I am human too!

My experience of Atlas House

Arriving into Atlas House on day one the first thing I was given was a set of keys with an emergency alarm attached. This felt both reassuring and slightly concerning and it really emphasised the how different the new setting I was stepping into would be. My previous role was within the Occupational Therapy Team of a Community Paediatric Clinic – a place which was overflowing light, colour and noise. As I entered Atlas House seemed quiet and was, quite deliberately, a simple and uncluttered physical space where anything that could be used as a weapon had been removed. I asked why the televisions on the walls needed protective casing and was informed that a former patient had ripped one off. While my early interactions gave me some cause for concern I was determined not to let patient’s past behaviours affect my view of the patients and to build a to work with people based on their current presentation rather than their history. I came into the role hoping to learn about challenging behaviour, mental health problems and the purpose of assessment and treatment units but in my limited time here I learned much more.

It has been a challenging environment for me both personally and professionally as some of the patients are in acute periods of crisis especially around the time of their initial admission. Many have both a mental health and a learning disability diagnosis and different approaches are often adopted by staff that are either trained in one specialism or the other. Some staff have been resistant to change, communication has been ineffective at times and we have also been hampered by inconsistency in the way we work with patients on occasion.

As part of the role I have attended numerous meetings where a dozen highly skilled professionals go back and forth over complex issues affecting patients who lack the capacity to make decisions for themselves. I sometimes sit back in these meetings and think about how amazing it is that these discussions are being held in the first place and being struck by the overwhelming desire from all involved to get the best for the patients we support. As you walk into the ward there a quote on the wall reads “the smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention” and I am proud to work in a place where I see dozens of these acts every day. Like any workplace it is not perfect – communication and team work are regularly identified as an area for improvement in team meetings and there are great challenges to overcome due to split roles, varied shift patterns and supervision structures among other things. However the willingness of staff to help each other out, listen and value one another’s contributions and work towards a common goal will be one of my lasting memories of my time on the ward.

Since I started here I have been struck by the progressive approach that some members of the staff team have adopted; it really does feel like the unit is changing month by month. Staff are always thinking about what we could be doing better and reassessing the way in which we support our patients. We had our first away day in 8 years which helped staff to see each other in a different light. We used workshops and activities to bring people together as a team in the truest sense. There have also been changes to staff’s shift patterns, bank pay, the structure of team meetings and approach to daily handovers, and while change takes time in these types of organizations I believe the team are approaching the issues positively and producing results.

The role of an OT Specialist Support Worker has also produced a host of interesting challenges and opportunities. It is a split role working 4 days a week with the OT team and 1 day a week with the support workers and it has given me a more holistic view of the organization. I have tried to act as an intermediary between the Multi-Disciplinary Team and the Support Workers with some success. I have tried to highlight the things that both need to learn from each other and we are in the process of trying to facilitate an increase in joint working and cooperation between the two. Working the split role has also made me aware of the shared values and common goals that the whole team have and despite the personal, professional and cultural differences. Personally I have felt valued and appreciated by all of my colleagues and have appreciated the recognition of my efforts. My proudest achievement is boosting the profile of OT within the organisation and trying to get people more interested and involved in a field that I care passionately about.

Finally I have felt connected to the organisation as a whole and I have felt part of a larger project. I have been encouraged to undertake both internal and external training as part of my continuing professional development. I have felt connected with Occupational Therapists across Greenwich, Bromley and Bexley  through monthly Sensory Forum’s and Tri Borough meetings, and with Therapists across the trust at the annual Therapies Conference. At the conference they identified feeling valued and listened to as being one of the key factors in staff workplace satisfaction and at Atlas House I have always found this to be the case.

Looking again at the ward in my final week I am encouraged by what I see. The place is in the process of being repainted and renovated, pictures on the wall now show the smiling faces of current patients and attitudes of staff and our ability to work together are undoubtedly moving in the right direction. There is still a long way to go but I look forward to keeping in touch see the place continue to develop, modernise and harness the varied skills of the staff and patients who call it home.

Matthew Roberts

Specialist Occupational Therapy Support Worker