Nana’s innovative thinking leads to a new approach for community mental health recovery
During her time as a trainee on an NHFT mental health rehabilitation ward, Nana Acquah experienced first-hand the positive difference occupational therapy can make to patients. She saw that equipping people with skills to manage the challenges of everyday life was a powerful and effective way to support their mental health recovery.
So when she completed her training and secured her first job as a fully-qualified Occupational Therapist with the Trust's Community Mental Health Team (CMHT), Nana spotted an opportunity to improve care that she knew she had to take.
"I knew from my previous experience that occupational therapy techniques are really effective at addressing some of the social stresses that can have a big impact on mental health," she says.
"But while they are widely used on wards, they weren't yet being used in the community. Our Community Mental Health Teams do an incredible job helping to reduce risk in our service users, but sometimes people are then just going home to a chaotic and
difficult living environment - and that's going to make their recovery really challenging.
"I thought it was something we needed to try, so I made the case to my manager, developed a plan and then got things started from there."
Starting with a caseload of 39 patients in central Northampton and using evidence-based models to support recovery, Nana worked with each person to understand their individual needs and co-produce an intensive treatment plan for them.
Then, over the course of six weekly home visits, they would work together to tackle some of the life challenges getting in the way of their recovery - from decluttering their homes to help with food shopping and preparing healthy meals.
The intervention has proved a big success, with two-thirds of service users well enough to be discharged from CMHT to the care of their GP or local voluntary or community services after having the support.
Plans are now being developed to expand Nana's care model across Northamptonshire - ensuring more people can benefit while freeing up CMHT nurses to focus on managing mental health risk in other patients.
"Occupational therapy is about improving people's quality of life and supporting them to do the things they used to do before
their illness," Nana says.
"They're better able to manage those everyday stresses and look after their own needs. To support patients in this way is my joy every day."
Positive feedback for Nana's way of working
"Nana has demonstrated superb support in my recovery journey and has equipped me with essential life skills to cope with my daily anxiety and mental health struggles. I feel empowered and able to independently manage my emotions and mental health appropriately, integrating this into my daily life." Service user
"There were concerns about [service user] who had been extremely stuck for years. Nana became involved and this person's life has transformed in so many ways, which is clearly a testament to Nana's skills, approach, work and dedication." Clinical Assessor
"[Service users] have given me good feedback that it is a helpful, person-centred way to look at things. One recently said at the end of our session that she actually feels happy. This is a massive improvement." Occupational Therapist
What are Community Mental Health Teams?
Northamptonshire's Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs) provide treatment and support in the community for people with more complex mental health problems.
Local CMHTs cover the whole of Northamptonshire, and they are here for those whose mental health needs cannot be met by their GP or other community services. The teams work with service users to develop a plan for their recovery, helping them to manage
their symptoms and to reduce the risk from their mental health difficulties.
CMHTs are made up of a range of different professions to provide the best possible support for service users, including mental health nurses, doctors, psychologists, occupational therapists, pharmacists, and peer, carer and employment support workers.
The role of occupational therapists is to help people to live more independently and confidently through assessment, tailored treatment and practical support. They enable service users to do more of the everyday things that matter most to them, improve their wellbeing - and reduce their reliance on health and care services and the risk of them needing more intensive treatment in the future.
The introduction of Nana's interventions has now widened the scope and reach of their work and created another means for the wider team to support people in their recovery journeys.