Information for Parent/Guardians

Family members play an important role in a young person’s recovery

On the day of admission, you will meet with Dr. McGivern and you will be given an opportunity to ask questions and to alleviate any anxieties you may have.

During your young person’s time with us, you will have an opportunity to be involved in many aspects of your young person’s recovery. This may be through meeting with our Social Worker for family meetings and/or individual sessions with other members of the team.

You will be formally invited to meet Dr. McGivern, some members of the team – and sometimes the Doctor whom referred your young person into Ginesa Suite – at a review meeting 5-6 weeks after the admission of your young person. This is an opportunity to talk about the progress of your young person and to look at how long more we see your young person being in hospital. It also gives you an opportunity – as parents – to ask questions and discuss the treatment process.

Medication

Medication can be very useful for young people presenting with a wide variety of mental illnesses. There are many different types of medication that have been shown by scientific research to be effective treatments for conditions such as Depression, Bipolar Affective Disorder, Anxiety Disorders, Psychosis and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

If the clinical team feel that a young person would benefit from medication, the psychiatrist would meet with you to discuss the rationale for starting medication and would provide information about the effects and potential side effects of the medication that is being suggested. Psychiatric medication will not be started without your consent, except in emergency situations.

If a young person starts on medication they are monitored on the ward, and any problems will be reviewed by medical staff.

It is important to be aware that medication forms only one part of the multi-disciplinary treatment package that a young person is offered when they are admitted to Ginesa.

Daily Programme

• We provide a therapeutic programme on Ginesa Suite from Monday to Friday; this includes a range of groups, one to one sessions, class time and family meetings.
• The young person will meet with members of the team on a regular basis to plan, implement and evaluate a care plan suited to their individual needs. This time can also be used to chat about progress and to discuss any positive or negative experiences the young person may be having.
• The young person will meet with various members of the team – who he/she meets will be based on the young person’s needs throughout admission as they may not need to meet with every member of the team during their stay with us.
• There is self-directed time from around 4pm every day. There are many activities to get involved in including sports, computer games, group games and outings.

Leave from Ginesa Suite

Normally your young person will be asked to remain on the unit for their first weekend on the unit. After this, hours out of the hospital grounds with family and weekend leave home will be reviewed by the team on a weekly basis depending on their progress.

Educational Needs

The Ginesa School Classroom is one of the key settings for the promotion of the mental health and well-being of our young people. The Ginesa Education support programme aims to facilitate continued education while the young person is resident in hospital during the academic year. The classroom teacher works with the young person to design an individualised education plan based on academic needs and in association with your present school setting where appropriate, in line with the Department of Education and Skills. The young person will be facilitated in both group settings and also on an individual basis within an ICT-enabled and well-resourced positive classroom environment as part of the Ginesa Suite weekly timetable.

Communication

You are welcome to contact the Ginesa Suite at any time; there will always be a member of the nursing team available to take your call. If you wish to speak to a specific member of the MDT, please contact our administrator, Teresa Mooney on 01 2771544.

Discharge Planning

Length of admission to hospital is dependent on the young person’s needs. Discharge from Ginesa is a planned and collaborative process. Parents/Guardians, the young person and staff will meet to discuss a discharge plan that best meets the young person’s needs. If the young person has been referred from an outpatient service, they will be referred back to this service upon discharge. If the young person has not been referred from an outpatient service, they may be referred to their local service by the multidisciplinary team if appropriate.

Visiting Times

Monday to Friday: 4pm – 8pm (Tea time is 5.30pm – 6pm).
Saturday and Sunday: All day
Under 18’s must be accompanied by an adult.
Visiting register must be signed on entrance and exit to and from the unit.
On the day of admission you will be asked to write down a list of visitors (in agreement with you and your young person); please feel free to add to this list during your young person’s stay with us. We would encourage all visitors to attend during planned visiting hours as this prevents disruption to the therapeutic programme. If you need to visit outside of the visiting times, please discuss this with us in advance.

Useful Websites

www.rpsych.ac.uk
www.parentsplus.ie
www.headstrong.ie
www.webwise.ie