Search the hub
Showing results for tags 'Mental health'.
Found 825 results
-
News ArticleVulnerable female patients have been sexually “exposed” on a mixed gender ward deemed not “fit for purpose”, the NHS watchdog has warned. The Care Quality Commission found that sexual incidents had occured at Hill Crest, a 25-bed mixed gender mental health unit in Redditch, as male and female were being put at risk. It found male patients are able to walk into female bathrooms and bedrooms, leading to risks of sexual assault and relationships. It found that sexual incidents had taken on the unit because of the risks. The rate of assaults on mixed sex wards is significantly higher than on single-sex wards, data has shown. According to the CQC, the trust graded sexual incidents between patients as “low harm” but did not fully consider them or follow up actions to keep patients safe. Read full story Source: The Independent, 8 February 2023
-
Content Article
Hi Sandra, this is the first year you are running the Black Maternal Health Conference UK. What made you set up the event? In the last few years, the inequalities affecting Black women’s maternal health have become more widely recognised. As CEO of the Motherhood Group, I’m often asked to present at conferences; to share my insights, lived experience or raise awareness of the disparities in outcomes. I usually have around 45 minutes, sometimes less, to draw on all of the issues we need to be talking about in this space. It’s never enough. It doesn’t do it justice. The Black Maternal Health event in March is going to give us a chance to really dig deeper into these issues. To not have to be explaining such important topics ‘in a nutshell’. Our full and interactive agenda will provide people with much more time to engage with the subject matter and to connect with one another so we can work together for better outcomes. What is the aim of the day? By combining our expert speaker line up with shared experiences from mothers, and creating a safe space for everyone to connect, the day will present us with an incredible opportunity. This is how trust will be rebuilt and progress made. The aim is to really bridge that gap between the Black maternal community and service providers, through learning workshops, panel sessions and by listening to the experts - including those with lived experience. Who can attend? We are welcoming anyone to attend the day and we’ve already had a range of people interested; from Black mothers to charities, researchers and clinical staff. It will be great to bring together different voices and perspectives. Although many people coming will already be interested in this work, you don’t have to know anything about Black maternal health beforehand. I’d personally love to see more healthcare workers and managers signing up to the day. I know so many are keen to improve outcomes for Black women and mothers; to listen, learn and understand what they can do to make a difference. This is the perfect opportunity to do just that. It will be a safe space to really connect and work with others to delve deeper into potential solutions or practical steps. Who is speaking on the day? We have many amazing speakers joining us, please take a look at the full line up on our website. It will give you an idea of how rich the content will be. Contributors include midwife, Marley Hall, presenting on How defensiveness amongst health professionals may be harming outcomes and experiences, and Dr Karen Joash, Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, leading a session on Moving from maternal mortality and morbidity disparities, to equity for Black mothers. We’ll also be looking at: mental health stigma communication systemic racism faith how to engage Black mothers in research. Can people attend virtually as well as in person? Yes! We are offering the event virtually too and you will be able to interact from a distance in various ways. If you have the opportunity though, we’d love to welcome you in person as I think it provides a great opportunity to network and connect face-to-face. Any final thoughts to share? It is so important that Black women receive maternal health care that is respectful, culturally competent, safe and of the highest quality. If you want to engage in the issues surrounding poorer health outcomes for Black mothers, it takes time, resource and effort. That’s why we’ve tried to design a day that provides enormous value and welcomes you into a truly collaborative space where we can listen, learn and take action together. So don’t be shy, join us on 20 March. Register here Event hashtag - #BMHCUK Stay connected with the Motherhood Group Twitter: @MotherhoodGroup Facebook: The Motherhood Group YouTube: The Motherhood Group Instagram: @TheMotherhoodGroup Website: www.themotherhoodgroup.com References [1] MBRRACE-UK Saving Lives Improving Mothers' Care - Lessons learned to inform maternity care from the UK and Ireland Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths and Morbidity 2018-20 [2] Watson H, Harrop D, Walton E et al. (2019) A systematic review of ethnic minority women’s experiences of perinatal mental health conditions and services in Europe. PLOS ONE 14(1) [3] Kozhimannil KB, Trinacty CM, Busch AB et al. Racial and ethnic disparities in postpartum depression care among low-income women. Psychiatr Serv. 2011 Jun;62(6):619-25 -
