Unit 1: Understanding mental health

• Define health
• Define mental health
• Factors that contribute to mental health
• Incidence of mental illness
• Factors that contribute to mental illness
• Attitudes to people with mental illness
• Reflect own attitude to people with mental illness
• De-stigmatising mental illness
• Ways to include people with mental illness in society
• Issues relating to behaviours of people with mental illness: wandering; absconding; aggression and inappropriate behaviour
• Concept of responsibility and accountability in supervision of practice
• Social impact of mental illness on family members

Unit 2: Working with people with mental illness

• Understand the physical, psychological, safety, social, emotional, recreational, financial, environmental, spiritual, and safe working practices needs of people with mental illness, taking into account hospital policy.
• Role of health care assistant in providing supervised care of people with mental illness with identified needs, under the supervision of the registered nurse
• Importance of communicating effectively with clients and families and care team
• Importance of individualised care given with dignity, respect, choice and in confidence

Unit 3: Caring for people with mental illness

• Meet needs of people with mental illness at risk of wandering, absconding, aggressive and inappropriate behaviours, under the supervision of registered psychiatric nurse
• Meet specific needs of people with sensory impairment and physical disabilities, under the guidance of the registered nurse
• Recognise emergency situations that need immediate attention

Unit 4: Environments of care

• Know the various care setting for people with mental illness
• Know the various members of the health care team
• Identify a range of services specific for people with mental illness