Adult Mental Health Service Transformation: Phase 2 - During Transformation

South West London and St Georges NHS Mental Health Trust (SWLSTG) developed a new model of care to improve their mental health services across Kingston, Richmond, Sutton, Merton and Wandsworth.  They commissioned Healthwatch Richmond to gain insight

Changes included forming a dedicated Richmond Single Point of Access, enabling people to self-refer, a new VCSE lead provider peer support service and a Welfare Advice Service.

This report compares the lived experiences of service users between the pre-transformation findings and , 6 months later during the transformation to the new model.

The full review of the transformation is planned in three phases, with phase one conducted from the 15th March 2023 to the 31st March 2023, Phase 2 during the transformation (9th November 2023 - 27th December 2023) and Phase 3 in the post-transformation.

Healthwatch conducted a survey before the transformation of services, and then in an expanded form, distributed this to the cohort of people using the service during the transformation to measure current impact. A future final stage will assess the lasting impact post-transformation.

41 people completed the initial pre transformation survey. To improve response rates for phase 2, a larger sample of 400 service users  was randomly selected by SWLSTG. The survey was distributed via text message and over the phone, resulting in 77 completed responses. The data collection period for the second survey ran from 29 November 2023 to 27 December 2023.

The review reports the majority of ratings showed moderate improvements. Satisfaction towards time taken to access support was improved by 23%, while having a choice in treatment received had decreased by -18%.

There was also a 23% positive change stating people know where to find more information and support if they need it. A 21% increase in social needs/factors being considered as part of care and support offered was also positive 

Between the two phases,  there was a decrease in A&E visits due to mental health concerns

The number of people who rated that they had received the help they needed was already rated low at 0% in phase 1,  this decreased even further by -3%. 

Following this report, the trust actioned three programmes of work for reminder of the rollout 

1. Improving Community Care
2.  The Adult Patient Journey Programme to improve patient experience
3. A 'Waiting well' review to improve the structure and system for people waiting for intervention.