The services and treatments you will have are all written down in a care plan, which explains what they are for, how they work, and who is responsible for each part.
You should always be involved in deciding what goes into your care plan, and will always be able to have a copy of it.
Your Consultant, Named Nurse and/or Care Co-ordinator will talk through with you what the choices are, discuss them and agree your care. Your care plan might include information on:
- medication
- talking therapy
- occupational therapy
- activities and recreation
- planning towards your discharge.
We will always endeavour to work with you and your carer/family so you are as involved in your care process as possible. Several days a week there are multi-disciplinary meetings (MDMs).
Ward rounds are when your Consultant meets the nursing team on the ward to discuss your mental health and how you’ve been. You will have the opportunity to see the Consultant and discuss anything or ask any questions. MDMs are similar to ward rounds and in in accordance with national best practice and the current Trust policy, patients attend these meetings. This is an opportunity for you, the Consultant, Doctors, Nurses, Occupational Therapist and Pharmacist to meet. Sometimes, if you have a support worker, social worker or relative, they may be invited to these meetings as well.
Your family/carers
If you have family or friends who provide a lot of support for you, there may be some things we can do to help them, like giving them information about services, or putting them in touch with other carers.
If they provide a lot of support regularly, they may be entitled to a carer's assessment. Your Named Nurse or Care Co-ordinator can help with this. Let them know if you think your family or friends need help.
Our local mental health inpatient unit, The Radbourne Unit, hosts a carers’ group which was set up in 2008, and is run by staff members from the Trust. It is aimed at giving those who care for people with mental health illnesses the support they often need, as carers can frequently feel overwhelmed, forgotten and confused.
The group meets once a month and carers can talk and listen to others in a similar situation, and have the opportunity to participate in a variety of social events and activities. Theme evenings are also often held. The group meets on the third Thursday of each month at the Radbourne Unit on the Royal Derby Hospital site from 4.30pm – 6.30pm.
Planning for home
When you are ready to leave hospital, or go on a trial home leave, you will have your future needs discussed within the multi-disciplinary meeting (MDM). Family and carers will be encouraged to take an active role in this meeting if you consent to this.
Your care plan will detail who to contact after discharge if you need to talk to someone, and when someone will visit to make sure you’re ok. Your leave and discharge will be discussed with you, and the right services put in place for you.
Your Named Nurse will work out all the things which need to be done before you can go home, and keep a record of everything that’s in place and everyone who has been told about the arrangements.
Prior to this it may be necessary for the Occupational Therapist to do a home visit to assess safety and need for further equipment to ensure you have a successful discharge. This meeting is known as the CPA meeting and will determine any additional support which may be required to help you live independently at home.
If you require additional community support, whether this is in your own home or in residential care, we will complete a referral form and send to the appropriate professional. This person may work in another health or social care organisation, but we will let you know when we have done this.
If after the assessment period it is thought unsuitable for you to return home, a placement assessment will take place. You and your carer/family will then receive advice on suitable accommodation to meet your physical and mental health needs. This will then be discussed at the MDM. All efforts are made to support individual choices, however this may not be possible in the first instance, and you will be advised if this occurs.
Occupational Therapy Rehabilitation Service
There is a significant amount of research which highlights how engaging in occupation is key to our wellbeing and quality of life. ‘Occupation’ is a term used for all the activities we do, which contribute to our sense of who we are, what we can do and what we would like to do in the future.
During your stay, occupational therapy staff will work alongside you to support you with:
- Developing daily living skills
- Thinking about what you feel it is difficult to do, what you need to do and ways to manage this
- Providing opportunities for you to develop interests in new activities.
The Occupational Therapy Team facilitates an onsite group programme and works alongside partner agencies such as Mind, Rethink and other community-based organisations to provide further opportunities for individuals to engage with activities in the wider community.
The Occupational Therapy Team would welcome your feedback on your experience of the service provided, as this helps us to deliver support which is meaningful and person-centred.
