Aims: Psychiatry is often considered a challenging specialty by medical students, largely due to the stigma attached to it. It also demands a unique skill set and relies heavily on interpreting subjective experiences, which can be a daunting task. Many students report hesitancy when approaching psychiatric patients, which indicates a need to bridge the gap between theoretical and practical learning. We believe that simulation is an effective way to achieve this. The aim of this Quality Improvement Project (QIP) was to assess and enhance medical students’ knowledge and understanding of common psychiatric conditions and instil confidence in them regarding psychiatric evaluation.

Methods: A hands-on simulation exercise was conducted on 04/07/24. Resident doctors, currently working in psychiatry, volunteered as simulators for the sessions. The scenarios included common psychiatric conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, psychosis, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, etc. There were a total of 8 stations, each comprising 15 minutes of history-taking, followed by 7 minutes for feedback and discussion with the simulator. Students also completed a questionnaire before and after the simulation, which assessed their understanding and confidence in handling psychiatric scenarios with a focus on history taking and risk assessment.

Results: The simulation was successfully conducted with all students participating actively. Pre- and post-simulation questionnaires revealed significant improvement in students’ understanding and confidence in handling common psychiatric scenarios.

Before the simulation, 38% of students reported feeling confident in conducting psychiatric history-taking and risk assessments. Afterwards, this figure increased to 85%. Furthermore, the percentage of students reporting good understanding of common psychiatric conditions increased from 44% to 87% after the stimulation.

An open-ended question revealed further support for these findings, with students expressing that the simulation helped them feel more comfortable approaching psychiatric patients and conducting interviews. A particular point noted by many students was the opportunity to receive immediate feedback from the simulator, allowing a clear explanation tailored to each scenario and the student’s performance/skills.

Conclusion: The Quality Improvement Project significantly improved medical students’ understanding and confidence in assessing common psychiatric conditions. Students reported increased comfort with history-taking and risk assessments, and specifically commended the value of realistic scenarios and immediate feedback. Based on these results, we aim to continue this initiative for the next cohort of students and integrate it as a regular component of the psychiatric education programme at the Irwell Unit, Pennine Care NHS Trust.

Aims: Medical students often lack confidence in psychiatric history-taking and mental state examinations (MSEs) due to limited prior exposure. Informal feedback from Cambridge University students on placement at St Andrew’s Healthcare (STAH) highlighted the need for additional training in these areas.

This project aimed to improve students’ self-reported confidence levels by at least 10% in four key domains: psychiatric history-taking, performing MSEs, building rapport, and managing difficult situations.

Methods: A structured two-hour training session was implemented, utilizing Peer Support Workers (PSWs) with lived experience of psychiatric illness to provide students with practical, real-world exposure.

History-Taking and MSE Practice (First Hour)

Students (n=8–10 per session) practiced on PSWs instead of actors.

Initially, one PSW facilitated 5-minute individual interactions, but student feedback indicated this was insufficient. A second PSW was introduced, increasing interaction time to 8–10 minutes per student in subsequent sessions.

PSWs provided real-time feedback on communication, rapport-building, and questioning techniques.

Diagnosis and Management Discussion (Second Hour)

A group discussion covered differential diagnoses and treatment planning, reinforcing clinical reasoning skills.

Students’ self-reported confidence was assessed via feedback forms before and after the session across all four domains.

Results: A total of 46 students participated, with confidence levels improving significantly across all areas:

History-taking confidence increased by 46.7%, and MSE confidence rose by 27.8%.

The greatest improvements were seen in rapport-building (+47.0%) and managing difficult situations (+68.7%), highlighting the effectiveness of peer-led sessions.

Cohort Comparison:

Group 1 (single PSW, 5-minute interactions) showed moderate confidence improvements, with a 43.5% increase in history-taking and 43.1% in rapport-building, but only a 20.6% gain in MSE confidence.

Group 2 (two PSWs, 8–10 minute interactions) experienced greater confidence gains, particularly in history-taking (+50.1%), MSE (+35.1%), and managing difficult situations (+74.9%).

Additionally, 96% of students rated the session highly relevant (≥4/5), reinforcing the value of integrating lived experience into medical education.

Conclusion: This study highlights that practicing psychiatric assessments with Peer Support Workers (PSWs) significantly enhances medical students’ confidence, particularly in communication and handling complex patient interactions. Longer interactions with multiple PSWs led to greater improvements, emphasizing the importance of structured practice and immediate feedback. Expanding this model could strengthen psychiatric education and improve patient-centred care by bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world clinical skills.

Aims: In people with intellectual disability (ID), anticholinergic burden (ACB) is associated with multimorbidity, polypharmacy, and premature mortality. A previously reported baseline audit evaluated ACB over a period of 3 months in two inpatient units. This project reports on the development of practice recommendations and audit standards based on that work.

