The Bethlem Royal Hospital – Gresham 1 Ward
SENIOR HOUSE OFFICER POST
Dr. Raj Persaud
This post is based on GH1 Ward at The Bethlem Royal Hospital, a gender mixed acute admission, assessment and treatment ward, for patients with general psychiatric problems between the ages of eighteen years and sixty-five years. There will also be experience of patients with Dual Diagnosis and alcohol dependence. The Senior House Officer is a member of a multi-professional team providing an adult general psychiatry service to the Croydon Directorate. The ward has 22 beds, and the SHO works alongside the Consultant and another half-time SHO to manage these beds. The ward is a mix of acute and more chronic patients with severe mental illness. The Senior House Officer liaises with Community Psychiatric Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Social Workers and others and is fully involved in the development of aftercare plans and special rehabilitation placements. The SHO will learn about the role of Home Treatment, Assessment and Brief Treatment, and Rehabilitation, as well as Continuing Care – through regular contact with these teams.
The educational objectives include learning the principles of good history taking and note recording; the assessment of all common types of severe mental illness; the principles of community psychiatry including all Mental Health Act law and current service directives on aftercare, discharge planning and care-co-ordination. Additionally the trainee will learn about rapid tranquillisation, alcohol dependence and its acute management, and the therapeutics associated with the management of common types of mental illness in adults. The ward is developing protocols for the management of all common types of severe mental illness, and the SHO will learn and apply these in the 6 month attachment.
The SHO will have access to administrative support, and have his/her own networked computer with MS Office and email.
SHO – Weekly Timetable
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AM | Ward Management Round | Ward Round | Protected Time for Teaching | Ward Round | Ward Round |
| PM | Ward Work | SHO Supervision from Consultant | Protected Time for Teaching | Ward Round | Ward Round |
Timetable – Dr Raj Persaud, Consultant Psychiatrist
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AM | Ward Management Round and Ward Administration | Ward Round SHO Supervision From Consultant | Bed Management Meeting | Ward Round | Protected Research Time |