ICBs should complete reviews of intensive and assertive community treatment for people with severe mental health problems by 30 September, NHS England has said.
The reviews should be presented to ICBs’ public board meetings alongside an action plan on how the system will implement national guidance, it added.
These action plans should include practical steps on how local areas will address gaps in provision, with both short-term and longer-term actions.
NHS England will collate the national data and use it to inform future policy and to understand resource requirements, it said.
In a letter to ICBs on 29 August, Claire Murdoch, NHS England national director for mental health, learning disabilities and autism and Dr Adrian James, medical director for mental health and neurodiversity, said the reviews would also feed into ‘wider digital actions for mental health’.
The letter said: ‘Working alongside local stakeholders and partners, reviews should be completed by 30 September 2024, with the outcome of the review communicated to your regional NHS England mental health team.
‘The reviews should be conducted in line with the national guidance around providing intensive support to people with a serious mental illness.’
It added: ‘NHS England will also develop guidance on what good quality, safe care looks like for community mental health services and share best practice. This will include a review of patient safety and the fundamentals of good quality care e.g. care coordination, patient and family engagement, risk/safety management, treatment and effective discharge (including medication compliance and the application of the Mental Health Act including community treatment orders).
‘Outcomes of these reviews will also feed into wider digital actions for mental health, given that implementing digital and data tools can help with risk management for everyone within community services.’
It follows the news that NHS 111 will now provide direct support to patients experiencing a mental health crisis.
