Agenda item

To receive a presentation from the CNTW.

Members received a presentation from Pamela Travers, Kath Elliott and Chloe Mann of the Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust.  The presentation outlined the Trust’s experiences, what it had delivered and future thoughts about what needed to be done plus the five year plan.

Members were informed of the following:-

•       Psychiatric Liaison

•       Face to face contact had continued throughout the pandemic.

•       The Trust was required to provide a Mental Health Emergency Department in response to the pandemic.

•       Children and young persons pathway had been introduced.

•       An extended service for older adult’s liaison psychiatry was being piloted at NSECH.

•       Older Persons Pathway

•       Accelerated plan for 24/7 Crisis Care for older adults

•       Urgent assessment available  working with care providers to avoid breakdown of home environment

•       Direct referrals were accepted.

•       Working Age Pathway

•       Essential need for mental health crisis care was recognised and worked closely with ICS to respond.

•       Close working with wider community and directly with Together in a Crisis to offer bespoke service.

•       Younger Persons Pathway

•       Young people up to age of 25 at particular risk during the pandemic.

•       An enhanced psychiatric liaison service had been developed.

•       Specialist follow up for acute admissions and follow up appointments with CYP Crisis Team.  This reduced deterioration and provided early intervention on first presentation.

•       Addictions Services

•       Full service remained available and approach adapted to meet needs of most vulnerable.

•       Included provision of mobile phones to vulnerable, use of technology for group therapy and food parcel provision.

•       Community Treatment Teams

•       Initially only essential face to face contact offered but regular service resumed.

•       Digital Technology developed for individual and group work.

•       Care plans developed to allow for choice regarding contact.

•       COVID secure workplaces developed for staff and patients.

•       Minimal increase in DNAs and initial decrease in referrals

•       Referrals decreased initially but now returned to pre COVID levels plus slight increase.

•       What went well?

•       Close collaborative work with patients to develop care plan they felt safe and comfortable with.

•       Collaborative work with nursing homes.

•       Increased confidence in use of digital technology.

•       New approaches to team and partnership working and response to ever changing patient need.

•       Flexible and adaptability of workforce and ongoing staff resilience.

•       What’s next?

•       The Trust would continue to work in a COVID safe environment, enhance and maintain the use of digital technology.

•       The crisis service offer to 16-25s would continue to be developed in line with the long-term plan.

•       Service model within Addictions to be reviewed.

•       Transformation of Community Mental Health as part of the NHS long term plan.

        The following comments were made:-      

•       Members welcomed the report and thanked the Trust for its hard work and commitment and flexibility to adapt during the pandemic.

•       The pandemic had created a lot of pressure on families and communities and there had been incidents of self harm.

•       The Trust had seen a reduction in the number of other infections such as flu or norovirus largely due to the use of PPE.

•       The virtual offer of group work had met the needs of a cohort of people who would probably not have engaged with the service previously.  Face to face group work would be reintroduced but the virtual group offer would remain.

•       There would be members of the public who had suffered from poor mental health during the pandemic who were not known to the public as they had not sought help.  Men and young men were a group of major concern in this regard.

•       The Trust acknowledged that there were those who were waiting much longer than usual to come forward for help.  It was important to get the message out to come forward.

•       More older adults who had self-harmed were being seen.  These adults were suffering as a result of loneliness and lack of contact.  Additional funding had been made available for crisis funding.  This would be used to focus on increasing social contact and engaging with the community.

•       Young mothers, particularly those suffering from post-natal depression were another group which could require support.

RESOLVED that the presentation and comments be noted.