New mental health crisis response service launched in Northamptonshire

An innovative new response service has been launched in Northamptonshire aimed at helping those in a mental health crisis.

The new Crisis Response Unit (CRU), launched by Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, (NHFT) is a 24-hour response vehicle staffed by trained professionals, providing a dedicated resource to attend to mental health emergencies.

The new service has been developed and co-produced with service users and carers who have used crisis services in the past.

With this in mind, the vehicle is not obviously identifiable as a medical response vehicle, and once inside, there is a table and seating where individuals can sit, talk or even play board games.

There is also sensory lighting available to support those with sensory needs, giving it a relaxed and friendly feel.

The new service is made up of a number of professionals. In addition to the service manager, the service is supported by senior clinicians, support workers, peer support workers, co-ordinators, lived experience leads, co-production colleagues, and a business support manager.

Bob Fletcher, Crisis Response Unit Service Manager, said: “When someone is experiencing mental ill health and needs an urgent response, they may be in some distress, and their physical environment may also be chaotic.

"The response vehicle provides a calm space where the individual can spend some time with the support of trained professionals, in a quiet environment.”

Currently, when an individual calls 999, the case is triaged and when there is a physical or mental health emergency, it is given to the ambulance service.

For the mental health patient, this can mean long waits in hospital while they are referred to the correct agencies for support, and for the ambulance service, this can mean patients with physical health needs have a longer wait for care.

The launch of the Crisis Response Unit means that patients experiencing mental ill health that requires an urgent response, will receive more appropriate care for their needs, more quickly, by appropriately trained professionals.

Where carers are involved, they too will receive support and guidance in supporting the patient.

Upon arrival, the team will carry out a comprehensive assessment of the mental health needs of the patient and develop an onward plan for support and, or treatment, with the aim of preventing the need for attendance at hospital Emergency Departments to access mental health support.

Care plans, safety plans and packages of care will be developed to support the individual and carer in their own setting.

Richard Tweed, Community Service Manager for the Crisis Care Pathway at NHFT said: “We are delighted to launch our Crisis Response Unit service, after months of planning, coproduction, and work with partners, we are really excited to launch the service and start helping those who need us the most, at the point of crisis.

“Earlier this year, the Prime Minister described our mental health crisis and community services as ‘trailblazing’.

"The launch of our Crisis Response Unit is a further demonstration of our innovation and commitment to delivering coproduced services which meet the increasing and ever-changing needs of our services users and carers.”

The service is currently in its infancy, but it is hoped that a second vehicle will be introduced next year, providing additional support and capacity.

The CRU will be working closely with the East Midlands Ambulance Service and the Integrated Response Hub to triage calls appropriately and ensure that support is allocated to those in greatest need.

NHFT already provides a range of mental health crisis services including the 24-hour mental health number which can be called any time of day or night any time of the year on 0800 448 0828.

A number of crisis cafes also run in partnership with Northamptonshire Mind, details of locations and opening times can be found at www.nhft.nhs.uk/crisis-cafe