Psychiatric Intensive Care Units (PICU) for men and womenNorthampton, Essex
NorthamptonPICU
EssexPICU
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A straightforward PICU solution
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Easy access when you need it most
322patients from our PICU services, discharged from April 2017 to March 2018
21hours of therapy per week, plus additional therapy sessions where appropriate
We provide high quality, tailored treatment programmes which are developed to recognise each individual’s strengths, needs and risks, with specific emphasis on treating mental illness and starting the recovery process.
Our PICU patients are supported by high levels of experienced medical and nursing staff, Psychologists, Social Workers and Occupational Therapists.
Once risk is reduced and the patient’s mental state and behaviour has stabilised, transfer to an appropriate facility will take place – we focus on moving individuals into less secure or community settings as soon as possible.
As the UK’s leading charitable provider of specialist care to the NHS, our PICU services are trusted for their provision of high quality psychiatric intensive care in clinically safe and supportive environments.
In an hour of need
Bayley PICU day area
The admissions processOur PICUs offer a short period of rapid assessment, intensive treatment and stabilisation for patients before or during a longer period of inpatient care.
Admission will be based on an individual needs assessment. If suitable, patients will be admitted directly to a PICU.
An overview of our admissions criteriaWe admit men and women:
• aged 18-65 years
• suffering from an acute mental illness, a relapse of an enduring mental illness or an exacerbation of a chronic mental illness
• who may be displaying challenging behaviours as a result of a mental illness
• who demonstrate significant risk, including aggression to self and others, absconding and / or vulnerability
• who require relatively short- term intensive care in a safe environment
• who have been detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 (as amended in 2007).
Note: These criteria are a guide for assessing suitability. Each patient will be individually considered. No formal assessment is required at the point of admission, however patients will be fully examined as soon as appropriate. Relevant information will be gathered and a decision will usually be made within one hour.
The admissions process has been simplified so that we can give you an answer on your referral within the hour. A bed availability email is sent daily and the website stah.org/picu shows the availability for each of the PICU wards, along with contact details and a writeable pdf referral form. To make a referral:
contact the specific PICU for availability
complete the referral form located at stah.org/picu
email the referral form to the relevant PICU.
Once received the ward will contact you to request any additional information which may be required or to confirm the clinical decision regarding your referral.
We accept referrals for adults in need of emergency psychiatric care – providing a decision about the admission within an hour of receiving the referral paperwork.
Within 24 hours of admission each patient will be allocated a Care Co-ordinator who is a qualified mental health practitioner. The Care Co-ordinator, in conjunction with the MDT, will work with the patient to draw up their individual care plan and implement the Care Programme Approach (CPA).
Patients will have a full mental health assessment and be offered a range of appropriate therapeutic and recreational activities. They will be encouraged to play an active part in care planning.
We continually liaise with the home team to update them on progress, working on a return to either home or an appropriate long term service once the patient is out of the acute phase of their illness.
A tailored approach
Our wards have been designed specifically around people with complex mental health needs. The service includes both wheelchair and disabled access bathrooms. Our staff are trained to support all aspects of physical health.
A tailored environment
Our PICU facilities include:• direct access to a large enclosed courtyard
• seclusion suites
• a therapy kitchen
• an activity room
• a dining area
• a quiet room & TV lounge
• a gym.
Extra Care Suite bedroom - Heygate
Extra Care Suite living area - Heygate
NorthamptonWith male and female wards, Northampton now provides a comprehensive PICU service. Our new ten bed female PICU ward, Bayley, complements the male PICU, Heygate which has recently relocated to a new environment with ten beds available.
St Andrew’s Northampton has been providing a male PICU service since 2012. Now, with the addition of our female PICU on this site, we have individual male and female wards in both Essex and Northampton.
With the relocation of Northampton’s male PICU to a new and refurbished environment and the addition of Bayley, our female PICU, each ward has a central living and dining area, individual bedrooms with en-suite facilities and a large enclosed outdoor courtyard.
EssexAt our Essex site we have the well-established male PICU, Audley and female PICU, Frinton. Dedicated ward teams provide high quality, tailored treatment programmes developed to recognise each individual’s strengths, needs and risks.
In Essex, both wards are located off the central courtyard and both offer dedicated living and dining areas around a central nurse station. There is access to a large enclosed courtyard and garden, and individual modern bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms.
Audley (Male) Frinton (Female)
Heygate (Male) Bayley (Female)
A bedroom on Heygate PICU Northampton outdoor gym
Patients
Nursing
Occupational Therapy
Psychiatry Physiotherapy
Psychology
Dietician
Care Co-ordinator
Social Work
GP
Pharmacist
28days average length of stay for PICU patients, April 2017 - March 2018
A specialist teamSince we opened our first PICU for adults in Northampton in 2012, our main focus has been on delivering the best recovery opportunity for patients requiring immediate psychiatric stabilisation.
The key to supporting so many individuals lies in our expert team, supportive and safe environments, and the ability to stabilise, assess and re-direct patients to appropriate care.
Our team are expert in treating people with acute mental illness and complex needs, offering a range of group and individual therapeutic interventions to meet the patient’s needs at different stages of their recovery, including:
psychological skills
mindfulness
problem solving
mental health awareness, including; understanding stress, understanding medication, substance misuse and understanding unusual experiences (psychosis).
Occupational therapy at St Andrew’sConservatory meeting room on Audley
We’re focused on getting people back home. Last year we discharged 322 patients from our PICU, with an average length of stay of 28 days.
Included in the daily bed rate:• No admission fee
• Assessment on admission
• All medication included on the ward from admission
All PICU wards are members of NAPICU, and adhere to the NAPICU minimum standards and their admissions criteria.
Image of our fruit orchard at St Andrew’s Northampton
Bayley (Female)
01604 614 584
Registered Charity Number 1104951 7_1218 Individuals pictured are models and are used for illustrative purposes only.
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Birmingham
Nottingham
She�eld
Oxford
Reading
London
Brighton
Canterbury
Cambridge
Northampton
Essex
In the last year 2017-2018:
• St Andrew’s patients have taken part in 887 hours of vocational activity on average each week
• Our award winning ASPIRE programme has helped Healthcare Assistants become qualified Nurses
• 92.9% of our clinical staff were trained in the Management of Actual and Potential Aggression.
Audley (Male)
Frinton (Female)
Heygate (Male)
Bayley (Female)
Northampton
St Andrew’s is a no smoking environment
Our bed availability is updated every week day, please visit stah.org/picu for the latest update.
Heygate (Male)
01604 616 111
We welcome text relay calls
Frinton (Female)
01268 723 860
Essex
Audley (Male)
01268 723 930Our bed availability
Getting in touch
