Website helps mental health nurses support people with learning disabilities on acute wards

An innovative resource has been created by the charity StarWards to help mental health nurses working with people who have learning disabilities on acute mental health wards

Marvellous.care is an online resource to get nurses thinking about how they can help themselves and their clients get through a typical day on an acute ward.

It is a project of Star Wards, which provides practical ideas for mental health ward staff to improve the care they provide.

The resource uses the analogy of playing sport, encouraging nurses to have a warm up, game plan and analysis in the dressing room.

The warm up consists of two parts, the first is being prepared, with nurses getting to know their team including the patient, colleagues and friends and family. The second part is about nurses getting themselves ready by fine-tuning their skills and experience.

'Game plan' for the day

The game plan is about preparing for what the working day might look like and the website provides templates for nurses to use so they can discuss with patients what they want to get out of the next few hours.

The dressing room section of the website contains ‘lockers’ with resources to help with caregiving, along with tips and advice.

Inspiration

The inspiration behind Marvellous.care is the book and film of the same name about Neil Baldwin, a man who has refused to accept the label of learning difficulties and created an extraordinary life for himself. 

Mr Baldwin is a registered clown, an ex-Stoke City Football Club kit man and mascot, has an honorary degree from Keele University and has been awarded the freedom of the city of Stoke. 

Star Wards chief executive and nurse Geoff Brennan said: ‘At Star Wards we see mental health professionals as athletes – highly skilled and highly trained. All we do is provide coaching.

'Our resource is to help them adjust these skills to a new race, but one we know they are capable of. Expect personal bests, expect records to tumble.’

Further information:

Marvellous.care