Mother and baby unit gains national accreditation The Trust’s Perinatal Psychiatric Inpatient Unit has been accredited by the Quality Network for Perinatal Mental Health Services. The accreditation means that the unit, which is based at the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham, has demonstrated that it meets service standards set out by the Quality Network. The mother and baby unit cares for women with serious mental illness in late pregnancy and during the first year after giving birth. It provides physical and psychological care for the mother whilst promoting the mother/infant relationship and safeguarding the infant. Feedback from the accreditation report stated that it is “clear mothers feel extremely well supported and cared for by staff as well as involved in decisions around their care.” It also documented that partners and family members provided positive feedback and were appreciative of the way in which staff communicated with them and the way in which the service benefitted their family.
The review team noted the professionalism of the staff at the unit and were impressed by the commitment to managing even the most acutely unwell women. The benefits to the unit from medical input provided by a consultant who is very much embedded within the service were highlighted and the strength of the community team working alongside the service was applauded. Judy Gardiner, Ward Manager, said: “We are delighted with the accreditation, which is a recognition of the hard work and commitment from the team. The amount of preparation required for this process was labour intensive for the ward staff, but a worthwhile exercise in validating our self ratings and compiling comprehensive reports.” The accreditation status is valid for three years on the condition that the unit continues to demonstrate ongoing compliance with the standards. The unit will be officially named The Margaret Oates Mother and Baby Unit Nottingham on 22 July 2011.
Let’s talk about sex Service users at the Willows have benefited from a discussion session looking at sexuality, intimacy and relationships.
The session was held at the Willows Mental Health Intensive Care Unit (MHICU) at Highbury Hospital on 25 May to provide a safe space for service users to explore issues that impact on mental health and wellbeing. The group examined the effects of prescribed medication on sexual functioning and spoke about the importance of appropriate boundaries and therapeutic relationships. The discussion throughout promoted positive healthy relationships and recovery. The discussion was facilitated by Lindsay Rawson, Mental Health Nurse with Special Interests in Safeguarding, and Sarah Fairbank, Clinical Psychologist. Lindsay has carried out work surrounding privacy and dignity in inpatient settings, focusing on safeguarding and sexual safety on behalf of the Local Services Safeguarding Team. The outcome of this work focuses on aspects such as resources, skills, attitudes and collaborative connections to take the service forward and improve the experiences for our service users as inpatients. Lindsay Rawson
Hucknall House staff success Congratulations to Hucknall House healthcare assistants Linda Costello and Sam Smithen for completing NVQs in Health and Social Care at level II (Linda) and level III (Sam). Well done and keep up the excellent work.
Positive July 2011
15