How Dynamis helped a mental health unit achieve a 90% reduction in mechanical restraint use and a 95% staff satisfaction rating, while meeting JCIA international standards.
The Setting
This was an ‘open’ psychiatric unit with separate male and female wards, delivering services in a highly multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-national environment. The unit faced the daily challenge of managing agitated patients without a common framework for de-escalation or restraint.
The Challenge
The nurse-manager in charge of the psychiatric unit initially wanted his own staff trained. He ultimately broadened the scope to include members of the emergency department and the hospital security team — recognising that a uniform understanding and approach across the entire hospital was essential.
Our initial assessment revealed three critical gaps:
- No prior training in restraint procedures, rules of restraint, or techniques existed at this mental health unit.
- There was no common model for de-escalation of conflict with service users.
- Teamwork and attitudes to restraint varied vastly across the team — many of whom had been working in the unit for a long time without consistent guidance.
The training also needed to be comprehensive enough to address the widely varying threat levels presented by different clients across multiple settings: ambulance emergencies, community mental health, the psychiatric unit itself, the emergency department, and ICU.
Cultural considerations were paramount. Issues around touch, gender, rights, and responsibilities needed careful handling. Any protocols developed had to be robust enough to apply across diverse circumstances while maintaining both integrity and practical usefulness.
Our Approach
A highly qualified team of Dynamis trainers was deployed to deliver a tailored programme within the unit. The training was aligned with UK law, mental health best practice, and the standards of the Joint Commission and UN Human Rights — ensuring the hospital could meet international benchmarks for healthcare and patient safety.
Physical skills development was central to the programme, but always in service of professionalism. Staff learned to manage the risks of violence and aggression in ways that prioritised care, sensitivity, and dignity — not just control.
Staff reported they had never been shown ways to control agitated clients with care and sensitivity, respect and maintaining dignity — before this programme began.
The Results
Staff reported a 95% satisfaction rating with the training. Many commented that this was the first time they had been equipped to manage challenging behaviour in a way that felt both effective and humane.
📊 Key outcomes: 90% decline in inappropriate use of mechanical restraint devices following the programme. The hospital subsequently passed its JCIA inspections, with patient restraint procedures examined in detail and found to meet international standards.