Often, the term mental health rehabilitation is misinterpreted however, the contemporary definition of rehabilitation is:
“A whole systems approach to recovery from mental illness that maximizes an individual’s quality of life and social inclusion. It does this by encouraging their skills, promoting independence and autonomy. The aim is to give them hope for the future and leads to successful community living through appropriate support.”
As a broad term, the aim of rehabilitation is to maximise people’s ability to live, work and learn.
Wesham Rehabilitation Centre:
Wesham Rehabilitation Centre is a Community Rehabilitation Unit that opened in March 2022. It is a 28 bedded community rehabilitation unit.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists explains that Community Rehabilitation Units should work with people who have complex needs causing functional impairments, which either prevent their discharge from or cause frequent readmission to acute services, high dependency rehab units or secure services. The focus is to facilitate further recovery by increasing independence and agency, providing psychosocial interventions, promoting medication management and enhancing quality of life.
The service aims to improve the level of functioning and quality of life of those suffering with a complex psychosis. The goal is to empower our patients to regain their independence and to instil hope for the future. The focus is on facilitating recovery, empowering patients to improve or recover their confidence, enabling them to gain an understanding and control of their illness, and improve overall independence.
Rehabilitation Myth Busting:
- Mental health rehabilitation is not drug or alcohol rehab.
- Working in mental health rehabilitation is slow and boring – Working in mental health rehabilitation is one of the most rewarding jobs I have ever had. The pace can be different to other areas of work, but you are able to work with patients on their own goals and needs and see them progress and move on.
- Mental Health Rehabilitation in our Trust isn’t just provided by Wesham Rehabilitation Centre. Mental health rehabilitation is a whole pathway of different types of services. These include High Dependency Units, Long Term Complex Care placements, Community Rehab Units (like Wesham), supported accommodations and community rehabilitation teams. We have contracts with a number of independent providers who deliver other aspects of the rehabilitation pathway.
The ways in which the team deliver good experience of care:
The model of care and ethos at Wesham Rehabilitation Centre is built around person centred care.
What we are proud of:
Patient Feedback:
“Learning about yourself is a lot harder than learning about other people. It is a challenge and you never stop learning as you grow. Being at Wesham has helped me to learn more about myself”
“Wesham is a good place. It is a nice hospital and the staff are well trained. It has been a good experience for me to learn about myself and about other people. I am pleased with the progress I have made and I am feeling I am getting better and am more positive. I wasn’t sure what to expect coming to Wesham but I has been better than I could have expected. I have found everything helpful – the 1:1’s, the Occupational Therapy sessions and the support from nursing staff. It is a really nice place and I am here to get better. I can feel my confidence coming back and I am looking forward to life again. I have really enjoyed doing art, drawing, painting and going on walks whilst I have been here”.
“Being at Wesham Rehab Centre has taught me to become independent and given me a purpose in life. It wouldn’t have been possible without the staff and the opportunity they provided”.
“My time at Wesham has been good. I feel that it has helped me progress and I have come a long way. I am no longer hearing voices and I am feeling more confident in myself and about moving on. The staff are all really nice”.
- When each patient moves on from Wesham and is discharged, their fellow patients and the team organise a party to celebrate their achievements and each patient receives a goodbye letter which all staff contribute to, detailing their progress and what they will miss about them.
- All patients registered with local GPs – working closely re chronic disease management, organising teaching programme
- Monthly Carers’ Cafés
- Developing links with VCFS – Volunteer champion, AFC, Grow Your Own, Tonic, CAP
- Designing a patient mentoring and volunteering peer worker scheme with #RehabLegends
- Negotiated contract with LA, substance misuse service and peer support worker
Patient Success stories:
Patient A came to Wesham from the independent sector after a 6 year hospital stay. They had previously stayed in their room all the time, only providing one word answers and couldn’t make a cup of coffee or cook for themselves.
Now at Wesham they initiate conversation and cook for themselves. They have been home for first time in 6 year. Their family are thrilled and have said this is the best they’ve been! We’re beginning to look at supported accommodation for them.
Patient B Prior to coming to Wesham had 5 episodes of seclusion, multiple episodes of significant aggressive behaviour and had struggled to trust staff. They have improved massively since being at Wesham and have said
“If you cage an animal, he’ll act like one – you don’t do that here, that’s why I’ve got better”
Patient C was recently discharged from Wesham after 1 year. They said that being at Skylark/Wesham has made him realise that he has a ’life to live’ and that he ‘needs to look after himself’. He said that he cannot praise the place enough and that is has ‘changed his life more than he can think’. He is currently undertaking his second year of an electrician college course and has moved to live in independent accommodation for the first time in over a decade.
Occupational Therapy:
Occupational therapy aims to improve health and wellbeing through enabling participation in occupation (the activities, roles and routines of everyday life). Occupational therapists recognise that engagement in meaningful occupation can promote good mental health, assist recovery and help people achieve personalised outcomes such as being able to care for themselves, engage in work and leisure activities, and participate within the community.
The Use of Arts / Creativity to Engage:
Activity:
Activity is a necessary component of wellbeing (Occupational Therapists use activity as a therapeutic medium).
Creative activities can be used, as with other activities, to facilitate desired treatment outcomes in areas of both physical and mental health. These may include restoring areas of deficit – enabling people to perform life roles and usual occupations; assisting people to acquire new skills
Creative activities can be used:
- As a tool to achieve diverse objectives
- To enhance intrapersonal skills (increase confidence, raise self-esteem – linked to achievement, satisfaction, validation and mastery)
- To enhance relational skills – used to facilitate rapport, encourage interaction, develop confidence in communication skills
- To enhance functional performance (manual and task performance skills including improving concentration, decision making, goal setting, problem solving
- To facilitate personal growth – using activities to explore emotions and facilitate self-expression