Methods: The baseline audit results were discussed in two peer group meetings of prescribers and two multidisciplinary continuing professional development (CPD) sessions. Based on a qualitative analysis of themes from these discussions, good practice recommendations and an Anticholinergic Quick Checklist (ACQC) for screening were finalized.

Results: The practice recommendations were

1. The indication(s) and rationale for prescribing all psychotropic medications, including those with anticholinergic properties, should be clearly stated.

2. Consent-to-treatment procedures or best-interest decision-making processes should be followed and documented.

3. ACB of the patient’s medication regime should be calculated using an instrument like the AEC scale (Medichec), ACB calculator, or equivalent.

4. Side effects of psychotropic medication and treatment outcomes should be monitored using standardised scales like the LUNSERS, GASS, CGI Efficacy Index, CGI Global Improvement, or equivalents.

5. There should be regular monitoring of treatment response and side effects of all prescribed psychotropic medications, including those with anticholinergic properties.

6. There should be regular review and evaluation of the need for continuation or discontinuation of all prescribed psychotropic medications, including those with anticholinergic properties.

Conclusion: There is a need to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Anticholinergic Quick Checklist (ACQC). Larger scale studies and service evaluations are needed to further improve clinical practice in addressing anticholinergic burden (ACB) in people with intellectual disabilities (ID).

Aims: The goal of this quality improvement (QI) project is to enhance the patient journey and flow through the referral pathway into our sub-team in Newham’s community integrated mental health service (CIMHS). The key objectives are to reduce waiting times for appointments, and reduce the high non-attendance rates by improving multi-disciplinary team (MDT) interventions from the point of referral through to review by a psychiatrist. We also aim to streamline the triage system to ensure clearer criteria for medical reviews.

Methods: Our methods include 6 major interventions:

Data will be collected from the admin team to understand “did not attend” (DNA) trends and address underlying factors.

An occupational therapy group programme will be used to support patients waiting for medical appointments.

Collaborating with the psychology department and addressing the lack of team psychologists will be explored for psychological support.

MDT members will use a standardised quality of life questionnaire, to screen patients’ needs, offering appropriate interventions.

Through MDT meetings, actively managing the caseload and ensuring timely discharge of stable patients or those who no longer require the service.

Enhancing the quality of primary care referrals with clearer guidelines to improve the triage process incorporating a standardised new referral form.

Results: Within our caseload of 285 patients, we reviewed current waiting times for appointments in our team from the time of referral. The average waiting time for a medical review was 54 days, and for a non-medical appointment 38 days. These waiting times have risen in the last few months and we will analyse the factors behind this as part of the project. Over the last three months, there were two comments on patient feedback forms reporting that the waiting time for appointments was too long, with similar informal verbal feedback from other patients. We will review the patient reported experience measure forms’ (PREM) feedback, following the implementation of the above MDT interventions after 3 months.

Conclusion: Our team needs to reduce the long waiting times for appointments and address high DNA rates to improve the efficiency of the service, while enhancing the patient experience. Currently, many new referrals are directed to medical reviews, but MDT involvement could offer earlier and more holistic interventions, addressing quality of life domains. We can promote discharge to primary care as a positive step towards recovery, with the option to opt back in, if there’s a need in future.

Aims: This audit aimed to assess and improve the consistency and quality of carer contact within the CAMHS inpatient ward at Junction 17. The objectives were to evaluate current communication practices against Trust policies, ensure effective documentation of carer interactions, and implement strategies to improve adherence to guidelines.

Methods: A retrospective audit was conducted on 12 CAMHS inpatients admitted between April 1, 2024, and June 1, 2024. Data was extracted from patient records on the PARIS system and ePMA, focusing on key carer contact indicators:

Assignment of a staff member for carer communication.

Documentation of consent for carer contact.

Carer contact within 72 hours of admission.

Communication regarding medication/management changes.

Carer contact following incidents, home leaves, and ward rounds.

Adherence rates were calculated, and qualitative analysis was conducted to assess documentation clarity and consistency.

Results: Assignment of Staff Member: Only 58% (7/12) of patients had a clearly assigned staff member responsible for carer contact.

Consent Documentation: While 100% of patients had verbal consent obtained, only 8% (1/12) had clear documentation in the PARIS system.

Carer Contact Compliance:

Within 72 hours of admission: 100% compliance.

Post-medication/management changes: 2/3 (66%) compliance.

Post-incident contact: 73% (132/180 incidents) compliance.

Post-home leave: 87% compliance.

Post-ward round: Only 47% (51/108) compliance.

Common issues included inconsistent documentation, difficulty in retrieving records, and lack of designated time for carer communication.

Conclusion: While initial carer contact post-admission and post-home leave showed high compliance, significant gaps were identified in staff assignment, documentation of consent, and post-ward round communication. Key recommendations include:

Assigning primary and secondary staff members as key family links.

Standardizing documentation in the PARIS system for easier retrieval.

