The Pod - Print version

About The Pod

‘What THE POD do is innovative, radical and socially engaged’ NHS England  

Sitting within Coventry City Council Adult Social Care and significantly funded by the Integrated Care Board (ICB).  The Pod, is an award-winning secondary mental health social brokerage and cultural hub which represents a new progressive and values driven within local authority adult social care, one that focuses on critical connections and a shift from service user/patient to citizenship and agency. 

Committed to a human centred and rights-based approach to secondary mental health relationships and see’s The Pod deliver this through an innovative, unique and dynamic personalised social brokerage model.  The Pod aims to build individual, organisational and/or societal capacity for creativity, innovation, compassion and activism and each arm of their work asserts the importance of cultivating authentic connection with the city, its creatives, entrepreneurs, academics, industry leaders, change makers, quiet activists and the under heard. As an outcome of The Pod’s approach unexpected (and often unconventional) bridges to sector experts, employment, just things that matter are forged, sustained and made real.  

 ‘[The Pod] challenges national assumptions around what and how social care can deliver’ (TLAP) 

 The Pod have asserted National influence through work with TLAP, Public Health England, National Development Team For Social Inclusion In Mental Health, Local Government Association and presenting to the Health and Social Care Committee in Parliament. We aim to secure fast, firm and sustainable outcomes. 

The Pod believe that recovery and regeneration are totally intertwined and is determined to create conditions in which everyone has voice and can thrive – the city is its people. 

In 2014 to forge a more radical, purposeful, environmentally conscious and regenerative connection with the city, The Pod launched its social activism program ‘Food Union’ and its sister program Time Union, this dynamic union of likeminded people were, and remain pivotal in the evolution of The Pod Café - moving it from training kitchen to its status now as a café celebrated nationally for its unique take on ‘soil to table’ vegan cuisine and social eating.

‘Food Union – as the name implies – uses the simple power of food to bring communities together, to find healthier ways of producing and eating food, but also of thinking about and enacting community and civic identity’ Dr Chris Maughan.

‘The quiet activism of THE POD is also a deep activism, a unique case of civic care for people, places, land and multi-species, at a time when civic care is aggressively being eroded through calls to austerity, auditing and capital’ Dr Nirmal Puwar, Reader in Sociology, Goldsmiths, University of London.  Self-proclaimed Writer As Resident in Coventry

If you are a Care Coordinator and you would like to refer a person you are currently working with, please complete The Pod referral form [/thepodreferralpack]

Mental Health Social Brokerage and Social Advocacy

The Pod works with adults living with severe and/or enduring mental ill-health (bipolar, psychosis, schizophrenia), achieving outcomes through one-to-one appointments with clear time-bound goals and milestones with a focus on outcomes.

The Pod uses an asset-based, solution-focused model rooted within personalisation to enable connections, nurture aspiration and build resilience. Provoking individuals to step outside their comfort zones, reimagine their lives and move away from the subculture of services into mainstream society.

The Pod works with citizens of Coventry on a referral basis from practitioners in Secondary Mental Health as well as from the Crisis and Home Treatment Team [https://www.covwarkpt.nhs.uk/service-detail/health-service/psychological-services-3/] as a part Social Interventions Pathway (SIP). Playing a critical role in the integrated pathway to ensure that people transition from service user or patient to citizen.

Social brokerage

This human-centred approach creates opportunity to rethink relationships. Restoring agency, using their strengths and assets to inform solution focussed thinking. Provoking people to move away from the subculture of services into mainstream society. Social Brokerage reframes what should be expected of a mental health services. Social Brokerage has a focus on the city - its people, assets and outcomes. Social Brokerage is being part of something bigger.

Social advocacy

A rights-based approach enabling Citizens to recognise and address inequity within society. Seeking to challenge power imbalance and provoke different and crucial conversations. Mobilising relevant key agencies and professionals. This approach ensures roles and responsibilities are clear and time framed, so that decision-making processes are inclusive and transparent and if necessary, asserting the need for fast track access, ensuring the citizen remains central to discussions and decisions.

Intertwine

Nobody's life is a straight line, like society, it’s dynamic. The push and pull relates as much to our passions as they do to the pressures placed upon us by society. In that sense, the human perspectives and strategies experienced tested through Social Advocacy and Social Brokerage can be used to navigate life. Using Statutory Assessments as a framework for dialogue to enhance understanding and outcomes for the citizen.