News Article“Frustration with the system was why I went off in the end,” said Conor Calby, 26, a paramedic and Unison rep in southwest England, who was recently off work for a month with burnout. “I felt like I couldn’t do my job and was letting patients down. After a difficult few years it was challenging.” While he usually manages to keep a distinct divide between work and home life, burnout eroded that line. He also lost his sleep pattern and appetite. The final straw came when what should have been a 15-minute call resulted in three hours on the phone trying to persuade the services that were supposed to help a suicidal patient to come out. “I was on a knife edge. That was due to the system being broken. That’s the trigger.” Doctors and nurses are struggling under the strain too. After her third time with burnout - the last resulting in her taking six months off work – Amy Attwater, an A&E doctor, considered leaving the profession altogether. Attwater, 36, said in the Covid crisis, during which a colleague killed himself, she started having suicidal thoughts and doubting her own abilities. She twice reported that she was being bullied but said no action was taken. “The only thing I was left with was to take time off work. I ended up having therapy, seeing a psychiatrist and being on two antidepressants,” said Attwater, the Midlands-based committee member for Doctors’ Association UK. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 5 February 2023
-
Content Article
Patient Safety Commissioner: 100 Days Report (2 February 2023)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in England
The Patient Safety Commissioner outlines the range of different stakeholders she has met within her first 100 days in office, including patients, healthcare staff, patient safety specialists and healthcare providers. She also details the number of different areas of concern that have been raised with her in this period, including: pelvic mesh complications isotretinoin side effects painful gynaecological investigations Covid vaccination concerns mental health difficulties fluoroquinolone side effects Yellow Card scheme reporting concerns about electroconvulsive therapy. The report then sets out in more detail her reflections on patient safety concerns relating to the three medical interventions covered by the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review: pelvic mesh, Sodium valproate and Primodos. She also highlights some positive areas of patient safety work she has encountered in her first 100 days in office, including the Scan 4 Safety initiative, NHS Resolution’s work on consent resources and how the new Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) is seeking to ensure that patients’ voices are included in incident investigations. The report concludes by setting out her top three priorities: 1. Culture Change The Patient Safety Commissioner plans to: hold a public consultation on the Principles of Better Patient Safety for the Patient Safety Commissioner work with healthcare leaders to put patient voice at the core of their activity and reporting amplify patients’ voices in all parts of the health system to ensure they are heard identify and highlight where patient voice is neglected challenge organisations to identify a named patient voice on all Boards and to place patient stories at the top of their meeting agendas campaign to improve the use of Yellow Card reporting campaign to see the NHS number used as the default and unique identifier ·work to ensure patients are engaged in the development of all national specifications develop the Patient Safety Commissioner website as a hub of best practice in championing patient voice. 2. Pelvic mesh The Patient Safety Commissioner plans to: co-produce resources for patients and GPs about side effects from pelvic mesh surgery work with NHS England to provide patients choice of access to specialist mesh centres work with the health system to ensure that information is available to all patients on national registries. 3. Sodium valproate The Patient Safety Commissioner plans to: support the health system to include the views of all stakeholders including patients to reduce harm from sodium valproate to the lowest possible level work with health leaders to ensure that all relevant patients are on a Pregnancy Prevention Plan (PPP) and given the necessary information collaborate with partners to ensure annual reviews are carried out by specialist prescribers work with partners across health to eliminate dispensing of sodium valproate in unlabelled white boxes work with professional regulators to streamline the advice to their registrants on sodium valproate and contraception raise patient awareness through charity collaboration. -
