Information for Young People

What to Expect on Your First Day

• A member of the nursing team will meet you at Reception and show you and your parent/carer to your room on Ginesa Suite.
• Sometimes there will be an opportunity to stay in a single room when you come in first, depending on availability – otherwise you will be sharing with one other young person.
• A nurse will show you and your parent/guardian around the unit and introduce you to the other young people.
• You will meet with a doctor in charge of your care, along with a nurse. They will use this time to get to know you a little better and have a conversation about how things have been going for you at home, in school, with your friends etc.
• While you are with the doctor and nurse, your parents/guardian will meet with Dr. Gamage in his office. They are welcome to come back to see you after this.
• A nurse will measure your blood pressure, temperature and pulse. They will record your height and weight along with a few other physical tests that we can explain to on the day of your admission.
• A nurse will take a list of the belongings you have brought with you and will explain to you about what items need to be kept in the office for safe keeping or brought home.
• You will be given the option to go to the dining room with the other young people for lunch and depending on how you are, you may join the group programme for the afternoon.

What to Expect During your Admission

• 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.
• You will meet with members of the team on a regular basis to plan, implement and evaluate a care plan suited to your individual needs.
• You can also use this time to chat about your progress and any positive or negative experiences you may be having.
• You will meet with various members of the team – who you meet will be based on your needs throughout admission; you may not need to meet with every member of the team during your stay with us.
• There is self-directed time from around 4pm every day. There are many activities which you can get involved in including sports, computer games, group games and outings.

What can I Bring for my Stay on Ginesa?

• Appropriate, comfortable clothing
• Nightwear
• Sportswear (tracksuit and runners)
• Toiletries
• Towels
• Small amount of money for use in the Coffee Shop or for Friday night takeaways if desired
• SIM card (large size) for use in unit mobile phones.
• Posters for your bedroom wall.

What Should I Not Bring to the Ginesa Suite?

• Illicit drugs / alcohol
• TV’s (we have 2!) / Laptops / I-Pads.
• Aluminium mineral cans.
• Aerosol cans
• Stimulant drinks e.g. Monster, Red Bull.
• Sharp items e.g. scissors / penknives / tweezers /nail clippers etc.
• Any type of glass, such as from picture frames, mirrors.
• Inappropriate reading materials, games, DVD’s designated 15+
• Personal Mobile phones (phones are provided).
• Cameras – or any device which can record / take pictures
• Lighters

On arrival to the Suite a nurse will go through and list all of your personal belongings with you.

If you have anything on the list above that you should not have brought onto the suite we will ask your parent/guardian to bring it home or some items will be stored at the nurse’s station for you to access during your stay. Valuables such as expensive jewellery and large sums of money should be returned to your home or immediately deposited in the hospital’s Cash Office for safe keeping.

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.

Phones, Internet and Music

• You may not use your own mobile phone on Ginesa Suite but you will be given a phone belonging to the unit to use with your own SIM card large SIM card) during your admission. The phone should not be used in the dining room, during group activities or during the night.
• Internet access is available to young people outside of the group timetable. At the moment we have two computers to avail of.

We encourage young people to listen to their own music as it can be a very helpful and relaxing activity. You can bring your own I-Pod into Ginesa, provided that there is no camera or recording device attached to it. We do not provide personal music devices for young people, however there are a few radio/CD iPod docks around the unit.

Confidentiality

Young people have a right to expect that personal details of their lives will be kept confidential within the multidisciplinary team. Information will only be shared when there is a sound professional reason for doing so. Sometimes we may need to share information with services that you are already involved with outside of the hospital e.g. your GP, your Out-Patient Consultant.

Comments and Complaints

We advise you to speak to a nurse on the unit if you have a question or concern. If you feel their answer is not sufficient please feel free to talk to the Nurse Manager. This will hopefully be enough to answer your concern but if not then ask about the complaints procedure for the hospital and we will be happy to inform you of this.

Ward Routine

You will be woken up at 8am and expected to be up and ready for breakfast at 8.30am every morning during the week (Monday – Friday). On weekends breakfast is at 9.30am so you will get a little lie-in  .
You are expected to go to bed by 10.30pm Sunday to Thursday inclusive. This is to promote a healthy sleeping pattern and to ensure that you are bright and alert for the groups in the day ahead. You may stay up later at the weekends; Friday and Saturday night.
All young people are expected to participate in the therapeutic group programme Monday- Friday.

Leave From Ginesa

Weekend leave is an important part of your recovery and will be incorporated into your treatment plan throughout your stay in Ginesa. Normally you will be asked to remain on the unit for your first weekend on the unit. After this, hours out of the hospital grounds with your family and weekend leave to your home will be reviewed by the team on a weekly basis. Leave may also be arranged during the week if required.

Therapeutic Environment

The team in Ginesa always work toward keeping Ginesa Suite a safe place to stay and work on your recovery. We are approachable at any time for you to come and talk to us if you are feeling unsafe or if you have any concerns.

The nursing staff regularly check where all the young people are during the day and at night to make sure that you are present and that you are okay. You might see them checking your bedrooms and other rooms on Ginesa during the day; they are checking that there is nothing unsafe on the unit.

When you are coming back from overnight leave, or hours out with family or visitors, please let the staff know of any new items you are bringing back to the unit.

We have weekly community meetings to maintain our therapeutic environment as a safe supportive space for young people.

Useful Websites

www.headstrong.ie
www.jigsaw.ie
www.spunout.ie
www.headspaceireland.ie
www.bodywhys.ie