Welcome to Kentmere Ward

This booklet contains information that should be useful to you during your stay here at Kentmere Ward. If you have any questions during your time here, please speak to any member of staff and they will be happy to help.

During your stay at Kentmere

Your ward manager is: Lisa Holmes

Your matron is: Racheal Hold

Consultant psychiatrist: Dr Mark Fielding

Main reception telephone: 01530 462400

About Kentmere Ward

Kentmere ward is a 12-bedded female mental health ward based at Westmorland General Hospital, Kendal. The ward provides care and treatment for adults with acute mental health problems. Patients who use Kentmere will be from Lancashire, predominantly Kendal and the Bay area. Kentmere Ward forms part the Bay LSCFT mental health network.

Your care and treatment

On arrival at the ward, you will be allocated a primary nurse team. Your primary nurse team will work with you to focus on your individual care and treatment needs. If you have any worries or concerns, or just need a chat, then your primary nurse team should be your first point of contact. Of course, you are welcome to speak with any member of staff about any concerns or worries at any time you wish to do so.

Quick information guide

This is information former patients have said is important to them as soon as they arrive on the ward:

Meals are served at the following times:

• Breakfast: 8.15am to 9.00am
• Lunch: 12pm to 1.00pm
• Tea: 5.00pm to 6.00pm
• Supper: 8.30pm to 9.00pm

Tea, coffee, juice and snacks are available throughout the day in the dining area opposite the nursing office

Mobile phones

The ward has a mobile phone you can use to contact family member, or carers should you not have your own with you. We also have a selection of phone charges that can be used if you don’t have access to one.

The ward contact number is 01530 462 400

Smoking

We are a non-smoking hospital; smoking is not permitted on the premises. We have a wide range of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) including vapes available to patients if required. These can be accessed via the nursing office.

Clothing and toiletries

We have a stock of spare clothes which have been kindly donated to the ward. If you require access to these clothes, please speak to a member of staff. We also have a selection of toiletries available when someone is first admitted to the ward.

Staff shift patterns and change over times

Early shift: 7.30am to 3.30pm

Late shift: 12.30pm to 8.30pm

Long day: 7:30am to 8.30pm

Night shift: 8.00pm to 8:00am

When are visiting times?

Families and friends are welcome to visit the wards and visiting time is suggested between 10am and 8pm. We understand that sometimes people may not be able to visit at these times; if this is the case, please speak with the nurse in charge.

If your visitors bring anything for you, the nursing staff will ask to check this before it can be handed to you. This is to maintain the safety of yourself and others on the ward.

There are designated visiting areas on the ward for reasons of privacy and confidentiality.

Can children visit?

Persons under the age of 18 can visit but are unable to access the main ward area. We would encourage you to have your visit with children off the ward. There is a room that can be booked in advance so please speak with the ward staff to ensure an appropriate room can be booked for you.

Care plan

On admission to the ward your primary nurse will work in collaboration with you to develop your care plan. This care plan will describe the care and treatment you will be receiving to meet your needs and preferences. The nursing staff will support you in agreeing the care plan and ensure your needs are being met. Your care plan will be reviewed and updated with your input on a regular basis. The nursing team will also utilize the Dialog+ scale in order to identify and support your individual needs.

How will my care be reviewed?

Your care will be reviewed daily by the ward multidisciplinary team. If there is anything about your care and treatment you would like to be discussed, please inform a member of the nursing team who help you.

You will also have a personalized care and support planning meeting to discuss and agree your care and treatment. These are formal meetings involving the team of staff involved in your care. You and your carer/ family will be involved in this process unless you tell us otherwise. If you wish to request a review please ask your primary nurse or the nurse in charge. Your primary nurse and others involved in your care will ensure that regular reviews take place, to ensure your needs are being met.

Some people may find these meetings a bit overwhelming, if so, please raise this with your primary nurse, who can help make adjustments for you.

Physical health check

When you are first admitted to the ward you will be asked to have a physical health check. The admitting doctor will ask you questions about your physical health and any problems or needs you have in relation to your physical health. Routine tests on admission include blood, urine and heart monitoring. Throughout your stay the care team will also focus on continuous monitoring, health promotion and health screening to ensure your physical well-being.

Handovers and huddles

Ward staff have a handover meeting when two different shifts of staff meet. This enables the finishing shift to update the oncoming shift with anything that has happened during these periods. This will include an update of each patient’s care, treatment and presentation.

Ward staff also meet each weekday morning for a huddle within which patient care, safety, treatment and progress is reviewed.

What happens during the day?

There is an activity room on the ward that includes a television, games, books and art materials, amongst other things. There will be various group activities organised by the health and wellbeing workers throughout the day. Working alongside our occupational therapist, these staff provide a range of interventions to support people in maintaining and improving their ability to function in everyday tasks. health and wellbeing workers work individually or with groups, offering varied and enjoyable activities, including cooking, crafts, music and excursions, to help enable better recovery and prepare people for discharge.

The Occupational Therapy Team will meet with you to discuss your interests and inform you of any activities that you may attend whilst on the ward. There are also activities run by the nursing staff on the ward that you will also be encouraged to participate in.

Patient community meetings

There are regular patient community meetings held that provide an opportunity to talk about ward activities, issues and concerns. Staff will attend meetings alongside patient to listen and to ensure any actions are addressed. Your input and comments on ward issues are very welcome at any time; please raise these with the nurse in charge.