Content ArticleWhat is a Westminster Hall debate? Westminster Hall debates give Members of Parliament (MPs) an opportunity to raise local or national issues and receive a response from a government minister. Any MP can take part in a Westminster Hall debate. Essex Mental Health Independent Inquiry Vicky Ford MP opened this debate by raising concerns about the Essex Mental Health Independent Inquiry. This centred on a recent open letter from the inquiry's Chair, Dr Geraldine Strathdee, who stated that as a non-statutory inquiry she felt they would be unable to fulfil their terms of reference, due to extremely low engagement from staff at Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust. She had highlighted that, of the 14,000 members of staff whom the inquiry had written to, only 11 had agreed to give evidence. In the debate it was noted that Vicky Ford MP, Sir James Duddridge MP, Priti Patel MP and Sir John Whittingdale MP were now all calling for the Essex Mental Health Independent Inquiry to be converted into a full statutory inquiry, which will compel witnesses to give evidence, to ensure full transparency and greater public scrutiny of its progress. This debate was responded to on behalf of the Government by Neil O’Brien MP, Minister for Primary Care and Public Health. He noted that the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care had recently met with Paul Scott, Chief Executive of Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, to ask about the actions the Trust is taking to encourage staff engagement with the inquiry and to seek assurance that the Trust will provide all the evidence and information requested by the inquiry. Regarding the potential of converting this into a statutory inquiry, he stated that: “Our view is that a non-statutory inquiry, if it is possible, remains the most effective way to get to the truth of what happens. It is quicker, and potentially involves not having to drag clinicians through the public processes of a statutory inquiry. When my right hon. Friend the Member for Witham was Home Secretary, she used the non-statutory process to protect those who did not want to be named and dragged through a statutory process. It is faster and more flexible, which is why it was chosen in the first place. Although statutory inquiries can compel witnesses to give evidence under oath, that does not necessarily mean that it will be easier to obtain the evidence we want. However, all that turns on people co-operating with a non-statutory inquiry, and we now need to see a quantum leap in the level of co-operation. We will not hesitate to move to a statutory inquiry if we do not see a dramatic increase in the level of co-operation. Given how long this has gone on, we cannot wait for a long period for a transformation in the level of engagement. While the approach remains non-statutory for now, we will not hesitate to change that approach if we do not see the change we need rapidly.”
-
News Article
Minister calls for staff evidence in deaths inquiry
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A health minister has called for more staff to take part in an inquiry into deaths at a mental health trust. An independent review into 1,500 deaths at the Essex Partnership University Trust (EPUT) over a 21-year period was launched in 2020. It emerged earlier this month that 11 out of 14,000 staff members had come forward to give evidence to an independent inquiry. The trust said it was encouraging staff to take part in the inquiry. During a parliamentary debate, Health Minister Neil O'Brien said the trust was being given a "last chance" before the government intervened and instigated a statutory inquiry. A statutory inquiry would allow staff to be compelled to give evidence. In December, a further 500 deaths were made known to the review chair, Dr Geraldine Strathdee. She said the inquiry could not continue without full legal powers. Chelmsford MP Vicky Ford said she had been told by the chief executive of EPUT that staff were "very scared" to give evidence. Read full story Source: BBC News, 31 January 2023 -
Event
HoPE Storytelling Festival - Made by Mortals
Sam posted a calendar event in Community Calendar
To share the learning and resources from the award-winning (The Royal Society of Public Health - Arts in Health 2022) community partnership programme between Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS FT, Made By Mortals CIC (arts organisation) and over 50 patients with a broad range of lived experience- including mental ill health, learning disability, autism, English not as their first language, and people that identify as non-binary. The project used immersive audio case studies coproduced by patients, including the use of music, sound effects, and drama, together with an interactive workshop that challenged volunteers and staff at the hospital to take a walk in the patient’s shoes. The experiential community-led training raised awareness of the challenges that people with protected characteristics and additional needs face. This work supported Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS FT ongoing approach to quality and diversity and supported attendees to adapt their behaviours to create an empathetic and person-centred environment. Register -
