Peter Hughes

• Responded to crises situations in a variety of settings eg ED, Police stations, home environments, by providing emotional support, safety planning and de-escalation techniques.
• Fulfill the role of a duly authorized officer pertaining to the mental health act in New Zealand
• Collaborated with other service providers to coordinate care and ensure effective communication between all parties involved in the client's care plan.
• Provided crisis intervention services via telephone or face-to-face contact when needed.
• Assisted clients in identifying triggers for relapse prevention strategies.

• Assess mental state on a continuous basis, assessing the ward environment for potential and actual risks, making appropriate decisions to ensure that a safe therapeutic setting was maintained.
• Maintained detailed records regarding patient progress notes, interventions provided, and results achieved.
• Regularly acted up as shift coordinator out of hours. This involved organizing workloads of the staff, coordinating admissions, responding to crisis situations on the ward, responding to staffing issues and the demands on the service.
• Collaborated with other disciplines, families, and other healthcare professionals to develop treatment plans for mental health disorders.

• Act as the senior nurse across the entire regional mental health service after hours. This service consists of 3 acute inpatient wards, a regional forensic ward, and a forensic I.D. ward, 2 rehabilitation units, an elderly ward and 2 crisis teams. Providing expert support for all the services particularly when a crisis has occurred. Continually appraising which service requires additional nursing support and managing all admissions to services in Dunedin. Also managing a small resource team and determining appropriate placing of the team members according to acuity or staffing shortages - ensuring the rota's for this team are provided. This role involves extensive liaising with all the wards, medical staff, duty managers for the hospital, and on-call senior managers. Also required to facilitate a bed state meeting daily across the region and formulate a report following this.

• The ALIS (Assessment, Liaison Integrated Service) and Home Treatment team are a combined service which provides assessments for people experiencing mental health crisis. After assessment, the most appropriate pathway is determined, one of which is home treatment, which the team also provides. This consists of intensive follow-up in the person's own home or at the Clinic.
• The role demands excellent communication and mediation skills to elicit the necessary information, often under extreme pressure, and determine appropriate actions to minimize risk and maximize the person's potential.
• The team assesses in a variety of environments, Accident & Emergency departments, Police stations, hospital clinics, and people's homes. It often requires liaison with emergency services, other hospital departments, social services, GPs, and Probation departments, among many others. ALIS/HTT, providing a high standard of intervention in line with service objectives and care standards over a 7-day week period, with flexibility to work shift work, including evenings, weekends, and nights.
• Providing evidence-based mental health and social needs assessment, care planning, treatment, and support to service users with mental health problems who meet the criteria of the team.
• Providing robust risk assessment, formulation and safety planning. Focused on preventing hospital admission, enabling service users to manage their illness in their own home, and improve their quality of life.

• Working as a Duly Authorized Officer (DAO) - all areas pertaining to the Mental Health Act.
• Crisis and safety assessments in the various settings, e.g. Home, police stations, and emergency department. Determining and coordinating crisis plans to ensure that clients and others remain safe and receive care appropriate to their needs.
• Providing brief, assertive case management for clients referred to the service when it is indicated. Ensuring that they receive appropriate, comprehensive interventions.
• Referrals of clients to other agencies appropriate to their needs.
• Take part in an On Call roster, providing 24-hour crisis cover for the Hutt Valley region.

This was a brand new service, and I was involved in the service development, which included.

• Determining policies and procedures.
• Development/redesign of all forms used by the service.
• Determining ward set up/layout.
• All staff recruitment.
• Risk management of new service.
• Ensuring ward is adequately staffed, all rostering issues. Overall clinical responsibility - strive for clinical excellence.
• Coordinate, ECT.
• Intake Manager - take all referrals and coordinate all admissions to the unit.
• Review staff performance, including attending to disciplinary issues arising.
• Manage complaints and risk management procedures.
• Achieve work hour and labor cost targets - complete monthly report.
• Part of the Mental Health steering group.
• Reviewing, updating, and introducing new policies and procedures.
• Complete the annual business plan.