Search the hub

Changes of all kinds can have a profound effect on us, both in terms of our wellbeing and performance. David Murphy has worked therapeutically with people, including front-line professionals, for over 20 years, helping them to change, and adapt to change. David talks to Steven Shorrock about dealing with traumatic events and more mundane changes.

A study of police wearing body worn cameras showed a reduction in complaints, and a decrease in occurrences and crimes. Mental health staff working in inpatient settings do not routinely wear cameras. The aim of this project, published in Mental Health in Family Medicine, was to examine the feasibility of using body worn cameras in an inpatient mental health setting. The results found that both staff and patients considered that their use in an inpatient mental health setting was beneficial. Compared to the same period the year before, there was a reduction in complaints and incidents during the duration of the pilot.

Many people will be experiencing anxiety about their health and safety during this time. This page provides information about COVID-19 and how to manage your mental health during the pandemic. Guidance includes advice on accessing treatment and medication.

In this blog, psychotherapist Donna Butler gives practical advice on how to keep your mental health in good shape during periods of self isolation and worrying times.  Donna is an Integrative psychotherapist, having trained at Brighton & Sussex Universities and the Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education in London, where she gained a Masters in Psychotherapy.

This cohort study in JAMA Network Open aimed to assess whether therapist burnout is associated with reduced effectiveness of guideline-recommended psychotherapies for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The findings suggest that interventions to reduce therapist burnout might also result in more patients experiencing clinically meaningful improvement in PTSD symptoms from evidence-based psychotherapies.

The UK Government has opened a consultation on changes to the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 Code of Practice, and implementation of Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS). This consultation is also seeking views on the LPS regulations, which will underpin the new system. This consultation applies to England and Wales and is open until 7 July 2022. This is a joint consultation published by the Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Justice. The Mental Capacity Act applies in England and Wales, but some aspects of its application are devolved in Wales. The Welsh Government has therefore informed this consultation. The LPS will apply to people over the age of 16, and the Department for Education has been involved in the development of this new system. This briefing paper from the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) provides a summary of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, an amendment to the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

15 year-old Mary Bush had a diagnosis of anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress syndrome and suicidal ideation, and on 6 August 2020, Mary took her own life. In her report, the Coroner raises a number of concerns and highlights action that needs to be taken to prevent future deaths. In this report, the Coroner highlights the following concerns: Mary was referred to the mental health team in November 2019 and was assessed in January 2020, some three weeks later than should have been. There was a delay in Mary receiving psychological therapy. She was still on the waiting list at the time of her death. The evidence was that at the date of inquest, there continued to be a delay in service users receiving psychological therapy. Evidence was heard that balancing capacity and demand, which has increased, remains a challenge. The cases referred are of increasing complexity, as in Mary’s case. Some steps have been taken in an effort to deal with this, such as specific risk assessment training, focusing on intervention treatment plans to aid capacity and throughput, reviewing the skill mix of staff. However, there is the ongoing issue of recruitment and retention of suitably skilled staff by the Trust and the ability to resource this to enable the Trust to function effectively. This report was sent to NHS Norfolk & Waveney Clinical Commissioning Group, the Secretary of State for Health & Social Care, the Child Death Overview Panel and the Local Safeguarding Board.

The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme began in 2008 and has transformed the treatment of adult anxiety disorders and depression in England.  IAPT services offer: talking therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), counselling, other therapies, and guided self-help help for common mental health problems, like anxiety and depression. IAPT services are characterised by three things: Evidenced-based psychological therapies: with the therapy delivered by fully trained and accredited practitioners, matched to the mental health problem and its intensity and duration designed to optimise outcomes. From April 2018 all clinical commissioning groups are required to offer IAPT services integrated with physical healthcare pathways. The IAPT Pathway for People with Long-term Physical Health Conditions and Medically Unexplained Symptoms guidance is intended to help with implementation and sets out the ideal pathway for IAPT services. Routine outcome monitoring: so that the person having therapy and the clinician offering it have up-to-date information on an individual’s progress. This supports the development of a positive and shared approach to the goals of therapy and as this data is anonymised and published this promotes transparency in service performance encouraging improvement. Regular and outcomes focused supervision so practitioners are supported to continuously improve and deliver high quality care. If you live in England and are aged 18 or over, you can access NHS psychological therapies (IAPT) services. A GP can refer you, or you can refer yourself directly without a referral.