Social Workers Adult Mental Health (SWAMH)

Damien Nolan

The Committee

It met on 6 occasions;  members engaged in other activities outside these meetings these included: meeting John Moloney (Minister for Equality, Disability and Mental Health) to address the lack of standardization in patient charges in HSE Mental Health Service facilities, the importance of progressing the recommendation in ‘A Vision for Change’ that each Mental Health Catchment Area Management Team should comprise of a service user and heads of discipline for social work, psychology and occupational therapy, the matter of dressing in-patients of psychiatric units in night attire during daytime and the matter of some long-term mental health service users being provided with continuing nursing home placement when it would be appropriate that instead they should be provided with accommodation and care in residential settings more suited to their needs. 

The committee also sent the Minister a submission regarding the implementation of Vision for Change mental health policy and issues that should be of priority in the work of the new Director of Mental Health Services; these included: (i) the importance of the team coordinator role and our view that this position should be recruited for from within the relevant community mental health team and be open to all senior staff, regardless of discipline; (ii) the need to introduce a standard multidisciplinary assessment and care planning method, with the records of any involved discipline being maintained in a single patient chart (iii) the development of more home care/ assertive outreach teams in terms of avoiding or reducing repeat admission for hospital in-patient psychiatric treatment. 

Continuous Professional Development Conferences

Included: 1. Last November Legal Matters by John Costello Solicitor. Dr Cate Hartigan and Mr. Kevin Brady presented on the Fair Deal’, the statutory Nursing Homes Support Scheme, attendance was over 100 people.

2. SWAMH AGM 19^th March; A presentation from staff of the Central Mental Hospital “Risk management in Mental Health Practice” and from the Dublin South West and East Coast services “ The experiences of the Mental Health Authorised Officers Service”