What is AIMS for working-age adult wards?
AIMS-WA engages staff and service users in a
comprehensive process of review, through which good practice and
high quality care are recognised and services are supported to
identify and address areas for improvement. Accreditation assures
staff, service users and carers, commissioners and regulators of
the quality of the service being provided.
AIMS-WA also incorporates standards relating to
the safe and appropriate care of young people on adult mental
health wards.
AIMS is an initiative of the College Centre
for Quality Improvement.
Why focus on inpatient wards for
working-age adults?
The challenges faced by inpatient mental health services have
been extensively reported over the past 20 years, and a multitude
of surveys and reviews undertaken by national bodies suggest that
these problems persist.
The National Audit of Violence, conducted by the Royal College
of Psychiatrists’ Research and Training Unit (CRTU; now the College
Centre for Quality Improvement) between 2003-2005, found that one
in three inpatients have experienced violent or threatening
behaviour whilst in care. The figure rose to 41% of clinical staff
in these units and nearly 80% of nurses.
In response to these surveys and reviews, the
CRTU hosted a series of meetings of key professionals from
inpatient services to discuss how to tackle these problems: a
system for accrediting inpatient psychiatric wards would help by
rewarding and recognising wards that achieve high standards.
Accreditation for Inpatient Mental Health Services (AIMS) was
therefore established in June 2006.
Why incorporate the safe and appropriate care of young
people on adult mental health wards?
Section 31 of the Mental Health Act (MHA) 2007 inserts a new
section 131A into the Mental Health Act 1983 which requires
Hospital Managers to ensure that under 18 year olds are admitted to
an environment suitable for their age (subject to their need). This
applies to both detained and informal patients.
The amendment allows for the admission of an
under 18 year old to an adult ward, if their need is either
- overriding (a young person needs immediate
admission for their safety or that of others)
- or atypical (an adult ward is the most appropriate clinical
placement).
In order to support the implementation of this
amendment, a set of standards for the safe and appropriate care of
young people on adult mental health wards was developed. Any
adult ward which is a member of AIMS and admits under 18 year olds
will be assessed against additional standards, over and above those
of the generic accreditation process. These standards can be found
below.
The standards we use
Our standards are developed to support
services to improve the quality of care for people using services
and demonstrate that they meet national requirements.
The standards cover five domains:
- General Standards, including policies,
protocols and staffing related issues;
- Timely and Purposeful Admission;
- Safety;
- Environment and Facilities;
- Therapies and Activities.
The standards are aligned with:
- Department of Health Policy Implementation
Guides;
- the findings of the Confidential Inquiry into
Suicide and Homicide;
- NICE guidance;
- recommendations by NHS Estates and the Royal
College of Psychiatrists about ward design;
- the National Patient Safety Agency’s Safer
Wards for Acute Psychiatry Initiative;
- recommendations arising from the National
Audit of Violence.
The complete set of standards is aspirational;
we do not expect services to meet every standard, and services can
still be accredited as excellent without meeting all the
standards.
How we measure performance against the
standards
We recognise that wards are diverse and that,
for example, high quality care does not necessarily require a new
purpose-built ward. Therefore, services are categorised
against each standard at one of three levels:
Level 1: failure to meet
these standards could result in a significant threat to the safety,
rights or dignity of service users and/or would breach the
law. These standards must be met for a ward to be
accredited;
Level 2: standards that an
accredited ward would be expected to meet;
Level 3: standards that an
excellent ward should meet or standards that are not the direct
responsibility of the ward.
Resources
Discussion Group
It is free to join our discussion group. Send
"JOIN" to AIMS-CHAT@cru.rcpsych.ac.uk
AIMS-WA publications
First National Report (AIMS-WA)
Pilot
Phase Report (AIMS-WA)
Pilot
Report - Safe and Appropriate Care for Young People on Adult Mental
Health Wards
For other resources relating to AIMS in
general, click here
Signing up: what it costs
The accreditation programme is funded on a
subscription basis. The cost of participating in the
programme is £1,500 plus VAT per ward, per annum. This includes
access to all our materials and events. There is a 10%
discount for services committing to four years'
membership.
Complete a joining form here.
Terms and
Conditions
Contact us
If you would like to find out more about
AIMS-WA, and how your service can get involved, please contact
Hannah Raphael:
Tel: 020 7977
6643
Email: hraphael@cru.rcpsych.ac.uk
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