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national care standards: independent hospitals
26-27 Mental Health Services
26 Mental healthcare
27 Making choices and understanding your rights
Mental healthcare
Standard 26
Whatever your needs for psychiatric care, you can be confident that the hospital and its staff will look after you safely. If you are assessed as needing one-to-one nursing care and observation, the hospital will provide these facilities for you.
1 Your support and care are provided by management and staff whose professional training and expertise allows them to meet your needs.
The service operates in line with all applicable legal requirements and best-practice guidelines.
2 Where an assessment of your needs indicates the need to protect you or others from harm, you know that the hospital makes arrangements which satisfy best-practice principles, current guidelines and national Clinical Resource and Audit Group (CRAG) recommendations.
3 You know that the need for any arrangements to protect you or others will be discussed with you and an explanation and the reasons for this given to you. You receive clear information regarding your observation level and any restrictions which may apply.
4 You know that the service has a written policy and procedures on the conditions under which restraint is used, and that staff are fully trained and supported in the use of restraint. The policy and procedures take account of relevant, current best practice guidance. If it is necessary to restrain you on certain occasions, this will be written into your plan of care and records kept of any incidents involving your restraint. You can expect to be supported after any incident of restraint.
5 You and your family are encouraged and given the opportunity to ask questions and receive information to allay any anxieties. Wherever possible, this is with your consent.
6 You know that all professional staff working in the hospital have the relevant qualifications, the necessary care skills and that you are being treated under the guidance of a consultant who is a specialist in psychiatric care.
7 You have easy access to your consultant or any member of your healthcare team to discuss your progress.
8 If you unexpectedly need more intensive nursing care and your hospital cannot meet this need, you can be confident that suitably qualified staff will be available to support you until transfer is arranged to another hospital.
9 You know that all hospitals without more intensive care facilities have arrangements to transfer patients to hospitals with these facilities, whenever the need arises.
10 You and your family (if you want) are kept closely informed about any transfer arrangements and the reasons why.
11 A member of your healthcare team accompanies you during your transfer.
12 As soon as it is safe for you to do so, you are moved back to your own care environment.
13 If you need electro-convulsive therapy (ECT), you know that the hospital has, or arranges for, a team of technical staff with appropriate skills to provide this treatment.
14 You know that the hospital follows a clear, written policy on providing ECT. This takes account of best-practice guidelines, including those from the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
15 You know that the hospital takes part in the national ECT audit, to make sure that ECT is carried out in line with all the relevant policies and procedures for its use and administration.
16 You know that there is a team of clinical staff with the appropriate skills on duty during ECT treatment.
Making choices and understanding your rights
Standard 27
You receive information which clearly explains your rights, treatment and how to obtain independent advocacy.
1 You receive information in plain English or in a language or format that you can easily understand. The information includes:
- your rights and responsibilities;
- your therapies; and
- details of local organisations providing independent advocacy.
2 Your views are taken into account by hospital staff. They tell you the implications of all aspects of care being proposed, including diagnosis, treatment, aftercare and discharge.
3 You receive from the hospital a full range of information on your tests, treatment and medication, including known potential risks and side-effects.
4 You and your family are encouraged to ask questions to allay any anxieties, especially about the effects of medications.
5 If you are detained under the provisions of mental health legislation, the hospital will provide you with information on your detention. They will manage your care in line with the requirements of the mental health legislation. This will include:
- your current legal position;
- your right to appeal against your detention; and
- contact numbers for the Mental Welfare Commission of Scotland.
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