Bringing joy to a psychiatric ward

The work of a north Wales mental health unit, including members of UNISON, was recognised this week when they were awarded the prestigious Nursing Times Team of the Year Award. The award came in recognition of  “incredible” changes they are making in in the eight-bed Tryweryn psychiatric intensive care ward, part of the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board in North Wales. “By using a new human rights approach in our psychiatric unit, we’ve managed to halve the amount of restraints we’ve had to perform in the past five months,” says service manager Denise Charles. “Restraints” happen because “When someone is in acute distress, they may become violent towards themselves or others,” she explains. “This means taking them down to the floor and holding them down to protect them or to protect staff … or a chemical restraint, where they are injected to calm them down. “When people are already being held here against their will, restraints are traumatic experiences,” adds Denise. “If you’re acutely psychotic, you might think somebody is after you. And it feels so real to you, that when everybody else is telling you it’s not real, it makes you more paranoid. “Then imagine that you’re trying to get away from what you’re experiencing, and people are running after you and pinning you to the floor.” So Denise and her team, including past patients and parents of patients, began to talk to people on the ward about how things could be done differe...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: Article awards health care NHS nursing Source Type: news