Visit from down under!

Staff from the South West Yorkshire Mental Health Trust had the chance to learn about some of the newest developments in mental health care on the other side of the world, when they hosted a visit from an Australian health manager.

Jane Mussared from Adelaide, South Australia visited the Priestley Unit in Dewsbury as part of her European tour. She is visiting areas of good practice to learn about services for older people and to share her own experiences of mental health services in Australia.

She is particularly interested in ‘dementia care mapping’ – an approach the South West Yorkshire Mental Health Trust uses to care for those with dementia. It involves looking at things through the eyes of the patient to improve their experiences of coming into care settings.

Jane learnt about how services for older people in the area are being developed and explained what developments are currently being made in Australia.

"I am overwhelmed by the positive response of this service and found the visit very interesting and helpful. The use of dementia care mapping here is more than just a tool but a base for good care. I would like to keep contact with this Trust and communicate in the future to exchange and share information and good practice," said Jane.

Suzanne Wightman, manager of older people services said, "It was a fantastic opportunity for our staff to learn how things are improving and developing locally and further a field."

"It was a great chance to share ideas and learn about mental health care on the other side of the world. Hopefully this sharing of good practice will lead to better care for older people with mental health problems."