ACMHN Toolkit addressing workplace fear and increasing safety for all
Overview
The Australian College of Mental Health Nurses launched the "Safe in Care, Safe at Work" toolkit in 2019, funded by the National Mental Health Commission. The toolkit aims to enhance staff safety, particularly for nurses, while reducing restrictive practices like seclusion and restraint in mental health services across Australia.
Key insights
Key Insights:
- Staff safety is crucial for reducing seclusion and restraint practices
- Toolkit complements existing national and state mental health guidelines
- Restrictive practices acknowledged as traumatic failures in patient care
- Nurses' unique contribution recognized in mental health service provision
- Early recognition and de-escalation skills build nurse confidence levels
- Safe therapeutic environments benefit both consumers and staff
- Systematic approach needed for environmental and service improvements
- Nurse leaders supported in achieving seclusion and restraint reduction
Did this resource draw on transformative evidence?
The document does not explicitly detail how it was based on experiential expertise. However, it implies experiential foundation through the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses' professional leadership, recognition of nurses' "unique contribution" to mental health services, and acknowledgment that restrictive practices are "traumatic for staff and consumers." It is based on the ACMHN Report for the National Mental Health Commission called Safe in Care, Safe at Work.
The document does not explicitly describe how it was based on practice wisdom. However, it implies practice wisdom through the ACMHN's professional experience, recognition that "enhancing safety for staff is crucial" for reducing restrictive practices, and acknowledgement that seclusion and restraint are "failures in care." The toolkit appears to synthesise collective professional knowledge from mental health nursing practice, though specific practice wisdom methodologies or evidence-gathering from frontline practitioners are not detailed in this toolkit.
This toolkit was based on the Safe in Care, Safe at Work report which draws extensively on research and evaluation material.
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Resource type
Toolkit