What’s on this page:
- Animated video which explains the changes
- What we’re hoping to achieve with the new service
- Who we’ve worked with
- What the new service will look like
- An example of how the service will work in the real world
- Video messages from our project team
- Frequently asked questions
- The survey
Work in healthcare, social care or education? Take a look at our workforce page, which has some information for professionals.
We’ve tried our best to make sure everyone can take part. The information is presented in captioned videos with written transcripts. Also in written form and diagrams. Information about the Learning Disabilities and Autism Services is available in Easy Read. The survey can also be accessed in an Easy Read format.
If you would prefer to access the information in a different way, please get in touch.
Animated video which explains the changes
Watch our animated video for an overview of what you told us needed to be improved, the changes we’ve planned in response, and examples of how that will affect people living in Suffolk.
View this video full-size on Vimeo or read the full script.
What we’re hoping to achieve with the new service
The Crisis service will be accessible 24/7 for people of all ages in east and west Suffolk. The focus will be on creating an open-door culture, with a skilled single point of access. This person will provide effective signposting to further help and will have time to listen, rather than just refer on.
The model will consist of a telephone service that provides 24/7 access to a trained mental health crisis response team.
Although we have already established a 24/7 mental health crisis phone line, introduced in response to the increased demand due to COVID, this will eventually be facilitated via NHS 111 option 2. An easier-to-remember number that is familiar.
The Mental Health Crisis Response team will triage all calls and assess the needs of each individual caller and offer access to a range of support services.
The Crisis Service will be supported by the wider system. We will achieve this by ensuring services are working in a joined-up way, and that all healthcare workers, for example hospital staff working in the Emergency Department, are equipped with the necessary skills and competencies. This wider network will support the specialised mental health support that the Crisis Service will offer.
Who have we worked with?
To make sure we could speak to as many people as possible, from as many of our different communities as possible, we worked with the following groups:
- Suffolk County Council
- Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
- East Suffolk and North Essex Foundation Trust
- West Suffolk Foundation Trust
- Suffolk Parent Carer Network
- Suffolk Family Carers
- Suffolk User Forum
- East of England Ambulance Service
- Suffolk Constabulary
- Care UK
- Service Users
We will continue to work with our co-production partners until the services have been made live. This is planned for summer 2021.
What will the Crisis Service look like?
This diagram illustrates how the new services will actually meet the needs of people in crisis.
Ways you can view this:
1. Click on the image to enlarge it
2. View as a PDF
Additional notes on stages of this service (correlating to the numbers on the image):
1. Psychiatric liaison will be available 24/7 in both West Suffolk Hospital (Bury St. Edmunds) and East Suffolk and North East Essex Hospital (Ipswich).
They can see people of any age on any ward or in A&E that need support with their mental health, they will make reasonable adjustments to support people with a learning disability and/or autism. They can provide direct access in community mental health teams.
2. Police Triage is a 24/7 model and it is for people aged 18 and over. They work closely with Suffolk Constabulary to provide immediate support and have direct access into crisis teams and community mental health teams.
3. The First Response Service is a telephone line that is open 24/7 and is open for anyone to call (there are no age restrictions and reasonable adjustments will be made for people with a learning disability and/or autism) when they require support for an immediate mental health need. The team provide immediate support and have direct access to a wider number of services across health and social care that can support someone in a mental health crisis.
4. The Crisis Response Home Treatment Teams assess and provide short term support for those with an immediate need and require intensive support to prevent or provide alternative to a hospital admission. They will make reasonable adjustments for people with a learning disability and/or autism.
The team are mental health specialists and provide formulation, planning, intervention, and review to those in crisis. The team will support people`s recovery and work closely with other providers until that person can receive support from community, wellbeing or primary care teams.
General notes on the pathway
The right person will be skilled to support people’s mental health in Suffolk. That person could be from the police, voluntary and community Groups, social care, housing providers or mental health teams.
They will support people to get the right support they need.
How will the Crisis Service work in practice?
Here’s a real-world example of how the Crisis Service could affect people living in Suffolk.
Joan is 75 and has had a total hip replacement. During a dressing change, Joan tells a nurse that she’s feeling anxious about going home, Joan lives on her own with no family nearby and isn`t sure how she will manage. She tells the nurse that she`s actually felt this way for a while, and the surgery has made things worse. Joan tells the nurse that she has collected a stock of medication over time, which she keeps at home in case she gets to the point where it’s all too much for her. Joan is tearful and not sure she can do this alone.
