Heartbeat: Mental health act administrator joins forces with our Trust

April 20, 2020

With approximately one in four people in the UK experiencing a mental health problem each year, we continue as an organisation to place a significant focus on this as well as mental wellbeing.

As mental health disorders can have a considerable impact on the health of individuals, we have a duty of care to ensure we are effectively managing patient care and treatment.

Newly appointed Takesha Sam is a mental health act administrator working across our directorates. Takesha is taking the lead on ensuring we are meeting our obligations when dealing with patients with psychological disorders or mental ill-health. This in part involves following the correct procedures and completing accurate paperwork.

Mental health awareness is another aspect of Takesha’s role. This will see her implementing processes to help colleagues better understand the Mental Health Act (MHA) and how to apply it. By managing the administration of the MHA, Takesha is working with individuals and teams to ensure compliance with the MHA, advising on legal requirements relating to detained patients such as the renewal of sections.

Speaking to Heartbeat, Takesha said, “My focus is ensuring colleagues are aware of relevant legislation and processes. This could be anything from processing paperwork when a patient is detained, to ensuring we have the correct consent in place when treating patients. Currently, I’m creating flowcharts that will shortly be circulated to colleagues.”