Mental health

Sheena Cumiskey, Chief Executive Officer for the Cheshire and Wirral Partnership, chaired the Mental Health sub-cell meeting on 1st December 2020.

 

Key Messages

  • Demand and acuity continues to be high, especially for adult acute beds, PICU beds and Children’s and Young People’s services
  • Mutual aid arrangements across Cheshire and Merseyside continue to be strengthened to mitigate the increased demand
  • It is planned that the Resilience Hub will go live week ending 18th December 

 

Operational Issues/Workforce Challenges

  • As of 6th December, 98% of C&M adult acute beds were occupied, as were 95% of all PICU beds
  • Children’s and Young People’s services in C&M have also seen a 100% increase in demand compared to the same period last year, especially in young people with eating disorders
  • Services for older people are also experiencing increased pressure, with a lack of available beds and ongoing difficulties with transfers to care homes
  • The increase in demand combined with the non-availability of staff due to social distancing, shielding and sickness absence continues to be an issue
  • An initial meeting has been held between bed management leads across the mental health trusts to improve mutual aid arrangements in acute and PICU bed provision
  • North West Boroughs has run a mini procurement exercise with the independent sector to increase the number of step up/step down beds available.  These have also been offered out to other C&M trusts through mutual aid
  • The sub-cell’s presentation for the Q2 NW Deep Dive in to mental health provision has received good feedback, allowing for challenges and issues to be articulated to regional colleagues.

 

Resilience Hub

  • The Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Lead, Senior Operational Manager, Project Administrator and Principal Clinical Psychologist have started
  • Two Assistant Clinical Psychologists are in the recruitment stage; and advertisements have gone out for a further three Cognitive Behavioural Therapists and a Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist.  The Hub will go live once these posts have been recruited to
  • Standard Operating Procedures are being finalised for the service

 

Next steps

  • Work will continue to embed mutual aid arrangements across C&M
  • It is planned that the Resilience Hub goes live week ending 18th December 2020
  • Discussions will be held with regional colleagues to further enhance collectively problem solving.