Patient and family centred care at the heart of the Foundations program in Richmond

The Foundations program at the Richmond Mental Health Team (RMHT) is not solely the brainchild of staff. It’s something that clients and their family members expressed a need for and it’s been a great success. Better yet, it meets the need for patient and family centred care—an important required organizational practice (ROP) of Accreditation Canada.

“Something was needed to soften the landing for clients entering our program,” says Lara Belagamage, an occupational therapist at RMHT. Seeking help for mental health issues can be confusing for people. Foundations helps by bringing clients, health care providers and family members together in a safe group environment where they can share and learn from one another.

Irene Shim is another occupational therapist with the program. She explained that the group is low-barrier and is open to new and existing clients. “Clients and family members can come as often as they wish,” said Shim. “Client feedback directly informs the planning of future sessions.”

Foundations, currently in its fifth cycle, is offered in 6-8 week sessions. Topics include navigating the mental health system, medications, and sharing of recovery stories by clients. Partnership with community agencies is also valued and agencies frequently offer presentations based on clients’ interests.

An RMHT occupational therapist and one other RMHT staff member collaborate for each session. The facilitators rotate each time so that a variety of care team providers and disciplines are active in the group.

“Hearing the recovery stories is amazing. It’s so rewarding to see the program making a difference.”

Lara and Irene agree that Foundations demonstrates RMHT’s commitment to a client and family centred culture, a keystone in meeting Accreditation Canada requirements. The next Accreditation Canada survey takes place this September.

To learn more about Accreditation 2016 go to vchconnect/accreditation.