Inmates and wards at the Department of Correctional Services, DCS, are set to receive additional psychiatric care, following the completion of a 4-month training for correctional officers and civilian staff in Psychiatric Nursing.
The 17 correctional officers who participated in the programme as Psychiatric Nursing Aides, will join civilians already employed within the correctional centres.
The training was facilitated through a partnership with the Health and Wellness Ministry, Bellevue Hospital and the DCS.
The newly trained officers will provide care for inmates and wards in 11 correctional centres who suffer from depression, anxiety and other psychiatric illnesses.
CEO of Bellevue Hospital, Marcia Mullings-Thompson, says participants were taught to manage the personal hygiene of patients, identify common medical disorders and provide basic nursing care.
She says they were also trained and certified in first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, CPR.
The course also included de-escalation and restraining techniques to manage violent and aggressive persons.
