Here at the West of England AHSN we are now developing our programme to deliver the national Mental Health Safety Improvement Programme (known as MHSIP). Led nationally by NHS England and Improvement’s patient safety team, the MHSIP is one of five programmes delivered by the West of England Patient Safety Collaborative. Read more about all our work to improve patient safety.
Local delivery is focused on achieving the ambitions of the national MHSIP:
- Reduce suicide and deliberate self-harm in inpatient mental health services, the healthcare workforce and non-mental health acute settings.
- Reduce the incidence of restrictive practice in inpatient mental health and learning disability services by 50% by March 2024.
- Improve the sexual safety of patients and staff on inpatient mental health units by 50% above baseline by March 2024.
To ensure we realise these ambitions, we are now developing a local Mental Health Patient Safety Network. We anticipate this will include representatives from our region’s healthcare systems, Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership, Gloucester Health and Care Foundation Trust, South Western Ambulance Services Trust, community healthcare providers, mental health charities, acute trusts and people with lived experience including both past and present service users.
A key enabler for this work will be the South of England Mental Health Quality and Patient Safety Improvement Collaborative (MHC). The collaborative is hosted by the West of England AHSN, and was created in partnership with the South West AHSN and includes 11 mental health trusts across the south of England.
Whilst aligned to the ambitions of the MHSIP, the MHC also aims to improve the quality and safety of services for people with mental health conditions.
The collaborative, which utilises the three L’s (Learn, Live & Lead) approach to quality improvement, is being recognised as a key vehicle for delivery of the MHSIP. As such we are also working in partnership with collaborative Faculty and members, as well as AHSN’s across the south of England, to ensure its ongoing vitality and sustainability for the duration of the Mental Health Safety Improvement Programme.
James McMahon, Senior Project Manager said:
“It is vital that mental health is at the forefront of the AHSN’s work and the innovation, inclusivity and quality improvement methodology we are so passionate about informs the region’s mental health service provision for staff, past and present service users and their families.
The Mental Health Safety Improvement Programme is ambitious and exciting, and here at the West of England AHSN we’re ready to work collaboratively to make real progress”.
If you would like to join our Mental Health Patient Safety Network, or find out more about its work, please contact Senior Project Manager, James McMahon.
You can also explore our work on mental health here.
Posted on March 10, 2021
Mental Health Safety Improvement Programme
Our Mental Health Safety Improvement Programme aims to improve patient safety for people accessing mental health services and treatment.
