New sites to redesign mental health services and reduce out of area placements

NHS England has unveiled a new tranche of sites to test new approaches to delivering mental health services, reducing the number of people travelling long distances for care.

Eleven new sites will focus on bringing down the number of people who receive in-patient hospital treatment and, for those who do need more intensive care, that this is available closer to home.

The sites will effectively work together to reorganise services in their area to provide the best care for patients. They are made up of NHS mental health trusts, independent sector and charitable organisations, and will share a local budget.

Local managers and clinicians will take charge of managing budgets and providing specialised mental health service, tailoring them to the area’s individual needs. Recently, there has been an increase in the number of young people being sent for mental health care inpatient services many miles from their homes, leading to increased lengths of stay. As well as this, reducing inpatient hospital care also offers the opportunity to save money, which means savings can be made and will be reinvested.

NHS England’s National Director for Mental Health, Claire Murdoch, said: “By using savings to increase the availability of services in the community and ensuring the right beds are in the right place, we aim to ensure that those who need it will be able to receive the best care and treatment at home or as close to home as possible.

“These sites have a fantastic opportunity to really tailor their mental health care around local people – helping to drive down the numbers travelling long distances and improving local services for patients.”

The total budget of the programme is around £640 million, representing approximately 35 per cent of the Specialised Commissioning mental health budget.