Not on services but instead:

• Social activism
• Social mobilisation
• Social brokerage

Not on care but instead:

• Connectivity – Bringing people, skills, neighbourhoods together (working without boundaries)
• Cultivation – Recognising that everyone has something to offer (promoting personal and social growth)
• Change - Enabling people to thrive (bringing value to a variety of ways of doing things)

Interfaces

Community Mental Health Teams

Our Personalisation and Recovery pathway incorporates Foundation Assessments including Strengths And Needs Assessment. The investment offered is solution-focused, personalised and responsive. We aim to optimize a person's relationship with their community of interest and build sustainable networks. We create sustainable bridges to universal and purposeful opportunities or employment. Social Brokerage involves research, appraisal, reflection, critical debate. Social Brokerage utilised mixed economy investment which may include Direct Payment applications. This is proven to reduce dependency on, or revolving usage of, both secondary mental health and specialist health and social care commissioned services by building resilience.

Referral process

• Conversation - Discussion between individual and their Key Worker or Care Coordinator
• Action - Web based Referral Form  [https://myaccount.coventry.gov.uk/en/service/The_Pod_referral]completed by Key Worker or Care Coordinator 
• Response - Development Worker allocated to individual.

Moving forward

First planning meeting at The Pod - Social Brokerage and Development Worker relationship explained in greater detail. Individual, Care Coordinator and Development Worker must be present to discuss desired outcomes and reason for referral.

The development worker's relationship with the individual continues over a series of meetings on an appointment basis, over a fixed timeframe.

The Care Coordinator is involved throughout the length of time that the Pod works with a person and may need to attend milestone meetings and support Direct Payment applications [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/directpayments].

If you are a Key Worker or Care Coordinator and you would like to refer a person you are currently working with, please complete The Pod referral form [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/thepodreferralpack].

SIP – A collaboration between the Home Treatment Team, Axholme Services and The Pod

 SIP was awarded funds from The Midlands Crisis Alternatives Transformation Funding (NHS England) to increase the capacity and diversity of services in the local crisis pathway. This followed on from and supported the successful pilot that had been operational for a number of months to address new ways of supporting adults in distress to achieve robust outcomes. The collective approach to the work undertaken extends beyond the usual service boundaries with the most appropriate professional allocated to work with an individual. The emphasis on combined professional leadership with social advocacy and support led to recruitment to three new and critical positions.

Underpinning values

The service focuses on recovery model and believes:

• Accessing investment of time from The Pod is a step on the individual's recovery journey and not the end destination.
• That all people have capacity to develop personal resilience and to manage their mental health and wellbeing
• That people have the right to be included and the right to their place in community and access universal and mainstream opportunities (which include training, education and employment)
• That people should be able to exercise choice and control and every opportunity should be explored to optimise choice and control
• That Citizens have the right to design and manage their own route to recovery and that to facilitate this Citizens should have opportunity to be connect to and have critical conversations with appropriate field experts and exercise relevant statutory rights
• That Citizens have a right to access the Strengths And Needs Assessment (Care Act Assessment) and direct payments should this enable them to achieve their outcomes
• That people have the right to autonomy and to take positive risks
• Everyone's recovery journey is unique and our work should be personalised, responsive and honest
• That we need to have robust relationships with referring practitioners so we can collaboratively accelerate Citizens recovery journeys
• Connectivity needs to be optimised to enable lateral thinking with relationships based upon mutual respect increase the likelihood and impact of positive risk taking.
• That citizens know their rights, know how and empowered to exercise those rights
• That professional interventions should personalised; proportionate and timely

Referral form for Key Workers or Care Coordinators [http://myaccount.coventry.gov.uk/en/service/The_Pod_referral_pack]

Frequently Asked Questions For Referring Practitioners

Who can refer to the service? 

Referrals for our core pathway can only be made by  Key Workers from Community Mental Health And Wellbeing Team and the Early Intervention Team – Referrers must be able to ensure that there is a named person from your team to carry risk and sign off Care Act Assessments.  

Referral form for Key Workers or Care Coordinators [http://myaccount.coventry.gov.uk/en/service/The_Pod_referral_pack]

Who can be referred to the service? 

Citizens living with Severe and Enduring mental ill health who have a commitment of investment from a  Key Worker assigned to work with them for a minimum of 3 months. 

What information is the referring practitioner required to provide? 

