The advocate for the acute wards in North Staffordshire is based at the new Harplands Hospital. These are wards accommodating people who have just been admitted to hospital or who
need to stay for just a short length of time.
The users of this service are often
in a very distressed condition when they are first admitted to the
acute wards. Being in a psychiatric hospital with a possible
'section' ahead of you is a very frightening time for anyone, having
access to an advocate can sometimes help a service user to
understand some of the things that are happening to them.
The main issue the advocate comes across
seems to be problems in communication. The advocate is often asked to find
out about the medication someone has been prescribed, why they are
under a 'section' - what that means and what will happen to them
next. It is often a matter of asking the relevant member of staff to
explain the situation clearly to the service user in order to allay
their fears. The advocate is also asked to find out about day time
activities for people once they have settled onto the ward. When
service users are ready to leave the hospital the advocate is frequently
asked to find out about the housing or domestic situation they will
be returning to and to provide information about what benefits they
might be entitled to.
Because their stay in hospital is
often very brief, a service users relationship with the advocate is
usually short term and the work is nearly always very task
orientated. |