Agenda item

A report and brief presentation was provided by Dr Rob Holmes with contributions from Dr Sharon Binyon and Jed Francique. This briefed the JHOSC on the programme of inpatient service development and reconfiguration to develop a high performing mental health acute and urgent care pathway in Coventry and Warwickshire. The programme was one of the workstreams of the Mental Health programme of the Coventry and Warwickshire Health and Care Partnership (HCP). A number of key principles had informed the programme and these were detailed in the report.

A range of projects had been initiated to enhance community-based urgent care to offer triage, assessment and treatment of patients with mental health issues in a responsive and timely manner. CWPT was continuing to review and develop its plans to provide a clearer and more focused set of services across the mental health inpatient sites, being the Caludon Centre in Coventry, St Michael’s Hospital in Warwick and the Manor site in Nuneaton. These plans were clinically driven to support the appropriate specialisation and effectiveness of services. It would reduce the need to send some patients out of area to receive their treatment.It was recognised that meaningful stakeholder engagement was essential for the development and finalisation of the plans.

Questions and comments were submitted, with responses provided as indicated:

• The focus on mental health services was welcomed. There were some gaps in provision in the north of the Warwickshire and it was hoped this review would address them. • Parallels were drawn to the previous item on the review of stroke services, again proposing the centralisation of acute services in Coventry with community services in other locations. There was a need for meaningful consultation with the provider taking on board the feedback received. Furthermore, the community services needed to be established before the acute service changes were implemented.

• Reference was made to the ‘Housing First’ initiative in Coventry that sought to assist homeless people. A member asked if there were good links to other ‘wraparound’ support services. CWPT had embedded two specialist nurses in the P3 project in Warwickshire. Meetings were planned with Coventry City Council to explore how those organisations could work together more cohesively. There was a broader aspect in terms of developing housing solutions. Some progress had been made, but more could be done. There were models of support elsewhere in the country where local authorities and mental health service providers were working together on housing projects.

• It was noted that CWPT wanted to work collaboratively, but at the same time it was configuring its services around specific sites. Given the earlier references to place based working and PCNs, it was questioned how this review would align.

• Dr Holmes spoke about the work with PCNs, which were at different stages across the county. Dr Binyon explained how the five year plan referenced mental health services through its work streams and the additional monies allocated to acute liaison and crisis services. There were plans in place to utilise this and anticipated future funding for primary care services. A comparison was drawn to the stroke review and the rationale for short term specialist inpatient care and then more community-based treatment afterwards.

Resolved

That the Joint Health OSC notes the briefing.