The Pod cannot activate involvement unless we have received: 

• Up-to-date CPA care plan 

• Up-to-date Steve Morgan Risk Assessment 

• A completed electronic referral form [http://myaccount.coventry.gov.uk/en/service/The_Pod_referral]

If we are sent all the information, what should you expect?  

The Pod's working hours are 8.30 - 4.30pm Monday to Thursday and 8:30 - 4pm on Fridays. The Pod is an appointment-based service. We will invite you and the person you have referred to an introductory meeting. This investment of your time is critical. We try and set up the meetings within 2 to 3 weeks of receiving the referral. This could be either in person at The Pod, via telephone or via Microsoft Teams depending on Citizen preference. 

What does a journey with The Pod look like? 

The Pod will commit to working with an individual for a minimum of 16 meetings.

The Citizen can Expect:

1-3 Meetings Foundation Assessment 

• The first session is a 3-way meeting between the citizen, the Development Worker/Social Advocate and the Care coordinator/key worker. This ensures the citizen understands that this is a collaborative working relationship. This meeting can be done face-to-face or virtually (whatever is best for the citizen). 

• The citizen is given the opportunity to voice their priorities.  For example, they may have a housing issue that needs addressing with immediacy, they may want to connect or reconnect with the local music scene, explore gaming, or their studies . They will be offered the opportunity to complete a Strengths And Needs Assessment.   

• The first couple of sessions are there to build rapport with the DW and share information about what the Pod can offer, including core work, the café and social activism programmes.  The citizen can then decide if the Pod is an appropriate service for them. 

2-8 Meetings – strengths and needs assessment  

• This is citizen led. 

• These typically take 5 meetings but can be less or more dependent on the citizen. 

• Sessions can be completed face to face, on the phone or over teams, depending on the citizen's preference. 

• The citizen is able to pause, reflect on or withdraw from the assessment at any time. Timeframes will be agreed as reasonable between all invested parties. 

• The SANA will be completed with the Development Worker. On occasions this will be a point of critical debate and always be a collaborative piece of work between the Citizen, The Development Worker and the Care Coordinator. The Care Coordinator will then sign off using Care Director. Development Workers cannot sign off SANA’s as Direct Payments do not sit with the budget of Internal Provider Services [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/money-legal-matters/assessments-eligibility-support-planning]  

16-40  meetings  – Social Brokerage 

• We use the citizen's strengths, assets and solution-focused thinking. This encourages them to move away from the subculture of services. 

•  Social Brokerage has a focus on the city - its people, assets and outcomes. Social Brokerage is being part of something bigger. 

• We channel the interests and strengths of the citizen to help them explore their interests and passions. 

• The citizen will sometimes require a Direct Payment. The Pod will complete an application and SRF. These need to be signed off and sent to the panel by the Care Coordinator/Key Worker 

• Citizens will be encouraged to write a statement to inform the DP process and will be heavily involved in creating the application as a whole.  

• It is expected that the Development Worker/Social Advocate will present Direct Payment Applications to the panel. This needs to be facilitated by the person signing off the application. 

As Required Up To 40 Weeks Social Advocacy 

A Development Worker/Social Advocate is able to support citizens with social advocacy. Social Advocacy, as opposed to regular advocacy, uses Social Brokerage skills for social stressors. Co-research, coproduction, and finding the best person for the role. For example, this might be a worker from P3, or it might be a local expert, a trade union or a solicitor, depending on the issue and who the Citizen chooses to work with  

This work is appointment-based but can happen during any of the above stages.  

This will be citizen led and for a period may supersede the work initially referred for or worked on concurrently. 

Impacts and outcomes are regularly reviewed 

How long will I (as the referring practitioner) need to remain involved with the citizen? 

You are required to be involved for the duration of the citizen's involvement with The Pod. As a minimum, there should be planned telephone conversations with the Development Worker/Social Advocate and an involvement in your planning discharge meetings. During this time, it is the referring practitioner's responsibility to inform us of any key transitions, eg hospital admissions, change in team or worker, psychology involvement, contingency plans for the absence of worker 

What happens if I want to be discharged before the agreed end of The Pod's involvement? 

The Pod is unable to work with a citizen beyond the closure due to keyworker involvement. You will need to inform us at the earliest possible opportunity so that we can inform your planning and plan for our own closure.  

What is the difference between us and advocacy services such as independent advocacy or Voiceability?’ 

