disorders and complex trauma.
• We provide support through The Service User Involvement Fund and Eileen Skellern Awards.
• We fund vital research.

Helping patients lead better lives 

We fund social and occupational activities for patients on the three year Outreach programme.  This helps ease the transition back into the routine of a regular daily life. Read how our support is valued by patients :

“The money provided by the Charitable Trust allows us to get something to drink when we go out for our nurse groups and contributes to the money we are able to spend on events every season. Each patient is part of a nurse group which meets once a week for two hours. We primarily tend to go to a museum or a gallery for the first hour and then we go to a café to get a drink, either a soft drink or tea or coffee.

“Alternatively, we sometimes go for a walk or sit in a café doing arts and crafts. Before we even meet for our nurse group, patients have to find their way to the nurse group destination which can be challenging for some patients who, for example, find it difficult to navigate their way or deal with the crowds. Once we have got to the nurse group, a key and crucial part of the time we spend together is whilst we sit and enjoy a drink together.

“Thankfully, the money provided to Outreach from the Charitable Trust for the refreshments is instrumental in allowing patients to have the space to discuss things with their fellow group members and staff.

”During my time in Outreach I have seen a transformation in some of the patients who would have previously found it difficult to eat or drink in front of other people and staff.  The staff are vigilant about how much money is spent in a nurse group and are careful to keep track of what is being spent.

 “Another part of Outreach is the fact that we have an event every season.  We are grateful to the Charitable Trust for providing us with the financial support in allowing us to go on to do various activities. For example, during my time in Outreach we have done activities such as the trip to Brighton and canoeing on the River Thames. These events were so much fun and such a wonderful part of my Outreach experience.

“Thank you to the Charitable Trust for continuing to support and contribute the financial support to allow every patient in Outreach to benefit and enable them to get the most out of this experience.   

Supporting our service users 

 The Service User Involvement Fund (SUIF) was set up to support the development and employment of people living with personality disorders and complex trauma.

The establishment of the SUIF reflects the recognition that supporting patients to find employment is a fundamental part of ensuring mental health services meet the needs of those they serve.

This funding helps current and former patients to find jobs as ‘peer support workers’ or ‘experts by experience’ by funding activities that support their development. It also assists people with the lived experience of personality disorder and complex trauma find employment delivering and developing training and consultations across the NHS and other providers.

Some examples of the kind of support the CHCT provides include funding attendance at the Tale of Three Cities event in Manchester Cathedral in June 2022, where past service users were able to share their experiences.

We also funded four past patients to attend the important BIGSPD conference in Glasgow in 2023, where they delivered a powerful and personal account of a week in the life of an outpatient on the Cassel outreach programme.

If you would like to support present and former patients in finding work which benefits others with personality and complex trauma, please make a donation or if you would like to know more about the charity’s work in this area, please get in touch.

Supporting our mental health nurses

Good outcomes for people living with a diagnosis of personality disorder and complex trauma relies on them receiving the highest standard of professional care.

The Cassel’s team of nurses is dedicated to working with patients to help them come to terms with their challenges and go on to live successful lives.

To achieve these good outcomes, nurses need to be supported in their training and their own wellbeing and the charity runs its Eileen Skellern Awards scheme to provide that support.

Named after a pioneering psychosocial nurse who worked at The Cassel Hospital in the 1940s and ‘50s, the scheme assists specialist nurses in their work and helps to recruit psychosocial nursing staff.

Nurses can apply for funding for training and education to develop psychosocial skills and relational approaches to care.

Psychosocial nursing is concerned with both the psychological and social aspects of a patient’s life. Relational psychotherapy is founded on the concept of relationships with others being an essential aspect of a person’s wellbeing.

Nurses at The Cassel use a relational approach to forge strong, secure and collaborative relationships with people in their care. This work can be challenging and nurses are also encouraged to apply to The Eileen Skellern Awards for funding for their personal psychotherapy.

A Cassel nurse said:

‘In this line of work it is imperative for staff to be able to separate our own difficulties from that of the patients, and I don’t think there is a better tool than therapy for this. Unfortunately, psychotherapy is an expensive pursuit and to be able to claim back a portion of these fees has been immensely helpful, for which I am sincerely grateful.’

Keep an eye on our news section where we post updates on the charity’s work around Education & Training.

Research

Read about our award-winning research

Want to find out more about our work? Please get in touch.