In
2011, some of our members contacted us regarding the practice of
seclusion at the Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. There
was an apparent difference in the way that patients in crisis were
dealt with at the Radbourne Unit and the Hartington Unit and a number
of serious concerns about the actual way in which it was carried out.
MHAG
met with Trust Managers and
invited them to hear the testimony of our members. As a result of
this and having recently conducted their own survey the Trust made
the decision to end the use of seclusion on all wards except the
Enhanced Care Ward (Radbourne Unit). In order to achieve this change
the Trust set up a Seclusion Project Team and invited MHAG, along
with Derbyshire Voice, to become part of that team.
There
are a number of hurdles to overcome and the Trust are quite rightly
committed to ensuring that future arrangements are safe for everyone
concerned. Plans are being made to refurbish the existing seclusion
rooms so they can be used as more effective de-escalation areas. We
have also been offering input to staff training so that the service
receiver’s perspective is understood and skills are further
developed to ensure that seclusion never occurs when it could have
been avoided. All current cases of seclusion are being carefully
monitored to ensure that lessons are learnt whenever possible.
If
you have experience of seclusion and would like to get involved in
this training work please do contact us.
