A preliminary evaluation of Crisis Plus: a model for working with frequent users of psychiatric crisis and inpatient services
ISSN: 1361-9322
Article publication date: 16 June 2023
Issue publication date: 9 November 2023
Abstract
Purpose
There is a proportion of psychiatric service users whose needs are not met by existing models of care. This can lead to a reliance on acute and crisis services. These service users may be considered high intensity users (HIUs). The purpose of this research is to evaluate the Crisis Plus model, an intervention designed to better support HIUs in the community and reduce dependency on acute and crisis services.
Design/methodology/approach
Forty-seven HIUs were involved in Crisis Plus. The core intervention of Crisis Plus was an Anticipatory Management Plan (AMP), produced in collaboration with service users, their families and their care coordinators. AMPs were shared with relevant services and attached to electronic patient notes to ensure a uniform, psychologically informed approach to care.
Findings
HIU service use was compared pre and post-AMP. On average, number of inpatient admissions, number of days spent on the ward, accepted psychiatric liaison referrals and accepted home treatment team (HTT) referrals decreased significantly.
Practical implications
Crisis Plus has taken a collaborative, proactive approach to engage HIUs, their families and the services that care for them. Crisis interventions that emphasise collaborative working and service user agency are key.
Originality/value
The provision of dedicated psychological support to HIUs and their professional and personal network is crucial to reduce reliance on acute and crisis care. Crisis Plus is unique in that it instigates co-production and active consultation with HIUs and services to improve clinical outcomes, in addition to reducing NHS expenditure.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research was not supported by any external funding.
Ketan Ramesh Sonigra and Lucy McIvor are joint authors on paper.
Erratum: It has come to the attention of the publisher that the article, Sonigra, K. R., McIvor, L., Payne-Gill, J., Smith, T. and Beck, A. (2023), “A preliminary evaluation of Crisis Plus: a model for working with frequent users of psychiatric crisis and inpatient services”, Mental Health Review Journal, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/MHRJ-05-2022-0031, incorrectly listed the first author’s name as “Ramesh Sonigra” in the citation XML. The error was introduced during the typesetting process and has now been corrected in the online version. The citation has been corrected to “Sonigra, K. R.”. The publisher sincerely apologises for this error and any inconvenience caused.
Citation
Sonigra, K.R., McIvor, L., Payne-Gill, J., Smith, T. and Beck, A. (2023), "A preliminary evaluation of Crisis Plus: a model for working with frequent users of psychiatric crisis and inpatient services", Mental Health Review Journal, Vol. 28 No. 4, pp. 350-361. https://doi.org/10.1108/MHRJ-05-2022-0031
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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