• Question: what do you do in the ward team ?

    Asked by jess to Psychiatry Ward Team, Neel - Psychiatrist, Home Treatment Team, Early Intervention Team, Ed - Mental Health Nurse, Arts Therapy Team, Annabel - Head of HR on 30 Jan 2019.
    • Photo: Arts Therapy Team

      Arts Therapy Team answered on 30 Jan 2019:

      not currently on wards, but used to go in and do art therapy groups with inpatients. its lots of people together who do knot know so work is more open and less in depth than in the community where you meet same people every week
      there are ward staff like Occupational therapists and activity coordinators who run all sorts of groups

    • Photo: Sheffield Psychiatry Ward Team

      Sheffield Psychiatry Ward Team answered on 30 Jan 2019:

      Hi 🙂

      Emma here (doctor)

      The patients we care for all have a serious mental illness and are too unwell to be looked after at home, so they are admitted to hospital. They have conditions ranging from severe depression to bipolar disorder to schizophrenia and more. Sometimes people are admitted because we don’t know what is causing their illness so we need to observe and assess them. Some people may be too poorly to be able to agree to come into hospital, so they may be admitted under a law that enables mental health workers to admit them to keep themselves and others safe, also known as “Sectioning”. That law is called the Mental Health Act. We also look after patients that are able to agree to be admitted.

      As doctors, me and Gemma assess people and with guidance from the Consultant might offer medication for their symptoms, or refer them to other members of the team such as psychology or occupational therapy. Doctors work closely with the nursing team on the ward, the ward managers, support workers, pharmacists, occupational therapists and many other professionals to help support patients to become well enough to go home. We also look after the patient’s physical health, such as doing blood tests or arranging scans if people develop an infection or are too unwell to eat and drink properly.

      Both Edelle and Jennifer from our team are trained mental health nurses. Jennifer, as a deputy ward manager, works both clinically looking after patients as well as as an assistant manager. Jennifer works on one of three wards in Sheffield for adults aged 18-65 with severe mental health problems.

      Edelle, as a ward manager, has overall responsibility for our Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit. She manages the staff team and ensures that a high level of care is provided to patients. She also has lots of leadership responsibilities such as managing the ward budget and ensuring that staff are fully trained. She also makes sure that health and safety and infection control standards are set and that staff are working within local and national policies as well as working within the Mental health Act.

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