Allocating protected time for carer contact, particularly post-ward rounds.

Integrating carer communication into the CAMHS staff induction programme.

A re-audit is scheduled in three months to assess the impact of these interventions. If successful, the proposed guidelines will be considered for broader implementation at a national level.

Aims: To improve the compliance with the NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) physical health monitoring guidelines, for young persons on medications, for ADHD, attending the West of Glasgow CAMHS, by at least 50%.

Methods: A quality improvement project was implemented to improve the compliance. As intervention staff education, multiple poster placement and introduction of the BP Percentile app was made within the team. The PDSA (Plan-Do-Study-Act) cycle was used to test the change in ideas.

Results: The repeat audit done 5 weeks after implementing the above interventions, resulted in a 19% increase in Blood Pressure recorded within 6 months along with 47% increase in them recorded as percentiles.

Conclusion: The results of the study showed marked improvement in the compliance in all aspects, especially in the recording of Blood Pressures in percentiles. The improvement was from 0% to 47% almost reaching the goal of 50%. Having said that there is still room for improvement! Future change of ideas include adding an EMIS template which automatically calculates the values in percentiles and re-auditing the cycle after the changes are implemented.

Aims: Effective communication is essential in mental health services, where timely decisions can significantly impact patient outcomes. Studies have shown that delayed responses to clinical communications can compromise patient safety, lead to treatment delays, and increase stress among professionals. The absence of standardized email response protocols within the North London Mental Health Trust has resulted in varying practices, with some professionals responding promptly while others may neglect emails, particularly those concerning patient care. This project seeks to address this inconsistency and improve the overall communication framework within the Trust.

Aims were to to develop and implement an email response protocol for mental health professionals in the North London Mental Health Trust, ensuring timely and consistent communication regarding patient care.

Methods: Co-Production: Engage stakeholders, including clients/carers, mental health professionals, managers, and admin representatives, to co-design the email response guidelines. Conduct surveys to gather insights on current practices and barriers to timely responses.

Identify and Understand: Conduct a baseline assessment of current email response times and practices using a survey distributed to all mental health professionals. Analyse the collected data to identify patterns of non-responsiveness and the reasons behind them (e.g. workload, lack of awareness of the importance of timely responses).

Develop Change Strategy: Based on stakeholder feedback and data analysis, draft clear email response guidelines that outline expected response times, prioritize urgent communications, and provide examples of acceptable email etiquette. Incorporate exceptions for individuals on leave, out of office, or in emergency situations.

Results: 1. Work-Related Email Volume:

The majority of mental health professionals receive between 20–50 emails per day, with a significant portion being patient-care related.

2. Response Time for Patient-Care Emails:

Around 60% of professionals respond to patient-related emails within 24 hours.

This increases to 80% when measured within 48 hours, indicating that while delays exist, the majority eventually respond within two days.

3. Factors Influencing Response Time:

High workload, email volume, and urgent clinical duties were cited as the most common barriers to quick responses.

Some professionals also noted a lack of standardized email response guidelines, leading to inconsistency in practices.

4. Challenges in Email Management:

Professionals expressed difficulty in managing high email volumes, particularly when dealing with urgent clinical responsibilities.

Lack of training on email prioritization was another reported challenge.

5. Recommendations from Professionals for Improvement:

Implementation of standardized email response guidelines.

Training on email management strategies and prioritization of urgent vs. non-urgent communications.

6. Impact on Patient Care and Communication:

A consensus among professionals was that delayed email responses negatively impact patient care, as they can lead to delayed decision-making and increased stress among teams.

7. Willingness to Engage in Further Training:

A majority of professionals were willing to participate in training related to improving email response times, indicating strong support for a structured intervention.

Conclusion: The implementation of a standardized email response protocol is vital for improving communication practices among mental health professionals in the North London Mental Health Trust. By addressing the current gaps in communication, we aim to enhance patient care and streamline inter-professional collaboration.

Aims: Resident doctors in inpatient psychiatric settings manage urgent or emergency physical healthcare out of hours with limited, remote guidance and support, creating a potentially stressful and isolative work environment. The primary outcome of this Quality Improvement (QI) project is to address this problem by enhancing the confidence of resident doctors working out of hours in psychiatric inpatient units. Secondary goals include improving morale, fostering connections with acute medical teams, and delivering more timely and targeted physical health care for psychiatric inpatients with urgent physical health needs.

Methods: The team used a structured QI approach, including constructing a survey-informed driver diagram and PDSA cycles. Data collection involved surveys of resident doctors at the beginning and end of a 6-month rotation across two inpatient psychiatric units within East London NHS Foundation Trust. Surveys aimed to identify confidence gaps, barriers, and existing challenges in managing physical health emergencies out of hours. Interventions implemented were designed to address these gaps and included:

Awareness and education: Promoting resources such as the BMJ Best Practice app for quick guidance. Emergency grab bag familiarisation sessions.

