Mental Health Safety Improvement Programme
Aimed to improve safety and outcomes of mental health care. Programme closed September 2023, learning is being captured and shared.
Overview
The Mental Health Safety Improvement Programme (MHSIP) aimed to reduce the incidence of restrictive practice in inpatient mental health, learning disability and autism services by 25% by September 2023. 14 wards participated in the programme from across the South West. Analysis of data indicates that there was a 45% reduction in restraints and a 33% reduction in the use of rapid tranquilisation in the region1.
The National MHSIP programme is now closed and South West mental health inpatient providers will be continuing their local work to reduce restrictive practices. They will also have the opportunity to join the new Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism Inpatient Quality Transformation Programme from late 2023/early 2024, which is being launched by NHS England.
Detailed Programme Information
Aiming to improve safety and outcomes of mental health care
Restraints and seclusion are examples of restrictive practices that can sometimes be used on inpatient mental health, learning disability and autism wards when there is an immediate risk of harm to members of staff, the patient or other service users. Although these practices are sometimes the only option to keep everyone safe from harm, being restrained or secluded is generally a negative experience for service users, their families, the staff involved in the restraint, and anyone else who may witness the situation.
Working as part of The Collaborative, Health Innovation South West supported Mental Health providers to develop a safety and learning culture, build Quality Improvement capability and test ideas to reduce restrictive practices .
Ward teams used Quality Improvement methods to help them understand and change their ward systems, working ‘upstream’ to encourage more proactive care and reduce situations when restrictive practices become needed.
The Collaborative
The Collaborative aimed to improve the quality and safety of services for people with mental health conditions across the South of England through the use of quality improvement methodology.
Led by Health Innovation West of England, membership included Health Innovation Networks for the South West, Kent, Surrey and Sussex, Oxford, and 16 mental health trusts across the South of England. The Collaborative acted as the regional delivery vehicle for the Mental Health Safety Improvement Programme, which was commissioned by NHS England and delivered by each of England’s 15 Health Innovation Networks.
Together we created the conditions for success by:
- Supporting our NHS Mental Health, Autism and Learning Disabilities member organisations to develop a safety and learning culture.
- Building Quality Improvement (QI) capability in members, supporting them from being QI learners to leaders of QI.
- Championing and supporting co-production in QI work in member organisations.
- Creating a network that used measurement for improvement and learning, applying the Model for Improvement to develop, test and spread new or existing, local and national innovation.
For more information about our Mental Health Safety Improvement Programme MHSIP) work please contact us.
