Secure Services for Deaf Women

Alpha Hospitals Secure Service for Deaf Women provides assessment and treatment in a gender sensitive medium secure setting for patients from the age of 18 years and upwards. The environment is highly specialised and offers culturally sensitive services for deaf mentally ill patients. Staff are highly skilled in British Sign Language.

Alpha Hospitals works in collaboration with Bolton, Salford and Trafford Mental Health Partnership Trust to provide this service.

All patients admitted to Alpha Hospitals Forensic Service for Deaf People will be detained under the Mental Health Act 1983

Facilities

All units within the Alpha Hospitals Group provide an exceptionally high standard of accommodation for patients. Patients have their own bedroom and en-suite bathroom offering maximum privacy. The Medium Secure Service for Deaf Women is situated in the Ladywell Building. The entire building provides a unique environment solely for women. Patients have access to spacious lounges, therapy rooms, occupational therapy kitchen and laundry facilities. In addition, there is a gymnasium where trained staff are able to work through health and fitness programmes with patients. There is also beauty salon. Each unit within the Ladywell Building has access to its own private spacious garden.

Standards

Alpha Hospitals support the guidance set out in the Sign of the Times, Department of Health 2002 and Mental Health & Deafness - Towards Equity and Access Best Practice Guidelines.

In addition the hospital supports the work undertaken in the following government reports:

• Mainstreaming Gender and Women's Mental Health
• Women's Mental Health - Into the Mainstream
• Women at Risk
• Women & Criminal Justice

The Team

All Alpha Hospitals are led by multidisciplinary teams which include: Consultant Psychiatrists, Associate Specialists, Clinical Psychologists, Nurses, Healthcare Assistants, Social Workers, Occupational Therapists and Fitness Instructors. Alpha Hospitals also employ interpreters and dialect interpreters who are highly skilled in British Sign Language. Staff are also trained in British Sign Language.

Communication

Interpretation and Communication is an essential element of the service and Alpha Hospitals have invested in developing this. As one of the largest employers of Deaf staff in the country the hospital prides itself on delivering a service second to none.

The employment of skilled Deaf staff has a formal and informal impact on the development of patient’s communications skills. Often when patient’s first arrive their communication ability is poor. This improves rapidly with the high level of input received. There is also a full time BSL Tutor to help those patients who require more intense input.

Innovation

Alpha Hospitals strives to improve the services to patients where ever possible. Below are some of the innovations implemented:

• Visual Care Plans for Patients
  
• Information on Medication in Visual Formats
  
• Patient Rights on DVD
  
• Communication Facilitator
  
• Patient Rights Facilitator
  
• Communication Champions based on the Wards to promote and enhance communication between staff and patients

Making a Referral

Enquiries regarding referrals should be made to Lisa Mullineux, Head of Business Development for the North West, tel: or email: . In most cases an assessment of the patient can be carried out within 3 working days. Following the assessment the multidisciplinary team will assess whether the patient will benefit from the services and then make arrangements for the patient’s admission including authorisation of funding.

The Admission Process

On admission the patient is orientated to the hospital, introduced to their Key Nurse and given a copy of the Patient Information Guide which tells them about all aspects of the service, their care and important information on their rights.

Once the patient has settled, a programme of care will be discussed with the patient. This will be in the form of an Enhanced Care Programme Approach. This will address the personal needs of the patient taking into account social needs, cultural needs, therapeutic needs, medical needs, physical health and support needs and is in line with the principles of assessment set out in the National Service Framework for Mental Health. Once the patient agrees this, the multidisciplinary team and the patient will be issued with a copy of the care plan which will be reviewed at regular Care Programme Review Meetings. Relatives and carers are also encouraged to take an active part in this process with the agreement of the patient.

Advocacy

Alpha Hospitals appoint independent advocacy services for patients.

Advocacy is a means of supporting individuals in articulating their wishes and having them heard. Advocates promote the rights of their service users and give them a stronger voice with personal preferences and choices.

The advocate will help and support the patient to speak up for themselves or do this for them if they feel unable to do so. They will provide support at meetings i.e. CPA meetings, inform patients of their rights, inform patients of community services which they can access, help them make a complaint and help to refer the patient to other appropriate people if the advocate cannot assist with a particular enquiry.

The Deaf Forensic Service benefits from advocates that specialise in British Sign Language.

Further Information

Alpha Hospitals provide a Statement of Purpose for each site which is written in accordance with the requirements of the Healthcare Commission. If you would like a copy of the Statement of Purpose or further details on any Alpha Hospital service, please contact Zsara Thomas, Business Development Director at or telephone .