ASSIST: A Model for Supporting Staff in Secure Healthcare Settings after Traumatic Events That Is Expanding into Other European Territories

Greenwood, Annette; Rooney, Carol; Ardino, Vittoria

doi:10.1002/9781119943242.ch6

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…For staff, inpatient violence is a significant cause of trauma associated with a variety of physical, psychological and social effects. 1 Violence towards staff is associated with long-term psychological consequences independent of physical injury. 2 Violence experienced by healthcare staff is associated with lower patient ratings of care.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quality improvement in forensic mental health: the East London forensic violence reduction collaborative

et al. 2020

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Ward-based violence is the most significant cause of reported safety incidents at East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT). It impacts on patient and staff safety, well-being, clinical care and the broader hospital community in various direct and indirect ways. The contributing factors are varied and complex. Several factors differentiate the forensic setting, which has been identified as a particularly stressful work environment. Staff must constantly balance addressing therapeutic needs with robust risk management in a complex patient cohort. ELFT identified reducing inpatient physical violence on mental health wards as a major quality improvement (QI) priority. The aim was to use a QI methodology to reduce incidents of inpatient violence and aggression across two secure hospital sites by at least 30% between July 2016 and March 2018. Collaborative learning was central to this project. It sought to foster a culture of openness within the organisation around violence and to support service users and staff to work together to understand and address it. A QI methodology was applied in medium and low secure inpatient settings. A change bundle was tested for effectiveness, which included: safety huddles, safety crosses and weekly community safety discussions. Operational definitions for non-physical violence, physical violence and sexual harassment were developed and used. Reductions of 8% and 16.6% in rates of physical and non-physical violent incidents, respectively, were achieved and sustained. Compared with baseline, this equated to one less incident of physical and 17 less of non-physical violence per week averaged across seven wards. Three wards achieved at least a 30% reduction in incidents of physical violence per week. Five wards achieved at least a 30% reduction in incidents of non-physical violence per week. This collaborative brought significant improvements and a cultural shift towards openness around inpatient violence.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quality improvement in forensic mental health: the East London forensic violence reduction collaborative

et al. 2020

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“…Those who attended SPoT meetings were more likely to experience increased reassurance about their symptoms, felt more knowledgeable with regard to where they could access further information and support, and felt more cared about than those who did not receive SPoT. Influenced by Rick et al (2006), Greenwood et al (2012) describe “ASSIST”, a model of psychological first aid implemented in a secure mental health setting in the UK; there does not however appear to be any published work evaluating the approach. In the USA and Canada the Assaulted Staff Action Program (ASAP) has been selected as best practice in supporting staff with symptoms of psychological distress (Flannery et al , 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Staff support procedures in a low-secure forensic service

Cooper

Inett²

2018

JFP

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Purpose Staff working in forensic inpatient settings are at increased risk of harm perpetrated by patients. Support offered in response to such incidents can have a significant impact on how staff recover. The purpose of this paper is to explore how staff support procedures implemented in one low-secure forensic service impacted on staff recovery. Design/methodology/approach In total, 11 members of staff who had direct patient contact volunteered from an opportunity sample. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with each participant, asking about experiences of abuse at work and subsequent staff support procedures. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings Four overarching themes were identified; experiences of harm, supported recovery, missed opportunities and therapeutic relationships. This led to a better understanding of how staff coped with incidents of abuse at work and how support procedures impacted on their recovery. Research limitations/implications The service evaluation was limited by transferability of the findings. The process of sampling may have meant there were biases in those who volunteered to take part. Further projects such as this are required to develop the themes identified. Practical implications Findings led to the development of a new integrated model of staff support. Originality/value This was one of the first studies in the UK to formally evaluate a staff support procedure in forensic low-secure services and include experiences of both clinical and non-clinical staff who are regularly exposed to potentially harmful events.

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ASSIST: A Model for Supporting Staff in Secure Healthcare Settings after Traumatic Events That Is Expanding into Other European Territories

Cited by 2 publications

References 34 publications

Quality improvement in forensic mental health: the East London forensic violence reduction collaborative

Quality improvement in forensic mental health: the East London forensic violence reduction collaborative

Staff support procedures in a low-secure forensic service

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