The Weddinger Modell, developed in 2010 in Berlin, is a model of psychiatric care for acute settings that focuses on recovery, participation, supported decision-making and the prevention of coercive measures on psychiatric wards (Submission 29). There is some evidence that the model decreases an individual’s likelihood of being subject to coercive measures and reduces their average length of hospitalisation; it also reportedly enhances ward atmosphere. The Weddinger Model is a cost-neutral initiative that re-orients care away from traditional professional hierarchies in which treatment is ‘done to’ the relevant person. Instead, treatment decisions are made in active discussion with the person along with informal supporters whom the person wishes to involve. One key aim is to increase the transparency and accountability to the individual about the services they receive. The model aims to support the individual with assistance that is tailored to her or his circumstances.
A study by Czernin and colleagues (2020) compared two groups of service users, one treated according to the Weddinger Modell (intervention group; n=122) and the other one conventionally (control group; n=235). The results showed a significant reduction of the maximum frequency of restraint events as well as the duration of seclusion incidents in the group of patients treated according to the Weddinger Modell. The authors concluded that the implementation of the Weddinger Modell and similar treatment concepts in inpatient psychiatric setting can help reduce coercion (Czernin et al., 2020).
Further information on the Weddinger Modell is also available in a report by Mahler et al (2014).