Their mission was to ensure mental health patients receive care at the right time, in the right place, in the right way.
Why? Too many patients with Mental Health problems were waiting longer than four hours in the ED department at FGH to receive appropriate assessment and support.
According to a 2015 report published by the UK charity Mental Health Foundation;
• One in four people in the UK will experience a mental health problem in any given year,
• In the 2013 UK Wellbeing Survey, nearly 1 in 5 people in the UK aged 16 and older showed symptoms of anxiety or depression. This percentage was higher for females (21.5%) than for males (14.8%),
• Mental health services in the UK are overstretched, have long waiting times and in some regions lack specialist services,
• Mental health research receives only 5.5% (£115 million) of total UK health research spending.
Helen and Joanne’s scheme has seen some great outcomes;
• There is now permanent Crisis Team liaison within ED to provide rapid assessment and support to patients in crisis,
• Trust nursing staff are attending training sessions to improve the support and understanding they can provide to Mental Health patients,
• Good working relationships have been built through regular meetings with police, the mental health team and ED staff to ensure best care for patients,
• The mental health team training for staff in ED has resulted in increased confidence and capability,
• The 15 step patient review was given a positive score.
If you would like to find out more about this scheme contact our Trust Listening into Action team on [email protected] or 01524511989.