NHS Experts Showcase Sussex Young People’s Nursing Team As Beacon Of Innovation And High Quality Care

A new Sussex-wide NHS mental health service which helps young people return from hospital earlier to be with their families has been commended as a case study of national best practice.

The NHS Institute for Innovation has published ‘The Essential Collection’ - a compendium of frontline nursing projects acclaimed nationally for their impact on improving quality of care and efficiency.1

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s urgent care service for 5 –18 year olds who need intensive mental health and emotional support for conditions such as eating disorders, depression, and psychosis was one of a handful of projects singled out from more than 600 national submissions. 

The compendium, with a forward from the Chief Nursing Officer for England, will be distributed to nurses and other healthcare professionals throughout the NHS.

The Trust’s young person’s crisis resolution and home treatment service, based at the new purpose-built centre Chalkhill, near Haywards Heath, has reduced the average time that young people spend in inpatient care from around three months to just six - eight weeks.

A team of health professionals, including nurses, doctors, psychologists, occupational therapists and support workers, through innovative ways of team working, provide intensive home-based care for young people from all over Sussex. These young people would otherwise have stayed longer in (or been referred to) hospital care.

The young person is able to complete their recovery in their familiar home environment close to family and friends. Nurses and occupational therapists as well as support workers support the young person and offer treatment and care in different environments. This might include going for a walk in a park with them, or chatting over a family meal at home. 

Staff also work closely alongside colleagues from education services to ensure that young people continue with their education despite their mental health needs.

The Trust’s Executive Director of Nursing and Governance Helen Greatorex, said, “We’re delighted that this excellent new service has been recognised by the NHS Institute for Innovation and is being used as an example of how nursing innovation can make an enormous difference.

“The team has successfully transferred specialist clinical interventions from a hospital setting to the community and home, where most young people have the best chance of recovery, being near their family or friends. This service is great news for young people and families in Sussex who need these specialist services.”

Liz Ward, nursing Associate at the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, who helped to select the case studies, said, “We were really impressed with the dedication and commitment demonstrated by the team.

"It is a fantastic example of the improvements that can be made when professional groups work together – exactly what high impact action nursing is all about.”

Team leader Claire Webber said, "The out-of-hours working has had the biggest impact and we are working much more intensely for a much shorter period. The benefit for the families is to be able to access our team at a time when they need to.

“There’s no such thing as a typical day: I could be doing two, three or four visits a day to a young person with their family. That could be sitting down in the kitchen and talking with the family or going out for a walk in the park. I do feel we are making a difference.

“Sometimes it’s only a small difference, but to a young person that can be a big difference.”