Organisations such as Voiceability are commissioned to provide Statutory Advocacy. The Pod uses the skills developed through Social Brokerage to develop their own arms of advocacy. The Pod Development Workers are not independent as they are employees of Coventry City Council. This means we are uniquely placed to reach into departments such as Housing and Council Tax. Development Workers do not have the training or expertise of an IMCA or an IMHA but have an ability to reach into the Council and across the City in order to ensure that Citizens social stressors are approached in a way they feel is appropriate, effective and rights-based.  

Can you continue to work with citizens whilst they are inpatients at Caludon, and can we refer a citizen to you whilst they are an inpatient?   

Where someone is detained on a section 2 or 3 we would encourage a referral being made to The Pod and for us to be involved in discharge planning.  If someone is admitted/detained whilst we are working with them then we can remain involved, the time frame for our involvement would be determined by the likely length of admission and the circumstances that sat behind the admission. 

Will The Pod team update Care Notes?     

The Pod are a part of Coventry City Council but not a part of Sec 75. We sit within Internal Provider Services and as such do not have access to Care Notes. All case notes and updates are made to Care Director.  

Produced by: Kirk Savage, Liam Nugent, Hannah Osborne, Mike Scorer, Sarah Laughton, Christine Eade

Version 5

July 2024

Impact and outcomes

The Pod, Coventry’s national award-winning mental health service, is committed to working in a collaborative and personalised way. Each year we work directly with 180 people referred to us by care co-ordinators. However, as a public-facing service our footfall exceeds 15,000 – this is important as it provides the impetus for collaboration, co-production, connectivity and partnership – recovery and regeneration are intertwined.

There is extensive qualitative and quantitative evidence in regards to the outcomes achieved through this way of working, with clear evidence of less service dependency for people and a reduced number of readmissions into acute mental health services and reliance on outpatient appointments or other supportive health services.

Referral form for Care Coordinators [/thepodreferralpack].

Creating social change

The Pod manages two projects open to everyone in the city. People across the city were given the opportunity to vote on the project brands and strapline. Events were held to allow people to contribute ideas and steer the projects. ‘Cultivate, Connect and Change’ was the winning strap line, everyone that voted or contributed agreed these three words embodied the aims and philosophy of the projects.

• Cultivate – Recognising that everyone has something to offer (promoting personal and social growth).
• Connect – Bringing people, skills, neighbourhoods together (working without boundaries).
• Change – Enabling people to thrive (bringing value to a variety of ways of doing things).

Projects

• Quiet Activism (Est. 2015) [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/quietactivism]
• Food Union Coventry (Est. 2014) [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/foodunion]
• Time Union Coventry (Est. 2014) [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/timeunion]

Reviews and awards

Awards

Winner of the UK Skills For Care: Most Innovative New Approach To Service Delivery Award 2013

Christine Eade – Coventry City Council – Winner – Mental Health Leader Award 2013 

Winner of the Coventry Community Cohesion Awards – Public Sector - The Revive Cafe - The POD, Coventry City Council 2014 

Christine Eade – winner - UK National Mental Health Leader prize at the National Positive Practice Awards 2014 

The Pod: Food Union: Winner of Community Cohesion Awards (Public Sector) 2016 

The Pod Café: Winner Community Cohesion Awards (Public Sector) 2014  

Christine Eade  -Coventry City Council:  Women as Leaders Award 2017.  

Sarah Laughton and Christine Eade: Ladies First Professional Development Award for Achievements in the Community 

Winners of Regional Foodie Awards 2023 in both Food Heroes Award and Vegan Taste. 

Food Union were a finalist in the Combined Authority Environment and Sustainability awards in 2023 and 2024

Publications:  

TLAP October 10th 2017: https://www.thinklocalactpersonal.org.uk/News/Award-winning-Pod-leads-the-way-on-treating-people-with-severe-mental-health-as-citizens-and-not-service-users/ [https://www.thinklocalactpersonal.org.uk/News/Award-winning-Pod-leads-the-way-on-treating-people-with-severe-mental-health-as-citizens-and-not-service-users/]    

Reviews and quotes:  

Peer Review: “personalization oozes through every pore.” (LGA) 

