Mental health trusts restrain patients 'every 10 minutes'

[Northerner]

Mental health trusts in England are restraining patients on average every 10 minutes, figures have revealed.

They show the number of incidents of restraint has increased each year since 2013.

Former health minister Norman Lamb said use of force was "endemic" in many units.

The Department of Health said it was working with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to ensure the use of restraint is minimised.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-41914555

 

[mikeyB]

It must be a bit of a bugger to be restrained every ten minutes.

 

[Lucy Honeychurch]

The problem with this is that 'restraint' can mean staff simply trying to deflect a punch with their arm. The number of the most severest form of restraint has gone down.

Lots of units employ agency staff and they don't have established relationships with patients, crucial when working with people with learning disabilities and mental health conditions. Consistency of care is key.

Community based mental health care has suffered massive cuts, by the time people are admitted to a unit they will be very distressed/psychotic/suicidal/terrified.

The biggest amount of injuries are to staff.

Physical intervention should be the last course of action, but staff have a duty of to intervene if the person is causing injury to them self or others.

The rise is also due to actually reporting the incidents, years ago not all incidents were recorded.

We all know mental health is severely underfunded. The blame should not just be put at the door of staff who do a very difficult job in very difficult circumstances.

Jeremy Hunt I'm looking at you 😡

 

[mikeyB]

When I worked in a large psychiatric hospital ( when such things existed) we had a straitjacket on every ward. Surprisingly effective in calming people down. Certainly beats a buttock full of chlorpromazine. Rather oddly, few if any restraints were needed in the Interim Secure Unit, where patients were taken from Broadmoor before possible reintroduction to society. Very experienced nursing staff in that unit, though. I played cribbage in the social club with one of their patients one lunchtime. Nice lad, chopped his mother up with an axe. Well, it is a crime you only commit once.

 

[Amigo]

When I worked in a large psychiatric hospital ( when such things existed) we had a straitjacket on every ward. Surprisingly effective in calming people down. Certainly beats a buttock full of chlorpromazine. Rather oddly, few if any restraints were needed in the Interim Secure Unit, where patients were taken from Broadmoor before possible reintroduction to society. Very experienced nursing staff in that unit, though. I played cribbage in the social club with one of their patients one lunchtime. Nice lad, chopped his mother up with an axe. Well, it is a crime you only commit once.

I bet you let him win!

 

[mikeyB]

I didn’t find out about his colourful past until he left to go back to the unit. I thought he was a new nurse! 🙄

We were playing a foursome, he was partnered with the Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist, so me and my partner took them for a couple of quid. 🙂