Implementation of Safewards within the Department of Psychiatry, Roscommon University Hospital
Our project at the Department of Psychiatry is the implementation of ‘Safewards’ model.
Safewards is a theoretical model with 10 interventions designed to improve the safety for everyone involved in in-patient wards.
Safewards provides clear direction, supporting how we can encourage staff and individuals to work together to reduce conflict and containment as much as possible. This echoes the values of the Galway Roscommon Mental Health Nursing Services Strategy 2022- 2027. Our vision is to provide a quality nursing service that is equitable, recover focused and empowering for service users.
The implementation of 10 interventions of Safewards in the Department of Psychiatry is significant, demonstrating the progressive developments in mental health care as a co-production. This merits the broader inclusion of people and service users. This model is recovery focused and encourages the individuals’ voice at each initiative, we listen, share and encourage as much involvement as possible from staff and service users. Safewards supports the Mental Health Commissions guidance documents (MHC, 2023), ensuring involvement in achieving a culture shift which is truly reflective of our values. This is at the heart of service delivery and contributes to the reduction, and where possible eliminate restrictive practice as advocated by our regulatory body. Future planning will require services to demonstrate how this is being achieved in practice. Coupled with modern forward thinking attitudes, Safewards interventions provide a successful point to being a supportive co-produced change.
Safewards implementation team is situated in the Department of Psychiatry Roscommon.
Safewards had its inaugural meeting of the local working subgroup on 20th October 2021. This subgroup contains a wide variety of representatives from the acute unit. This includes members of the multidisciplinary team, service user involvement and support staff.
Safewards 10 Interventions:-
1. Mutual Expectations
2. Mutual Help Meetings
3. Positive Words
4. Calm Down Methods
5. Soft Words
6. Reassurance
7. Getting to Know Each Other
8. Discharge Messages
9. Talk Down
10. Bad News Mitigation