Partnerships in Care

Service description

Partnerships in Care Group who provide specialised care for men and women across the country. Both male and female learning disability and mental health wards within them. All service users are detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 (as amended 2007). There are four Partnerships in Care services within the Midlands and there should be opportunity to visit these in order to support understanding of the different levels of security, medium, low and locked rehabilitation that we provide.

Learning opportunities

• Legal and policy issues relating to people with mental health problems (and learning disabilities), all patients are detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 (as amended 2007)
• Multi-disciplinary working including attendance at Care Programme Approach meetings and reviews, S117 meetings, managers panel reviews and first-tier tribunals
• Anti-oppressive practice with adults with mental health needs and learning disabilities
• Advocacy skills
• Group work. There is opportunity to be involved with groups run by the psychology or occupational therapy departments
• Opportunity to create and lead own group
• Person-centred care planning, monitoring and review, primarily through ward round with the rest of the clinical team (psychiatrist, psychologist, occupational therapy, nurse, healthcare worker and social worker)
• Working with service users with complex needs from admission to discharge
• Experience of continuing assessment of need and risk, risk assessment and management is a significant part of this learning experience
• Multi-agency working, strong links with police, probation, MAPPA and social services. Particular focus on liaison with the external care team for the patient (e.g. care co-ordinator)
• Familiarisation and understanding of local and national policy and legislation relating to the service user group
• Working as part of a team to provide a high quality service
• Working with people with challenging behaviour and enduring mental health needs
• Experience of working in a rehabilitation service, part of our service is a locked rehabilitation service which is a step-down from low secure
• Undertaking social work assessments; meeting with family/carers to gather collateral history to share with the rest of the clinical team
• Understanding forensic work
• Opportunity to work across other units within the agency. Within the region we have a male low secure service, male and female medium secure service and female locked rehabilitation service
• Opportunities to apply relevant theories
• Crisis intervention
• Supporting individuals to achieve improved mental health and working towards their recovery back into their community
• Welfare rights work
• Involvement and use of Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Care Programme Approach 1990
• Opportunity to learn about psychotropic medication and relative side effects
• To gain an understanding of the criminal system
• Report writing and presenting in line with Care Programme Approach and tribunals
• Theoretical and practical issues around self harm
• Promoting social inclusion by encouraging patients to create and maintain links with the local community
• Systematic record keeping
• Understanding safeguarding vulnerable adults, working within the policy, making referrals to external safeguarding teams, care planning to safeguard our patients

Additional information

Due to the nature of the service and risk all students are required to attend breakaway training which is a one day course. The aims of the course are to prepare the participant to manage the risk of physical assault in the workplace, whilst bearing in mind the duty of care towards the patient or others who may be involved. In view of this students will need to complete a health questionnaire beforehand to allow the trainers to assess their physical ability to undertake the course.