Tools and resources

Working with adults to ensure person-centred care and support for admission to and discharge from inpatient mental health settings

Introduction

Introduction

This resource is for people working in adult social care, mental health services (both community and inpatient settings) and third sector organisations to support good practice. It draws on discussions at a workshop held in November 2016 which focused on implementing NICE's guideline on transition between inpatient mental health settings and community or care home settings for adults moving to and discharged from inpatient mental health settings.

With the support of the NICE Collaborating Centre for Social Care (NCCSC), the workshop was held in the London Borough of Newham. In Newham, social workers who previously worked in the community mental health team are now managed by the local authority. The workshop was attended by people with roles in mental health and social care, including senior managers, psychiatrists, social workers, hospital ward staff and bed managers, housing workers, and community care workers. People who used mental health services also attended to provide accounts of their own experiences.

The resource provides:

  • information to support implementation of the recommendations in NICE's guideline on transition between inpatient mental health settings and community or care home settings

  • information and learning points from the workshop

  • links to relevant resources.

There is also a tailored resource that focuses on services for children and young people:

Why should you put this guideline into practice?

NICE guidelines are made up of evidence-based recommendations for health and care in England. This guideline addresses the often difficult period before, during and after admission to, and discharge from, a mental health hospital. It is about improving the quality of care for everyone who uses mental health inpatient facilities, including children, young people and adults, and people who have other health issues and care needs. Through a set of recommendations and implementation challenges it aims to help children, young people and adults who use mental health services, and their families and carers, to have a better experience of transition by improving the way it is planned and carried out.

In addition, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) uses NICE guidelines as evidence to inform the inspection process. The CQC key lines of enquiry and prompts for inspectors expand on areas the guideline covers and include: involvement of people and their families in care planning, pathways of care, access to advocacy and discharge planning. The CQC key lines of enquiry, set out in appendices to the provider handbook for specialist mental health services, provide a useful point of reference for local service planning and development.


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