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For more information, please get in touch with Aileen Jackson, Head of Mental Health at the Health Innovation Network.
Email nowLondon Mental Health Crisis Hub Assessment Framework
Creating a safe and efficient model for people experiencing a mental health crisis during the Covid-19 surge/winter pressures period.
In response to a request from NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSEI) London Clinical Network in the Autumn of 2020, the Health Innovation Network worked in partnership with UCLPartners Academic Health Science Network (AHSN) to develop the London Mental Health Crisis Hub Assessment Framework.
During the first wave of Covid-19 pandemic to deal with emergent issues, new models of emergency mental health crisis units were rapidly put in place by mental health service providers. However, there was considerable variation of approach, due to different local contexts, but also due to the paucity of research evidence available regarding optimal models for crisis care, and the lack of best practice guidelines. This Framework brings together the experiential knowledge or working practitioners, service users and key experts, combined with the limited available published evidence.
The Framework Introduced by Martin Machray,Joint Regional Chief Nurse, and Clinical Quality Director/Covid-19 Incident Director, and Malti Varshney, Director, Clinical Network and Clinical Senate, NHSEI London Region enshrines the good practice of continuous quality improvement .It honours the commitment made to the Mental Health Crisis Concordat, ‘to work together to improve the system of care and support so people in a crisis because of a mental health condition are kept safe and helped to find the support they need, whatever the circumstances in which they need help and form whichever service they turn to first’.
The Framework is a working document for review and is being implemented in London from Thursday 17 December 2020 and is available for all NHS trusts to share and adopt.
