Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

The Committee considered a report on a Substantial Development or Variation in Service regarding the transfer of the Assertive Outreach function from separate teams to within Community Mental Health Teams. 

The Trust currently had four Assertive Outreach Teams who provided a service for service users who were hard to engage.  They were separate from Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs) who were the cornerstone of community based mental health services and acted as a single point of access for secondary care.  Low use of hospital beds was seen as a measure of good CMHTs - within the Trust inpatient admissions were managed successfully in fewer than the national average beds.  Service users who required intensive case management were referred from CMHTs to Assertive Outreach Teams.  This transfer could cause disruption and uncertainty to service users and carers at a time of increased risk and was an inefficient way of working with duplication of assessment and paperwork.

It was therefore proposed to integrate the Assertive Outreach function into CMHTs, detailed work had been undertaken to ensure capacity and resource would be available to support service users.

Consultation would be undertaken with a range of stakeholders and including any service users or carers directly involved with the current service.  Subject to the results of the consultation, the change would be implemented in December 2009.

RESOLVED:  That

(a) the proposal be confirmed as a Level 2 change;

(b) the proposals and consultation process be supported: and

(c) a report be submitted to the Committee early in the new year with initial feedback on the impact of the proposals and the outcome of the consultation and a further report be submitted approximately six months after implementation listing financial impact and impact on service users and carers.