Exploring good practice

Ward 24 at Monklands Hospital (NHS Lanarkshire) uses personalised STORM assessments with patients identified as being at risk of self-harm to collaborate with them on personal interventions to address this risk. A similar process is used to identify and support patients who may be at risk of unscheduled absences from the ward. Monklands uses a range of psychotherapeutic interventions ranging from high-level psychological therapies (which nursing staff have been trained in) to interpersonal interventions including mindfulness, mentalisation and distress tolerance as well as other approaches such as hand massage and relaxation therapy.

These interventions are used both as a continuation of, or alternative to, treatments in community settings – in some cases, with patients who are discharged from hospital but benefit from the security of attending the ward for treatment – and can help patients to develop skills and coping strategies. Monklands prescribes patient contact time for these interventions on a frequency of one to three times a day, depending on the patient’s needs, signs of deterioration, or crisis.

Ward 3 at Parkhead Hospital (NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde) and Huntlyburn Ward at Borders General Hospital (NHS Borders) both use some of these psychotherapeutic approaches in a flexible and scaled way to meet the needs of their patients, particularly when they require periods of continued intervention. Clinical formulations – theoretically-based explanations based on information obtained from a clinical assessment – with the support of allied health professionals where indicated, can help to tailor these interventions to ensure they are personalised.

For more information, please refer to our From Observation to Intervention (PDF) guidance document.