Medication and medication information

For your mental health to improve you may need to take medication. If this is the case, and you want more information on any medication you are taking, please ask a member of staff and/or request to speak with the ward pharmacist, who will happily discuss your medication with you. They will also provide you with medication information that you require. Should you experience any side effects from your medication please let the ward staff know.

Medication times are 9am, 2pm, 6pm and 10pm, depending on the medication you are prescribed. However, these times may be altered to meet your individual needs. You may not receive medication at all of these times and some medication may be given outside of these times. Whilst in hospital, we ask that you only take the medication prescribed by the ward doctor. If there is other medication that you require prescribing please speak with your named nurse team or ward doctor to address this.

Discharge planning

Your recovery and discharge planning will be one of the main areas of focus, from the moment you are admitted to the ward. The team will start to look at your discharge pathway and make attempts to remove any foreseeable hurdles. In doing this we will ensure that where possible your stay at the ward is as short as possible.

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Mutual expectations

Staff will:

• Tell you their name when they introduce themselves
• Inform you of who your primary nurse is
• Assist you to get ready in the morning, if needed; offer one-to-one chats and ask throughout the day how you are feeling/coping
• Offer time to discuss concerns about treatment and medication, including side effects and possible consequences of not taking medication
• Work with you to formulate your care plan
• Respond to you in a timely manner
• Wear identification in an appropriate place so everyone can read and introduce themselves when on the ward
• Remember that you are an individual with a specific need and illness, and will be patient
• Will assist you in feeling safe and secure, and provide you with a structured programme of care
• Give you the medication you need at the right time and explain what it is for
• Ensure you have a copy of your programme of activity and know who is running the group or activity
• Ensure you know and have access to drinks or snacks any time of the day, when meals are served and what’s on the menu
• Let you know when relatives and friends can visit and where
• Ensure you have regular contact with your consultant and other professionals involved in your care
• Let you know when your next meeting with the multidisciplinary team is and will collaboratively set your discharge date and goals to achieve this
• Ensure you have all your physical and mental health care needs met either on the ward or by a specialist who will come to the ward

We ask you to:

• Respect others and their personal property and space, including bedrooms
• Avoid using alcohol and illicit substances, in the ward or whilst on leave from the ward
• Return from leave when agreed or contact the ward if you are going to be late
• Avoid offensive remarks or bullying of any kind, e.g. in relation to religion, race, ethnicity, age, appearance, beliefs or disability
• Not bring anything valuable, or anything that holds sentimental value and cannot be replaced
• Refrain from aggression and try to walk away from any potentially aggressive situation and talk to staff
• Refrain from playing loud music at night and keep the noise to a minimum
• Not smoke within the ward or surrounding site
• Help keep the ward clean and tidy by putting your rubbish in the bin

Please remember that some personal items may be restricted and will need to be given to staff. To ensure everyone’s safety, staff will check all bags and your person on arrival to the ward. Money brought into the ward and valuables may be kept with the patient affairs office as mentioned earlier.

What items are restricted?

There are items that are not allowed on the ward or that you will have restricted access to. This is necessary to maintain ward safety. Examples of restricted items include lighters, matches, plastic bags, alcohol and knives. Some items may have to be removed and stored separately, or your family will be asked to take them home.

You can use your mobile or tablet on the ward. We request that you respect the confidentiality, privacy and dignity of other patients and staff by not the using any camera/video or sound recording capability on your device during your stay on the ward

Satisfaction Questionnaire

It is important for you to give your views and opinions about your stay as this will inform future developments of the service. You may therefore be asked to complete a questionnaire on discharge. Ask about our Friends and Family Test.

If you have special needs, please discuss this with your primary nurse, who will endeavour to accommodate your requirements.

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How do I make a compliment, complaint, suggestion or comment about the ward?

We value feedback, both positive and negative, as it enables us to evaluate and develop the services we provide. If you wish to discuss your experiences, care or treatment please approach a member of staff in the first instance as they may be able to resolve the issue immediately. You can also raise any concern with a nurse, the ward manager or matron.

Alternatively, there are leaflets on the ward about making a compliment or complaint, and the address to send these completed forms to is:

Complaints Team, LSCft, Sceptre Point, Sceptre Way, Walton Summit, Preston, PR5 6AW

If you have any questions please contact complaints@lscft.nhs.uk or the staff helpline on 01772 676 028.

An advocate can also assist you with making a compliment, complaint or suggestion.

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Staff and professionals you may meet

Speech and language therapist

Speech and language therapy provides treatment, support and care for those who may have difficulties with communication, including hearing impairment, or with eating, drinking and swallowing.

Student professionals

Throughout your stay you will meet students from various professions, for example student nurses, doctors or occupational therapists.

During their placements at Kentmere they are valued as part of the team and are learning through experiences they encounter, through practice, teaching and talking to the patients and carers.

Support workers

Support workers work with the nurses helping with treatment and caring for a patient’s comfort and well-being. They will spend time talking to you and will feed back information to the shift leader. You will have an allocated support worker as part of your named nurse team.

Tissue viability nurse

Specialist nurses service for wounds that are taking a long time to heal, such as a surgical wound, leg ulcer or pressure ulcer. Tissue viability nurses carry out assessments and identify any problems that may contribute to delays in wounds healing.

Ward clerk

The ward clerk takes care of sending the relevant documentation, e.g. sick notes, to benefit agencies/employers. They also ensure the administrative running of the ward is organised and efficient.