Safer Patients Mean Safer Public - Greater Focus On Protection, UK
Although the majority of people with mental health problems pose no danger to themselves or other people, there is a small minority who are a risk and need intensive support, usually to protect themselves. Every year approximately 55-60 homicides are committed by mental health patients and 1,000 people who have been in contact with mental health services commit suicide. The new amending Mental Health Bill will introduce supervised treatment in the community to ensure that patients who have been discharged from compulsory treatment in hospital continue to comply with treatment. This will benefit patients and improve public safety.
Also published today by the Department of Health was an independent review of homicides committed by people with severe mental illness, carried out by Professor Tony Maden of Imperial College London. It examines what went wrong in each individual case and makes recommendations to prevent further tragedies.
The Department also announced today that it was undertaking a review of its wider Care Programme Approach, which is used by professionals to assess, plan, coordinate and review the care of patients. This review will look at how community care can better target patients with the highest needs, such as parents with a severe mental illness or those who have a drug problem. The review will also aim to streamline the current cumbersome care planning process, and give patients more control over their care and their choice of treatment.
Rosie Winterton said:
"Some people with severe mental health problems can pose a danger to themselves. A smaller number can pose a danger to the public. We are committed to minimising this danger and helping patients regain their independence.
"We need to be better at spotting the signs of danger, we need to improve the way agencies work together and we need to provide care that will help patients recover and regain their independence.
"I am delighted to announce two programmes of work. Firstly, we will be reviewing the way professionals assess and manage the risk that a patient can pose. Secondly, we will be reviewing the wider way in which professionals assess, plan and co-ordinate the care of patients. Taken together, they will allow professionals to give patients the appropriate, safe and personalised care that they need to get better.
"These reviews will also complement the new Mental Health Bill and together will ensure that people who need treatment - sometimes to protect others but more often to protect themselves - will get the right treatment at the right time."
Background
The Department of Health has commissioned the Care Services Improvement Partnership (CSIP) to undertake a two-pronged review.
Risk Management Programme
The Risk Management Programme has already commissioned research into past incidents to improve the current evidence base. The programme is now:
(a) working on a national evidence framework for assessing and managing risk
(b) developing guidance on information sharing between agencies about high-risk patients and
(c) looking at the ways in which training of professionals can be improved.
This programme of work is linked to the proposal to introduce supervised community treatment for people with mental health problems as part of the review of the Mental Health Act 1983.
Care Programme Approach
Currently, when a patient is referred for mental health treatment, they receive a care plan that identifies their treatment needs, the relevant organisations involved in providing this care, the person who will coordinate this care and when the care plan should be reviewed. This is known as the Care Programme Approach (CPA).
Although this system has improved treatment since it was introduced ten years ago, the Government believes that more needs to be done to provide patients with greater control and care tailored to their individual needs. We also believe that the current system is too bureaucratic and that agencies can improve the way they work together.
Current proposals to review the system include:
(a) Strengthening the role of the care coordinator and improving information sharing between health, social care and criminal justice agencies
(b) Reviewing the training available to care coordinators and seeing if this can be improved
(c) Investigating ways red tape can be cut
(d) Refocusing care planning so that patients are given more information, a greater say in shaping their treatment and so more is done to help them regain their independence
We intend to hold a public consultation of the Care Programme Approach later this year.
2. The Labour Party 2005 manifesto said:
"We shall provide safeguards for the few people with long-term mental health problems who need compulsory treatment coupled with appropriate protection for the public. We shall also strengthen the system for protecting the public from offenders who have served their sentence but may still pose a threat because they have a serious psychopathic disorder."
3. Professor Maden's report - Review of Homicides by Patients with Severe Mental Illness - can be found on
www.nimhe.csip.org.uk/riskmanagement
4. On March 23 2006 the Department of Health and the Home Office announced a new Bill to amend the Mental Health Act 1983. One of the proposals includes the introduction of supervised community treatment. It will be introduced when Parliamentary time allows.
http://www.dh.gov.uk
Safer Pacienþii medii sigure Public - o mai mare concentrare asupra Protecþia, Marea Britanie - Safer Patients Mean Safer Public - Greater Focus On Protection, UK - articole medicale engleza - startsanatate