Home › Service directory › Walton ward psychiatric intensive care unit (Wakefield)
Walton ward psychiatric intensive care unit (Wakefield)
Page last updated on:
About the service
Walton ward is a Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) which provides intensive nursing care for both male and female patients. The 14 bedded unit supports service users, who are in an acute phase of mental illness and are usually detained under the Mental Health Act. Service users may come to us with difficult to manage symptoms such as aggression or disinhibition (inappropriate behaviour) as well as other associated risks which do not allow them to be safely managed and treated in an acute inpatient ward.
Our aim is to provide a safe environment for people and to manage their condition in the least restrictive setting. Before any patient is admitted to the unit, a comprehensive assessment is completed to ensure that the admission is appropriate to the individual’s needs.
Walton ward aims to create a positive and collaborative atmosphere between staff, service users, their families and carers by promoting relationships based on mutual trust and an open approach to care and treatment.
The service supports and enables service users to realise their full potential in achieving recovery, ensuring that patients’ expectations are negotiated and agreed with every individual involved in their care. This is at the centre of daily activity on Walton.
The unit provides a proactive and positive approach to care by using effective interventions, activities and open communication to promote a safe and therapeutic environment.
Staff you may meet
- Activity co-ordinators are responsible for implementing a range of therapeutic activities. Examples of activities provided include social, recreational, leisure, communication, sensory or educational sessions.
- Administrative staff provide essential support to doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals. This can be in a variety of different settings, with administrators working as a receptionist in a clinic or a clerk on a ward. They may also be working closely with a consultant as a medical secretary.
- Dietitians use the science of food to help people to make good choices about food and lifestyle. Nutrition is an important part of recovery and wellbeing. All service users admitted to a Trust ward have their nutritional state assessed.
- There are more than 60 different specialities that doctors work within the NHS. Each is unique but there are many characteristics which are common. Roles range from working in a hospital to being based in the community as a GP.
- Housekeepers help nurses run hospital wards. They are a member of a ward team and support the delivery of clinical care by ensuring the ward is a clean, safe and attractive place which is conducive to patient care.
- Nurses who choose to specialise in the mental health branch of nursing work with GPs, psychiatrists, psychologists, and others, to help care for patients. Increasingly, care is given in the community, with mental health nurses visiting patients and their families at home, in residential centres, in prisons or in specialist clinics or units.
- Nursing or healthcare assistants work in hospital or community settings under the guidance of a qualified healthcare professional. They help doctors, nurses and therapists give people the care and treatment they need.
- Occupational therapy is the assessment and treatment of physical and psychiatric conditions using specific, purposeful activity to prevent disability and promote independent function in all aspects of daily life.
- Physiotherapists help people to improve their range of movement in order to promote health and well being. This can help people to live more independently.
- Porters work within the Trust facilities team moving and delivering post, equipment and medication to locations across the organisation. They also help to move frail and often very ill patients between different departments and wards in safety and comfort.
- Adult psychotherapists work with people to assess and treat a range of emotional, social or mental health issues. They help people tackle problems such as behavioural issues, common challenges such as anxiety and depression or more complex or severe issues, such as psychosis or a personality disorder diagnosis.
- Receptionists are the first link for many patients and visitors. They often work on their own or with one or two other receptionists, greeting patients as they arrive and check them in. They might also collect patient notes and ensure that these vital records go to the right healthcare professional. In a clinic, they may make appointments and arrange patient transport.
- Social workers help, support and protect people who are facing difficulties in their lives. They help people to take positive steps to overcome problems and improve their lives. This could involve assessing and reviewing a service user’s situation, building relationships with service users and their families and agreeing what practical support someone needs.
Support offered
- Medication
- Assessment of symptoms, both physical and psychological
- Assessment of social circumstances
- Electro Convulsive Therapy (ECT)
- Activities and/or group sessions
- Talking and listening
- Risk assessment
- Drug and alcohol use/misuse assessment
- Drug and/or alcohol withdrawal treatment
- Medication management and side effect monitoring
- Supportive observations
- Family work
- Educational sessions; both individual and group sessions can be offered e.g. healthy living, smoking cessation, information on diagnosis
- Occupational therapy
- Psychology assessment
- Anxiety management
- Occupational activities, such as music, art, and cooking group
- Other activities including games, gym, pool
Outcomes
- Walton ward aims to complete a comprehensive assessment to determine the patient’s needs – working in partnership with the patient to meet these needs
- We aim to reduce risk factors identified in the admission process in order to step patients back down to an inpatient ward or, if necessary, step up to secure provisions
- All interventions offered to patients are recovery-based and look at establishing therapeutic engagement with patients. This involves healthcare professionals spending quality time with patients and aims to empower the patient to actively participate in their care
- This engagement helps to clarify diagnosis improve functional capacity and self-management skills whilst working towards relapse prevention and risk management plans
Referrals accepted from:
Local authority staff, Other Trust services, Police
Referral criteria:
All admissions to our inpatient service are screened by the Trust’s crisis resolution service. Referrals to Walton ward are screened by medical and nursing staff.