Life Beyond the Cubicle: eLearning to support working well with families during mental health crises

Summary

A set of eLearning modules designed to educate and update clinicians on the importance of involving families wherever possible during mental health crises to improve patient care, avoid harm and reduce deaths. They were developed as a partnership between Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and Making Families Count, with funding from NHS England South East Region (HEE legacy funds).  

The resources have been co-produced by people with lived experience as patients, family carers and clinicians, supported by an Advisory Group drawn from a wide range of expertise, tested in eleven NHS Trusts and independently evaluated.  

The resources can be downloaded by NHS Trust Learning and Development teams to support a Trust-wide approach to essential learning and training.  

Content

Through short film and audio scenarios and case studies, Life Beyond the Cubicle shows why it is so important to involve family and friends, helps clinicians reflect on why they don’t do so routinely, and how they can overcome these barriers. The resources are engaging and interactive.  The modules are:

• Introduction (includes guidance on how to use this resource)
• Module 1: Why do families and friends matter?
• Module 2: Assumptions and expertise
• Module 3: Feelings and fears
• Module 4: Confidentiality and Information Sharing
• Module 5: Safety planning
• Resources for family and friends

They are free to the health and social care workforce.

Further reading on the hub:

• Safer outcomes for people with psychosis
• Patient Safety Spotlight interview with Rosi Reed, Development and Training Coordinator at Making Families Count
• The future has been around for too long—when will the NHS learn from their mistakes?