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Relatives and Carers FAQs

Why does my relative/friend have to stay in hospital?

Your friend or relative needs to stay in a PiC hospital as he or she has been diagnosed with a mental illness, severe learning disability or acquired brain injury.

Some of our patients may be a danger to themselves or others. At the majority of our hospitals, patients will be sectioned under the Mental Health Act. Whilst in hospital, your friend or relative will get the help they need so that they can change their behaviour and solve their problems.

What is the Mental Health Act?

The Mental Health Act 1983 (amended 2007) is the UK law that states that a patient detained under the Mental Health Act must stay in a suitable hospital for their own safety or for the safety of others.

There are different sections of the Mental Health Act such as section 3 or section 37. All patients at any Partnerships in Care (PiC) hospital are detained under the Act.

For more information about the Mental Health Act please visit the Department of Health website at www.dh.gov.uk and select the Publications tab, followed by Legislation, Acts and Bills and finally Mental Health Act 1983. For information relating to the Mental Health Act in Wales, please visit http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sites3/page.cfm?orgid=816&pid=33955; or for Scotland, please visit http://www.mwcscot.org.uk/mwc_home/home.asp

What does a ‘secure’ hospital mean?

A secure hospital is one that prevents a patient from leaving without the authority of their doctor. Secure hospitals are divided into three levels of security; high, medium and low.  High secure services (Rampton, Ashworth and Broadmoor) are provided by the NHS. PiC provides medium secure, low secure, step down rehabilitation as well as houses in the community.

How long will he/she need to stay in hospital?

It is difficult to say how long your friend or relative will be in hospital. Everyone is different and progresses at different rates. Your friend or relative will need to complete their individual treatment plan which involves:

• Attending therapeutic group sessions
• Attending individual sessions with staff
• Complying with their medication programmes if required

To be discharged from hospital your friend or relative will need to be considered as no longer a risk to themselves or other people.

It may be the case that your friend or relative moves to a lower security hospital, or community house, before being discharged home.

Who will be looking after him/her?

Your friend or relative will be cared for by a team of healthcare professionals known as the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT). The MDT will include:

• A Psychiatrist who is also known as the Responsible Clinician (RC). The RC will have the overall responsibility for the patient’s care
• Nurses and Healthcare Workers who provide cover on the ward 24 hours a day
• An Occupational Therapist who will work with your friend or relative to help them develop their independence and daily living skills
• A Psychologist who will draw up a treatment plan for your friend or relative and offer them psychological therapies whilst they are in hospital
• A Social Worker who will work with you and your friend or relative to make sure you can keep in touch. The Social Worker will also help you to arrange a visit with your friend or relative
• Other Healthcare professionals such as a Speech and Language Therapist and Physical Healthcare Nurse are available if your friend or relative needs them.

With permission from yourself and your friend or relative, the Multidisciplinary Team will work with you to make sure you are kept updated about your friend or relative’s progress.

All patients will also have access to a mental health advocate. This is an independent person, not part of the care team, who is responsible for looking after patient’s needs. They will help should the patient need to raise any concerns or problems that they are having.

What sort of treatment will be offered?

There are lots of different types of treatment available to your friend and relative; a lot will depend on their individual diagnosis. Treatment and therapies could include:

• Positive Behavioural Support
• Arson Treatment
• Anxiety Management
• Social Sills Training
• Coping with Hearing Voices
• Problem Solving

There are two main types of talking therapies which are used at PiC hospitals, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Dialectical Behavioural Therapy.

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a talking therapy which looks at the way you talk about yourself, other people and the world and how what you do affects your thoughts and feelings.
  
  For further information about CBT you can visit the Royal College of Psychiatrists website at http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinfoforall/treatments/cbt.aspx
  
  Or the NHS website at http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Cognitive-behavioural-therapy/Pages/Introduction.aspx

• Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) is a therapy for people with Borderline Personality Disorder; it developed from CBT and adapted for individuals with this diagnosis. For more information about Dialectical Behavioural Therapy you can visit the Mind website at http://www.mind.org.uk/help/medical_and_alternative_care/dialectical_behaviour_therapy

Can I visit my friend or relative?

We encourage visits by relatives and friends. Our hospitals operate a visiting policy that enables you to maintain regular contact with relatives and friends. There are dedicated visitors room on site.

How do I book a visit?

Most visits are booked directly with the relevant ward after an ‘approved’ visitors list is agreed by Social Workers and the multidisciplinary team. The multidisciplinary team needs to be informed regarding children visiting, so that they can agree whether this is appropriate or not.

When can I visit?

Each hospital will have a visiting policy which will give you the visiting times for the unit. Visits can take place any day of the week. Visiting hours may be adjusted under certain circumstances; please ask the Social Worker if you cannot attend during normal visiting hours.

Can I bring my friend or relative a gift whilst they are in hospital?

Yes, however all items need to be checked with staff before they are given to your friend or relative; this is for security purposes. There are certain items which are not allowed into any of the hospitals at any time and you will be given a list of such items when you arrange your visit.

Can children visit?

You will need to get the agreement of your friend or relative’s care team if a child under the age of 18 would like to visit; you can do this via the Social Worker.

Can my friend or relative visit me?

It is sometimes possible for your friend or relative to visit you using their section 17 leave. Section 17 leave is a part of the Mental Health Act; the responsible clinician can grant section 17 leave for patients which means they can leave the hospital premises for an agreed period of time.

Your friend or relative may choose to use the leave to visit you at home or in the community, for example at a restaurant or in the park.

For more information about home visits please contact your friend or relative’s Social Worker.

What is there to do whilst my friend or relative is in hospital?

Each PiC hospital has its own activities timetable with which patients can get involved in when they are ready. The timetable changes every three months and includes activities such as:

• Cookery Club; Arts and Crafts; Hobbies Group; Healthy Living Group; Current Affairs; Woodwork Skills; Pets As Therapy; Lunch Club; Walking Group; Swimming; Sewing Circle; Horticulture

PiC employs special tutors who can help your friend or relative improve their literacy or numeracy whilst in hospital or help them develop their skills through courses such as food preparation or looking after household expenses. Your friend or relative can also enrol on an Open University course or take a course at the local college.

Will my friend or relative have a say in their care and treatment?

Yes. Patients are involved with their treatment as much as possible. Patients are encouraged to chair their own Care Programme Approach (CPA) meetings and a patient representative is invited to attend Clinical Governance meetings. Patients can also take part in monthly Patient Alliance meetings in which patients can meet with others, discuss any issues and present them to staff, leading to greater independence and confidence for the patient.

Patients are able to express their views in their ward rounds and use the complaints process if they are not satisfied with any aspect of the service.

What happens if I am not happy about the service?

If you are not happy with any aspect of our service, either in relation to your relative/loved one in our care, or are not happy about how you have been treated as a relative/carer, firstly you need to put your complaint in writing and send this to The Complaints Officer at the relevant hospital.

If you are still not happy once you receive a response, you can then take your complaint either to PiC Head Office, or if the patient is detained under the Mental Health Act, directly to the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the Scottish Care Commission or the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales.

For further information on how to complain, please see the relevant complaints leaflet.

 

If these questions do not answer your particular question, you may find this elsewhere on our website, or please look at the ‘useful web links’. For questions that you think other friends and relatives would like to see here, please email your suggestion to info@partnershipsincare.co.uk.

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