We had an exciting day today which started with 10 extra minutes to relax in the morning due to the late Birmingham buses which has been the norm this trip. We took two different buses with the help of the lovely Ana to the Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Trust. We got to hear presentations from their clinical instructors who worked with both student nurses and registered nurses to provide constant education when needed. It was cool to hear about all the different pathways of the nurses and their different niches. We got to hear about specialism in forensics, treating deaf people, eating disorders, and just general mental health nursing.
The trust helps and oversees the mental health of so many different “service users” which is the equivalent to “patient” for us in America. They provide services and oversee facilities to provide mental health support for those who need it most. We got to ask them questions about the life of a mental health nurse, the patient experience, and compare different aspects to those at home. For example, Bella asked about the wait times as that is a big issue when it comes to receiving psychiatric help in America. The nurses told us that it is very much the same, and patients can wait anywhere from 3 to 12 months to receive service. After this, we had a quick drive over to the Juniper Center which provides mental healthcare for a wide variety of service users.
We had lunch from the canteen and moved on to a conference room where we met matrons, deputy nurses, ward managers, and more. The matron who was giving my group our tour explained the hierarchy to me, stating that once you are certified, you start out as a staff nurse, and can move up to matron from there through a few different leadership roles which I found interesting as it was similar to America, they just used different titles. She told us that her job as a matron is to ensure quality of care and effectiveness, and to make sure everything runs smoothly when she can.
We got to tour the Rosemary Suite, which was the ward for male patients with “organic” cognitive decline which she said meant that it was cognitive decline you can see on a brain scan as their brains are decaying. This means that the ward was for patients with dementia and other visual cognitive decline issues. She showed us around the facility, showing us what a room would look like there as well as their dining room, sensory room, lounge, and garden. The facility truly felt homey and comfortable, unlike others I have seen before that feel sterile and bland. I enjoyed getting to see the service users socializing in the lounge and wandering the gardens as it seemed peaceful. It was also very cool as one of the matrons giving us the tour of the ward was actually a part of designing it as she had been a part of the unit for so long. I could see a truly inspiring sense of pride in her which truly reminds me why I want to be in this profession. Even with all of the things you deal with, you make a huge impact and it is always rewarding.
Here are some pictures from today!
