My RAID Experience

Aims: The Rapid Access Interface Discharge (RAID) model is an award winning innovation to the delivery of liaison mental health services. With the aim of acquiring additional clinical skills, fulfilling management and medical leadership competency requirements of advanced training in liaison psychiatry, I was admitted to spend 2 weeks with RAID teams in City Hospital (established) and Heartlands Hospital (newly established), Birmingham, UK (away from my training scheme). Methods: A range of activities were carried out: participation in adult and old age liaison assessments; discussions with staff of established and newly established RAID teams; participation in RAID multidisciplinary team meetings; introduction to concept of RAID by its originators; RAID electronic documentation; participation in acute ward team meetings; psychiatric grand rounds; RAID commissioning meetings; shadowing out of hours RAID duties; exploration of relationships with significant others like crisis teams; shadowing of liaison psychology; training of acute ward nurses; mentoring of non-medical RAID colleagues, etc. Results: In addition to acquiring clinical experience in old age liaison psychiatry, “The experience of the past 2 weeks has changed my perspective of psychiatry. I have realised just what difference my skills can make. The philosophy of RAID is that patients and services derive maximum benefits when psychiatrists cease to wait at the end of the supply chain but position themselves at the front and intermittently check the production line”. Data, experiential and observed are presented in 2 formats: a daily diary log and as a list of activities under headings: “clinical”, “managerial”, “educational” and “others”. Comments/Conclusions: Travelling opportunities can add value to the training experience. In an evolving specialty like liaison, their usefulness may be for the acquisition and transfer of specialised knowledge and skills. The long term legacy of RAID is likely to be its contribution to changing perceptions about mental ill-health and influence on recruitment into psychiatry.