Content Article
-
Content Article
-
Content Article
-
Content Article
-
Content Article
-
Content Article
-
Content Article
-
News ArticleChildren came to “significant” harm due to chronically low staffing levels at scandal-hit mental health hospitals, whistleblowers have said. In a third exposé into allegations of poor care at private hospitals run by The Huntercombe Group, former employees have claimed that staffing levels were so low “every day” that patients were neglected, resulting in: Patients as young as 13 being force-fed while restrained. Left alone to self-harm instead of being supervised. Left to “wet themselves” because staff couldn’t supervise toilet visits. One staff member, Rebecca Smith, said she was left in tears after having to restrain and force-feed a patient. Following a series of investigations by The Independent and Sky News, 50 patients came forward with allegations of “systemic abuse” and poor care, spanning two decades at children’s mental health hospitals run by the organisation. The government has since launched a “rapid review” into inpatient mental health units across the country following the newspaper’s reporting. Read full story Source: The Independent, 28 January 2023
-
Content Article
-
News Article
NHS in England will have one strategy for all major conditions, including cancer
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The NHS in England is set to have a major conditions strategy to help determine policy for the care of increasing numbers of people in England with complex and often multiple long-term conditions. Conditions covered by the strategy will include cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, dementia, mental health conditions, and musculoskeletal disorders. Cancer will also be included and will no longer have its own dedicated 10 year strategy. England’s health and social care secretary, Steve Barclay, told the House of Commons on 24 January that the strategy would build on measures in the NHS long term plan. Read full story (paywalled) Source: BMJ, 25 January 2023 -
Content ArticleYvonne had experienced mental health problems since childhood and was considered originally to have a personality disorder. She was treated by mental health services for many years and had several inpatient admissions, some of which were compulsory. After a period of self-neglect and refused admission, Yvonne was finally detained under the Mental Health Act on 27 January 2020 at Park House Psychiatric unit, Manchester. On admission she was found to be significantly malodorous and have several long-standing serious deep infected ulcers. She had to be transferred to the acute hospital for assessment and treatment where her condition gradually improved and she was given prophylactic venous thromboembolism (VTE) medication until she was medically fit enough to be discharged back to the psychiatric unit on 12 February 2020. When she was readmitted, despite discharge information from the acute hospital stating that she had been treated with VTE prophylaxis and despite Yvonne fulfilling several trigger criteria, a VTE risk assessment was not undertaken in accordance with the detaining authorities’ policy. There was a failure to monitor her condition and make appropriate records or an action and management plan and she did not have further mental capacity assessments. On 19 February 2020 she was again detained and on the morning of 23 February 2020, she had a cardiorespiratory arrest and was resuscitated for a brief period of time before being taken to the emergency department of North Manchester General Hospital. Further attempts at resuscitation proved unsuccessful and she was pronounced dead due to a pulmonary thromboembolism. The Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH) serious incident investigation failed to establish: whether the responsible clinician, junior doctors or nursing staff were aware of the trusts VTE policy and if not, why not. if they were aware of it, why was it not complied with. whether there was an awareness and compliance with the policy Trust wide. It also failed to identify, acknowledge or be aware of the death of a patient in 2016 from a VTE at Park House unit. In their report, the Coroner raised the following matters of concern: There was a lack of appropriate safeguarding review, Senior clinical oversight as well as necessary MDT meetings and actions to be completed. It did not appear that all permanent or locum clinical and nursing staff Trust-wide were aware of the VTE policy and how it should be implemented including initial assessments and reassessments of the risks as well as consequent medical management. There was no regular audit of compliance with the VTE policy. There was no training programme to ensure familiarity and compliance. A copy of the report was sent to the Chief Coroner.
