Bringing together mental health teams to improve patient safety

On 12 July the collaborative held an all-day learning event for mental health teams across the South of England. The event – which was held face to face for the first time in over 2 years – was an opportunity for sharing learning and networking, which has been particularly challenging for large geographic collaboratives during the pandemic.

It was a long sought after opportunity for project teams to discuss and learn more about using quality improvement (QI) approaches to reduce restrictive practice in in-patient mental health, learning disability and autism units – a key ambition of the NHS England commissioned Mental Health Safety Improvement Programme (MHSIP). With over 90 staff joining from as far afield as Cornwall and the Isle of Wight, the event offered unique opportunities for collaboration across the mental health sector in order to foster QI approaches to patient safety, drive health equity and review progress against the ambitions of the MHSIP.

Hosted by the West of England AHSN, the collaborative was created in partnership with the South West AHSN, and now includes Kent, Surrey and Sussex AHSN, Oxford AHSN, and Wessex AHSN alongside 16 mental health trusts across the south of the country. The collaborative aims to improve the quality and safety of services for users of mental health services.

The event was chaired by Dr Helen Smith, chair of the collaborative and National Clinical Lead for MHSIP alongside opportunities to hear from experts by experience and collaborative colleagues.