Integration of physical health updates: Including relevant physical health specialty sessions in the academic programme for resident doctors. Also enhancing connection with locality acute medical teams.

Working with locality physical health lead nurse: To involve resident doctors with ward-based simulation sessions already operating.

Results: Quantitative and qualitative results highlight changes in confidence levels, resource utilisation, and satisfaction among junior doctors, with 19 respondents in the initial survey and 13 in the final survey.

The post-survey showed improved confidence in managing physical health on call.

Post-intervention, respondents found the most value in the updated academic programme (76.9%), and strengthened links with acute teams (76.9%), followed by emergency grab bag familiarisation sessions (61.5%), the BMJ app (61.5%), and ward-based simulation sessions (46.2%).

Conclusion: Improved awareness of resources, physical health updates, and closer working relationships with acute medics and nurses can improve resident doctors’ confidence in managing physical health emergencies in inpatient settings.

This initiative has the potential to improve provider satisfaction and patient outcomes. The next steps include expanding interventions to the final part of the borough in the next trainee changeover and establishing a new 6-month Physical Health Representative resident doctor role to sustain momentum through continuous improvement and support the development of trainee leadership skills in this vital improvement area.

Aims: The inpatient wards at St George’s Hospital, Stafford, have a system of sending clozapine monitoring bloods (full blood count) to the local general hospital for processing.

This system is inefficient and has a significant time cost to staff. It leads to delays in getting results, both from the lab and from the clozapine monitoring service (CPMS), which can impact patient care in a number of ways.

The aim of this QI was to find out whether use of the on-site Pochi machine reduced the time it takes to get results from CPMS and simplifies the process for the wards. This machine is specifically designed for these samples and is already used by other teams.

Methods: QI methodology was used which highlighted a number of non value-added activities, waste and poor sustainability from the usual process.

The need for access to the Pochi machine from inpatient wards was clearly established and agreements made with the local service to use machine.

The two processes were compared by process maps and monitoring the time between blood being taken to a result from CPMS being inputted into the patient notes.

Results: Over a 4-week period the acute inpatient wards sent 24 blood samples to the local general hospital.

2 of these results were graded 'amber’ by CPMS meaning increased frequency of blood monitoring is needed. 1 of the 24 bloods sent in this period led to a delay in a patient’s discharge while awaiting results and 1 was sent off by a taxi to avoid delay.

Through the observation forms, the time from blood being taken to a result entered on the patient’s notes went from an average of 27 hours to 39 minutes.

The process was significantly simplified with substantial reductions in waste.

Conclusion: This QI has evidenced that widening access of the existing Pochi machine to all acute wards has led to a significant improvement in the time taken to obtain results from CPMS, which will benefit patients and staff.

It allows abnormal results to be acted on much quicker, improving patient safety.

It has also evidenced a reduction in non value-added activities and waste with improved environmental and financial sustainability.

Aims: Workplace stress and burnout are common within healthcare. The NHS Staff Survey 2023 found that approximately one third of respondents were experiencing burnout and were considering leaving the organisation. Studies suggest this is significantly higher in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). The negative impact of burnout on staff wellbeing, retainment, and patient care is well-recognised. Arts-based interventions have been shown to improve work-related stress and promote empathy and resilience. We set up a regular reflective art group for staff at an adolescent mental health team to see if this would reduce stress and improve wellbeing and job satisfaction.

Methods: We set up a monthly recurrent one-hour group, attended by the whole multidisciplinary team at the Service for Adolescents and their Families in Enfield (SAFE) and facilitated by team members with experience of art therapy. Group attendees were encouraged to express themselves in visual artwork freely, without specific instructions.

We anonymously surveyed attendees at baseline and at two- and four-months following implementation of the group to measure general and workplace-specific wellbeing, stress and burnout, job satisfaction, and staff attitudes to the intervention. We collected both quantitative and qualitative data.

Results: Out of a team of 19 members, 10 on average attended each session over 5 months. All disciplines and seniority levels were represented.

We collected 12 responses in March 2024 before implementing the group, 7 responses in May 2024 and 6 responses in July 2024 (2 and 4 months after implementation respectively).

The group was rated 5 out of 5 stars unanimously and described as a “space to connect with colleagues, reflect, and calm stress and emotional impact of work”.

Overall, there was an improvement in team wellbeing, job satisfaction and confidence from March to July, despite an increase in perceived stress and a decrease in general mental wellbeing. The findings can be better understood within the wider context of the service at the time, namely worsening staff shortages and extreme workload pressures.

Conclusion: The art group was very well received by colleagues and appeared to boost morale during a particularly difficult period for the team. However, this alone was not sufficient to reduce the stress derived from trying to meet clinical demands with inadequate staffing levels.

