11 February 2019

CNWL together with the London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust launched a training programme in January, geared at emergency department and mental health staff. It comes after both Trusts won a bid and secured funding from the Urgent and Emergency Care Workforce Collaborative for London to run the project.

The Health-Based Place of Safety (HBPoS) training aims to:

– Improve the quality of care for mental health patients in crisis who attend Northwick Park Hospital’s Emergency Department (ED) and section 136 (s136) suite

– Provide more integrated physical and mental healthcare in our ED and s136 suite

– To develop and maintain a workforce with the skills to provide this more integrated care (with a focus on staff wellbeing)

Over 40 staff attended the training last month, including emergency department medical and nursing staff, mental health staff, police and paramedics.

Since then, there has been:

• Weekly training for mental health and emergency department staff. This training programme also includes a session with a service user about their experience of S136 in ED at Northwick Park Hospital.

• Weekly supervision for ED staff to reflect on management of patients who have presented with mental health issues.

• Plans in place for Experiential Learning Days – each ED nurse or healthcare assistant will spend four “dip-in” additional shifts in their new environment shadowing a buddy nurse undertaking their usual shift. If the Health-based Place of Safety (HBPoS) is not in use, the shift will be on the acute mental health ward).