In order to reconsider the way that mental health services are provided for those who require urgent help, health and social care teams in Sussex are collaborating to achieve innovation.
On behalf of the Sussex health and care system, Sussex Partnership is launching a new mental health innovation programme. The aim of the programme will be to work to identify new and innovative ways to ensure that people with mental health problems receive the best support and care possible.
A week of activity in Brighton and Hove will kick off the first phase of the programme, with this coinciding with the 75th anniversary of the NHS. Following this, a series of similar events will be held across Sussex, helping to provide a collective focus on changing the ways that care providers work, improving patient outcomes, and will look to reset the way that mental health services are delivered.
Chief Executive of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Dr Jane Padmore, commented:
“This is a week for leaders, clinicians and supporting staff to work together. Alongside patients, to try and unlock some of the barriers to timely high-quality care. We want to see if we can find new ways of working with each other, and our patients, to get the right outcomes for people in our services.
“We will be learning rapidly as we work and studying how new approaches might help us transform mental healthcare in Sussex. The aim of the week is to think creatively, with the support of senior managers on the ground, about how we make sure people receive timely and appropriate care that best meets their needs.”
The original activity week will focus on several areas, including:
- What might be possible to reduce the length of time patients stay in the Emergency Department
- Increase the number of alternatives to hospital admissions
- Reduce the amount of time that patients stay on wards
- Reducing the number of patients having onward care delayed
Dr Peter Aitken, the Trust’s Chief Medical Officer, added:
“As the NHS turns 75, it’s vital we keep looking for new ways of providing care to respond to the needs of our local communities. We need to be bold, creative, and innovative in the way we work with other agencies, including the voluntary sector. Above all, we need to harness our collective energy and expertise to get the best outcomes for patients.”
Mental health is a key component of the NHS Sussex shared delivery plan, with this programme forming only one step in the implementation of the plan.
Image credit: iStock
