Published on: 2nd July 2024
Did you know that around 30% of patients referred to RNOH for therapy have a co-existing mental health condition? Following qualitative research into this, RNOH Allied Health Professionals (AHP) 
felt some mental health training would be beneficial to manage the complexity of cases at the Trust. To that end, Cecilia Njenga, our Physician Associate (PA) in Psychiatry Liaison, has delivered some great work with support from Dr Pasrashar Ramanuj, Anju Jaggi, Clinical Director of Therapies, & the team at St. George's Hospital.
Cecilia was successful in obtaining a grant from Health Education England to run a pilot simulation course targeted at PAs & AHPs. This was done in collaboration with the Psychiatry team & medical school at St. George's Hospital. Actors were brought in to simulate challenging consultations for staff to develop communication skills & to manage mental distress, suicidal ideation & difficult diagnosis such as functional neurological disorder. Three pilot courses were run with a total of approximately 25 RNOH staff attending. Feedback has been excellent & the hope is this pilot may justify further funding to run future courses.
This is just one of many initiatives underway at RNOH to ensure we put patients first and deliver the very best care.