You might have seen that DHU Healthcare recently launched a new self-referral website to support the mental health of children and young people (CYP) living in Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland.
We thought you might like to know more about the team behind the new site, so for this week’s ‘What Do You Do’ we’re catching up with Martin Reeves, who is the Clinical Lead for our Children’s and Young Persons Triage & Navigation Service (LLR).
Martin started his journey at DHU four years ago, joining us from the Leicester Royal Infirmary Emergency Department as a triage clinician.
Martin told us: “I was fortunate enough to have a good manager who helped me develop into a team leader and subsequently became a clinical service lead in 2020. I am grateful for the opportunities which I have had along the way; I can honestly say that personal development and the encouragement we get from colleagues are, in my opinion, the best things about working for DHU.
“Today, I work to support the clinical team that delivers care in the LLR extended access and out of hours hubs, in addition to working with a small team of clinicians and administrators in the Children’s and Young Persons Triage & Navigation Service, based at Anstey Frith House in Leicester. I also work clinically for DHU in the GP practices, providing assessment and treatment for our patients.
“I like to plan my days and my diary is important to me. That said, I often juggle tasks so that I can respond to emerging priorities, which can result in a day that ended up looked completely different to my original plans! I find days such as this extremely rewarding, although sometimes they can be overwhelming and results in nothing being crosses off my ‘to do’ list!
“I am particularly proud of being involved in the development of a new children’s and young person’s mental health self-referral website which has recently gone live across LLR. “MySelfReferral” is aimed at under 18’s who are struggling with their own, personal mental health. They can access resources online and even self-refer into the service if they feel that is something that they need too.
“The people in my team are brilliant and much of my time is focused on them so that they are supported in their role. There are of course occasions when some people need more of my time whereas others don’t need any at all, and that’s ok as I’m here for them when they need me. I hope my team feel that the time I do spend with them is supportive and that we provide them with the skills and resilience to be able to enjoy coming to work; something that I believe resonates into better patient care.
“In terms of my own wellbeing, I love Spring, as this results in me spending more time outside. I am a keen gardener and allotmenteer, in fact my colleagues often poke fun at me when I am working from home, suggesting that I am tending my flowers and veg. To be fair, if my Wi-Fi signal was strong enough to reach my allotment, I would work from there as it’s s lovely environment to work in!
“If I could offer one pearl of wisdom, it would to be look to nature for the answers you seek. Time spent in nature, with nature, allows you to slow down, reflect, rejuvenate and think about next steps which is something we all need to ensure we look after ourselves, both mentally and physically.”