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Tips from the frontlines of a secure mental health facility and my favourite patient, Ricky.
It’s a warm sunny morning as I make my way through the brightly lit corridors, swipe my fob and get into the airlock. I wait for the heavy door to shut behind me, listen for the click that means I can use my fob again. The second door is just as heavy and grants me access to Rose Ward.
It’s a short walk up the nurses’ station where I must get a mandatory safety handover. I’ve got a personal alarm, know where all the wall alarms are, and I’ve been ‘breakaway’ trained, but I don’t know what’s happened this morning on this specific ward.
The handover is fine; patients on Rose Ward are settled.
During my time in the nurses’ station, ‘Ricky’ (not his real name), spots me and starts signalling through the sound-proof windows that he needs to see me. Ricky does this every time I’m on the ward and does this with all members of the team.
When not asleep he can be found striding back and forth between his room and the day area looking for people to engage. Once I emerge from the relative safety of the station, he strides over.