Interventions improving job satisfaction, like this project, could play an important role in fighting workforce erosion if combined with long-term commitment to a sustainable workforce on an institutional level.

Aims: The aim of this quality improvement project was to assess, and improve the confidence in antidepressant prescribing and management of common side effects amongst the Foundation Year (FY) trainees.

Methods: PDSA cycles involving a questionnaire sent out to 25 FY doctors in psychiatric jobs.

Results: A survey was sent out to the FY cohort currently doing a psychiatry job placement to assess their baseline confidence in antidepressant prescribing, which highlighted a lack of confidence. With regards to management of depression and anxiety, 25% felt unconfident, 50% felt neutral, and 25% felt somewhat confident. With regards to prescribing antidepressants, 75% felt neutral, and 25% felt somewhat confident. When it came to managing side effects of antidepressants, 25% felt very unconfident, 50% felt somewhat unconfident, and 25% felt somewhat confident.

A flowchart detailing indications for antidepressant prescribing and basic principles on swapping and titrating doses was distributed to help improve confidence. The group was reassessed with the same questionnaire to accurately identify any improvement.

When re-assessed, there was still a lack of confidence with regards to the management of side effects, with 63% feeling somewhat unconfident, 13% feeling neutral, and 25% feeling somewhat confident.

A presentation was prepared and delivered at the weekly teaching, which detailed the use of common antidepressants, their side effects, and the management of complications including serotonin syndrome.

The cohort was again re-assessed, showing an overall improvement in confidence in all aspects, with 80% feeling somewhat confident in management of depression and anxiety, and 100% feeling somewhat confident in prescribing antidepressants and management of side effects.

Conclusion: Positive outcomes included an overall improvement in confidence in prescribing antidepressants. Additionally, some participants found that the gaps in their knowledge were greatly reduced through these two cycles of information sharing.

Potential improvements to the study include using a larger cohort sampling outside of the FYs in psychiatry rotations to get a broader idea of the general FY cohort confidence. Furthermore, some participants still feel they have gaps in their knowledge, which could be addressed through more teaching sessions tackling individual cases in the future.

Aims: Patients are admitted to our medium secure rehabilitation ward from high secure hospitals or other medium secure wards from within and outside our trust. We have a waiting list. There is extensive documentation and updates shared prior to any transfer over months. For patients within our trust, we share the same electronic records system. The legal status of most patients requires mandatory information sharing prior to any transfer for example via Ministry of Justice applications.

We examined our process of preadmission handover meetings for all five admissions in 2023–2024. We identified a lack of structured approach to preparing for the preadmission meeting. We concluded that a structured checklist may help. At the time of the re-audit in January 2025, we had two vacant beds and therefore two planned admissions from our waiting list were imminent in the coming weeks.

Methods: We used the following broad national, forensic and trust standards. NICE NG53: “1.2.7 During admission planning, record a full history or update that covers the person’s cognitive, physical and mental health needs, includes details of their current medication, identifies the services involved in their care.” Trust Policy: “Lead professional should make contact with service that covers the area the service user is to move to/from and arrange a formal hand over.” QNFMHS: “When patients are transferred between services there is a handover which ensures that the new team have an up to date care plan and risk assessment.”

We re-audited our service using a preadmission checklist based on last year’s audit to review what information has already been handed over and what needs to be specifically requested prior to admission. We then compared the preadmission meeting minutes of the last five admissions of 2023–2024 with the first two admissions of 2025 to reflect on our learning.

Results: There was no difference in terms of overall information sought by our team both pre- and post-audit. Updates were needed regarding physical and mental health and third party safeguarding information in the meeting.

Conclusion: Going through the preadmission list in preparation for the formal transfer meeting in a structured manner ensured any information gaps were identified prior to the preadmission meeting and timely requests made. There were reflections on the relational aspect of the information sharing process.

Aims: Sialorrhoea (hypersalivation), a common side effect of clozapine can impact the quality of life of patients. At present, no drugs are licensed to manage clozapine-induced hypersalivation, but there are various practical and pharmacological management options included in literature. These include chewing sugarless gums during the day. At night, covering the pillow with a towel, elevating the head and sleeping on the side may reduce aspiration risk. With regard to pharmacological treatment, the first step should be to review the clozapine dose and reduce it if possible. The second step is to consider adding anticholinergic, antihistaminergic and adrenergic drugs and substitute benzamides such as amisulpride. There is also consideration of injecting botulism toxin to salivary glands.

Methods: We retrospectively audited the case notes of all six patients on clozapine in our male inpatient slow-stream rehabilitation service to assess if we have actively attempted to manage clozapine-induced hypersalivation side effects. We searched keywords ‘hypersalivation’, ‘drooling’, ‘pillow’, ‘saliva’ to identify case note entries and collected data on strategies used to manage hypersalivation. We reviewed past and current prescriptions and doses.

