Safe times: 11.30am–12.00 and 4.30pm–5.00'

Abstract

RECENTLY I WENT to visit a friend in a public psychiatric unit. I had quite a long wait as she was being brought out of the High Dependency Unit. As I was sitting there I was staring at the nurses? station when I spotted the sign attached to the wall. It simply said, ?SAFE TIMES: 11.30am?12.00 and 4.30pm ? 5.00?. I laughed. As a veteran of acute psychiatric wards it seemed absolutely appropriate that two half-hour slots were the only times that the unit staff felt confident to claim that safety for patients could be anticipated. Eventually I worked out what it really meant. Of course, silly me, these were the times the safe would be unlocked and you?d be able to get your money out!