“The flexibility shown by the team in responding to the emerging needs of the project, and their openness and ability to embrace change was impressive,” according to the HSE Excellence Awards Selection Panel in their assessment of one of the winning projects last year. The project involved the establishment of a Mental Health Crisis Resolution Team by Sligo Leitrim Mental Health Services.

The panel further noted how “this project demonstrates just how effective healthcare professionals are when working together collaboratively as part of a team - when planning and delivering care. The project aims to provide community-based intensive multidisciplinary team (MDT) interventions to service users and their families, at a time of mental health crisis, as an alternative to mental health unit admission. The flexibility shown by the team in responding to the emerging needs of the project and their openness and ability to embrace change was impressive. There was demonstrable evidence of the impact of care and stakeholder engagement.”

Initiated by Sligo Leitrim Mental Health Services, those involved developed a Mental Health Crisis Resolution Team to provide community-based intensive multidisciplinary team (MDT) interventions for service users, their families and loved ones at a time of mental health crisis. The team set out to develop and provide the interventions as an alternative to admission to a mental health unit.

According to those involved, they looked to establish the team as “one of 5 national learning sites. Our involvement was prompted by the 250% increase in Emergency Department attendances with mental health issues, as well as ongoing pressure on mental health inpatient beds.  We recognised that we needed to develop a better way of managing mental health crises. We wanted to be service user centred, recovery focused, flexible and responsive.  Following an initial soft launch in December 2022, we opened the service to all stakeholders for referrals in early March 2023.”

Congratulating all the award winners and entrants, HSE CEO Bernard Gloster said their “contributions to health excellence have made a difference for patients, service users, colleagues and our fellow citizens. And for that, we thank you.”

Adding her congratulations, HSE National Director HR, Anne Marie Hoey, noted that “our staff have the skills, the confidence, and the knowledge to drive and transform our services, as evidenced by the projects that were finalists in the 2023 awards.”

Anne Marie further outlined how “our challenges as health sector workers are many but our workforce provides us with a wealth of talent and capability, and this is demonstrated in the continued success of the Health Service Excellence Awards. At a time when health service leadership worldwide is embracing challenges in addressing organisational culture, workforce shortage and the adoption of new technological innovations, the calibre of the 2023 entries demonstrates a focus on collaborative working across hospital and community services, statutory and voluntary health care services. Working in healthcare means we are all working in changing and dynamic environments. Now, more than ever, we are dependent on the experience, expertise and critical skills of our colleagues in order to deliver the best pathways and care to both our service users and patients and to support the teams we all work with.”

Watch a video about the Development of a Crisis Resolution Team (Mental Health) - Sligo Leitrim Mental Health Services on YouTube.com