We have three inpatient wards for adult mental health services:

• Sapphire Ward for working age men who have acute mental health needs
• Ruby Ward for working age women who have acute mental health needs
• Opal Ward is a rehabilitation ward to support patients prior to discharge.

There a fourth ward at the Whiteleaf Centre, Amber Ward, which is for older people with mental health needs.

Each ward is a 20-bed unit, with a dining room, sitting rooms, activity rooms, and treatment rooms. All bedrooms are single rooms with ensuite facilities, designed to meet the highest standards of privacy, dignity and patient safety.

Our ward staff teams consist of dedicated, experienced staff from a variety of professional backgrounds. If you stay in one of our wards, you are likely to be looked after by nursing staff, healthcare assistants, consultant psychiatrists, ward doctors, occupational therapists and activity support workers.

Each ward also has a Ward Manager and a Modern Matron.

Rehabilitation and recovery service

Opal Ward is a 20 bedded mixed sex rehabilitation ward which serves both the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire counties. We are part of an evolving  rehabilitation and recovery orientated service for people who experience a serious and enduring mental illness, some may have an additional diagnosis such as Aspergers.

Opal Ward provides specialist treatment and support where treatment has not been successful in an acute or other setting.

The therapies and interventions available include Coping Skills, Psychosocial interventions, Mindfulness, ADL’s and increasing independence, Expressive art, creative writing, photography, health and wellbeing, men and women’s groups, symptom management, social inclusion and accessing education and employment services.

These services form part of the patient pathway and work in conjunction with our Adult Community Mental Health teams and early intervention services.

• We are committed to continuously improving our services and provide quality, patient-centred care, focusing on the entire patient journey, from access to and eventual discharge from care.
• We aim to deliver both short term and long term packages of care that meet the needs of the individual
• We aim to provide multi-disciplinary interventions including dedicated occupational and psychology services involving patients and their carers throughout their stay.
• We believe that everyone is an individual in their own right, entitled to respect, dignity and their own beliefs and values.
• We aim to provide a happy, holistic and enabling environment, conducive to confidence building, increasing self-esteem and empowering patients to make decisions for themselves as they work towards reaching their own potential and enhancing their experience within our service.

Our visiting times are as follows:  Monday-Friday 4.15pm – 5.45pm and 6.30pm – 8.30pm

Saturday and Sunday 2pm – 5.45pm and 6.30pm – 8.30pm

Opal Ward is a complete no smoking environment and we work collaboratively with patients to explore alternative options this is to promote health and wellbeing.

When you are initially referred to a local team, your health and social care needs will be assessed in relation to your
mental health. This will be at an appointment time of your choice and your privacy and dignity will be respected at all times.

If you would prefer to be seen by a male or female clinical member of staff we will always seek to honour this. You will be seen by a qualified mental health professional who will have a background as either a community psychiatric nurse, occupational therapist or social worker.

If required we will ask one of our consultant psychiatrists to meet with you, particularly where medication is concerned. This team is known as the assessment function. This part of the team can see you for up to 4 times. The rationale for this is that we can often assist you and refer you back to the care of your GP within this time.

If needed we can pass you over to our treatment function part of the team. This is a specialist team made up of the same professionals listed above as well as support workers.

This function aims to offer a holistic and needs led service and utilises the “recovery star” which we use as a guide to help people in all areas of their life including employment/meaningful activity as well as social inclusion, housing, managing mental health as well as physical health care. This model strives to be collaborative and work with you at the centre of your care. We will also liaise and work with your identified carers.