‘Today We Talked’: using a collaborative approach to transform care in the psychiatric intensive care unit
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

‘Today We Talked’: using a collaborative approach to transform care in the psychiatric intensive care unit

Sean Page Consultant Nurse (retired), Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, Wrexham Maelor Hospital, Wrexham, Wales
Mat Jarvis Ward Manager, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, Wrexham, Wales
Tony Carr Third Sector Advocate, Caniad North Wales, Colwyn, Wales
Melanie Williams Third Sector Advocate, Caniad North Wales, Colwyn, Wales
Rupert Leslie Occupational Therapist, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, Wrexham, Wales
Denise Charles Regional Service Manager, Caniad North Wales, Colwyn, Wales
Leanne Gill Ward Manager, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, Wrexham, Wales
Steve Forsyth Director of Mental Health Nursing, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, Wrexham, Wales

Why you should read this article:
  • To understand the experiences of people who need intensive mental healthcare

  • To learn about an approach to organisational change that involves collaboration with service users

  • To develop ideas for how you can involve service users in organisational change

People who need care in a psychiatric intensive care unit (PICU) are often highly stigmatised and referred to using negative, dehumanising language, for example being described as ‘difficult’ or ‘problematic’ patients. They have also been described as ‘permanently disturbed’, which shows a lack of respect, value and hope for their recovery.

This article reports on a service development project that aimed to challenge the traditional paradigm of care provided in a PICU in North Wales. The project used the ‘TODAY’ (time, ownership, diagnostics, actions, you) approach as a model for implementing organisational change, which was modified to a more inclusive ‘Today We Talked’ approach. It aimed to involve PICU service users in decision-making about aspects of their care, and to ensure that this care was individualised. Outcomes of the project included reduced use of restrictive physical interventions, reduced stigma, increased opportunities for engagement, improvements in the use of space, increased trust and higher levels of service user satisfaction.

Mental Health Practice. doi: 10.7748/mhp.2020.e1503

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and has been checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

seanpage_1@yahoo.co.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Page S, Jarvis M, Carr T et al (2020) ‘Today We Talked’: using a collaborative approach to transform care in the psychiatric intensive care unit. Mental Health Practice. doi: 10.7748/mhp.2020.e1503

Published online: 20 October 2020

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