The use of personal restraint in mental health services is known to cause trauma, injury and severe emotional distress both for people using services and staff.
Towards restraint-free mental health practice: Supporting the reduction and prevention of personal restraint in mental health inpatient settings provides information and guidance for services on ways to reduce and prevent personal restraint events.
It is in two parts.
To support restraint free mental health practice, the Safe Practice Effective Communication (SPEC) training programme has been developed.
SPEC is a collaboration between all DHBs, under the leadership of the National Directors of Mental Health Nursing, with a number of key stakeholders including Te Pou, service user groups and Māori groups.
The aim of the programme is to achieve national consistency of training that is pain free and prone free wherever possible, with a strong emphasis on prevention and therapeutic communication skills and strategies to support staff to reduce the incidence of restraints. We are pleased to be involved in this initiative as it enables much of the work in Towards restraint free mental health practice to be realised.
Read more in our news stories below.
This video looks at the data collected from a New Zealand inpatient mental health unit before and after the Six Core Strategies were implemented.
This resource outlines best practice for reducing seclusion and restraint.
A review and evaluation of de-escalation and restraint training in the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand.
This action plan will support the national goal of reducing seclusion and restraint use in mental health services in New Zealand, so that people can receive services in the least restrictive settings.
This video looks at the experiences of staff who successfully implemented the Six Core Strategies© in a New Zealand mental health unit.
This document outlines best practices for reducing seclusion and restraint, and discusses the new draft Health and Disability Sector Standards that govern use of seclusion and restraint in New Zealand.
This resource provides guidance on ways to reduce and prevent restraint.
1 December 2016
Safe Practice and Effective Communication (SPEC) was launched successfully in Christchurch in November. The launch was a credit to many people who have worked hard to get to this point with the aim of achieving a national consistency of training that is pain free and prone free wherever possible.22 November 2016
Te Pou o te Whakaaro Nui (Te Pou) is pleased to support the launch of the Safe Practice Effective Communication (SPEC) training programme at the national forum held in Christchurch on 21 and 22 November.Choose which list to add this to, or create a new one!