NHS to roll out 'pioneering' A&E units where patients can be seen in 10 minutes
The NHS has announced a new service that will allow patients with symptoms of a mental health crisis to be seen 'within 10 minutes'.
The new mental health units seek to slash waiting times and avoid overcrowding in A&E departments, The Times reports.
Dubbed 'mental health A&Es' by health bosses, the service will be staffed by specialist doctors and nurses and will be open to patients who present symptoms of a mental health crisis, such as suicidal thoughts or psychosis.
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It comes amid a 'corridor care' crisis and pressure on emergency services. Figures show that more than 1.7 million patients waited 12 hours or more to be admitted, discharged or transferred from A&E last year, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) said.
A 2022 report by the RCEM found that patients attending emergency services with mental health symptoms are twice as likely to wait 12 hours or more than other patients.
Sir Jim Mackey, the chief executive of NHS England, told the paper: "Crowded A&Es are not designed to treat people in mental health crisis.
"We need to do better, which is why we are pioneering a new model of care where patients get the right support in the right setting.
"As well as relieving pressure on our busy A&Es, mental health crisis assessment centres can speed up access to appropriate care, offering people the help they need much sooner so they can stay out of hospital."
Ten NHS trusts have already launched separate units for mental health emergencies, some of which are at sites of existing A&Es. The units are open to walk-in patients and to those referred to the service by GPs and police.
The 'mental health A&E' scheme is expected to be expanded nationally to dozens of locations.
The move is part of a 10-year NHS plan to be published this summer by the Labour government, according to The Times.
Mental health nurse Toti Freysson, who manages the service, told The Times: "Anybody who walks in is seen by a mental health specialist within 10 minutes."
Freysson added: "Normally in A&E they would have to wait for hours, surrounded by the noise and the chaos. Most of the people we see have suicidal thoughts. Here, they can come in and sit with their families. We are able to intervene early and link them up with treatment in the community. It means we can get them home much sooner."
Claire Murdoch, the NHS national director for mental health, told the newspaper: "I would certainly hope to see these mental health A&Es across the country over the next decade."
Dr Luke Evans MP, shadow health minister, said the Conservatives welcomed the move.
He added: "However, this follows the Labour Government's decision to cut mental health spending as a proportion of the overall NHS budget and impose a Jobs' Tax that has forced mental health charities and local authorities to redirect their resources away from those struggling most.
"This Government must now make sure that these units are funded properly so that those struggling the most with their mental health can receive the targeted and compassionate care they're in need of."
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