Welcome to the first podcast from the Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW)'s specialist Individual Placement Support Service. We're here to talk about all things IPS, employment support, chat about hope, opportunity, all of our mental health, challenging stigma and overcoming discrimination, knowing your employment rights and how to protect yourself and your employer and generally talking to nice folk who happen to work in or with the NHS.

In this episode we're having a ramble-chat about what our service actually looks like, who is in it, where we work and what we do. We talk about the impact Covid-19 has had on us both personally and professionally and have it has made us more mindful of our own mental health as well as how we can adapt to help people secure jobs even in the midst of a pandemic and recession.

We've loads of ideas for future podcasts but if you're interested in joining us on future episodes, if you'd like to know more about IPS or employment support within Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Trust or if you have any questions or comments, please get in touch with us using our email address: ips@cntw.nhs.uk