DASA (Dynamic appraisal of Situational Aggression)

Aggression and violence continue to be common occurrences in inpatient settings for people with mental health problems, and resolving aggressive incidents is a key task of staff within those settings. A range of aggression management strategies are available to staff, embracing both non-physical and interpersonal approaches, such as prevention, anger management and de-escalation. The specific strategy adopted by staff to resolve any particular incident will depend on a range of factors. One factor influencing choice of approach is the attitudes and beliefs of staff about the causes of aggression, and the most appropriate ways of responding to aggressive incidents. By staff thinking this way it’s led us to look at ways as to what triggers our patient’s behaviour in a predictive way.

We are striving to improve through Integration and learning, supporting the delivery of safe and effective care. The team constantly look to learn from data collected and look at ways in which we can improve.

For more information on DASA and the benefits of use, please click here.

To date we have seen a dramatic drop in physical restraint of 44% over all 3 pilot wards in the Secure Division; Aggression has dropped post DASA pilot by 19%, Assaults 14% and self-harm 57%. All incidents overall have dropped post DASA pilot by 10%.