Results: Age ranges of our patients varied from 26 to 65. All six patients reported hypersalivation as a side effect. All patients had clozapine within therapeutic range with no option to reduce further. One patient preferred not to be on any medication to manage this side effect. All other patients had tried hyoscine hydrobromide tablets first. The tablet has a half-life of 4 hours. One patient was due a dose review of hyoscine due to ongoing hypersalivation. Three patients had been asked to suck or chew the tablets. Prior to this they had been swallowing the tablets. Two patients had tried the hyoscine patch (which lasts approximately 72 hours) but had found it not helpful. One patient had tried trihexyphenidyl tablets but then requested to change back to hyoscine. One patient had tried atropine drops following a trial of hyoscine tablets and patch. He then tried amisulpride with no impact and subsequently found trihexyphenidyl beneficial. All patients were monitored for worsened constipation with addition of anticholinergics.

Conclusion: The audit identified the need to proactively and systematically manage hypersalivation. It was also noted that practical interventions like raising the pillow, chewing gum during day were not routinely tried. We plan to re-audit the service in a year’s time to see if there is any improvement in use of management strategies and also measure hypersalivation using Nocturnal Hypersalivation Rating Scale and the Drooling Severity and Frequency Scale.

Aims: We aimed to reduce the use of seclusion, 1:1 and 2:1 observations in our PICU, without compromising safety, by introducing zonal observation levels which is considered less intrusive, allowing greater privacy for the patient and better engagement.

Hypothesis: We expect a reduction in number of enhanced observations with no change in levels of aggression with a further reduction in the second survey as staff become more confident in using zonal observations.

Background: PICUs often rely on enhanced observations, such as 1:1 or 2:1, to reduce violence and aggression. However, these practices have limited evidence of effectiveness and are frequently perceived negatively by staff and patients. At Willow Suite, a 12-bed male PICU, zonal observations were introduced in January 2024 as a less restrictive alternative. This approach involved designating staff to specific zones for proactive engagement with patients while maintaining safety and improving patient experience.

Methods: Data were collected from clinical records and incident reporting systems for three periods: pre-implementation (November–December 2023), immediate post-implementation (January–February 2024), and 10 months after implementation (November–December 2024). Key metrics included incidents of violence, seclusion episodes, and the duration of enhanced observations.

Results: The duration of enhanced observations reduced significantly, from a total of 51 days to 22 days in the first 2 months and maintained the same 10 months later. The average length of enhanced observations decreased by 58% immediately post-implementation, from 8.5 days per incident to 3.6, and further reduced to 3.1 days after 10 months. Seclusion episodes initially increased from 6 to 11 as staff were adapting to the new system, but the average length of seclusion dropped from 3.2 to 2.2 days with 55% of seclusions lasting a day or less. After 10 months, seclusion incidents had reduced further to 10 with average length of 2.5 days.

The length of all restrictions combined reduced from 70 days (average length 5.8 days) to 17 (average 2.7) in the first 2 months and to 11 (average 2.9) 10 months later.

There was no increase in incidents of violence and aggression in the initial 2 months and a reduction 10 months later.

Conclusion: The results suggest that zonal observations successfully maintained safety while reducing restrictive practices in our PICU over a one-year period. Other benefits observed were improvement in staffing consistency, increased staff confidence in managing clinical risks as well as patients reporting improvement in overall experience and engagement.

Aims: Technology has been rapidly expanding in the medical field, of late, AI has been adopted cautiously and is slowly being integrated to practice. Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) patients have a variety of different presentations and premorbid conditions that greatly affect their response to rehabilitation. Currently, there is no admission formula or criteria available that can assist the assessing clinician on suitability for inpatient rehabilitation regarding rehabilitation prognosis.

The aim of this study is to design an admission formula using machine learning to predict rehabilitation prognosis; whether individuals with FND would benefit from inpatient rehabilitation by generating prognostic factors based off data collected from other FND patients who have received inpatient rehabilitation.

Methods: Retrospective review of FND patients admitted for inpatient rehabilitation. Over a 4-year period (2021–2024), 55 patients were admitted for FND neurorehabilitation, of which, 48 patients were used in the dataset due to lack of necessary data. Data was extracted from medical records and department databases to create a comprehensive dataset. The model was trained and tested by logistic regression, with a data set that was split into 70% training and 30% testing.

Results: The UK Functional Assessment Measure (UKFIM+FAM) was used to measure outcomes and patients were divided into two categories: improvement in FIM+FAM outcome above 25% from baseline or below. We discovered the model was 86% accurate in predicting the FIM+FAM outcome.

Conclusion: Machine learning may act as a tool that clinicians can use when assessing suitability for inpatient rehabilitation. Although there are limitations, namely, appropriate assessment scales and data-set size, the model is able to predict rehabilitation outcomes with 86% accuracy. Since this is supervised-learning, we expect with time and a larger data set, there will be improvement in accuracy.

