In other news, if you ever wondered what it’s like working as a #MentalHealth #nurse for the #NHS in a #StreetTriage team, check out this screenshot of two messages I received from The Child one night this week.
Mum did indeed get a call.
Fear not, it was a positive outcome.
But #WelcomeToMyWorld. :)
And then she hugged a police officer. Then she hugged me. The kind of hug where they don’t let go.
Anyway. Long story short, I made some calls and she’s now detained under section 3 of the Mental Health Act and I’m relieved that was the outcome.
The #MHA isn’t something that should be used lightly. I always, always go for the least restrictive option, but sometimes it IS that AND the best and safest option for the patient.
She is the reason I do this job.
A long shift tonight. Busy busy.
Just got home, 3hrs late.
I have to leave in 8hrs time to go and do it all again.
Had to write an actual to do list before I left tonight of all the things I have to do before the new workload arrives.
Time for bed.
Goodnight.
Conflicting shift at work tonight. Unable to disclose what happened, obviously, but it’s definitely left me feeling conflicted.
When you try really hard to do the right thing, and it was, but then there’s an unforeseen and entirely unlikely development that means you actually set in motion a chain of events that will have a significant negative impact on someone’s life. Not a good feeling.
#Day228 of #365HappyDays : it seems like so long ago now, but this was the view from the training room in Block 9 at #StaffsPolice HQ this afternoon. I delivered training to a group of call takers from the Control Room, caught up with some people I haven’t seen in far too long, and the training was really well received.
I got a lovely email from one of the participants tonight that made me realise this super long day was well worth it.
#Day175 of #365HappyDays : it doesn’t matter the volume or type of jobs that come my way, working with Shift 3 Response is always a pleasure. They’re a good bunch of people, who never fail to make me feel a welcome part of their team - the dispatchers in the ACR included. I had to jump on the radio (an absolute rarity) as my officer was AWOL and just gave our callsign. The dispatcher replied with “*callsign* Good evening Jen, nice to hear your voice”. 🙂
So much for a settled shift. Ten hour shift turned into almost thirteen, no break, two back to back assessments and no time to write anything up. I turned out to the first job at 3:45, before I’d officially started, and didn’t see the office again until 9:30.
I seriously considered unfolding the tentbox and kipping in the car park at work when I left. If I’d had my sleeping bag in the car, I absolutely would’ve done.
#Day168 of #365HappyDays : due to the nature of my work, assessing people in #MentalHealth crisis who present to #Police, it isn’t often we get #feedback. We swoop in, sort things out and move on. We’re not involved in follow up care after implementing it, and don’t see the person again following that initial #crisis contact.
So this text #today from the PC who called me to the very poorly lady yesterday has properly made my day.
I thought it unfair to use the floridly psychotic woman I saw tonight as my reason to be happy. Ideas of reference, loosening of associations, auditory command hallucinations, paranoid persecutory beliefs… she was so acutely unwell. But not distressed at all.
It was a genuine pleasure to be able to help someone so acutely unwell. It’s a rarity, honestly. But I got to make a positive difference and that’s always going to be a reason to be happy.
There hasn’t even been a full moon. I genuinely checked.
I can’t remember the last time I had a week in work like this one. Glad it’s over.
IFR (she/her)