Achieving the same level of outcomes for mental as well as physical healthcare is a key objective for a well-developed health and social care system, says Wendy Wallace, Chief Executive, Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust
Delivering a modern mental health service
M
ost health systems have a disparity between mental and physical healthcare. Any disparity can be a major cause for a reduction in quality of life and life
expectancy, and mental health is often hampered by inadequate investment and outmoded models of service delivery. This does not need to be the case and by investing in research, education and community based models of care, London based Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust (C&I) is delivering forward looking and innovative mental health services which put the recovery of patients at its heart.
Respect and dignity in a safe environment For many people, the concept of recovery is about staying in control of their life despite experiencing a mental health problem. It is a way of living a satisfying, hopeful and contributing life even with the limitations caused by illness. Modern health services aim to help people with mental health problems look beyond mere survival and existence. They are encouraged to move forward, set new goals and develop relationships that give their life meaning and purpose. Mental illness and social attitudes to mental illness
often impose limits on people experiencing ill health. Health professionals, friends and families can be overly protective or pessimistic about what someone with a mental health problem will be able to achieve. Services should emphasise that, while people
may not have full control over their symptoms, they can have full control over their lives. Success is not about hiding problems, but supporting those with mental health illness to establish themselves in the community as independent people with abilities, interests and dreams.
C&I successfully works with organisations to
implement new models of care which embed the principles of recovery into services. This supports people and gives their life more meaning.
Building a multi-disciplinary approach to care When the UK moved patients from institutional based treatment to a recovery-oriented model in the community, staff saw patients in the context of their family, their work, their leisure pursuits and as members of the wider community. It became essential to work with the patient and
their families to understand what was important to them. Experience in the early years of community based delivery made it clear that both the psychological concerns and the social environment of the patient needed to be addressed. This required a wider range of skills than
psychiatrists and nurses could provide, increasing the need for collaboration with a wider range of professionals, including occupational therapists, psychologists and social workers, as well as a range of highly skilled non-professionally qualified staff. Eventually, this led to the creation of multi- disciplinary teams forming a central feature of virtually all forms of modern mental health care. The effectiveness of these teams in delivering
improvements in care and patient experience is strongly influenced by the quality and extent of education, training and supervision. As staff skills increase, responsibility for determining patient care can be shared across all professions in the team leading to more flexible forms of service delivery, patient experience and increased productivity.
Delivering recovery in the community C&I predominantly delivers mental health services within the Central London districts of Camden and Islington. The local population contains a wide range of social groups including wealthy celebrities, politicians and overseas visitors at one extreme and areas of poverty and social housing at the other. There is a large and diverse immigrant population
48 Global Opportunity Healthcare 2015 | Issue 01
global-opportunity.co.uk
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Camden & Islington NHS FT
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