Mental Health Projects

Author: Kim Badcock, supported by Dr Ewan O’Farrell and Debora Stimpson, Quality Support Fund 2018-19 

Author: Staff at Bluebird House, Southern Health NHS FT, Quality Support Fund 2018-19

Author:  Russell Thomas, Older Persons Mental Health Liaison Practitioner, Quality Support Fund 2018-19 

Author: Dr Veronika Wagner, Associate Specialist in Neuropsychiatry, SAS QI Fellowship 2017-18

Summary: A quality improvement project set to enhance the experience of the patients living with dementia during their stay on a Trauma Orthopaedic Unit. By utilising an ‘Observation of care’ tool with a broad range of staff and conducting semi-structured interviews with patient’s relatives, core themes were identified.  Acting on these insights, an understanding of a range of issues relating to this patient group and care environment were established. The following initiatives were instigated: 

To ensure the ‘This is Me’ support document is easily accessible to all and promote staff engagement. Activity trolleys have been developed on the wards to help enhance social interaction based on the preferences of the individual. This supported the staff to see the ‘individual in the patient’ and to value the patient’s perspective enabling staff to adapt their approach to individual need when employing a range of activities to enhance social interaction. The continuing strategy affords a means of reflecting on issues affecting our approach to those living with dementia whilst staying on a Trauma Orthopaedic Ward

Author: Orthopaedic Nursing QI Team, PHT, Team Based QI Fellowship, 2014-15

Summary: Following a review of the services at Weymouth and Portland Community Mental Health Team we designed the Clozaril service to enable the development of a Wellbeing Service. The Wellbeing Service will offer patients a full physical health screen, access to a wellbeing course, development of a personal recovery toolkit,1:1 work with a support time recovery worker and contact with other services The Wellbeing course provides psycho educational material, looking at diet and exercise, sleep and lifestyle choices, stress management and medication advice. It also facilitates contact with other services, such as the Mental Health Forum.

Author: Weymouth and Portland Clozaril and Wellbeing Service Team, Team Based QI Fellowship, 2014-15

Summary: The aim of the project was to bring the team together following re-structure of services and to provide better experience and outcomes for patients and carers. Examples of improvements included reviewing how the team used the ‘This is me’, an Alzheimer’s society tool to learn more about the life history of the patient, re-designing the handover template so that it now contains a picture of the patient, which helps staff identify the correct patient if they are not familiar with the ward and/or patient and allows staff to manage key information in one place, changing the use of a quiet room into a beauty salon to help with patient engagement and which became a valuable therapeutic intervention, and the once clinical dining room being completely re-decorated and transformed into a room representing a traditional tea room. Initial data showed a decrease in falls, an increase in patient activity and a reduction in medication being used to reduce agitation and aggression.

Author: Herm Ward Team, Team Based QI Fellowship, 2014-15

Author: Dr Catherine Sherwin, Wessex Forensic Psychiatry Trainee, Individual QI Fellowship, 2013-14