A new co-produced tool has been developed to help mental health teams and service users to improve debrief conversations following an incident.

HEAR US has been created by the East Midlands Reducing Restrictive Practice Community of Practice. It’s a tool that has been co-produced with staff and Lived Experience Contributors. HEAR US highlights six key considerations that can enable debriefs to be more meaningful for patients.

HEAR US aims to ensure that these debriefs add value to a patient’s care by providing clear guidance for clinical staff, helping them have supportive conversations with patients, as well as be transparent with patients about what they should expect from their debrief. It’s one framework for staff and patients. 

Hannah Jackson-Cox, Senior Improvement Lead, Mental Health Programme, Health Innovation East Midlands said: "Our objective is that every patient has access to a purposeful post-incident debrief. By making these post-incident conversations meaningful, we hope to reduce the incidences of restrictive practice." 

It is available in different sizes to give out to service users and to display on the wards. 

Click here to download the tool