Collaborative Programmes
Collaborative work across NMHDU work programmes has progressed well and this is set out below.
Population Mental Health & Well-being
Subject to detail of new national policy priorities, three areas of joint work and investment have been identified across the programmes to help launch & embed the outputs from the health and wellbeing programme:
a) Evidence-based implementation kits for commissioners.
b) Materials for MH Foundation Trusts to support their contribution to public mental health issues.
c) Materials for Directors of Public Health, Directors of Finance and GP Consortia providing an evidence base for the impact of "upstream" interventions.
Improving Access to Psychological Therapies
The Coalition Administration has signalled strong support for the development of talking therapies. In order to ensure that commissioners are supported in their ability to respond to this the Commissioning Programme and the IAPT Programme have been working closely together in recent months. A joint appointment has now been made between the programmes. Delivery priorities will be the production of an IAPT Commissioning guide/toolkit identifying best practice in the approach to sustainable commissioning of IAPT/CBT as part of a primary care led model of mental health; highlighting the physical health/mental health interface and how effective models work to prioritise the mental health needs of people with physical health problems and the physical health needs of those with mental health problems. Considerable work is also underway to develop an IAPT component to support the introduction of Mental Health Payment by Results.
Improving Health, Supporting Justice & Safeguarding
Identification has taken place of cross-programme priorities to integrate and support the QIPP work on Out of Area services and the Liaison and Diversion programme focus on the criminal justice sytem/secure pathways. This has also enabled cross representation on the reference groups for both programmes.
Mental Health & Equalities
A proposal has been developed for a part time joint appointment to support the embedding of equalities within commissioning. In particular the project will seek to maximise the incorporation of two products - The Equalities in MH Handbook and the Equalities Dashboard into commissioning processes working through regional partners.
Housing and Employment (Social Inclusion)
NMHDU is commissioning a project that will make a major contribution to the commissioning of housing and housing related support for people with mental health conditions. The project comprises three streams:
a) A resource tool to inform, educate and advise health and social care commissioners about the role of housing and housing related support in adult mental health. This tool will: highlight examples of current positive practice; describe the importance of the integration between housing, health and social care; recommend critical aspects of effective commissioning and the frameworks for achieving this (including the JSNA); and demonstrates innovation in the commissioning role for personalisation.
b) A short and focused study on the contribution that housing and housing support can make to the QIPP agenda. This will focus on the Acute Care Pathway, specifically addressing delayed discharge and early intervention, and reducing residential care and Out of Area Treatments (OATS). It will include and economic and statistical analysis.
c) An examination of the potential for new models of commissioning and delivering housing and housing related support. The project would look specifically at the potential for NHS Foundation Trusts to deliver provider-led innovation with Housing Associations and commission them directly, as well as the options for asset ownership and management.
Mental Health commissioning workforce development
Workforce development itself is clearly a local matter for commissioning organisations to support and resource through local mechanisms. This work is to support that local workforce development with national intelligence and through national initiatives which are made available at the local level.
The mental health commissioning workforce survey is the first of its kind in England. It was completed by almost 200 mental health commissioners in England, which we now estimate to be about 61% of the mental health commissioning population. The survey covers all SHAs, although coverage varied between SHAs. The survey report contains the results and key messages which may assist organisations in their own local planning and development.
Royal College of Psychiatrists Training modules
The development of this product has been led by the Royal College with support from the Programme. The modules will bring together MH Commissioners and their Providers to learn about the commissioning process in a joint learning set model. This project is currently being piloted in the North West, with a series of learning sets currently taking place
For further enquiries contact Lynnemchristopher@gmail.com
Download a copy of the Royal College of Psychiatrists Commissioning Learning Sets
Royal Colleges and NHS Confederation
The Programme Director co-chairs a Royal College of Psychiatrists programme on Mental Health Commissioning with a colleague from the RCPsych. As part of this work the Programme and the NHS Confederation are supporting the RCPsych and the RCGPs in joint work on GP led Mental Health commissioning.