Statement in response to a recent article published in the HSJ
Please see our statement in response to a recent article published in the HSJ, regarding inappropriate out of area placements.
Following a recent inspection by the Care Quality Commission, Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust achieved an overall rating of ‘Good’ and received recognition for improvements made across all of our services.
Out of area placements are one element of our performance and as trust, we do our utmost to make sure people receive treatment and support as close as possible to their homes, including when they need admission to hospital. We have put in place a number of initiatives and additional investment into our acute mental health services and as as a result, we are starting to see some reduction in the number of inappropriate out of area placements. However, we recognise there is more work to do.
We are working closely with our partners including our Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), local authorities (social care, housing) and third sector organisations, to make our mental health system more sustainable and responsive. In particular, we are working with our commissioners to use the money we spend on mental health as effectively as possible by reinvesting money from out of area placements into local mental health services.
Examples of the some of the initiatives we have put in place, as part of our transformation and improvement plan, focused specifically on improving patient flow, and reducing the need for inappropriate out of area placements for our patients, include:
- Psychiatric Clinical Decisions Unit (PCDU) - Earlier this year we opened a specialist PCDU, which is available for people in severe mental health crisis who would benefit from a period of extra support in a day unit. The service is based on the University Hospital site at the Cauldon Centre and provides a safe space for patients to have a thorough assessment of their needs.
- Arden Mental health Acute Team (AMHAT) - We have put additional investment into our AMHAT service, which provides a psychiatric, and risk assessment service in acute healthcare settings, like the Accident and Emergency (A&E) department or wards of local hospitals. This ensures timely care and treatment for patients who have acute mental health issues, when they attend physical healthcare settings, like hospital.
- Care Navigators - Specialist staff have been recruited to provide signposting and facilitate referrals to co-ordinate patient flow across the care pathways for Out of Hospital services. They work collaboratively with the Place Based Teams and other agencies to facilitate the most appropriate interventions to meet the patient’s needs.
- Crisis Liaison Team - We have plans to reorganise and expand both assessment and home treatment functions to offer a real alternative to admission and we have submitted a joint bid with partners for funding for this essential development.