GMW first to implement ‘Safewards’
Greater Manchester West Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMW) is the first trust internationally to implement and demonstrate all ten Safewards interventions on a ward. The Safewards project encourages the implementation of ten interventions to help minimise conflict on wards and maximise safety and recovery.
Keats ward on the Meadowbrook Unit in Salford demonstrates all ten interventions which involved forming better relationships between patients and staff on the wards, arranging more group meetings between staff and patients, managing patient’s moods more closely and creating discharge messages whereby patients who are being discharged leave positive messages for current and future patients about their care and time spent on the ward.
Professor Len Bowers, Chair in Mental Health at Kings College, London and Safewards Champion presented Keats ward with a plaque last week to congratulate them on their success on becoming the first ward internationally to implement Safewards.
Professor Bowers and his research team carried out extensive research to develop the ten interventions and the benefits of implementing them in areas like mental health wards. The research program involved 200-300 patients, 150 psychiatric wards and over 50 research staff over a period of fifteen years.
The Safewards principles comprises of planning, compromise, positive environments and reducing incidents and the degree of harm which fall in line with GMW’s objectives and quality targets. The Safewards project also support GMW’s Quality Account priority 3 – Recovery: improving outcomes through the delivery of recovery-focused services and Quality Account priority 6 – Supporting improvements in our service users’ physical health.
The Safewards project website has proved internationally popular with hits from people all over the world including Russia, Africa and Asia. Victoria, Australia have provided £500,000 to launch their Safewards project involving fifteen psychiatric hospitals.
Professor Len Bowers said: “Implementing and demonstrating these interventions in such a short space of time could only have been done with a strong, enthusiastic team of staff in place. The staff at Keats ward are encouraging and inspirational.”
Nyreen Nangle, Acting Matron of Meadowbrook Unit, Salford said: “I would just like to thank the Safewards team for their great resources, the staff on the Keats ward and of course past and present service users whom without we wouldn’t have been able to embed these interventions so quickly and effectively.”
The successful Safewards project will now be rolled out across the rest of the trust in areas including Bolton, Trafford and in the Adult Forensic Services at Prestwich.
ENDS
Notes for Editors
1. Greater Manchester West Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMW) provides district mental health services in Bolton, Salford and Trafford. GMW also provides substance misuse services in Salford, Wigan and Leigh, Blackburn with Darwen, Central Lancashire and Cumbria.
2. GMW delivers specialist mental health and substance misuse inpatient services throughout Greater Manchester and the wider North.
3. Safewards website: http://www.safewards.net
4. Photo with Gill Green, Director of Operations and Nursing and Staff from Keats ward
For media enquiries, contact the press office on 0161 772 3985 or email Katie.guatella@gmmh.nhs.uk
