Two Logan Hospital mental health teams have joined forces to improve the experience and care provided to young people in crisis.
 
Nurses from the Logan Adolescent Mental Health Inpatient Unit (known as Ward 2A) and the Child and Youth Mental Health Service (CHYMS) Acute Response Team (ART) have been ‘swapping’ roles to understand more about a patient’s journey from the Emergency Department (ED) to ward admission. 
 
Nursing Director Ryan Zeppa-Cohen said the idea came from a recent redesign, which saw Ward 2A moved under the umbrella of CYMHS for the first time.
 
“Our ART Team leader Adiola Mazambnani and the Nursing Unit Manager of Ward 2A, Claire Lloyd, identified an opportunity to improve on an already fantastic service,” he said.
 
“Cross pollination of the two teams enhances knowledge of the entire process and will translate directly to their ability to support a young person on their journey.
 
“Our goal is a smoother journey for our young consumers and their carers and families, going from the ED to the ward.”
 
Although the initiative is in its infancy, feedback from patients and staff members like Will Lerch-Siebuhr has been positive.
 
The clinical nurse who has worked on Ward 2A for five years said he was apprehensive about working in ED but had come to enjoy the opportunity and the challenge.
 
He said as someone who liked to stay in his comfort zone, the idea of leaving a ward environment for the bustling ED was nerve-wracking but one that gave him a new perspective on a consumer’s recovery journey.
 
“Working in the ED meant I was able to work with people at a different stage in their recovery, supporting them during their very first contact with the hospital service,” Will said.
 
“The broadening of perspective from one department to another allows me to better understand the whole picture of a young person’s journey through our health service.”
 
He said working closely with families and supporting them to balance many challenging social issues from initial ED presentation to discharge on the in-patient unit had been hugely beneficial in widening his outlook.
 
Ryan said hearing feedback like Will’s confirmed what he already knew about the initiative - that it would result in even better consumer care.
 
“I have a team of highly educated, highly skilled clinicians who already do a fantastic job, but this kind of continuous quality improvement helps us to consistently provide the most up-to-date, highest quality and best care to all consumers.
 
“This is particularly important as the mental health landscape is changing and a significant number of consumers are unknown to us and have never had contact with mental health services before,” he said.
 
“This initiative allows both teams to understand from a doing perspective, rather than understanding from hearing which can be very different.
 
"A big thank you goes out to Aiola and Claire for their support and commitment to improving the experience of our consumers and staff".