Men's Mental Health - medium secure

A 17-bed medium secure admission ward for adult males with a mental health diagnosis.

Robinson admits patients with complex and challenging behaviours who present with a primary diagnosis of mental illness which can include significant levels of comorbidity for bipolar disorder, paranoid schizophrenia and psychosis.

Patients are primarily admitted from external placements of prisons, other mediums secure units or as a step down for high secure hospitals. Length of stay is dependent on the individual although average stay is between 12 – 36 months.

Patients have full access to an experienced on site MDT including a designated Responsible clinician, Social worker, Occupational Therapy team, designated psychologist and assistant, full established nursing team, nurse manager and an activity co-ordinator.

Due to the robust nature of the ward, staff work closely with each patient and undertake rehabilitation programmes that work with index offences violence offences including sex offenders and fire setters. The nursing team have been trained in the following techniques RAID, MAPA / PMAV, use of hand cuffs and basic awareness training into the VdT Model of Creative Ability.

The ward have also recently implemented ‘SafeWards’ including the following interventions, which are having a positive impact;

Positive words
Knowing me, Knowing you
Positive message tree
Soft words

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Welcome

Patient artwork

Light and spacious living area

Ward courtyard

WWH cafe

Admissions criteria

Males of working age (18 to 65 years old) with a mental illness with a co-morbidity of:

personality disorder
borderline intellectual impairment
development disorders
forensic history or risk behaviour
be detained under the Mental Health Act 1983

Treatment and care

We exceed the recommended 25 hours of meaningful activity, however also acknowledge that some patients are not able to engage in this amount of therapy therefore provide bespoke treatment programmes to maximise their engagement.

The ward offers a range of Psychological therapies which include:-

Cognitive Behaviour Therapies for clinical conditions including Psychosis
Dialect Behaviour Therapy
Offence related interventions,
Fire setting treatment,
Anger and aggression
Supportive Psychological Interventions
Coping skills
Problem solving
Therapy to develop understanding of thinking.

Robinson was awarded a Centre of Excellence title in 2015 for the use of the Vona Du Toit Model of Creative Ability (VdTMoCA).

The VdTMoCA is a recovery focused model which assists Occupational Therapist’s in identifying an individual’s level of ability. It then provides clear treatment priorities as a focus for intervention, with treatment principles to be applied in therapy sessions. The aim is to enable the individual to engage to their maximum potential, therefore, gaining the most from therapy. It focuses on what the person can do rather than can’t do.

The model has its own outcome measure, the ‘Activity Participation Outcome Measure’ (APOM) which measures 53 separate items, making it a very comprehensive tool which can detect minor changes in a patients functioning.

Facilities

There are a wide range of therapy resources within WWH. Access to these resources are actively encouraged by the MDT however a careful assessment of need, functional ability and risk is undertaken before access is granted.

Therapy resources include:

Arts and crafts
IT suite
Ward based kitchens and a large off-ward kitchen with access to sharps
Vocational rehabilitation (Light and heavy industry)
Fitness suite and sports hall
Large enclosed courtyard and garden
Children and family visitor room
Multi-faith room
Swimming pool
GP and dental care
The café.

The grounds outside WWH offer wider access to vocational opportunities including Workbridge and leisure opportunities including a music studio and access to the Arts and St.Andrews.

Next steps

Discharge is considered at admission and our clinical and social work teams work with appropriate case managers to support a transition into low secure services. We have a range of options based in Northampton, Birmingham and Essex.