Dr Owain Rhys Hughes, NHS surgeon, CEO and founder of clinical communications platform Cinapsis, explains why greater collaboration is needed to support clinicians in tackling the post-pandemic mental health crisis.
Britain is slowly starting to recover from the worst impacts of the pandemic, yet the road ahead looks no less uncertain. While one public health crisis has been dominating media attention over the past year, a second has quietly gathered pace behind the scenes.
It’s estimated that mental health support will be needed by 10m people over the coming months, prompting a warning from experts and charities about a ‘tsunami’ of cases putting pressure on NHS services.
Among those in need will be patients visiting their GP for the first time, many suffering from chronic stress, isolation, bereavement and unemployment, as well as those already in the system, in need of additional support after mental health services were reduced during the pandemic.
Evidence shows that the capacity of NHS mental health teams pales in comparison to this swiftly rising demand. Many staff are only just resuming their roles since being redeployed, and fewer patients are accessing the care they need compared to pre-pandemic.
To ensure both new and existing mental health patients receive the best care and support, the NHS needs to work as one to tackle this crisis. Just as the NHS united in the face of the pandemic, so too must it unite to tackle the impending mental health emergency.
It’s time we changed the status quo and embraced new ways of collaborating to streamline care across the entire NHS machine.
Fixing a fragmented system
Currently, mental health care is distributed across a variety of disconnected services. Moving between community providers, charities, GPs and hospitals, a patient’s journey is often disjointed and difficult to track. This makes planning effective long-term treatment challenging.
Clinicians may struggle to access information about individual care history or the best course of treatment, and patients may find their recovery hindered by the disruption of moving between services. A more cohesive mental health care pathway is needed to remedy this, with streamlined communication between care providers an urgent priority.
Technology offers us the power to connect disparate teams and build a united front against the rising tide of mental health cases. Through in-depth data analysis, of treatment timelines, service capacity and patient demographic, clinicians can plan and distribute care more efficiently.
With instant access to the advice and guidance of local specialists, mental health nurses can also treat the physical symptoms that accompany mental illness, without needing to refer patients to a different care setting.
Enabling primary care clinicians to seek support in order to deliver better care will help reduce the pressure currently faced by secondary care services. By opening up direct lines of communication between disparate NHS teams, expertise can be shared to allow more cases to be dealt with quickly in communities.
Working together in this way is essential if we’re to ensure the rising number of mental health cases can be efficiently and sustainably managed.
How tech is helping turn the tide on the crisis
Trusts are already implementing tech as a solution to mounting patient backlogs, and the positive impact of this effort is clear. Using the Cinapsis SmartReferrals platform, which connects primary and secondary care clinicians via an app so they can communicate with one another and share information.
One Gloucestershire ICS saw a 70 per cent reduction in unnecessary outpatient appointments and an 83 per cent drop in A&E visits. Instead, patients were able to quickly access more appropriate community services. We should use this as a blueprint to tackle the mental health crisis, using tech-enabled communication to speed up care whilst reducing pressure on overburdened hospitals.
Collaboration does not stop with clinicians, either. Tech can also be used to coordinate care remotely with patients themselves. Digital platforms that support patients to manage their condition from home, such as SilverCloud’s remote therapeutic treatment deliveries and interactive treatment plans from Patients Know Best, help to reduce pressure on NHS services by supporting patients to manage their condition outside of hospital.
Coordinating mental health care across the NHS wherever possible is pivotal if we’re to deliver the very best care to patients, whilst easing pressure on stretched NHS services and clinicians. Our health service is united by a shared commitment to delivering high-quality care to everyone who needs it. By presenting a united front and embracing technologies that enable collaboration, we can protect the future of our NHS.
