Making a positive difference

Our proposals mean that people will get the specialist care that they need, in a safe and supportive environment. This means:

clinical care will be tailored to the specific group of patients on that ward, including appropriate activities and interventions, better levels of supervision, observation and clinical input.
patients will be in the right place for their needs, first time, which means that they will stay on the same ward from admission through to discharge.
the length of time that people need to stay on our wards will be shorter, as patients can build better therapeutic relationships with staff, and be given more timely support and confidence to help them to live well in their community following discharge.
care can be more coordinated with other organisations who are able to support patients, carers, and families, once people are discharged, such as voluntary and community groups.

We can make the environment on our wards tailored to each patient group to better support people’s care. This means wards will:

be safer, by making better use of space to create lines of sight for staff, help patients find their way around more independently, and installing more measures to reduce injury from falls, and the risk of self-harm.
be more supportive of people’s wellbeing, with high quality, safe and attractive communal spaces, clear signage which uses images, and features which can support therapeutic care, such as a quiet ambience.
promote independence, with space to encourage people to move around, facilities that support occupation, activity and social stimulation, and better privacy with space that is more accommodating of personal space.
have the right numbers of staff with the right skills and training, with specialist roles such as advanced clinical practitioners and psychology assistants.

Our staff will be better supported to give patients the specialist care they need, as they will be able to:

better utilise their skills to improve care
access support from a wide range of health and care teams
have specialist training and develop skills around dementia or functional mental health
spend more time caring for the patients on their wards
build better therapeutic relationships with their patients, carers and families.