ICHP are delighted to be collaborating with North West London’s two mental health trusts to scope the delivery of Human Factors training for their staff. Human Factors describe the effects of teamwork, tasks, equipment, workspace, culture, organisation and individual characteristics on human behaviour and abilities.
Carolyn Regan, CEO, West London Mental Health Trust, talks about how collaborating with ICHP on the Foundations of Safety programme has resulted in multiple local improvement initiatives and how this work nurtured a particular interest in Human Factors.
West London Mental Health Trust – Collaboration in Action
West London Mental Health Trust’s collaborative work with Imperial College Health Partners has included participating in the Foundations of Safety programme which provided opportunities for joint learning on key areas of patient safety across traditional organisational boundaries.
This led us to consider our understanding of and learning from Serious Incidents (SUIs) and particularly the role ‘human factors’ play in understanding and improving patient safety. We worked with Dr Jane Carthey, an expert in human factors and patient safety, to carry out a thematic analysis at Broadmoor Hospital and West London Forensic Services using human factors methodology, and as a result we are producing ‘cause and effect’ diagrams in key areas. These include: suicide self-harm; physical health; and assaults and physical restraint and we are sharing these with other trusts.
We also commissioned an analysis, including our local services, reviewing recommendations and themes from all serious incidents in 2016/17. This work produced some clear cross cutting themes across services in the Trust; this is underpinning a learning lessons programme and helping us develop our skills and knowledge at producing strong recommendations as well as supporting sustained improvements in practice. It is also informing our suicide prevention strategy and our transformation programme in local services.
Our experience is now feeding in to collaborative work with ICHP and Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust to develop human factors training for mental health across North West London.
