UCC Nursing & Midwifery Scholarly Impact Report 2022

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CATHERINE MCAULEY SCHOOL OF NURSING AND MIDWIFERY, UCC

HEALTHCARE EXPERIENCE, ENGAGEMENT AND REFORM

Solidarity and Collectivism in the context of COVID-19 at the Social Pathologies of Contemporary Civilisation conference. The theme for the 2022 conference asked: “Is solidarity (still) the answer?” and was attended by sociologists and social scientists from across Europe. Hosted by Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) Faculty of Social Sciences, this was the ninth conference from this group and it explored the nature of contemporary malaises, diseases, illnesses and syndromes in their relation to cultural pathologies of the social and bodies politic. There were particular reflections on our experience of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Angela’s paper was based on some work from her PhD that was updated to bring in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and was based on her recently published paper Solidarity and collectivism in the context of COVID-19.

Highlights: • Adverse incidents were very high (self-harm, suicide attempts and aggression towards nursing staff), and were reduced using the trauma informed educational intervention. • Coercive practices challenged staff’s capacity to be therapeutic and increased their risk of secondary trauma. Sinead Heffernan (Co-PI), Dr Aine O’Donovan (Co-PI), Prof Brenda Happell, Dr Margaret Curtin, Dr Maria OMalley, Dr John Goodwin, Rachel Murphy, Andrew Hawkins, Alice Taylor (CAMHS) & staff at CAMHS inpatient unit THEME 3 J.U.S.T.I.C.E: Just, Universal, Sustainable, Trusted, Inclusive, Caring & Ethical HealthCare in Life and Death Dr Angela Flynn presents at International Social Sciences Conference Dr Angela Flynn presented a paper at an international social sciences conference in Budapest in May 2022. Angela, who has a PhD in Social Sciences, presented her paper entitled “We’re all in this Together”: A trauma informed intervention showed some success in reducing adverse incidents for a period of time, and a longer-term intervention may be worth exploring. Staff require more support such as regular reflective practice and oversight to ensure staff are debriefed post adverse incidents. Lead and Team Members:

Introduction of a Trauma Informed Intervention to reduce Coercive Practices and enhance Therapeutic Approaches in an Inpatient Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit Fundedby theHSE, thismixedmethods researchaimed todetermine the impact of a trauma informed educational intervention to enhance safeguarding practices and reduce adverse incidents in an inpatient Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit. The intervention was underpinned by the six core strategies used to reduce seclusion and restraint (Huckshorn, 2006). The quantitative component involved a pre/post review of adverse incident reports in an inpatient CAMHS unit. The qualitative component involved focus group and 1:1 interviewwith CAMHS staff to gain insight into their experience of the intervention. Debriefing tools for staff and service users were reviewed, and a client led de- escalation tool was introduced. Quantitative findings indicated that adverse incidents were high (highest 43 per month) and included suicide attempts, self-harm and aggression towards staff. Following the intervention adverse incidents significantly reduced for the first three months, but rates increased again at month four post-intervention. Qualitative findings highlighted that coercive practices are distressing for staff, particularly nursing staff who at times feel unsupported. Furthermore, coercive practices negatively impact staff’s capacity to therapeutically engage with young service users. THEME 2 Mental Health and Wellbeing for the 21 st Century: People, Organisations, and Places