A major transformation programme for mental health is underway, an unprecedented and decisive step towards closing the treatment gap for mental health. The roadmap for change ‘Implementing the Five Year Forward View’ sets out how services will help reach a million more people a year by 2020/21. So how do we make the plans a reality?
“Implementing this plan will benefit people of all ages… As such, our aim to improve mental health and wellbeing cannot solely be achieved by the NHS, but must be delivered in partnership with other local organisations including local government, housing, education, employment and the voluntary sector.” Claire Murdoch, National Mental Health Director, NHS England; Foreword to ‘Implementing the Five Year Forward View’ (July 2016)
Published in the summer 2016 the document outlines how and when independent recommendations to improve care and services will be implemented on the ground. The report includes new funding, rising to £1bn a year, and details how workforce requirements will be delivered in priority areas, how access to services can be improved and data and payment levers will support transparency. The plan commits to improving access to high-quality care, delivering more integrated services and earlier interventions in a short timescale. National action, across a range of services, is required to put the plans into practice and ensure a long neglected part of the care system is overhauled, expanded and improved upon.
The fourth annual Mental Health conference will support NHS staff, organisations and other parts of the system in delivering the changes required to improve mental health care for all. The agenda will examine how to practically implement key recommendations and priorities, detail real life examples of new models of care and provide insightful progress on the local and national service improvements that are driving better outcomes.
The recommendations in the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health aim to improve access to high-quality care, reduce inequalities and deliver efficiencies across local health and care economies. The vision made the unarguable case for a radical transformation of service delivery and a new programme of investment in mental health care. The implementation report that followed detailed the blueprint for change for the whole of the NHS leading to an additional one million people receiving high-quality care by 2020/21.
The implementation plan gives a clear indication to the public and people who use services of what they should expect from the NHS, and when. Priorities for transformation include integrating physical and mental health services; new approaches to delivering secure mental health services and young people’s mental health services; improving perinatal mental health services and access to liaison and diversion services. £1.4bn has previously been committed for children, young people and perinatal care with the goal of driving redesigned services for young people and helping 30,000 more women per year receive treatment closer to home. £1.8m will back six pilot sites testing new approaches to mental health care in CAHMs and secure mental health. Additional funding to support transformation of secure services totals £94m. Over the next two years the £12m roll out of liaison and diversion services will see availability across the whole of the country by 2020. In the same short timeframe £72m has been allocated to better integrate physical and mental health care with the ambition to directly train new staff and deliver new ‘early implementer’ integrated services.
A significant expansion in access to high-quality mental health care for children and young people aims to meet the needs of at 35% of those with diagnosable mental health conditions, an additional 70,000 additional children and young people receiving treatment each year. Improving outcomes will require a joint-agency approach, including early intervention strategies, building resilience and improved access to treatment. By 2020/21, inappropriate placements to inpatient beds for children and young people will be eliminated. A further key objective is to increase access to specialist perinatal mental support in the community or in-patient mother and baby units. To support these improvements all local areas should have expanded, refreshed and republished Local Transformation Plans for services with clear targets.
For adult services the aims are to increase access to psychological therapies to the benefit of 1.5m people with common mental health conditions and health system costs through reductions in hospital admissions and prescribing. New services will be integrated with physical healthcare so that care can be built holistically around the needs of the person and support them to achieve wellbeing. By 2020/21 community mental health services for adults of all ages will be better supported to balance demand and capacity, deliver timely access to interventions, integrate with primary care, social care and other local services for improved patient-centred care. In order to address fragmented pathways in secure care new commissioning and service models will look to increase access to high-quality care that prevents avoidable admissions and supports recovery for people who have severe mental health problems.
Delivering the increase in access to mental health services will require a significant expansion in the workforce, with the right capacity and skills mix. By 2020/21 a significant number of professional staff will need to be employed to meet the additional demand alongside additional skills training to maintain the current workforce. The plan makes clear it is equally important for the NHS to focuses on promoting staff health and wellbeing to improve satisfaction, productivity and retention.
The fourth annual Mental Health conference will support NHS staff, organisations and other parts of the system in delivering the changes required to improve mental health care for all. The agenda will examine how to practically implement key recommendations and priorities, detail real life examples of new models of care and provide insightful progress on the local and national service improvements that are driving better outcomes.
The presentation will focus on introduction to the devolution and mental health strategy and work priorities including patient, carers and community engagement.
In order to address fragmented pathways in secure care new commissioning and service models will look to increase access to high-quality care that supports recovery for people who have severe mental health problems – REACH OUT is the West Midlands partnership response to meeting this new challenge.
Exploring Minds community mental health programmes and services, what they have and how it works.
How can organisations ensure that the voices of people with lived experience are included in decision-making, from commissioning to co-design and co-delivery? Co-production with people with lived experience of services, their families and carers is a key principle for local areas to follow when developing their own plans.
Describing what is contained in the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health for Children, incorporating the recommendations from Future in Mind, and confirming NHS England’s commitment to delivering that transformation working with system partners.
NHS England have begun plans to roll out a program for digitally-enabled healthcare to help improve productivity and widen patient choice over the type of treatment they receive. Ieso Digital Health are commissioned to deliver Online Talking Therapy on behalf of the NHS Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) Services in many areas across the UK. This sessions will explore the use of technology to facilitate widespread access to effective, evidence-based mental health therapy, with improved clinical outcomes.
Discussing the benefits of peer support in helping to identify needs, reduce the likelihood of escalation and distress and support recovery.
Healios is reimagining the way children and young people access and receive assessment and evidence-based psychological therapies by including the whole family to achieve the best possible outcomes. Coupling family centricity with tailored technologies, Healios delivers a completely new interactive experience to increase engagement with assessment and therapy – one that marks a clear change in each child and young person’s treatment journey.
‘Implementing the Five Year Forward View’ sets out how services will help reach a million more people a year by 2020/21. The plan commits to improving access to high-quality care, delivering more integrated services and earlier interventions in a short timescale. So how do we make the plans a reality?
Is it possible to fully recover from unimaginable grief, guilt and torment? Hear how one woman’s inspirational journey of recovery from the pits of suicidal despair, is helping to shape early intervention strategies, build community resilience and improve access to treatment via co-production in Telford & Wrekin. Following a series of significant losses, including the death of her husband by suicide, Phyl Edmonds faced a stark choice – live or die. She chose the hardest route and this is her story.
Over the next two years £72m has been allocated to better integrate physical and mental health care with the ambition to directly train new staff and deliver new ‘early implementer’ integrated services. New services will be integrated with physical healthcare so that care can be built holistically around the needs of the person and support them to achieve wellbeing.
Construction of The Bridgewater Hall commenced on 22 March 1993, but the idea of a new concert hall for Manchester dates back to the reconstruction of the Free Trade Hall in the 1950s after wartime bomb damage. The Free Trade Hall was home to the city’s famous Hallé orchestra and also hosted rock and pop concerts. However, despite holding great public affection, the 1850s Free Trade Hall was ill-equipped to respond to the rising standards of service and acoustic excellence demanded by performers and audiences.
