Expanded Enaya Continuing Care Center providing home-like environment for female patients

Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Mental Health Service has expanded the capacity of its female residential care accommodations based on excellent patient outcomes and positive feedback from patients and their families.

The Enaya Continuing Care Center 2 in Muaither (West Doha) offers a residential service for women who have complex mental healthcare needs that require professional support but not necessarily acute care. Its community-based group home was launched in 2015, in line with the Qatar National Mental Health Strategy.

“Our center, considered the first of its kind in the State of Qatar, provides patients with care in a more home-like setting which has been shown to be a more effective alternative to hospital-based treatments for many of our residents,” said Dr. Mohamed Ali Siddig Ahmed, Senior Consultant Psychiatrist and Director of the Enaya Continuing Care Center 2 in Muaither. “The facility offers safe and high quality rehabilitation and recovery care based on international best practice.”

“Some of our female patients were transferred from the acute psychiatric unit, often after spending many years of their lives institutionalized in an acute inpatient setting. Once they had settled into their new environment, our residents demonstrated a marked improvement in their mental state. Not only have many of them developed improved skills to master typical everyday tasks, but their relationships with their families have often improved and many residents now have more family visits compared to when they were being treated in the acute care facility,” explained Dr. Ahmed.

“We strive to enable our patients to become more independent, with better self-management and personal responsibility, which helps to give them a sense of dignity. This environment is ideal for providing them with some privacy and gives them an improved quality of life that is greatly appreciated by the patients and their families,” added Dr. Ahmed.

The Enaya Continuing Care Center provides a family friendly environment where family members are encouraged to visit frequently and spend quality time with patients. They are also encouraged to take patients on outings (where possible) in order to help them adjust to life in the community. A patient and family survey conducted a few months ago showed a 98% satisfaction rate with the new environment.

The first female patients were moved from HMC’s acute mental health facility to the Enaya Continuing Care Center 2 in Muaither soon after the center opened. In July 2016, additional rooms were opened and now nine female patients are living in the residential facility with professional supervision.

HMC’s Mental Health Service is working closely with communities in Qatar, as well as local and international partners, to encourage more awareness and understanding of the misconceptions, challenges and opportunities surrounding the professional care of people with mental health conditions.

The Enaya Continuing Care Center 2 in Muaither also provides a range of outpatient services for children and teenagers, up to the age of 18 years old, as well as a daycare program for adult women who have long-term mental health conditions.