15/10/2025
COMMUNITY CARE AND ST FRANCIS PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL
I'm eager to receive written accounts from all disciplines who worked at our former hospital, in community or in any of their associated services.
We've lived and worked through a momentous period in the history of psychiatry in these islands. If we fail to record that history then our important past and its effects on the future could be lost forever.
With this in mind I added chapter 10 to my book MY ASYLUM (Available on Amazon). I am now adding to that especially with the founding of our proposed Heritage Centre in mind so that our positive contributions to health care can be logged, enjoyed and appreciated.
Jim Sheil, former community psychiatric nurse, replied beautifully and comprehensively to my request for an account of the psychiatric community nurse service from its historical beginnings to its up-and-running service.
Jim writes:
'My recollection is the first service started in the early 1970s. A small team of senior charge nurses were based in H-Block, the acute psychiatric unit at Brighton General Hospital. They worked with the consultant psychiatrist and their role was to follow-up discharged patients from the unit back into the community. They provided ongoing care, support and monitoring and liased closely with the psychiatrist.
Following one of the NHS Reorganisations and boundary changes, Sussex Health Authority was split into East and West health trusts.
Paddy Henry, one of the senior charge nurse in the H-Block team, returned to West Sussex, having completed his Diploma in Community Psychiatric Nursing (C.P.N) from the West London Institute of higher education.
Paddy started and managed the C.P.N service in West Sussex. He recruited charge nurses from St Francis Hospital and later from the psychiatric units in Crawley and Horsham. The service was primary health care team based, with CPNs working from health centres and G.P surgeries and providing cover to groups of general practices. There were three groups of CPNs covering the catchment areas of Haywards Heath, Crawley and Horsham.
The CPNs got their referrals directly from the general practitioners and patients/clients were offered an appointment at the health centre, surgery or their own home. A mental health assessment was carried out, care plan agreed and implemented. General practitioners were given feedback and reports which were recorded and filed. Patients discharged from the local psychiatric hospital/units were referred back to their general practitioner who, in turn, referred them on to the CPNs for ongoing support and monitoring.
CPNs attended weekly clinical practice meetings with the primary health care teams. There was also a monthly business/management meeting attended by all the CPNs in West Sussex where case management, R.M.N student allocation, professional development and updating took place. There was also a yearly performance review meeting for the CPNs.
As I recall the CPN service in West Sussex was one of the first in the country that was based in primary health care. It was well received and widely used by the GPs. Patients/clients had ease of access with a quick response and intervention . The service went some way in reducing the stigma surrounding mental illness health.'
Thank you to Jim Sheil.
Joe Hughes
Site Admin
