We’ve gone System Perfect for mental health

Health and care organisations across Doncaster and Bassetlaw have gone mental health system perfect today (26 March).

This is a week-long exercise (from Tuesday 26 March 2019) which looks at how health and social care pathways function when all hands are on deck and everything is working exactly as it should.

System Perfect is a project which happens several times a year; the focus this time is on mental health services, raising awareness and encouraging conversations locally so people can access the support they need in their local communities.

Over the last 12 months, like most areas across the country, we have seen a rise in the number of people attending the emergency departments at Doncaster Royal Infirmary and Bassetlaw Hospital when they need mental health support or when they are in crisis.

Throughout this week of action, the System Perfect team will seek to better understand the use of the emergency department for people when they experience mental health crisis, as well as raising awareness of the wide range of services that operate across Doncaster and Bassetlaw to support and address individual mental health needs.

Announced recently as part of the NHS Long Term Plan, a series of pilots will take place across the country to provide expert care within one hour for people that arrive at local emergency departments experiencing a mental health crisis. As part of these pilots, patients experiencing a mental health crisis will also be able to access quick care in their own home or community, while no one who urgently needs help should wait more than 24 hours.

In Doncaster and Bassetlaw, we already have a wide range of services available within local communities, similar to the ambitions set out in the NHS Long Term Plan.

You can help the System Perfect project by making sure you, your friends and family are aware of and make best use of mental health services appropriately. There’s a range of information and support available which is included in a new web page, providing a range of information and links for patients and members of the public in Doncaster and Bassetlaw.

As part of our aim to raise awareness of the different services available to support individuals with mental health issues, we have created a short survey, designed to capture people’s awareness of the different services and find out where they would go for help, support and advice. Please complete the survey by Monday 1 April 2019.

The responses from this survey will help shape future services in Doncaster and Bassetlaw.

Follow the week of action, get involved and share your views and experiences on Twitter, using the hashtag #MHSystemPerfectSYB.