-
Content Article
.jpg.e1026c3a077df87e7b87042a923ec768.jpg)
Who we are The Quality Network for Inpatient Working Age Mental Health Services (QNWA) was first established in 2006 as AIMS (Accreditation for Inpatient Mental Health Services), which later specialised to AIMS-WA (Working Age), before becoming a quality network in the summer of 2020. The Network was founded to promote better standards of care within mental health inpatient wards following the publication of findings from the National Audit of Violence 2003-2005, which highlighted the concerning high prevalence of violence on acute wards, but also concluded that examples of good practice were going unrecognised. The Network is one of around 30 quality networks, accreditation, national clinical audit, and research and evaluation projects organised by the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCP) Centre for Quality Improvement (CCQI). The CCQI works with more than 90% of mental health service providers in the UK to assess and improve the quality of care they provide. Since the first set of QNWA standards were published in September 2006, the Network has grown to include over 140 member wards. A full list of member wards and their current accreditation status is available to view on the RCP's website. What we do QNWA is a not-for-profit, run by quality improvement staff and steered by clinicians and patient and carer representatives. The purpose is to support and engage wards in a process of quality improvement whereby they are reviewed against a set of specialist standards for acute inpatient wards for working age adults. The accreditation process provides recognition for wards who meet a set threshold of standards and who are deemed to be operating at a level that achieves accreditation. Upon becoming a quality network in 2020, the developmental membership option was introduced. Unlike accreditation membership which works on a three-year cycle and results in an accreditation decision, the developmental membership works on an annual basis and there is no threshold of standards for services to meet. This allows services to familiarise themselves with the standards and review process before attempting to gain accreditation and to concentrate on any areas of improvement. The eighth edition standards were published in May 2022 and aim to reflect the changes in working practices and legislation over the last two years in addition to placing greater emphasis on equality, diversity and inclusion, as well as sustainability in mental health services. Standards for Acute Inpatient Services for Working Age Adults - 8th Edition (1).pdf QNWA promotes the sharing and learning of best practice through peer-led review visits and helps wards to action plan against areas of future improvement. The Network serves to identify areas of achievement and areas for improvement in individual services, through a culture of openness and enquiry. The model is based on engagement rather than inspection and this is achieved by facilitating and encouraging quality improvement through a supportive network of members and rigorous peer-review process. Membership benefits QNWA members benefit from having their service reviewed by expert acute inpatient colleagues and are also invited to attend tailored training events, special interest days and conferences. Some of the key benefits of being a QNWA member are listed below: The QNWA discussion group currently has over 400 members, who can ask questions and share knowledge and examples of best practice. This is the mailing list which is used to keep members up to date about upcoming training, peer reviews, special interest days and events, etc. Members also have exclusive access to Knowledge Hub – an online group to connect, network and share knowledge. One of the main benefits of being a QNWA member is being able to visit and peer-review other member wards. If staff wish to attend peer-review visits, they must first attend a peer-reviewer training session. These are free to attend and take place online every two months. Once trained, staff will have the opportunity to visit acute inpatient mental health wards across the UK; this is an excellent opportunity for professional development, to contribute to the peer-review process, and to facilitate networking and the sharing of best practice. The Network aims to hold 1–2 special interest days per year on a range of topics suggested by our members. Additionally, the Network holds an annual forum, with speakers, workshops and poster presentations. All QNWA members receive up to two free places to attend online events; face-to-face events are offered at a subsidised rate. Contact us If you are interested in becoming a member or would like to know more, please contact the QNWA team at QNWA@rcpsych.ac.uk -
News Article
Manchester to open two homes for vulnerable children stuck in hospital
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Manchester city council is setting up two special children’s homes to house the increasing number of vulnerable young people who end up stuck in hospital because no residential providers will take them. The homes, believed to be the first of their kind, aim to undercut private operators which sometimes demand tens of thousands of pounds each week to look after children with the most complex needs. Five Manchester children with complex emotional needs spent many weeks in hospital in 2022 because no children’s homes would take them because of their challenging behaviour, according to the city council’s director of children’s services. Manchester council has developed what it calls the Take a Breath model. Two houses are being renovated to house up to four children in total, with the first hopefully moving in by March. The idea is that when children first turn up at hospital – often at accident and emergency after a suicide attempt or self-harming incidents – once their injuries have been treated they can be discharged straight into the new homes rather than occupying a paediatric bed they do not need. Jointly commissioned by the council and the NHS, the two homes will cost £1.4m a year. Of that, MCC expects to spend £5,500 a week for each child. It represents a huge cost saving compared with some external placements. Last year the council was charged £16,550 a week by one private provider to look after a young profoundly autistic person with learning difficulties deemed a danger to themselves and to others. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 22 January 2023 -
