PSYCHIATRY

Director, Sheena Flavin

Contributing to developing a sustainable workforce – each year, we supervise psychologists in training from clinical and /or counselling psychology doctoral courses. We also provided MHID lectures to 3rd year nursing students in DCU and outreach groups of both postgraduate and undergraduate nursing students. We also provided HST (Higher Specialist Training) at Senior Registrar and Fellowship level through placements and clinical assessments.

We have expanded our Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service in Intellectual Disability (CAMHSID) team with the recruitment of a part time psychologist. We also recruited another CNS and senior psychologist to the MHID team so we now have two Mental Health Intellectual Disability (MHID) teams.

We adopted a multi-disciplined approach (psychiatry, nursing and psychology) in continuing to build alliances with local universities by providing mental health focused training to undergraduate students across various courses.

Senior Psychologists in CAMHS-ID and MHID taught students in UCD in the Clinical Psychology doctoral course.

Our CAMHS-ID team organised a national CAMHS conference.

Challenges for 2022

Resources are needed to meet the needs of catchment area as outlined in Sharing the Vision. The need to strengthen working relationships with other teams.

Resources are needed to support service users who do not attend day/residential services in SMH

More clarity around catchment areas for our services is needed, and there is also a need to develop a service for those of an older age.

Service User Stories/Highlight of 2022

A 9 year old boy was referred to CAMHS ID with a moderate learning disability, ASD and ADHD from the Children’s Disability Network Team (CDNT). Both he and his family were under significant stress in the home and were facing the prospect of transitioning schools. He was on medication at this time and he had no respite. The CAMHS ID team worked on strategies that could help him with the CDNT and the school and his parents over a period of time. They also worked to increase his LINK hours and to introduce respite. He has now started a new school and he is very happy. He is availing of regular respite and all medication has been discontinued. It is heartening that this boy and his family got the resources they needed in order to improve their quality of life.

Projects 2022

Social Prescribing Project is being undertaken by Ciara Cahill (Assistant Psychologist, and supervised by MDT of MHID team). The goal of social prescribing is to link people with activities in their local community based on their individual needs. Social prescribing is designed to reduce isolation and improve independence and wellbeing through engagement in meaningful activities. Stepping Stones project was completed by CAMHS-ID Team to support the parents of our youngest service users.

The Sleep Kit project was a major project that was completed and will be finalised at the beginning of 2023.

Key Achievements

• Further developments on our COG and SOP with the aim to release both in 2023. Oversight to these documents is provided by the MHID Steering group.

• Implementing plans in both CAMHS ID and MHID to discuss and promote service development projects which will enhance the quality of service delivery.

• The MHID team has been expanded to include Area 1.

• A MHID psychology consultation service was offered for south side service users.

• Successful implementation of the transition from CAMHS ID to MHID services. The MHID team have developed a leaflet for families explaining our services.

• Provided workshops to parents, families, staff teams and carers related to mental health, promotion of service users and staff (e.g. supporting service users with complex emotional needs).

• Provided psycho education in the schools of our younger service users.

• Dr Manus Moynihan published a peer reviewed paper in the British Journal of Learning Disability.

• Developed a service for those who are older and those who have dementia.