CAKE - A recipe for Success
Since the start of the pandemic, we have all become far more aware of the need to protect our mental and physical wellbeing. With significant experience of the stress faced by nurses during the COVID crisis it is great to see supportive tools and techniques emerging. Dr Kath MacDonald and Dr Caroline Dickson from Queen Margaret University (QMU) working with groups of community nurses have developed an interactive toolkit called CAKE, which makes use of creative storytelling to promote self-care and team wellbeing.
Discussing the power of storytelling in self and team care, Dr Kath MacDonald explained:
"Storytelling has been used for centuries to entertain and engage. In terms of the benefits to healthcare workers and other professionals, using fairy tales and creative methods to share information and express oneself can distance the storyteller from the actual event and help to create a safe space. It provides a new way for people to express and deal with their thoughts and feelings. Combined with reflection and action planning this can be a game changer for teams in terms of improving communication, lightening the load, and engendering team support and understanding."
CAKE, which stands for Caring for self and others, Attending to what’s happening, Keeping connected and Enabling and empowering, is now available for nurses, health professionals and a wide range of teams across different organisations. Here is an example of what these sessions deliver. After a number of successful pilot sessions the team realised they could massively extend the reach and ultimately impact by developing an online version.
The project led by the Scottish Tech Army pulled together Hamish Hanna a graphic design student, NatWest Skillbank Volunteers and the QMU team delivered an online version of CAKE with striking animations. The launch at QMU brought the team together face to face for the very first time along with nurses and medical staff who has attended the workshops.
Sheena Hales from NatWest Skillsbank said:
“We could see the potential of CAKE to support wider teams and we have been delighted to help Dr Dickson and Dr MacDonald turn their vision into reality. Indeed, we are keen to roll out CAKE across our own NatWest teams to help support the health and wellbeing of our staff and build strong, resilient teams across our workforce. It is also very satisfying to be able to help develop a resource which will, in effect, contribute to healthier, strong communities.”
The solution sits within a learning management system - if need help with a similar problem please contact us to discuss how we might be able to help..
Dr Kath MacDonald and Dr Caroline Dickson are keen to ensure that this approach helps as many people as possible. To access CAKE free - click here