News Article
Trust spends £3m on B&B rooms for patients stuck in hospital
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A mental health trust has spent millions this year on places in “bed and breakfast” accommodation in order to discharge inpatients, HSJ has learned. South London and Maudsley Foundation Trust, which serves four London boroughs, confirmed to HSJ it had spent £3.1m since April for a range of basic bed and breakfast places, and spaces with a specialist housing association, to ease its bed shortage pressures. The trust told HSJ clinicians were often reluctant to discharge patients to street homelessness, and that people with mental health problems can be more challenging to find accommodation for. The trust’s chief executive officer David Bradley told HSJ system leaders had been asked to think “innovatively” about how to mitigate discharge problems. B&Bs are generally a cheaper and more appropriate alternative to a £500 a night mental health hospital bed for people who don’t need acute treatment and have no housing, he said. Read full story Source: HSJ, 24 January 2023 -
News Article
Ministers order ‘rapid review’ into mental health inpatient care in England
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Ministers have ordered an inquiry into the quality of care in mental health inpatient units in England after a series of scandals in which vulnerable patients were abused or neglected. Maria Caulfield, the mental health minister, announced the establishment of a “rapid review” in a written ministerial statement in the House of Commons on Monday. The inquiry “is an essential first step in improving safety in mental health inpatient settings”, she said. In recent years, coroners and the Care Quality Commission, the NHS care watchdog, have repeatedly raised concerns about dangerously inadequate care that inpatients have received. It will examine the evidence of “patient safety risks and failures in care” in units that hold and treat patients who have serious conditions including psychosis and personality disorder. It will look in particular at evidence of failings brought forward by patients and their families and how better use of data can help show that care has fallen below acceptable levels. The inquiry will be headed by Dr Geraldine Strathdee, a psychiatrist who used to be NHS England’s national clinical director for mental health. She is likely to look at problems including patients being subjected to controversial restraint techniques, left at risk of being able to take their own lives and segregated from fellow inpatients, and the impact of their experiences on their recovery. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 23 January 2023 -
Content Article
Ministerial Statement: Mental Health Update (23 January 2023)
Mark Hughes posted an article in Mental health
In this statement the Minister sets out that the rapid review will: Focus on data and evidence currently available to healthcare services, including information provided by patients and families. Consider how this data and evidence can be used more effectively to identify patient safety risks and failures in care. Be chaired by Dr Geraldine Strathdee, who is also the Chair of the Essex Mental Health Independent Inquiry. The review will be separate from, but complementary to, the Essex Inquiry. -
News Article
Stockport hospital failed woman who took poisonous substance, inquest finds
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A private psychiatric hospital provided “inadequate care” for a woman who killed herself by swallowing a poisonous substance, a jury has found. Beth Matthews, a mental health blogger, was being treated as an NHS patient for a personality disorder at the Priory hospital Cheadle Royal in Stockport. The 26-year-old, originally from Cornwall, opened the substance, which she had ordered online, in close proximity to two members of staff and told them it was protein powder, BBC News reported. An inquest jury concluded she died from suicide contributed to by neglect, after hearing Matthews was considered a high suicide risk. She had a history of frequent suicide attempts, the inquest heard. A BBC News investigation also found that two other young women died at the Priory in Stockport in the two months before her death. A spokesperson for the Priory Group said: “We fully accept the jury’s findings and acknowledge that far greater attention should have been given to Beth’s care plan. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 19 January 2023 -
Event
Live podcast: The healing power of human connection and personalised care
Patient Safety Learning posted a calendar event in Community Calendar
PRSB is hosting a live podcast which will feature a vibrant discussion on the importance of human connection and personalised approach in providing care. Attendees will hear from Sarah Woolf, Movement Psychotherapist, who will talk about her own experience of how personalised care helped her recover from her condition, not only physically, but also emotionally and mentally. Sarah had the chance to describe her story in an article for the BMJ. The podcast will provide the opportunity for Q&A, and attendees will also be encouraged to share their own experiences and how they think personalised care can meet people's needs and expectations of care. The event is free to attend and everyone is welcome to join. Register
.jpg.e1026c3a077df87e7b87042a923ec768.jpg)