• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Sixth Annual South West MHNA Open Regional Conference: Networking Through Education

Posted on: Sunday, 26 March 2006, 03:03 CST

By Anonymous

The pastoral environs of Buckfast Abbey recently played host to the sixth annual MHNA open regional conference. The historic abbey has itself undergone significant change over the last 100 years, which is comparatively recent and rapid in the context of the area's 1000-year history. By the same token, change was an integral theme of the MHNA conference, beginning with John Rawlinson's aptly titled talk 'Rolling over'.

The event though opened with a few words from chair Mandy Reed, specialist team leader, early intervention service, Gloucestershire Partnership Trust, who hailed the 2005 conference as the biggest to date. Well in excess of 100 delegates turned out for the event at an unseasonably bright and sunny Buckfast, which provided a stark contrast to the previous day's downpour. Miss Reid added that the well-organised and well-structured event would not have been possible without the support and assistance of the sponsors Risperidone.

Professor Steve Onyett

How do we develop effective teamworking?

Senior Development Consultant with NIMHE South West, Professor Steve Onyett, who has published a number of highly acclaimed papers on leadership' and Team Working', addressed the delegates on developing effective team working.

The axiom of learning to crawl before one can walk resonated during the opening of his talk. Before developing effective team working, it is fundamental to define the term 'team' and to establish what the proposed team's aims are.

The most effective team, revealed Onyett, had the minimum number of members to achieve their aims, which also must be clearly defined. Effective team working also calls for participation in decision-making, norms for excellence and support for innovation. Teams must also work towards their strengths, stressed Professor Onyett, building on the positives rather than dwelling on the negative aspects of the system.

Process mapping will help in achieving leadership for improvement. An effective team leader will ensure the smooth running of the team, and assemble a team capable of achieving its goals. The team will also need 'to sign up to a framework for improvement that builds on strengths and the meaning that people attach both to their dreams and their current roles', said Onyett.

Alluding to John Rawlinson's ensuing talk, Professor Onyett explained that individual members of a team should look at themselves and 'focus on the meaning of why you do the job you do'.

To develop team working, we must also really understand complexity: understand that small changes can have big effects; big changes can have little effect; value experimentation, risk taking and intuition; avoid reliance on push and exhortation; and create opportunity for creativity by giving space and time and not over specifying means.

Finally, we must remember that there is always room for improvement.

John Rawlinson

Rolling over

The evolution of Buckfast Abbey drew comparisons with the talk from John Rawlinson, academic lead in mental health, School of Applied Psycho-social Studies at the University of Plymouth, who believed the review of mental health nursing was going through a similar process.

In his talk 'Rolling over', Rawlinson wanted not just to examine the role of the mental health nurse in particular, but to consider whether 'we are rolling into our roles or just rolling over', in light of The chief nursing officer's current major review of mental health nursing roles.

He questioned whether mental health nurses were too passive, and considered whether they were developing themselves as their roles develop, or growing into a role defined by another party.

The 1994 Butterworth review witnessed a significant change in the role of the MHN as it was determined that they should play a more central role in mental health care, and the change in role brought a change in name, with the replacement of CPN with the title of MHN.

However the Draft Mental Health Bill proposes now that MHNs could take on roles such as that of an Approved Mental Health Professional, which is similar to that of an Approved Social Worker. This is a move which Rawlinson says 'will undoubtedly challenge nurses, although as was evident at last year's conference, while many are still opposed to adopting the role, others see it as an appropriate development they are keen to embrace.'

This is just as well, as the central question of Neil Brimblecombe's review, explained Rawlinson, is how mental health nurses can best contribute to the care of service users in the future.

As the CNO's review reveals, the role or roles played by mental health nurses is a valuable one. Of the 47,000 in England (which is the largest occupational group in mental health services in the NHS) 300 are supplementary prescribers, 400 are modern matrons, while they all work in specialities, with 30 per cent working in the community and 60-70 per cent in inpatient areas. Many of these, according to the CNO review, are developing new roles and skills.

Rawlinson warns though that 'we need to be careful in defining the uniqueness of the role that we do not get left with the roles that nobody else wants'.

A number of skills based workshops were also available for delegates.

Lucy Pearce, carers development worker with NIMHE South West, and carer Gwen Butcher, presented a workshop covering the carer's recovery, and supporting the service user within the context of their existing relationships/social networks.

Nigel Smith presented a workshop on Solution Focused Therapy (SFT). He has worked in adult mental health for 13 years, both as an occupational therapist and, more recently, as a family therapist. He developed an interest in SFT at the beginning of his career when training in London, and has continued to use it as a model that informs his clinical practice. Recently he has been helping people develop and maintain their skills in the long-term, after initial short training courses, so that these skills become embedded rather lost. His workshop introduced participants to the background and underlying principles of SFT, and provided an introduction to using the model.

Gordon Deakin is a principal lecturer in mental health nursing and academic lead for psychological interventions with the University of Plymouth's Faculty of Health and Social Work. He hosted a workshop on cognitive-behavioural interventions for obsessionalcompulsive disorders (OCDs).

Participants explored contemporary CBT approaches to the assessment, formulation and treatment of OCDs. The integration of cognitive and behavioural models of these clinical difficulties, their development and maintenance, and therapeutic options in practice, were demonstrated.

Lesley Beresford, team leader of the North & East Cornwall Eldercare Mental Health Services, held a workshop on the Shared Care Pathways Manual for people with dementia. The shared care pathway is a unique process within health and social care designed for people who have a specific set of needs. It is anticipated that the care given to the person with dementia and the support given to their carers is based on dignity, straightforward access to assessment, and care. It provides equity if service throughout Cornwall. The document provides information to the practitioner along with a range of assessment and screening tools. It also gives information on the use of life story books and information from the Alzheimer Society.

Colin Adkins, research/policy officer for Amicus Health, concluded the conference with an update of the national picture on the progress of Agenda for Change and the repercussions of this for MHNs. He followed this with a question and answer session which highlighted some of the difficulties being experienced by MHIMs in the South West. Many parallels with the national picture were evident.

Colin and Barrie Brown, lead officer for nursing, Amicus Health sector, will be covering this in-depth in the next issue of Mental Health Nursing.

This year's conference will be held on Monday 25 September, once again at Buckfast Abbey in Devon and attendance will be free of charge. If you require more information or wish to register, please contact MHNA South West regional representative, Ray Rowden, via email on: Ray@DixonlO.freeserve.co.uk MHN

Have your say...

The MHNA wants to hear your views, so if you would like to share your opinion with the MHNA and your nursing colleagues, please do write to us. Send your letters to::

Gerard Donaghy

Editor

Mental Health Nursing

33-37 Moreland Street

London EClV 8HA

Email: commprac-depeditor@daisybroadband.co.uk

(Letters may be edited)

An effective team leader will ensure the smooth running of the team, and assemble a team capable of achieving its goals. The team will also need 'to sign up to a framework for improvement that builds on strengths and the meaning that people attach both to their dreams and their current roles

Copyright Community Psychiatric Nurses Association Mar 2006

Source: Mental Health Nursing

More News in this Category