Healthy London Partnership, in partnership with South London and the Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, is delighted to announce that London’s section 136 new model of care has been shortlisted for the Innovation in Mental Health Care award.
Since 2015, Healthy London Partnership has worked in partnership with London’s health and care system to develop a pan-London model of care for individuals detained under section 136 of the Mental Health Act. This is part of a wider programme to improve the quality of mental health crisis care across the capital.
The model of care was developed through significant engagement across London’s crisis care system and Healthy London Partnership continues to work in partnership with key stakeholders such as the police, ambulance service, local authorities, NHS Trusts, the third sector and experts by experience to support implementation across the capital.
Positive impacts of implementing the new model of care, with a 24/7 dedicated staffing team at South London and the Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust’s centralised place of safety includes:
- 76% of those surveyed were positive about the support they received in South London and the Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust’s centralised place of safety and 64% felt safe (compared to 36% in previous surveys of Londoners).
- Improved access – an average of 13% more s136 referrals were accepted each month than across the four sites under the old model.
- Fewer site closures from 279 incidents across the four sites in 2016 compared to just one closure in 2017.
- Quicker acceptance to sites with 96% of patients admitted within 30 minutes of arrival allowing patients to be admitted to the care of healthcare professionals quickly.
- Fewer patients taken being transferred unnecessarily to an emergency department prior to the Health Based Place of Safety, and the Health Based Place of Safety is able to provide more integrated care.
- A fall in admission rate of 13% so more individuals are being supported in their community and not being detained further under the Mental Health Act.
Building on the success at South London and the Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, implementation of the new model of care across London provides the opportunity to improve access, patient outcomes, patient and staff satisfaction, deliver 24/7 services and reduce inequality for all those detained under section 136 in London.
The successful collaboration on the s136 pathway has been a catalyst for further pan-London work between different agencies involved in London’s crisis care system.
Download our Section 136 pathway and health based place of safety specification.
“Thinking back to how the service used to be run, before even any of the dedicated team came on board, it was run in such an ad hoc way, it was seen as a burden so that probably translated to a poor quality of care for patients. People weren’t specialised and didn’t necessarily have the necessary level of skill required to look after patients, it really was just seen as a bolt on. So, for me I think the improvement in terms of patient care is massive – that’s probably the biggest contribution…I think it’s the skill and the knowledge and the experience of the staffing group that’s really made a difference.” Former Unit Manager, 2017
Download an evaluation of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust’s centralised health based place of safety here.
About the awards
The Healthcare Transformation Awards celebrate the hard work and success of teams and individuals that go the extra mile to improve and set the standards for others to follow across local healthcare systems. The ceremony will take place on Wednesday 27th June at London ExCel in the main Health+Care keynote theatre.