NEWS
Online help with finding the best treatment
A Finnish mental health start-up company says it hopes that an Internet-based service it has established that enables people seeking help with mental health issues to find the ‘right’ psychologist, psychiatrist, or psychotherapist, will become Europe’s leading mental health service portal.
‘BooknHeal’ is provided by AtCare, a social
start-up founded in 2012 with the backing of the Finnish Central Association for Mental Health by Henri Valvanne, whose own mental illness and difficulties getting help convinced him of the need. The portal includes a database of some 150 mental health professionals throughout Finland, and information on their particular expertise. Once an individual has identified, say, a psychotherapist they feel they will be able to work well with, they can book an
appointment direct. An ‘intelligent search engine’ is being further
Henri Valvanne
refined to ensure the closest ‘match’ between patient and professional – for example in terms of expectations, personality traits, and treatment preferences. It is also hoped to add a videotherapy facility. Henri Valvanne explained: “In 2009 I became seriously ill with Bickerstaff’s brain stem encephalitis. Stuck in a coma-like state, unable to move, speak, or see, the only thing that was working was my mind, which gave me the opportunity to ponder on what was important in life. I believe the serious physical illness I suffered is linked with my own mental health issues, which include social phobia, and for which I initially couldn’t get
‘Fail-safe’ anti-ligature en suite door
Yewdale says ‘a zero ligature risk within the washroom environment is now a reality’ following its unveiling at May’s Design in Mental Health 2015 event of the SafeDoor by YewdaleKestrel.
The company said: “The result of close collaboration with patient safety professionals, healthcare Trusts, and architects, the new
SafeDoor effectively eliminates all anchor points usually associated with doors and related hardware. Two particular NHS Trusts which have seen recent self-harm and suicide attempts have responded immediately to the system’s launch by removing their existing wooden doors, and requesting that we the supply the SafeDoors for use throughout their rooms.
“By eliminating all the usual anchor points associated with ‘normal’ en suite doors, the SafeDoor has completely removed the requirement for specialist doorsets and hinges,” Yewdale explained. “Manufactured from a durable vinyl, the door weighs a mere 4 kg, is held simply by magnets, and will break away under a maximum loading of 9 kg. Although designed with a strong focus on being lightweight, it is waterproof, flame retardant, has tear-resistant properties, and incorporates a Biosafe anti-bacterial coating.”
Keyed-alike, tamper-resistant locking
Life-Line is a new gated key system from Primera Life designed to limit the potential for service-users to block a key-way in an attempt to prevent clinical staff from operating the locks in a secure environment. The Life-Line key can be used for applications including door locks, viewing panels, removable door stops, window locks, cam-locks, and ancillary bolts. Primera said: “All these locking products can now be operated by the same key. The patent pending Life-Line mechanism is an unconventional, semi-secure, locking system equipped with five spring-loaded, forward-facing locking pins, which close off access to the key-way when the key is not in use, reducing the opportunity to jam foreign objects inside to prevent staff access. The mechanism is operated by a
special key common to all Primera products available on the Life-Line platform.” The company
added: “In any facility there are always issues with multiple lock types, and having the right key. Open key-ways are often vandalised. The Life-Line cylinder is designed to adapt existing locks to the Life-Line system, meaning users can now upgrade to a tested, proven, ‘keyed alike family’ of tamper-resistant locks, quickly and easily.”
Life-Line cylinders are available with single, double, or thumb-turn options, and compatible with all cylinder-operated locks and Euro profile types. They can also be used to drive switch locks.
THE NETWORK J u l y 201 5 7
good professional help. As I recovered, I decided I would find a way to help people, and AtCare, and subsequently BooknHeal, were then established.”
JV helps cut costs of Cheshire CAMHS unit
Villicare, the joint venture partnership between estates specialist, Ryhurst, and Cheshire & Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CWP), has ‘made significant savings by implementing and managing a commercially driven procurement process’ for the construction of its first capital project for CWP at the Countess of Chester Health Park. Through managing the procurement of the £14 million CAMHS facility, Villicare says it has provided CWP ‘with significant cost and resource benefits that may not have been realised through P21+’, one of the original procurement options considered. Following a competitive tender, Villicare appointed Eric Wright Construction to build the new Tier 4 CAMHS facility, which will include 26 en suite bedrooms; a dedicated education facility; a gym; day spaces, and ‘substantial outdoor recreational facilities’. Vilicare said: “The robust management of the project development and procurement process has provided the Trust with the confidence to also include a four-bed psychiatric intensive care unit as an addition to the project scope. The introduction of this additional facility is also being commercially driven to achieve the best possible value for money with the appointed contractor.” Chris Tonge, Villicare general manager,
said: “The team has shown real enthusiasm to design a facility that will provide a therapeutic, healing, and nurturing environment, affordable for the Trust to both build and operate.” Villicare has been established ‘to assist
the Trust in achieving optimum benefits from capital investments, and to challenge conventional design and construction practices’.
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