Specifically designed protective clothing for mental and psychiatric health care professionals, as well as care workers, will help reduce the use of force within mental health care.
Well documented incidents related to the use of force, control, and restraint by those in a position of care have recently made global headlines. Including instances of excessive force within care, special needs, and mental health units.
We offer protective clothing (offering protection from bites, scratches and pinches) to assist in reducing instances of restraint and force when undergoing manual handling of individuals exhibiting behaviours that challenge.
It’s our aim to promote a human rights-based approach to the use of force, giving front line professionals tools to help them to work closely with patients and develop therapeutic environments which ensure that force is used as a last resort. This is in support of the aims of the Mental Health Act 2018 (Use of Force) which is currently under consultation.
Following customer feedback, the potential of discreet protective clothing for staff, as an essential step toward reaching this goal, has been recognised and the demand for protective clothing in mental health care was established.
This demand was found after an international survey report concluded that where 92% of participants found that their staff felt more confident de-escalating upon wearing the company’s protective garments.
We want to allow staff to feel safer de-escalating, reducing the need for the use of force and restraint, and should be given access to personal protection as a matter of priority. Furthermore, we hope that they will be able to confidently diffuse a situation where they, or the patient, are at risk of injury and trauma before reaching crisis point.
To make it even easier to give staff access to protection, we have already supplied a considerable amount of convenient grab bags, containing the most popular garment models, to hospitals, special education, and mental health units globally. We are also developing a more affordable essentials grab bag, due for rollout early July.
Read more about our international survey:BitePRO® Survey Confirms Many Professionals At Risk Of Being Bitten
Stay safe,
Robert Kaiser, CEO
