Service details
Physical Health AHP Service
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This service has been created to connect physical and mental health. Poor physical health can exacerbate mental health conditions, while mental health challenges can negatively impact physical health. Our acute mental health services consider both aspects to provide comprehensive care.
- Borough(s): Barnet, Enfield, Haringey
- Email: nlft.ahp-physicalhealth@nhs.net
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Address:
We currently cover St Ann’s Hospital, Springwell Centre (Barnet Hospital), Edgware Community Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital.,
- Service hours: 9-5pm
- Conditions treated
- Who is this service for?
- What to expect
- Service strengths
- Useful Information for professionals
- Service manager(s)
Conditions treated
Our services are designed to assist individuals experiencing limitations in their daily activities due to a variety of conditions. We specialise in addressing the following functional needs:
- Mobility and Transfer Assessment & Practice:
- Safe and efficient transfers
- Gait training and mobility assistance
- Wheelchair and walking aid prescription and training
- Stair Practice:
- Ascending and descending stairs safely and independently
- Falls Prevention & Management:
- Fall risk assessment and personalized strategies
- Balance training and exercises
- Safe Moving & Handling:
- Techniques for safe handling and transfers for caregivers
- Equipment recommendations for safe handling
These services are particularly beneficial for individuals with:
- Neurological Conditions, such as
- Stroke
- Spinal Cord Injury
- Parkinson's Disease
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Guillain-Barré Syndrome
- Musculoskeletal Conditions, such as
- Pain management, including lower back pain, knee pain
- Arthritis
- Fracture management
- Post-Surgical Rehabilitation
- Respiratory Conditions, such as
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- Sputum Retention
Who is this service for?
The Trust provides dedicated support for individuals with physical health needs on acute mental health wards across the Barnet, Enfield, and Haringey boroughs. The wards are located at the following sites:
- St. Ann’s Hospital: Tulip ward, Daisy ward, Sunflower ward
- Edgware Community Hospital: Trent ward, Thames ward, Shannon ward
- Springwell Centre: Ken Porter ward
- Chase Farm: Suffolk ward, Sussex ward, Devon ward, Dorset ward
What to expect
The following steps work together to provide you with a comprehensive, well-rounded approach to treatment, recovery, and empowerment. Each stage of care is designed to address your physical health and educational needs to support your overall well-being and long-term recovery.
1. Assessment
Once your physical health needs are identified by the multidisciplinary team (MDT), you will undergo a thorough assessment conducted by our team members. This assessment includes a review of your current physical health needs.2. Treatment
- Based on your assessment, a personalised treatment plan will be developed. Your treatment may include:
- One-to-One Sessions: These personalised sessions are designed to address your individual physical health needs and can cover a range of areas, such as improving mobility, managing pain, or addressing any specific physical conditions you may have. These sessions may involve physical assessments, tailored exercises, or advice on managing chronic conditions.
- Exercise Classes: Our physiotherapists may offer exercise classes designed to improve your physical health and mobility. These classes can help increase strength, reduce pain, and improve overall physical function, which is closely linked to mental well-being.
- Other Professional Referrals: Depending on your needs, you may be referred to other professionals, such as dietitians, social workers, or occupational therapists, to support your recovery. These referrals ensure that all aspects of your health and well-being are addressed.
3. Education
- For Service Users: Throughout your stay, you will receive education on various aspects of physical health management. This might include learning about managing pain, home exercise programmes, and improving overall lifestyle habits. Education empowers you to take an active role in your recovery.
- For Staff: Our MDT staff receives ongoing training to ensure they are up-to-date with the latest available evidence. This ensures that they can provide the highest level of care, tailored to the needs of each individual in the service.
Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) Service:
- The inclusion of SLT service in an acute mental health service enhances the care team by addressing specific needs, such as:
- Communication Disorders: Service users with mental health conditions may have speech and language difficulties that can affect their ability to engage in therapy, express themselves, or understand treatment plans. SLTs help assess and support these patients.
- Cognitive-Communication Support: Mental health issues can sometimes impact cognitive functions, such as language, memory, attention, and problem-solving, which SLT can help rehabilitate through targeted interventions.
- Swallowing Difficulties (Dysphagia): Certain psychiatric medications or mental health conditions can cause or exacerbate swallowing issues. Trained therapist can assess and manage dysphagia to ensure service users can eat and drink safely.
Service strengths
Holistic, Multidisciplinary Approach: Integrates physical and mental health care to provide comprehensive, person-centered treatment.
Onsite Availability: Immediate access to physical health professionals ensures quick responses to patient needs.
Timely Intervention: Reduces delays and ensures all patient needs are met, fostering efficient recovery and holistic health outcomes.
Comprehensive Physical Health Support:- Continuous monitoring and management of co-occurring physical health conditions.
- Implementation of preventive measures to support long-term well-being.
Physiotherapy Integration:
- Offers tailored physiotherapy to maintain and/or improve mobility, strength, and overall physical function.
- Supports patients who may experience decreased physical activity due to mental health conditions or medication side effects.
- Helps alleviate pain and promotes physical rehabilitation, contributing to mental health stabilisation through increased physical wellness.
Speech and Language Therapist Inclusion:
- Provides immediate support for communication difficulties and cognitive-communication challenges.
- Addresses swallowing disorders (dysphagia), ensuring safe eating and drinking.
Evidence-Based Practice:
- Utilises interventions and treatments backed by current research and clinical guidelines.
- Ensures that all aspects of care, including physical health, speech therapy, and physiotherapy, are grounded in proven methodologies for optimal outcomes.
- Promotes continuous evaluation and adaptation of practices to reflect new research and service users’ response, enhancing the quality and effectiveness of care.
Enhanced Patient Engagement and Safety:
- Incorporates service users’ feedback to tailor interventions and improve service delivery.
- Ensures collaborative care, leveraging the expertise of each professional for well-rounded, coordinated treatment.
- Facilitates regular MDT meetings to assess service users progress and adapt care strategies as needed.
Useful Information for professionals
Our service is committed to advancing evidence-based care through rigorous clinical research. We recognise the critical interplay between physical and mental health, prioritising an integrated approach to patient care. Our research interests encompass:
- Promoting therapy roles and values in mental health in optimising patient care, including managing risks such as falls and swallowing difficulties, and supporting smooth discharge transitions.
- Evaluating the effectiveness of therapy intervention, such as the impacts of improving physical activities on mental health outcomes in during acute and subacute phases
- Optimising care strategies to enhance patient recovery and quality of life, such as fall management care plan and chronic pain care plan
We actively seek collaborations with researchers, clinicians, and other stakeholders who share our passion for improving mental health care. We are particularly interested in:
- Interdisciplinary research projects that bridge the gap between physical and mental health.
- Developing and implementing innovative interventions that address the complex needs of individuals with acute mental health conditions.
- Disseminating research findings to inform clinical practice and policy.
To explore potential collaborations, please contact: nlft.ahp-physicalhealth@nhs.net
Service manager(s)
Shu Xiaoyi
