NHS services and partner organisations are working together in North East London to further develop mental health crisis support.
A Mental Health Crisis Improvement Network is focussing on a collaborative approach to care.
Mental health providers East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) and North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT) are working alongside colleagues from acute hospitals, local authorities and with North East London Health and Care Partnership (NEL HCP).
The aim of the network is for those across NEL who need urgent mental health support to be able to receive high quality care in the right place, at the right time, while feeling safe and respected.
The group has combined clinical, operational and service user leadership to drive forward a programme of improvement works across the mental health crisis pathway. It also provides an opportunity to share learning and good practice.
Carol White, Director of Operations for London at NELFT, said: "The improvement network is making it possible to work on important projects to support service users across NEL, including the introduction of NHS 111, Option 2, and increasing mental health expertise across local communities.
"Partnership-working is ensuring we can drive forward real change for the region."
Dr Philip Baker, ELFT’s Medical Director for London Mental Health Services, said: "Working collaboratively with NELFT as part of the Mental Health Crisis Improvement Network has enabled us to learn from one another, while implementing high quality provisions as part of a NEL-wide approach.
"I look forward to working with Carol and others over the coming months, as we look to achieve our common goal of timely and excellent support for those in need."
The latest initiative by the network has been to host an event to discuss mental health care in emergency departments.
Mental health professionals and colleagues from acute hospitals gathered at Leyton Orient FC in Waltham Forest on Thursday, 12th October.
Network primary drivers
In order to achieve its one, overarching aim, the Network has outlined its primary drivers that can make this a possibility:
- Focussing on prevention wherever possible.
- Making it easy for people to access help urgently, when they first need it.
- Working collaboratively with system partners to deliver safe and effective crisis pathways.
- Creating safe spaces that prioritise the dignity and experience of people in crisis.
- Efficiently managing acute mental health services so there are beds available to those who need them most.
Network priority projects
The Network has established eight high priority projects it is working on to support mental health provision across NEL:
- Community Mental Health Transformation – Working to transform community mental health services across NEL to provide more proactive, preventative and integrated care.
- NHS 111, Option 2 – Opening direct access to mental health support through NHS 111, Option 2 which will enable people and agencies to get more accessible support and guidance.
- Crisis Cafes (ELFT) and Integrated Crisis Assessment Hubs (NELFT) – Commissioning services delivered by voluntary sector organisations to provide accessible drop-in support for people in crisis and emergency department (ED) diversion.
- Mental Health Joint Response Cars – Embedding mental health professionals in local authority (LA) services to increase mental health expertise in the LA response, and diverting demand away from A&E.
- Right Care, Right Person – Working collaboratively with police to ensure the right professional responds to those in urgent need of mental health support.
- Psychiatric Liaison Services – Carrying out a review of our Psychiatric Liaison services and added additional resources to address gaps highlighted. Each team is working to address local issues.
- Improving Experience and Quality of Mental Health Care in ED – Developing a project with NEL’s Chief Nursing Officers looking to improve quality and safety of mental health care delivered in ED.
- Health-Based Places of Safety – Reviewing our provision and making improvements to estates and staffing in these services.
- Alternative Settings for Mental Health Assessment – Identifying and converting estates to enable more mental health assessments to be carried out away from ED, and reducing handover times from partners.
- Expanded Inpatient Bed Base – Opening an additional 12 acute mental health beds this year. We have opened a second CDU to optimise length-of-stay.
- Clinically Ready for Discharge – Reviewing discharge pathway from inpatient mental health settings, recognising that this is contributing to challenges of inpatient flow.
If you would like to learn more about the Mental Health Crisis Improvement Network, do feel free to contact the Programme Director for ELFT, Jamie Stafford, at jamie.stafford@nhs.net.