Aims: Suicide remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide, with rates among older adults increasing steadily. Older people face higher suicide completion rates, especially in 45–49 and 90+ age group. The impact of suicide on society is profound, underlining the need for targeted interventions for this demographic.

This project follows the Triple Aim framework to improve overall health system by:

Enhancing suicide prevention in older populations through mental well-being promotion.

Increasing awareness and improving patients’ experience by creating a supportive, responsive environment.

Developing a replicable model across healthcare settings, contributing to broader suicide prevention efforts.

Methods: Focus groups were conducted with 3 cohorts: patients, families and staff. 4–8 participants were recruited for each group using purposive sampling method. Semi-structured interview was conducted to explore their views on suicide prevention, their challenges, and expectations.

Results: Many patients identified negative emotions: stress and overthinking are contributing factors. Many find feelings of guilt/hopelessness, bereavement particularly challenging. Additionally, social isolation, physical health problems and poor sleep also lead to suicide.

According to staff, many patients lack access to service due to language barrier, immobility/disabilities, socio-economic deprivation and limited access to technologies. Cultural beliefs and stigma play a major role. Staff also highlighted that role transition to retirement results loneliness/isolation.

Preventive strategies include normalisation and promoting awareness in public. Having representation in peer support group can improve stigma in minority. Social interventions can aid role transition and provide sense of belonging. Integrated care with multiple touchpoints from emergency care to community/GP follow-ups alongside with multidisciplinary approach with occupational therapist and psychologist are crucial in providing patient-centred care.

Conclusion: These focus groups underscore the importance of suicide prevention for older people. The insight gained will inform future strategies and prioritise change ideas in our service.

Aims: Doctors in training can be at high pressure to balance the service needs with their own training needs, thus leading to a risk of burnout. Hence, supporting their wellbeing is of paramount importance to optimize their training experience. This Quality Improvement (QI) project led to an improvement in well-being support for specialty trainee psychiatrists, training in Kent, United Kingdom.

Methods: This project employed a baseline survey among the specialty trainee psychiatrists training in Kent in Jan/Feb 2024 with support from the trusts’ medical education department and the wellbeing team. The survey questionnaire was modified from the NHS staff wellbeing survey. It utilized a Likert scale (1 to 5) to explore several aspects of awareness and access to available wellbeing resources. Additionally, open questions were included to collect views of the the resident doctors regarding wellbeing support.

Following the outcome of the baseline survey, the suggestions were implemented by the medical education department over a year and a follow-up survey was conducted to assess the impact of the changes. This project was registered with the QI department of the trust.

Results: Fifteen specialty trainee doctors participated in the baseline survey. The survey identified several gaps in the participants’ awareness about wellbeing resources such as; lack of information about the resources, lack of confidence in accessing wellbeing events/activities and inadequate wellbeing check-in during supervision. Moreover, several barriers were identified including having limited access to information about wellbeing resources, lack of time and fear of stigma/discrimination to access the resources if available.

Following the baseline survey, a document with all the available resources was developed and included in the induction pack for all the resident doctors. A protected wellbeing event was organized with wellbeing activities chosen by the specialty trainee resident doctors. The findings from the survey were also shared with the consultant supervisors in the CPD session. A QI fishbone session was further organized to explore what wellbeing meant to the resident doctors.

Sixteen specialty trainee doctors participated in the follow-up survey. The findings showed improvement in awareness about the resources available to them and confidence in accessing these resources. There was a significant improvement in their perception regarding wellbeing check at workplace (baseline 53.3%, follow up 81.3%). However, there were still concerns around stigma, fear of discrimination that need further exploration and intervention.

Conclusion: This project has demonstrated improvement in the specialty trainee resident doctors’ perception about their wellbeing support. However, there are several challenges in terms of sustaining these positive changes and fostering a positive culture of help seeking by mitigating stigma and fear of discrimination.

Aims: Lithium is a widely prescribed mood stabiliser with proven efficacy in managing bipolar disorder, but its narrow therapeutic index necessitates regular physical health monitoring. Inadequate monitoring can increase risks for patients. Within the Taff Ely Community Mental Health Team (TECMHT), we identified a lack of a structured system to track and manage the necessary monitoring tests. This quality improvement project aimed to determine whether the implementation of a structured record sheet could improve adherence to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) physical health monitoring standards for lithium treatment in TECMHT.

Methods: A retrospective review of clinical records for 30 patients was conducted to establish baseline monitoring practices. A pre-implementation meeting with the nursing team highlighted existing challenges, including inconsistent monitoring and lack of centralised tracking. The intervention consisted of three components: (i) a standardised monitoring proforma, (ii) a formal clinic protocol, and (iii) a training session for clinic nurses. Following the implementation, prospective data for 20 patients attending the clinic during the 6-week monitoring period were analysed. Run charts were used to compare monitoring practices before and after the intervention, while Pareto charts identified areas for improvement and helped track compliance over time.

