OMC Funded Accessibility Projects – Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Widening Access and Increasing Diversity Project
In line with our charitable aims we support training, activities or initiatives which widen access to, and participation in, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and practices. Our Accessibility Fund grants are given on the expectation of clear impact, outcomes and/or key learnings. Applications to the Accessibility fund are reviewed by Oxford Mindfulness Foundation Board members, OMC staff and external advisers.
Here, we highlight a recent project supported by the accessibility fund.
OXFORD UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST: MINDFULNESS – WIDENING ACCESS AND INCREASING DIVERSITY PROJECT
AIMS:
Extending access to mindfulness sessions to women with complex social needs and pregnant teenagers.
POPULATION:
Working with a group of vulnerable pregnant women with complex social needs in the north of the county we have been able to move from informal ‘taster’ sessions to identifying a group willing to attend a short course. This has involved several months of consistent, non-judgemental and adaptive working to successfully engage with this group of women and develop a level of acceptance and trust. We are now using the same model to engage with a second group of women in the west of the county.
INTERVENTION:
Since Jan 2019 our two MiSP trained midwives have adapted and developed an MBCP course for teenagers drawing from both MBCP-4-NHS and MiSP materials. We had initially hoped to run an 8 week course for our pregnant teenage population. However, despite taking time to engage with community midwives caring for the TAP groups the logistics of pulling a widely geographically spread group together in one location has proved difficult. Following further consultation with the TAP groups we now hope to use the SAPlings model and focus on one active TAP group.