Anthony steps down to acute care at Woodbourne
Anthony* is diagnosed with unspecified nonorganic psychosis and had experienced trauma in the community which lead to him feeling suicidal and becoming aggressive towards his family. His mental health deteriorated when he started to misuse alcohol and drugs.
He was first admitted into a hospital when he started to hear voices. After a period of stabilisation on a psychiatric intensive care ward, Anthony was stepped-down into our acute ward. His family were involved throughout the transition, and have continued to attend his multidisciplinary ward rounds ever since. His family have become strong advocates for the care we provide on our ward.
Initially, Anthony struggled with low moods and alcohol intake. We supported him to attend AA meetings to support with this but he was still experiencing low moods, thoughts to end his own life, hallucinations and aggression. He also needed prompting by staff to self-care.
The team got a bespoke plan in place for Anthony which involved four key areas:
- Keeping safe
- Keeping healthy
- Keeping connected
- Keeping well
The care plans also explain any risks which the patient is presenting with and how the team on the ward can mitigate this risk in order to support him.
Involvement in care
Anthony also has access to the advocacy services on the ward and his community team is involved in all aspects of his journey. We provide psychoeducation regarding his diagnosis, and education regarding substance misuse and alcohol intake and how this can negatively impact his mental health.
He has a nominated named nurse and key worker who complete weekly one-to-one sessions with Anthony, where he can discuss any concerns that he may have on the ward and any support which he feels he may need. Our team also assessed his medication, and Anthony was prescribed medications both for his physical and mental health, which has supported him to return back to his normal self. Anthony is now able to attend to his activities of daily living without the need for prompts by members of the team.
Anthony has started to utilise unescorted leave from the ward and is able to budget and manage his money by himself. He enjoys going to the cinema with his family, fashion, and buying nice clothes. He has not had an incident of violence or aggression since being admitted to the acute service line and is now calm and engaging with staff members on the ward.
A happier future
Anthony’s family have noted how much more open and stabilised he now is and his community teams have noted how much better he navigates his local area. Anthony would like to attend college and do a teaching assistant course when he becomes more and more confident.
“The staff help me to realise that recovery is possible”.
*Name and image changed to protect identity