Improving access to mental health services for young people
North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust – England
As one of the main providers of mental health services in England’s West Midlands region, North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust operates approximately 30 sites to serve a population of 464,000 people, including thousands of children. With young people having to wait up to 14 weeks to see a mental health professional, the NHS Trust was committed to finding ways to provide critically needed services faster. Among many initiatives, the NHS Trust wanted to provide better care by streamlining its referral process while increasing online self-help options. The NHS Trust turned to Dedalus to deploy an integrated digital care solution that provides young people with faster access to local mental health services while also greatly improving the collation and dissemination of patient information.
Improving patient analytics
The implementation of Dedalus solutions has also helped the NHS Trust to improve its analytics capabilities. David Hewitt (Chief Information Officer Hewitt – North Staffordshire combined Healthcare NHS Trust) says: “a key focus for his team is how the NHS Trust uses data to make decisions and improve care. We are really starting to recognise the strategic value of data within the organisation and how we can use it in new and innovative ways to drive value for our services,”
A primary goal is to use data to support front-line clinicians and inform model care pathways.
The portal also provides direction to schools. At the core of the portal is a recommendation engine powered by Dedalus Open Health Connect, a platform designed to collect healthcare information from disparate sources to inform care decisions. The solution helps clinicians make triage decisions in a consistent way, based on information that is more complete, relevant and easier to assimilate.
Lesley Birkin, clinical systems manager for the NHS Trust says “the NHS Trust’s strong relationship with Dedalus has been key to the success of projects they’ve collaborated on. Dedalus has a clear understanding of our needs and understands the local processes, services, and the people within the NHS Trust. ”
Challenge
- Improve access to mental health services for young people
- Accommodate increased patient referrals while reducing service delays
- Enhance information gathering to help clinicians provide more effective care
Solution
- A new engagement and referral platform to improve access to services and meet the needs of students, teachers, parents and care professionals
- Dedalus Open Health Connect, which includes a recommendation engine for practitioners
- Dedalus Lorenzo electronic patient record solution
Results
- Accelerated access to the right care at the right time to speed up recovery and reduce recurrences
- Provided more complete, more relevant patient information that is easier for healthcare professionals to assimilate
- Implemented self-management tools to identify potential risks and communicate information
