Mental Health Outreach

Transcription

1 Mental Health Outreach

2 Why hospitals? Hospitals can provide a valuable opportunity to engage with a new audience who are likely to need educational support, and who are unlikely to be able to access mainstream support. It is possible to provide outreach sessions at mental health hospitals, but it requires an informed approach to the audience group and a strong relationship with the hospital. What do Mental Health Units do? Mental Health Units in hospitals help people who are having a mental health crisis. Sometimes, being in hospital is the best way to keep someone safe and make sure that they get the level of treatment that they need. A doctor might recommend that a person be admitted to hospital if: They need to be admitted for further assessment If there is a risk to their safety If they pose a risk of harm to other people If there isn t safe way to treat them at home If they need more intensive support than can be given to them at home Who are forensic mental health patients? A forensic mental health patient is someone who has committed a crime and has received a sentence. They are in hospital because they are not well enough to be in custody or prison.

3 What s occupational therapy? Occupational therapy is a non-medical way to support recovery - including mental health conditions. Normally occupational therapies in the mental health sector include creative classes, like art and photography. Education and skills can also form an important part of occupational therapy. Some mental health hospitals have worked to embed digital skills in their provision for occupational therapy. Education for mental health patients is embedded in targets for some hospitals. Sometimes, these targets are known as CQUIN targets within the NHS. Where do I start? Try to connect with the lead occupational therapist in your chosen hospital. They can be your link to a lasting relationship with the hospital. Occupational therapists will be your ongoing contacts if you begin to work in a hospital. They will introduce you to patients, and help you to run your sessions in accordance with how the hospital works day-to-day. It is likely that your work will be seen as part of the larger support package for each individual. Do I need to undertake any checks? Because hospitals work with vulnerable people, they are rightly very cautious. Before you begin work at a hospital, it s likely that your regular attendance and role in the hospital will have to be approved by a senior member of staff, like the director of the hospital. Your regular attendance at the hospital will be subject to a risk assessment. This is to protect you and the patients that you will be working with.

4 How should I assess learning needs of my learners? There will be a mix of individuals on each ward. They will be at different stages of recovery, they will have different conditions, and they will have different educational needs. For this reason, you ll need to assess the skill level of each individual and determine how they can be best supported. Some individuals may need additional literacy and numeracy support. Is outreach the only option to help these learners? It s likely to be the main way in which you support patients. Another possibility is to put on additional sessions in the community, which are designed and delivered for patients and ex-patients. Some patients will spend all of their time in the hospital. Others, who are close to release, may have day release. This is part of the recovery process, and day release is structured to allow patients a phased re-entry to the community. If you have a centre in the community that is accessible to patients, then you may be able to provide a safe-space for patients to continue their education. This kind of space is very valuable to hospital staff who are very concerned to establish support for individuals that will continue once they are released from hospital. If you are setting up sessions for patients at your centre, be sure to assess the risks to yourself and your staff. Hospital staff can help you to do this. If you are running a session for patients, think about making the session exclusive for them, and do not make it open to other learners.

5 How can I recruit the right people to help these learners? It s a good idea to contact your local university or a college. Building relationships with universities will help you recruit students who need to find a relevant job placement or get more experience in the field. The benefit of working closely with universities is that they decide who will benefit from such a placement most, so you ll get best candidates for the role. What should I do once my learners leave the hospital? When patients leave hospital, they are likely to be housed in support accommodation. If you build relationships with the staff at the supported accommodation, then you can maintain engagement with patients once they have been released from hospital.