-------------------------------------------------------- 

Mad Zine Research: Outside(R) Zine Festival – a trip to Coventry – Mad Zine Research (madzines.org) [https://url.uk.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/L8Z-CMjREfoR5g1Hw5EUm?domain=madzines.org] : Dr Hel Spandler, Professor of Mental Health,Health, Social Work and Sport. University of Central Lancashire. Principal Investigator, Madzines research project: www.madzines.org [https://url.uk.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/MQVGCNxVECnENA8I4Z04D?domain=madzines.org] . Managing Editor, Asylum: the radical mental health magazine: www.asylummagazine.org [https://url.uk.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/Usw0CO7WEcP0AJjfk68I7?domain=asylummagazine.org]  

_________________________________________- 

The Guardian 2018: https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2018/nov/08/best-vegan-restaurants-uk-readers-travel-tips [https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2018/nov/08/best-vegan-restaurants-uk-readers-travel-tips] 

________________________________ 

The Telegraph 2022: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/features/best-vegan-vegetarian-restaurants-london-uk-eat-plant-based-2022/ [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/features/best-vegan-vegetarian-restaurants-london-uk-eat-plant-based-2022/] and here: https://www.coventry.gov.uk/news/article/4370/the-pod-named-among-the-best-in-uk-in-national-paper-guide [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/news/article/4370/the-pod-named-among-the-best-in-uk-in-national-paper-guide] 

____________________________________________ 

TLAP:  ‘[The Pod] challenges national assumptions around what and how social care can deliver’ 

_____________________________________________  

 Dr Nirmal Puwar, Reader in Sociology, Goldsmiths, University of London.  Self-proclaimed Writer As Resident in Coventry: ‘The quiet activism of THE POD is also a deep activism, a unique case of civic care for people, places, land and multi-species, at a time when civic care is aggressively being eroded through calls to austerity, auditing and capital’ 

____________________________ 

 Dr Chris Maughan ‘Food Union – as the name implies – uses the simple power of food to bring communities together, to find healthier ways of producing and eating food, but also of thinking about and enacting community and civic identity’ 

______________________________ 

Georgia Cowie, Head of Arts and Events, Coventry Cathedral:  “Our partnership with The Pod and Food Union is one that we hugely value and appreciate. Their ethos, mission and methodology is something we look up to and we always welcome the opportunity to collaborate. Over the last two years the partnership has blossomed, going from strength to strength, creating new and ambitious projects that have been greatly received by the community and the wider Cathedral. The joy that both teams have found from working together has been next to none, from sharing knowledge to finding new ways to co-create, the interconnection of both our communities and resources have led lead to such rewarding work. Our ‘Live and Dye’ garden project is about to go into its third year of development and with the continued support of the Food Union team we are able to continue running fantastic workshops and skill sharing sessions with the local community. Spring festival, Harvest festival and Zine fest have become central to our yearly Arts and Events programme, there reach, and program of activities have become a talking point and it is fantastic to see them grow and evolve each year, often reaching new experiences seekers that we might not otherwise be able to reach. Together we are promoting the Cathedral as a place for community cohesion, reaching a diverse and responsive audience that are returning to future events. Throughout the work we have been able to break down some of the barriers that the Cathedral has around inclusion and with their continued support we have been able to think of new and creative ways the Cathedral can contribute to a greener Coventry. We can’t wait to see what’s next for this partnership!”  

_____________________________ 

Lizz Brady, Founder of BROKEN GREY WIRES: 'With the focus on Mental Health the impact THE POD is having on the scene locally, nationally & internationally is huge. Opening up conversations, breaking down stigma & showing ambition, there is a real buzz about them’   

___________________________ 

NHS England: ‘What THE POD do is innovative, radical and socially engaged’ 

Case Studies

Read about the work, impact and reach of The Pod

"Sarah’s contribution has been invaluable for my mental and physical wellbeing for which I am sincerely appreciative.  She is approachable and empathetic and she has become my confidante and I trust her fully with my feelings.  Words can’t emphasise the effect the POD and Sarah in particular has had on me. I would be lost without them"

Read more about GS. [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/pod-1/case-studies-2]

“Gaming means the world to A as this is a form of escape from reality and the constant voices monsters that are always present”

Read more about A. [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/pod-1/case-studies-2/4]

"...no one person’s recovery or life is linear; they adapt and work together to look at ways of approaching things and sourcing the right professional support if needed."

Read more about Jane [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/pod-1/case-studies-2/2].

"Thanks to the help I’ve had from them and my development worker I have now found my purpose for being here. My mental health has improved, and I have gained many new friends”.

Read more about Anthony. [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/pod-1/case-studies-2/3]