Seni Lewis Training Programme Levels 1-3 (SLTP)

The Seni Lewis Training Programme (SLTP), launched in January 2023, this is a new training course about improving experiences of and safety in, mental healthcare.

The course is delivered in 3 Levels. The relevant Level(s) for you depends on your role. Usually staff will take the lower levels as part of the higher level - e.g. inpatient nurses will do Levels 1 and 2 and 3.

What is the format (face to face, e-Learning, virtual)?

Course	Mode of Delivery
Level 1	Blended Learning – eLearning and a live online workshop (Zoom)
Level 2	In person
Level 3	In person

What is Seni Lewis Training programme Level 1?

The overall aim of the Seni Lewis Training Programme is to improve experiences of mental healthcare and safety for everyone: service users, staff, family members and carers. Level 1 of the programme is focused on level 1, or primary prevention strategies. These are the skills, knowledge and principals that we should all be employing, all of the time in order to provide a universal high standard of care and service.

Who needs to do Level 1?

All staff in the Trust need to complete the Seni Lewis Training Programme: Level 1    

Why do I need to do Level 1?

There are a number of reasons why you need to complete the Seni Lewis Training Programme. Firstly, from a statutory standpoint, the Mental Health Units (Use of Force) Act specifies what training, people working in mental health settings are required to have. This course meets the requirements of this Act.

Secondly, it will enable you to contribute to and deliver mental healthcare that improves people's quality of life, their experiences of mental healthcare and everyone’s safety. As a mental healthcare provider this is the core of our work.

Finally, the course is named after and seeks to learn from the tragic death of Seni Lewis who died following an incident of restraint at the Bethlem Royal Hospital. We have a duty to Seni and his family to learn from his death an ensure this never happens again.

How often do I need to do Level 1?

You must complete the full course once. This is a full days training delivered through a blended learning approach: eLearning 2-3 hours, remote live workshop 3.5 hours.

You will then need to undertake an annual refresher.

NB in the rollout of the SLTP in SLaM practice 2023-24, Level 1 staff (formerly "PSTS Awareness") are required to complete the e-learning component only (no workshop), and the renewal period is set as 3 years (not annual). 

What is Seni Lewis Training programme Level 2?

The overall aim of the Seni Lewis Training Programme is to improve experiences of mental healthcare and safety for everyone: service users, staff, family members and carers. Level 2 of the programme focuses on level 2, or secondary prevention skills. These are skills focused on the early recognition of an escalating situation and least restrictive interventions to resolve the situation before it escalates further. A core component of this course is an evidence based de-escalation model.

Who needs to do Level 2?

All clinical staff members, from all settings in the Trust must complete Level 2 of the Programme.

Why do I need to do Level 2?

Level 2 of the course focuses on verbal de-escalation skills and other preventative strategies that may help prevent a developing situations progress into an incident which requires use of restraint. Our consultation with service users, carers and community members, along with restrictive practice and violence reduction theory, highlighted that verbal de-escalation skills were a key training need for the Trust and an area that could significantly improve people's experience of mental healthcare.

This training is also a statutory requirement under the Mental Health Units (Use of Force) Act.

How often do I need to do Level 2?

You must complete the full foundation course once. This is 1 full day's training.

You will then need to undertake an annual half-day refresher course and competency assessment.

What is Seni Lewis Training programme Level 3?

The overall aim of the Seni Lewis Training Programme is to improve experiences of mental healthcare and safety for everyone: service users, staff, family members and carers. Level 3 of the programme focuses on Level 3 or tertiary interventions and prevention strategies. These are the approaches, both restrictive and non-restrictive that staff in inpatient settings may need to use during an incident to return the situation to a position of safety. Level 3 includes training for multi-professional teams on team working and systems approach to patient safety. It also covers risks associated with restraint and teaches staff in the use of approved physical interventions.  

Why do I need to do Level 3?

Level 3 is a course specifically designed for clinical staff who work in inpatient settings. It will enable you to contribute to and deliver inpatient care that improves people's quality of life, their experiences of mental healthcare and everyone’s safety. It includes patient safety theory that it relevant to the whole inpatient multi-disciplinary team as well as skills training around safer use of restraint techniques.

The Mental Health Units (Use of Force) Act (Seni’s Law) specifies what training people working in mental health settings are required to have. This course meets the requirements of this Act.

Who needs to do Level 3?

All clinical staff members working in inpatient settings.  Also Estates and Admin staff based in inpatient settings.

How often do I need to do Level 3?

Inpatient clinical staff - eg nursing staff, healthcare support workers,  occupational therapists,  will need to undertake the full foundation course once.

This comprises a half day training for members of the multi-professional team - Medics, Allied health care professionals, eg psychologists, consultants, specialty registrars, social workers, dietitians, therapists also inpatient admin, estates and ancillary staff who are not expected to undertake physical restraint as part of their role and a three day course for those who require training in the physical interventions for their role. 

You will then complete a one-day annual refresher and competency assessment.

Seni Lewis Training Programme Refresher (zendesk.com)