A life less ordinary: developing an out‐of‐hours inpatient activity programme

Lack of therapeutic activities, or simply ‘something to do’ has been widely criticised as a major shortcoming of acute inpatient psychiatric units. Deborah Wildgoose and colleagues describe how one trust introduced a flexible, innovative programme of evening and weekend activities run by sessional workers from outside the mental health services. The programme was devised in consultation with service users and was reported by patients and staff to have reduced the stress of hospital admission and improved the whole ward atmosphere.