Life support and first aid in a mental health setting

While there is much talk of holistic care in psychiatric care settings, emphasis on physical care is rare. Emergency aspects of care are always considered but their effectiveness is never certain until tested by real situations. With this in mind, and with some recent experiences to provide a focus, St Andrew's Hospital, Northampton, a national charity providing mental health services, implemented a review of life-support and first-aid provision. With financial and skills investment, the new systems and their associated maintenance and training are now in place.