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Practitioner series: Dual diagnosis Inpatient Practitioner/Lead

This interview provides an insight into the role of a Dual Diagnosis Inpatient Practitioner at one of our member trusts.

 

I am currently working in the Manchester Dual Diagnosis Liaison team in a new role as a dual diagnosis inpatient practitioner/lead. I am a qualified mental health nurse and I have worked in a variety of settings.


This new role (initially funded until the end of the financial year) has been all about learning so far. I have spent time building relationships with staff, seeing how the ward environment works and how our work can support the patient experience. 


A stay on a psychiatric unit is undoubtedly a difficult part of someone’s life. For some people it provides respite, a chance to pause, recover and reflect, whereas for others it can be a very unfamiliar, challenging environment.


My role is to support people whilst they are inpatients and to help understand where they are up to with regard to their mental health and use of alcohol or other drugs. 


In my practice, I adopt a motivational interviewing approach, to learn with people about their attitudes and opinions around alcohol or drug use and how that fits into their life.


We then offer support based on where the person may be on the cycle of change, or their readiness.


This may involve listening and learning, it may involve education and harm minimisation support, but it may also involve some more in-depth support to understand how, if at all they would like to be supported in their journey. I also provide advice to patients, carers and the staff that may be involved in the person’s care and embed some key messages that are delivered in staff training – directly into practice.


Co-occurring mental health, alcohol & drugs is “Everybody’s Job”, so the work of the lead practitioner is also about leadership to help foster a culture of non-stigmatising, non-punitive approaches to care that are inclusive. 


This may be role modelling, advocating for a person’s perspective on their use of alcohol/drugs and at times providing a professional challenge to language, or advice about pathways and support risk formulation. 


I also support dual diagnosis champions on each ward and provide closer support to them to make stronger links with our addiction provider colleagues in the community. 


I enjoy my role and I feel I am making a difference, it is such a rewarding role. Already we have made numerous supported referrals to addiction providers and provided advice to people on the wards. Sometimes it is about planting those seeds that grow to ideas later on in somebody’s journey.


I have also led on the take home Naloxone project and developed a training package for staff to learn about tolerance and risks upon discharge for people who use, or have used opiates in the past.


 

Thank you to this individual for sharing their experience as a practitioner! You can find out more about co-occurring conditions and the NHS APA's campaign to challenge the stigma at stigmakills.org.uk/co-occurring-conditions.


 

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