Mental Health 24 Hour Assessment Service: What are people saying about it?

Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust asked Healthwatch Dudley to help with reviewing its new Mental Health 24 Hour Assessment Service, which was launched in May 2017. They gathered the views of people with an interest in or using mental health assessment services to gauge how they had or are working for them. In total, 26 people participated in focus group activities (14 female and 12 male).

They found that there is scope to do more on co-production and finding ways for professionals to share power with the public; the public can be better involved, from the outset, in discussions and decision making processes; boards and committees can better involve the public on an equal footing in discussions with professionals; there is room to reflect on how information on changes to services are communicated to the public; all relevant organizations need to know about changes to services; and there may be ways to include more voluntary and community organizations in discussions and decision making on the design and provision of services.