Palliative care in mental health facilities

[Sannah]

Hi everyone,

I am a nursing student in the Netherlands. I currently am working on a paper that focusses on palliative care and how it is provided in my workplace. I work for a mental health institute that provides care to all walks of life, but specifically in an inpatient home for the elderly who are diagnosed with mental illnesses and therefor are not welcome in the 'standard' elderly homes. 

In my research on how palliative care is being provided in my workspace, there have been multiple struggles. Mainly with resources not being available and collegaes not having enough experience and schooling, which lowers the care that we can give to patients. 

I am now very interested to hear if there are any nurses out there who also work in long term homes for the eldery with mental health issues and how the palliative care is being designed. Do you have the facilities and the opportunities to learn and follow schooling, or are there rules in place that state a patient in need of palliative care must be placed in a different institute to receive the right kind of treatment? 

I would like to use your knowledge in my reccomendations to my workplace in how we can move forward and how to better take care of our patients. Thank you so much if you are willing to take the time to respond!

[Marg.Williams]

As a psychiatric nurse working in a psychiatric clinic located in Melbourne Australia, I would gladly share our approach to providing comprehensive and specialized care for patients with varying levels of psychiatric and somatic needs. Our clinic has two distinct departments, catering to patients with differing levels of severity of conditions. The first department, for less intensive patients, primarily caters to those with psychiatric diagnoses with milder somatic conditions, while the second department is dedicated to providing care for more severe cases.

Our approach to patient care is underpinned by a vigilant monitoring system, whereby we monitor the care needs of each patient closely. When we observe a significant increase in the level of care required by patients in the first department, we initiate contact with the second department to determine whether they have an available bed for the patient. If a bed is available, the patient is transferred tot he other department where they will receive the required level of care. Alternatively, if there are no available beds we strive to deploy additional staff memebers during shifts to ensure optimal care for the patient.

At the second department, we have ten patients under the care of the experienced nurses, and we are equipped with all necessary recourses and materials to manage the complex needs of our patients. Our team also includes a dedicates palliative care nurse who is available to address any queries and concerns that may arise from patients or members of our nursing staff. In addition, our clinic offers learning pathways for all staff members who whist o work in the second department. Our comprehensive learning program provides training on specialized techniques and best practices in pychiatric and palliative care, which are essential to providing the highest quality of care to our patients.

Our approach emphasizes a shift in focus towards providing holistic care in the end-of-life phase, rather than exclusively addressing psychiatric concerns. We strive to provide our patients with a comfortable and peaceful environment, and our approach towards palliative care is marked by empathy, sensitivity, and professionalism. Our team of skilled and experienced professionals understands the complexiteies of caring for patients with psychiatric conditions and works to ensure that our patients receive the best possible care.