Dr Oluwasomi Festus Meshe

Festus is an experienced Registered Mental Health Nurse (RMN) with a clinical background in Medical Microbiology and Public Health. His career has spanned over a decade. This includes his academic work in Higher Education and clinical experience in various roles in the National Health Service (NHS). Festus draws from his frontline experience and network in the NHS to inform his teaching, research, and publishing activities.

[email protected]

Background

Festus has taught on public health courses since 2013 when he joined ARU as a Graduate Teaching Assistant/PhD Researcher and has co-developed and co-taught the BSC and MSc in Public Health courses at ARU. Festus started his nursing career in Essex, UK and commenced a Preceptorship Programme at Essex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT). During this period, he developed his skills in mental health nursing in an inpatient older adults’ functional ward.

He extended his nursing practice to other inpatient settings such as acute adults, Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), perinatal (mother & baby) and low secure forensic services. Festus had a very enjoyable career working in these clinical settings and has developed many skills around working within different Multidisciplinary Teams (MDTs) caring for adults and older adults with different physical and mental health illnesses and whose rights are restricted under different sections of the Mental Health Act, MHA (1983/2007) and Mental Capacity Act (MCA), Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLS).

As an Inpatient Clinical Manager (Modern Matron), Festus was part of the senior leadership and management team at EPUT. He had oversight of clinical services delivery and contributed to recruitment, workforce development, implementation of new models of work (Safe Ward Model) and service improvement initiatives such as the installation of anti-ligature beds, Assisted Technology and Oxehealth monitoring systems. This was one of the highlights of Festus’ nursing career as his contributions improved and optimised patients’ care and safety.  Festus was acknowledged for his commitment, care and exceptional management and leadership across different sites in EPUT. He won the National Outstanding Leadership Award in October 2022 for his innovative contributions to positive practice in mental health nursing.

During his inpatient nursing career, Festus was enthusiastic about workforce development, supporting the learning of newly qualified mental health nurses, newly recruited overseas nurses, student nurses and junior colleagues. Therefore, he moved into higher education when he re-joined ARU in January 2023 to continue supporting clinical education and research.

Spoken Languages

• English
• Yoruba (mother language)
• Ikale
• Edo (Bini)

Research interests

Festus’ primary research focus is on physical activity in people with physical and mental health illnesses.

For his doctorate, Festus investigated physical activity and its relationship with health status, hospital admission and mental health outcomes in people with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease following initial pulmonary rehabilitation programme. He published two journal articles from his work.

In inpatient clinical environments, Festus has been exploring barriers and facilitators of increased physical activity in patients with different physical and mental illnesses.

• Iatrogenesis and revolving door syndrome in inpatient mental health settings
• Staff development, well-being, resilience, morale, burnout, and retention in inpatient mental health settings
• Systematic reviews with meta-analysis
• Mixed methods research
• Service improvement and evaluation

Areas of research supervision

• See research interests.
• Festus supervises and supports BSc (Hons) and MSc students from a variety of backgrounds due to his interest in different research designs and methods.

Areas of Expertise

Allied and public health, Mental Health, service improvement and workforce development in inpatient mental health settings.

Teaching

Clinical skills covering all aspects of mental health nursing. Festus undertook some teaching whilst employed in inpatient clinical settings. He developed and taught the following courses to bridge gaps in learning and practice-based mental health nursing skills and competencies for preceptee Registered Mental Health Nurses (RMNs), student nurses and newly recruited nurses from oversea: 

• The admission process- informal patients
• The admission process- patients detained under the Mental Health Act (MHA)
• Risk assessment & management plan
• Care planning
• Transferring patients to other care settings
• Self-Discharge Against Medical Advice
• Evaluation of care- MDT, Ward reviews & CPA meetings
• Implementing the Nurses’ Holding Power- Section 5 (4) of the MHA
• Implementing AWOL protocol
• The Safeguarding Process
• Engagement & Supportive Observation competencies
• Recovery models and discharge planning/discharging patient from the wards
• Person-Centred & collaborative care: focus on “My Care, My Recovery” booklet
• Safety in inpatient care- Environment check & contraband items
• The Garden protocol/competency
• Managing patients’ physical health: focus on diabetes management
• Managing patients’ physical health: focus on injuries from self-harm
• Monitoring & managing side effects of medications: Focus on LUNSERS
• Facilitating therapeutic leaves
• Mental Health Nursing Needs Assessment (MHNNA)
• Referrals- IMHA, IMCA, SALT, Dietitian, Physiotherapy, Psychology
• Section 132/131 Rights
• Medicine management- ordering, storage, disposals, dispensing & administration
• Mental Capacity Assessment (MCA)
• The Appeal and Tribunal process- patients detained under the MHA
• Mental Health Nursing Tribunal Report
• Referrals- Psychiatric Intensive Care Units (PICU)
• Seclusion and Long Term Segregation (LTS)

Festus has also contributed in developing and teaching the following Modules / courses at HE level (ARU): 

• Research and Critical Thinking
• Research methodology, design and Process
• Law & ethics in Research
• Essential issues in public health
• Literature and Systematic Reviews
• Essential Knowledge and Skills for Person-Centred Care
• Essential Nursing Skills Practice 1
• Exploring the Values, Theories and Evidence Underpinning Mental Health Assessment and Practice.

Qualifications

• PhD in Allied and Public Health, Anglia Ruskin University, UK. Title: Physical activity, health status and hospital admission in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease following Pulmonary Rehabilitation

• MSc in Mental Health Nursing, University of Essex, UK
• MSc in Public Health, Anglia Ruskin University, UK
• BSc (Hons) in Microbiology, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Nigeria

Memberships, editorial boards

• Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC), UK
• Member Royal College of Nursing (RCN)
• Member Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH)
• Fellow of Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

Selected recent publications

Meshe, O. F., Bungay, H., & Claydon, L. S. (2020). Participants’ experiences of the benefits, barriers and facilitators of attending a community‐based exercise programme for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Health & social care in the community, 28(3), 969-978.

Meshe, O. F. (2018). Physical activity, health status and hospital admission in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease following pulmonary rehabilitation (Doctoral dissertation, Anglia Ruskin University).

Meshe, O. F., Claydon, L. S., Bungay, H., & Andrew, S. (2017). The relationship between physical activity and health status in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease following pulmonary rehabilitation. Disability and Rehabilitation, 39(8), 746-756

Recent presentations and conferences

Meshe O.F (2015). Measuring levels of physical activity and health status in the post pulmonary rehabilitation phase of COPD management. The 15th Cumberland Lodge’s Conference: Life Beyond the PhD. Windsor, London, 2015.

Meshe O.F (2015). A mixed-methods systematic review of the relationship between physical activity, health status and hospital admission in patient with COPD. The 9th Research Students Conference: The Doctoral Journey and Beyond, Chelmsford, Essex, 2015.