Longview Psychiatric Unit
Encyclopedia
The Longview Psychiatric Unit is an adolescent-only mental health facility, which deals with children between the ages of eleven and seventeen. The facility is sited at 216 Turner Road, Colchester
, Essex
. It is one of the few psychiatric hospitals for adolescents located in Essex. The hospital previously had an intensive outreach program, but the Crisis team have since moved to Holmer Court, Colchester
.
Longview is closely associated with the Colchester Mind Advocacy
service, a service that helps stand up and protect the patient's view about his or her educational and emotional needs. More recently, it has become associated with the Patient Advice and Liaison Service, (PALS), which serve a similar purpose.
or Schizophrenia
they have been known to lock down and prevent patients from exploring the facility and grounds.
The unit has two residential wings; the south-eastern side being for the male patients, and the south-western side for the females. Each wing has a toilet, shower, and sink. In between these two wings is a long wide hallway which leads towards the basic educational facilities, as well as the numerous counselling rooms. At the bottom of this hallway is the Nurse's office, which the staff write up their notes on their assigned patients, as well as relax during night shifts. In each patient bedroom, there are windows which are locked so they cannot be opened far enough for one to fit through.
Officially, Longview qualifies as a Special Needs
education facility, as one of the focuses is of educating the patients with the required syllabuses while they are recovering from their mental health problems, this allows them to keep up with mainstream education, in a safer, more friendly environment.
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. It is one of the few psychiatric hospitals for adolescents located in Essex. The hospital previously had an intensive outreach program, but the Crisis team have since moved to Holmer Court, Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
.
Services
The hospital supports both residence - up to thirteen patients - and a day attendance programme. The hospital has nine beds for Essex, four beds for Suffolk, and two places for North Essex day attendees. Two of the bedrooms are double rooms, which can hold two patients. The average residence time is six weeks, but there are many patients who have been patients for up to six months or longer, with very little progress made. This raises criticism surrounding residence time, as upon entry for a mental health assessment, patients are informed they will only be there for six weeks at the most.Longview is closely associated with the Colchester Mind Advocacy
Advocacy
Advocacy is a political process by an individual or a large group which normally aims to influence public-policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions; it may be motivated from moral, ethical or faith principles or simply to protect an...
service, a service that helps stand up and protect the patient's view about his or her educational and emotional needs. More recently, it has become associated with the Patient Advice and Liaison Service, (PALS), which serve a similar purpose.
Layout
The Longview Psychiatric hospital is primarily an open unit, meaning patients can roam around freely throughout the facility, but while dealing with patients with more severe illnesses, such as severe psychosisPsychosis
Psychosis means abnormal condition of the mind, and is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a "loss of contact with reality"...
or Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
they have been known to lock down and prevent patients from exploring the facility and grounds.
The unit has two residential wings; the south-eastern side being for the male patients, and the south-western side for the females. Each wing has a toilet, shower, and sink. In between these two wings is a long wide hallway which leads towards the basic educational facilities, as well as the numerous counselling rooms. At the bottom of this hallway is the Nurse's office, which the staff write up their notes on their assigned patients, as well as relax during night shifts. In each patient bedroom, there are windows which are locked so they cannot be opened far enough for one to fit through.
Officially, Longview qualifies as a Special Needs
Special needs
In the USA, special needs is a term used in clinical diagnostic and functional development to describe individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. For instance, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the International...
education facility, as one of the focuses is of educating the patients with the required syllabuses while they are recovering from their mental health problems, this allows them to keep up with mainstream education, in a safer, more friendly environment.
Facilities
Longview provides both basic, and recreational facilities, these being:- Two Kitchens—Staff Kitchen, and Patient Kitchen. Provides hot water, and other basic food or drink.
- Social Room—A room for patients to socialise. It also has a television.
- Game Room -- PlayStationPlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
, Game Tables, and a Piano. - Group Room—Used for group therapyGroup therapyGroup psychotherapy or group therapy is a form of psychotherapy in which one or more therapists treat a small group of clients together as a group...
. - Art Cabin—Full of instruments, and art equipment. Art therapy is held here.
- Lunchroom—A large room full of tables for both the staff and patients to eat in.