Mental Health: Making things better /enabling environments Lesley Jones and Simone Joslyn

Equality Within Mental Health services, equality is fundamental in the day to day business. Many of the groups of service users we aim to serve fall into hard to reach groups, either due to social circumstances, minority groupings and / or multiple other factors. issues can be complex and require our staff to think differently about engagement. Sharing good practice and working together to find creative solutions.

Equality addressed IMTP 1. Welsh language action plan 2. BME group:- with integrated action plan for joint working and development. 3. Deaf and Hard of hearing steering group 4. Mental Health bi-annual symposium 5. Developed:- Making things better /enabling environments. Website.

Deaf and Hard of hearing Steering group investigations We used a focus group approach to engage with service users and the deaf community generally to help us build a picture of what we needed. We benchmarked best practice across Wales and learnt what other areas were doing, in England also. We made alliances and shared information. We gave questionnaires to our own staff to see what we skills we already had.

Actions to assist Deaf & Hard of hearing users Identify the problem, finding a third sector organisation that was prepared to help us and work together. Our Story:- Build a Mental Health network (or resource group) for the deaf with signposting to services. Forge closer links with the UHB`s audiology department to ensure that our current in-patient hearing loss issues can be managed. Contact IM&T to gain an address that the deaf patients can utilise to help manage their own care and interactions with the service. Also have a Deaf and Hard of hearing Web-page. The new contact address is: Purchase Mobile loop systems. Put on training for staff on BSL awareness/ raising staff awareness of the issues of being a Mental Health service user who has a hearing impairment. (Information blasts)

Clinical Project Lead Meaningful Engagement of all stakeholders particularly service users Clear communication at all stages of the development Contribute to the development of others including staff and service users Improve services in the interest of service users Maintain high quality in all areas of work/practice, including the important aspect of effective team working Ensure cultural sensitivity in service redesign Comprehensive inclusion of recommendations from Royal College of Psychiatrists AIMS project

Adult Mental Health Unit- Hafan y Coed Continue to utilise lessons regarding sensory loss in wayfinding, communication devises, mobile induction loops, layout of rooms, space allocation and access to natural light and outdoors Provide dignity and privacy whilst maintaining safety in design of bedrooms, bathrooms etc and utilise technology to provide reassurance for service users and carers Utilising art to provide sense of inclusion and well being Continue to work with expert service users to advise on issues that affect their experience of hospital stay Ensure that unit is recovery focused and peoples individual needs are catered for.

Utilising Art to improve sensory loss During the commissioning of the Mental Health Service for Older Peoples (MHSOP) unit at University Hospital Llandough we reviewed and agreed to install numerous projects to address the issue of sensory loss These included; Multi sensory room Sun room Tactile art installations ( done in partnership with Age Cymru) Garden art /Tea pots

Service user engagement Having service users involved with everything we do from recruitment through to building our new unit. This strategy helps us constantly question and be mindful of all equality issues. Understanding our service users drives us forward. We place service users at the heart of everything we do, listen and work together to improve the service experience.