Discharge messages

Discharge messages provide a further method to imbue hope and convey messages about the purpose and benefit of an admission. Messages from patients, describing a positive aspect of their experience, directed towards other patients is fundamental to this intervention.

With discharge messages, it’s a way for consumers to leave messages and usually they are in the form of something that is related to the theme. So, the area that are chosen is a tree. Typically, it would be something like a leaf. Some areas will have things like birds, which consumers have been involved in making. It can really be whatever the area decides it to be.

The consumers can get a lot from it, not only because they have involvement in designing what it may look like and where it may go but obviously being able to leave a message that they know is going to have a really big impact on consumers in the future, I think, really gives them a lot of pride and the opportunity to maybe offer something that they didn’t have when they first arrived, I think, gives them a real sense of worth, which, again is a really great part of this intervention. And for the staff to have something to engage with consumers early on in their admission is a really lovely thing.

Having the ability to welcome people onto the unit in a positive way and reminding consumers that we are here to work together, which is the theme of Safewards and I think that’s a really nice part of this intervention is that it echoes what Safewards is all about.