Mental health services transformation gets the ‘go ahead’

Hywel Dda University Health Board has approved proposals to move to the next phase of the Transforming Mental Health Services programme, which aims to help change adult mental health services for the better across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.

Over 1,170 people engaged in the recent public consultation ‘The Journey to Recovery’ which asked people for their opinions on proposals to change how care and treatment is provided to meet the mental health needs of people now as well as future generations. Having worked together with service users, staff, partners, including West Wales Action for Mental Health and the Community Health Council, a new model of care has been co-designed for mental health services, built from learning from engagement, co-design, international collaboration and public consultation. This includes:

• 24 hour services – ensuring anyone who needs help can access a mental health centre for support at any time of the day or night.
• No waiting lists – so that people receive first contact with mental health services within 24 hours and for their subsequent care to be planned for in a consistent and supportive way.
• Community focus – to stop admitting people to hospital when it isn’t the best option and provide support in the community when people need time away from home, extra support or protection.
• Recovery and resilience – services that don’t purely focus on treating or managing symptoms, but instead help people to live independent, fulfilling lives with the help and support they need.

Libby Ryan-Davies, Director of Transformation, said: “We are pleased to be able to take this important work to the next stage of implementation and wish to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been involved in the programme so far.

“We want service users to have better access to higher quality services in their communities, helping them stay well and out of hospital where possible and we are a step further in making this happen.”

Angie Darlington, Director of West Wales Action for Mental Health (WWAMH) said: “It’s been so encouraging to see the level of interest shown in this consultation. We look forward to continuing to work together to bring these plans to fruition and make a positive difference for the mental health and wellbeing of our local communities.”

Following the robust and comprehensive public consultation, which closed in September last year and has been awarded ‘Best Practice’ status by the Consultation Institute, an implementation plan was co-produced, reflecting the broad range of feedback received and its analysis.

There was support for the proposed model of care, with strong support for a 24/7 service. The questionnaire results highlighted that 61.2% of survey respondents either agreed or strongly agreed with the proposed co-designed model. 25.8% of respondents either disagreed or strongly disagreed with the proposed co-designed model. It is important to note that whilst there is positive support for the proposed co-designed model, some people expressed concerns with different aspects of the model, for example access and transport issues. The Health Board is therefore committed to ongoing engagement and co-production throughout any implementation to ensure that all views continue to be heard and considered.

The implementation plan will now undergo more detailed work around the timescales, processes and potential capital requirements. This work will be aligned with the Transforming Clinical Services programme as the final options for public consultation emerge.

The Health Board has a strong commitment towards working in an integrated way to develop and deliver the proposed model and this will continue to be built upon with all partners to ensure everyone is working together throughout implementation to provide integrated services and the best possible mental health care for people. This collaborative approach has been praised in national awards, with the Health Board winning the NHS Wales Awards 2017 in the ‘Citizens at the Centre of Service Redesign and Delivery’ category and being shortlisted in the Patient Experience Network awards in the ‘Championing the Public’ category (winners are announced in March 2018).

Further updates will be communicated publicly as the programme progresses and, in the meantime, information is available at: www.hywelddahb.wales.nhs.uk/mentalhealth

For the latest news and updates from Hywel Dda University Health Board visit www.hywelddahb.wales.nhs.uk