From: David Allan Paintsil, Ankaful
About 90 psychiatric nurses at the Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital have undergone modern training on mental healthcare to equip them in their daily care for mental patients.

The two-day training was organised by a United Kingdom-based Ghanaian Psychiatric Nurse, Mr. Ebenezer A. Fianko, in collaboration with the Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital on Thursday.

Speaking at the function, Mr. Fianko told the participants that modern nursing practices demanded greater accountability and responsibility, adding that professional nurses were answerable to their actions and inactions, regardless of advice or direction from any other professional.

He, therefore, appealed to them to apply critical thinking and clinical decision-making in their service delivery, in order to save and improve the lives of patients, so as to gain the confidence of the general public.

The UK-based nurse observed that, over the years, the general public had subjected modern nursing practices to more scrutiny, especially, in area of mental healthcare practices, and urged them to be cautious in their work.

In view of that, Fianko, who is an alumnus of the school, said there was the need for regular training for the nurses to upgrade their knowledge and clinical skills, which could be done through appropriate training and professional development.

The nurses were taken through topics such as Effective Communication and Team Work; Risk Assessment and Management, and Physical care of Psychiatric Patients.

Other important topics he took them through were Effective Documentation and Report Writing, Management of Aggression and Violence, as well as Care of the Patient in the Community.

On the passage of the Mental Healthcare Bill into law, Fianko said it was in the right direction, but called for the efficient implementation of the law in providing the necessary funds and logistics by the government and all stakeholders.

He, therefore, made a passionate appeal to the government to provide congenial environments at the various mental healthcare facilities to make mental patients feel comfortable, because mental challenges, he noted, were mostly caused by stress-related problems.

The participants expressed gratitude to Fianko and the Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital authorities for organising such training for them, and further thanked Fianko for his dedication to the cause of the psychiatric nurses at the hospital.