Mental Health Crisis Care - Concordant Report
What is the Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat?
The Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat is a national agreement between services and agencies involved in the care and support of people in crisis. It sets out how organisations will work together better to make sure that people get the help they need when they are having a mental health crisis. In February 2014, 22 national bodies involved in health, policing, social care, housing, local government and the third sector came together and signed the Crisis Care Concordat. Since then 5 more bodies have signed the Concordat, making a total of 27 national signatories.
The Concordat focuses on four main areas:
• Access to support before crisis point – making sure people with mental health problems can get help 24 hours a day and that when they ask for help, they are taken seriously.
• Urgent and emergency access to crisis care – making sure that a mental health crisis is treated with the same urgency as a physical health emergency.
• Quality of treatment and care when in crisis – making sure that people are treated with dignity and respect, in a therapeutic environment.
• Recovery and staying well – preventing future crises by making sure people are referred to appropriate services.
Although the Crisis Care Concordat focuses on the responses to acute mental health crises, it also includes a section on prevention and intervention. The Concordat builds on and does not replace existing guidance and current service provision should continue while the Action Plan is being devised.
The Concordats joint statement is:
“We commit to work together to improve the system of care and support so people in crisis because of a mental health condition are kept safe and helped to find the support they need – whatever the circumstances in which they first need help - and from whichever service they turn to first.”
By March 2015, National Government expects measurable progress towards achieving true parity of esteem, where everyone who needs it has timely access to evidence-based services. ‘We expect every community to have plans to ensure no one in crisis will be turned away, based on the principles set out in the Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat.’
How does the Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat operate in Barnsley?
As outlined above the Concordat supports a multi- agency approach to deliver excellence in commissioning. 5 Barnsley has signed up to the Concordat and its principles and have established an implementation group to develop and monitor the implementation of the action plan in line with national timescales for Barnsley. To date the national feedback on the plan has been very positive:
“Barnsley’s plan is strong in many areas and reflects the Concordat well, from access to recovery. This includes its actions on dementia and autism, s136, the join up with criminal justice liaison and diversion, and intoxication.”
The Department of Health has commissioned MIND to evaluate nationally the Concordat and its implementation. This is expected in January 2016. The purpose of the Barnsley Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat Implementation Group is to review the requirements of the Concordat and develop an action plan that reflects local context and requirements. This Group brings together local partners including the Third Sector, Health, Social Care and Criminal Justice organisations to effectively drive forward local delivery of the National Concordat, reporting progress and issues to the Health and Wellbeing Board.
Downloads
To find out more, download a copy of our full report.
If you require a copy of this report in a different format please telephone 01226 320106 or email healthwatch@barnsleycvs.org.uk
