Protected: Understanding Mental Health and Wellbeing – knowledge and skills to improve outcomes for Mental Health Service Users in Primary Care Settings

About the course

This course is open to administration ,clerical and support staff working in Primary Care in the Croydon area and is funded by the Croydon Primary Care Hub. The course covers all aspects of understanding mental health and wellbeing including:

• Knowledge of mental illness and treatments
• The needs and experiences of people with mental health conditions
• Communication and de-escalation skills
• Promoting health and wellbeing

There will also be a virtual simulation day to try out and help embed new knowledge and skills.

Participants have to attend all 4 modules plus a day of simulation. Once you have booked a place, you will then be able to choose your module date slots. You will have the choice of the below:

4th November – Module 1 morning and Module 2 afternoon

5th November – Module 1 morning and Module 2 afternoon

17th November – Module 3 morning and Module 4 afternoon

24th November -Module 3 morning and Module 4 afternoon

Simulation dates – Thursday 14th Jan – day 3, Thursday 21st Jan – day 3, Tuesday 26th Jan – day 4, Thursday 28th Jan- day 4

Module One – Overview of mental health conditions 

Overview of mental health conditions and diagnosis, mental health /physical health interface, prevalence of mental health in communities.

Module Two – Mental Health resources & managing risk 

Mental health resources, managing risk, signposting, inequalities, stigma and holding hope.

Module Three – Communication and de-escalation skills 

Communication, de- escalation skills and skills used in Motivational Interviewing.

Module Four – Wellbeing and self -care 

Wellbeing and self care for staff and patients, including sleep & exercise, all new evidence based practice the 5 ways to wellbeing.

Simulation day – Managing Mental Health Situations in Primary Care 

Simulation is a new way of learning and embedding non- technical or soft skills such as communication , working with others and raising concerns. There will be 5 simulated everyday scenarios to participate in followed by a structured debriefing – the scenarios will be things that can be challenging in the work environment such as:

• Difficult conversations in the reception and on the phone
• De-escalation of an anxious or confused patient
• Understanding when to raise concerns
• Working within legal frameworks

These will be facilitated by experienced simulation educators with knowledge of working and teaching in Primary Care. It will also be an opportunity to share good practice in your surgeries and develop new connections and networks.

To book onto this course please contact croydontraininghub@nhs.net