A recent quality assessment of current facilities identified austere environments which do not meet the sensory needs of service users.
Providers are invited to bid for funding to enhance their facilities, working in partnership with people with lived experience of seclusion on the design and delivery of improvements. This could include improved communication systems, sensory lighting, and access to activities.
In addition to making improvements to seclusion rooms, the funding is also being used to co-produce a resource for staff to enhance de-escalation procedures with the aim of reducing the need for use of seclusion altogether. The resource could feature experiences of people with lived experience of seclusion to help staff to consider alternatives.
Nick Hunter, Co-production Lead for the Provider Collaborative, explains:
"The aim of the resource would be to help staff to consider if seclusion is right in different circumstances. For example, someone's emotional statement may be interpreted as aggression, resulting in time in seclusion, when in fact they are displaying fear.
"My hope is that seclusion will always be used as a last resort, for the least amount of time and avoided wherever possible."
To support the programme, a Lived Experience Advisory Group is being established, comprising five to seven individuals with direct experience of seclusion or de-escalation. Their insights will shape the project’s direction, ensuring that the voices of those most affected are heard and reflected in the outcomes.
For further information please contact catherine.