Results: Before the intervention, monitoring of BMI was not routinely performed, and calcium monitoring was suboptimal. Serum lithium level monitoring, however, showed good compliance with guidelines. After implementing the intervention, lithium level monitoring achieved 100% compliance with NICE guidelines, BMI monitoring was completed for 82% of patients, and calcium monitoring improved from 8% to 33%. A decline in compliance for urea and electrolytes and thyroid function monitoring was noted, which was attributed to initial confusion over the new system. This issue was addressed in a subsequent training session aiming to improve clarity and compliance.

Conclusion: A physical health monitoring form was successfully developed and integrated into the lithium monitoring clinic, improving access to monitoring data and ensuring better adherence to NICE guidelines. The form streamlined monitoring without requiring additional resources or labour. Following approval from senior health board management, the form is being rolled out across the health board. To assess its broader impact, further data analysis is recommended, and additional educational resources for clinic staff may be beneficial. This intervention demonstrates the value of structured systems in enhancing patient care in outpatient settings.

Aims: Main aim of this quality improvement project was to ensure that each outpatient CAMHS clinic room is equipped with the necessary, functional equipment for safe and comprehensive baseline and ongoing monitoring of patients prescribed antidepressant, antipsychotic, and ADHD medications, in line with NICE guidelines, the Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines and hospital guidelines.

Methods: The sites included in this project are Raglan house (single point of access), The Clock house (Community Service South Oxfordshire), Slade and Maple house (neurodevelopmental conditions outpatient service in Oxford).

Data collection was conducted with the help of a checklist to be used for each clinic room in outpatient CAMHS. All four sites were included in the data interpretation process each having 54 items in the checklist. It includes quantitative and qualitative data which are crucial to ensure standards and to meet requirements by the guidelines mentioned above. These items consist of three groups, physical health monitoring, infection prevention as well as privacy, confidentiality and comfort. Some of the items were window blinds and engaged/vacant for privacy and confidentiality; sanitiser and soap for infection prevention; stethoscope and height measurement tool for physical health.

Results: On average, 44% of checklist items were present on the sites, which means 56% items were not available. Of the present items, 96% were working well, whereas 4% were dysfunctional such as a clock with no battery, an unstable scale, a faulty thermometer and limited amount of sanitiser. Moreover, concerns were raised about shortage of rooms for routine and urgent appointments across multiple sites despite online and telephone appointments being offered. In addition, some of the rooms did not have appropriate lighting. The issues that pose immediate risk to patients’ safety were prioritised and reported to the estates. The rest is planned to be reported at the time this abstract was written.

Conclusion: Functional clinical equipment is essential to ensure patient safety. Efficient and active use of channels to report missing or dysfunctional items as well as regular maintenance and calibration of clinical items are key to excellent caring and safe care. All staff members are responsible to make sure that appropriate equipment is available.

Aims: There is currently no standardised triage process utilised across perinatal mental health services. Oxleas Perinatal Service (located in South East London, offering service across three boroughs) introduced 15-minute video triage calls, where the staff on duty is allocated six calls a day to screen new referrals received by the service. This was introduced to attempt to standardise the triage process, increase service numbers, and improve patient experience. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of this new triage system.

Methods: We retrospectively looked at all referrals received between 15/01/2024 to 15/04/2024. 3 standardised feedback questionnaires designed for staff, admin and patients were sent out through SmartSurvey to: 14 staff members on the duty rota, 3 admin staff involved in triaging referrals and 170 patients who attended the video triage calls across the three boroughs. 7 out of 14 staff members, all 3 of the admin staff and 12 patients responded to the SmartSurvey. 105 patients were subsequently contacted by telephone to try and obtain more responses. Following this, an additional 29 patients responded with a total of 41 patient responses obtained.

Results: Feedback analysis was grouped into 3 themes: emerging themes from patient, staff and admin responses. Majority of patients reported they preferred video appointments over telephone and felt that the next steps in their care were made clear to them. Patients who were subsequently offered appointments with clinicians expressed how useful the video triage process was. Recurring challenges reported by patients included: poor connectivity, pace of the session and personal preference between video and telephone.

Staff feedback highlighted an enhanced patient experience and information gathering. In addition to this, an increase in service access numbers was also cited. Common barriers reported included: workload pressures, assessments felt repetitive and logistical issues such as wi-fi connectivity.

Overarching themes from admin responses cited a friendly approach for patients and an increase in access numbers. One major challenge highlighted was the workload.

Conclusion: Most patients found video triage useful, thereby highlighting a potential for an adapted process to be used across other perinatal services. To address workload pressures, a change has since been introduced where daily triage calls have been reduced from 6 to 4 calls a day. Anecdotal feedback received says that this is much more manageable. We are in the process of measuring the impact of this change, and findings of this will be reported in the near future.