Mental health team taking an innovative approach to care
An innovative team of health professionals is supporting patients receiving mental health treatment in a hospital by providing a range of interventions to help them with their recovery.
The therapeutic care team at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital devises and runs a range of sessions which encourage individuals to engage in their recovery journey.
The sessions can include individual psychological therapies or group sessions which look at goal setting and accountability, cooking on a budget, gardening and encouraging creativity. There is also a focus on exercise and moving with sessions such as gentle circuits, a successful walking group and 1-1 gym sessions.
The team is made up of a range of health professionals including four occupational therapy staff, a therapeutic nurse, a psychotherapist and an exercise therapist, with each providing different skills to support individuals.
Activities such as exercise and creative arts have been shown to help improve mental health and the team’s programme is devised around the needs and interests of patients. While there are certain courses which are always delivered, if there are several patients with a particular interest and the team has the skills to deliver such sessions, these will be added to the programme.
Occupational therapist Lynette Hibbert said: “We know the value of actively engaging our patients, finding out what is meaningful to them and how important it is to have a balance of activities in our daily lives. The team works really closely with those on the ward so we can find out what patients need and what might be of interest to them and be responsive to that.”
Lead therapeutic nurse Gemma Holcombe said: “Being in the hospital can be quite tough for some of our patients so we always look at what can help, think about their needs and provide them with coping skills. Many of our patients enjoy the groups and we have had some really lovely feedback about the amazing difference that it has made to patients during their recovery in hospital and how much they have valued learning new skills.”
