Royal College of Emergency Medicine Guidance 

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) has clinical guidelines available for professionals working in emergency medicine. This section includes guidance on the following: RCEM Guidance, Toolkits and Best Practice. You will find information and college guidance below regarding the following: paracetamol overdose, mental health, drugs and alcohol and guidance implementation. 

RCEM Guidance

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Mental Health

RCEM has an active Mental Health Committee whose role is to produce guidelines and resources to equip RCEM members and fellows, with the aim of improving care, safety and patient experience for patients with mental health problems. We also do advocacy and liaison work with other National bodies including other royal colleges, the college of policing, and the CQC.

For queries or more information email mhchair@rcem.ac.uk

RCEM learning. There are some great podcasts and learning modules here.

RCEM Advocacy

RCEM conducted an online survey to find out more about the services provided by EDs to children and young people presenting with mental health problems. This will be repeated in 2021.

National Reports

Useful Organisations and web resources (see MH toolkit for more)

RCEM Wellbeing App

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine recently launched the RCEM Wellbeing App to provide Fellows and Members with the tools they need to measure, understand and improve their mental wellbeing. It can be found here.

Updates in Mental Health Newsletter

An update to mental health leads about what is happening in Emergency Mental Health Nationally and at RCEM.

How is your ED doing on mental health?

This quiz will take you 2-3 minutes, just to get you thinking.

Do you have a system for mental health triage in your ED?

This is the probably the most important intervention to improve safety for mental health patients. Who trains your nurses to do this? (Hopefully your liaison team are fully engaged with this!) See toolkit for ideas.

Do you have a process for observing those patients that you are most concerned about leaving the ED or self-harming?

Often health care assistants take this role, do you ever speak to them about patients to ask what they have observed? Can you work together to help the patient feel safe and well cared for? HCAs often report not knowing what to say or look for with some patients. Do you have any resources for patients to reduce anxiety? E.g. mindfulness exercises, colouring, soduku, etc?

Do you know your local 24/7 mental health crisis phone number (most introduced since Covid) to give to patients that may need help?

Can you name any or all of the Liaison Psychiatry / Crisis team nurses and doctors that see patients in your department?

Try a charm offensive, get to know them, learn from them, get feedback from them.

Are you ever aware of poor staff attitudes towards patients with mental health problems who attend frequently?

Could you challenge these attitudes and be the patient’s advocate?

Have you ever had these attitudes yourself?

Ask yourself why? Were you tired? Annoyed at the system? or perhaps not had / taken the time to find out why this patient landed in the ED and how they feel?

If you think you could be an advocate for better services and care in your department, why not contact (or become?!) your ED mental health lead.

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