Our aim: - is to help inpatient staff develop skills in reflection and self- awareness, and improve understanding of how the approach of the staff team can make a crucial difference in facilitating the recovery of individuals with severe mental health problems or personality disorder issues.
Good Practice Group: - A weekly, multi-purpose Good Practice Group has been set up on the unit, and is attended by all team members who are on duty. On alternate weeks, the group is a staff support session aimed at helping staff to reflect on their practice and their working experiences, and come together to offer mutual support and solve problems.
In the other sessions, case studies, relevant theories, and psychological formulations are fed back to the staff team, and are used to inform systemic behaviour support plans for individual patients.
Why this is important for people: - Developing positive and proactive care is an aim within RDaSH, and nationally in the wake of high profile examples of restrictive practice and national publications, such as Positive and Proactive Care: reducing the need for restrictive interventions (2014). In addition, the value of education, support, and reflection for staff teams is emphasised in the Francis Report (2013).
In mental health rehabilitation, the focus of staff needs to shift beyond the basic need to manage risk, to promoting profound change in the individual, and facilitate self-management of difficulties, in order to equip our patients with the skills to navigate stressful experiences when they leave hospital.
What difference we have made: - We have had over 25 attendees to the group. The group appears to have been beneficial in terms of enhancing patient care, by the development of psychologically informed team intervention. The group has also been an important support for staff in terms of their CPD ad also clinical supervision.
Comments made about the Good Practice Group so far include:
“(The group offers) discussion and collaboration on best practice for issues that have arisen (and) greater insight into each topic…”
“(I like) being informed more information about our patients, and understanding their behaviour patterns and symptoms more”
“It’s good to know we are supported, and that our views and opinions are listened to, (it helps with) understanding of each other’s working practices, how we are all working together and sharing the information”
If anyone wishes to know more about this excellent initiative please contact Dr Vicky Nithsdale (Clinical Psychologist) at Coral Lodge or Jane Curtis (Ward Manager) 01302 796774.