The nurse is kind and contacts the hospital’s Psychiatric Liaison Team. They arrange to see Joan later that day on the ward. The mental health nurse, Lynn, reassures Joan that they will get her the support she needs. Lynn liaises with the ward nurses for a home-from-hospital service to help Joan with practical tasks until her hip has recovered.
Lynn also gets in touch with the local befriending service and arranges for a call to be made to Joan so they can match her with a volunteer who will make regular social contact. Joan is given information on local groups running in her area that match her interests, along with a transport service to help her get there.
Before leaving hospital, Joan agrees for the pile of medication she’s collected to be disposed of by the home-from-hospital service. Her GP is contacted and agrees to prescribe two weeks’ worth of medication at a time going forward, to avoid a dangerous amount being in Joan’s house. Lynn sees Joan just before she leaves for home to check she has the numbers for all the services they have set up, including the emergency/out of hours number for mental health support.
Emma Reader discusses the new Crisis Service
Emma Reader works for Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. She is Programme Manager for the Suffolk Mental Health Alliance transformation team. In this video, she talks about the vision for the Crisis Service, and how it might affect people living in Suffolk.
View this video full-size on Vimeo or read the full script.
Jason Joseph gives an update on progress made by the Crisis team
Jason joined the CCGs in the summer of 2020 as Transformation Lead for Mental Health and Learning Disabilities.
View this video full-size on Vimeo or read the full script.
Tanya Johnson talks about a 24/7 crisis phone line
Tanya is a call handler for the First Response Service, and offers immediate advice, support and signposting for people with mental health difficulties. This is the 24/7 crisis phone line that we established in response to COVID.
The current crisis phone line number is: 0808 196 3494.
Our vision is that this phone line will be accessed via NHS 111 option 2 in the future. In this video, she discussed the work of the service.
View this video full-size on Vimeo or read the full script.
Frequently asked questions
We’ve put together a list of queries we think you might have. If you’ve got a question that’s not on this list, please email us at wsh-tr.mhprogrammeteam@nhs.net
We’ll answer your question as soon as we can. And if we think your query would be helpful to other people, we’ll add it to this list. Don’t worry, though, all questions asked will be anonymous.
1. Can I still attend A&E for psychiatric support?
Yes however we recognise that an A&E department is not always the most helpful place for someone in distress and urge people to contact First Response Service (when it is safe to do so) so the most appropriate place for assessment can be arranged.
2. How has crisis response improved for young people and their families?
One of the transformations aims is for all pathways to work in a more integrated way. The crisis pathways are working hard with the children`s pathway to ensure there is improved support for young people and their families at times of crisis.
3. What happens if I`m open to a mental health team and I need crisis support?
In the event of needing additional support you will be encouraged to contact the team that supports you in the community first. However, if you are unable to, it is out of hours or it is an emergency then First Response will support all callers.
5. I have a learning disability; can I use the new services?
Yes, those with a learning disability and or autism will be able to access the all aspects of the new model (both universal and specialist services) with reasonable adjustments.
Complete the survey – we need to hear from you!
Ready to tell us what you think? Great news.
We’re so grateful you’re going to be part of #AVeryDifferentConversation.
Easy Read surveys
If you’d prefer to complete the survey in Easy Read, there is one survey for each of the four kinds of mental health services.
- Children, young people and families mental health services survey
- Community mental health services survey
- Crisis mental health services survey
- Learning disabilities and autism services survey
If you’d like some help completing the surveys, please call us on 0800 389 6819.
Would you prefer to print the surveys and fill them in on paper? If so, please post them to us at the below address:
Quince House Floor 2
Suffolk Alliance Mental Health Programme Team
West Suffolk Foundation Trust
Hardwick Lane
Bury St Edmunds
Suffolk
IP33 2QZ
If you do have any questions you’d like answered before you complete the survey, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
You can reach us at wsh-tr.mhprogrammeteam@nhs.net and we’ll answer your question as soon as we can. And if we think your query would be helpful to other people, we’ll add it to the Frequently Asked Questions.
What happens now?
These plans are not yet finalised. We need to understand how the suggested service developments will feel for service users, carers and the workforce. That’s why your comments are so important to us. Your feedback will support the development of the plans for the future of Suffolk’s mental health services.
From November, once we’ve heard what everybody thinks, we will work with our co-production partners to see if we need to adapt the plans and make changes. We’ll then let you know what changes have been made as a result of the feedback we received. This will be early next year.
The next stage will be to take these plans and make them a reality for service users, carers and staff. This will all take some time. The new services will start to become available from summer 2021.
Go back to the main #AVeryDifferentConversation page, or visit one of the other priority pages:
