Issue - items at meetings - Mental Health Accommodation Strategy

Information on a successful city bid for regional NHS funding to launch an initiative to improve mental health accommodation services (copy attached)

10.1    This item was introduced by Dr Richard Ford, Executive Director of Commercial Development, Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, and by Jane Simmons, Head of Commissioning, Adult Social Care.

10.2    In response to members’ questions, Dr Ford told the committee that this pilot was intended to encourage better ‘step-down’ with service users moving to less intensively supported accommodation when appropriate and thereby freeing up spaces for more needy patients and reducing the use of acute hospital beds. This would help people live independent lives and enable the local health economy to better manage the costs of supplying housing support to people with mental health problems.

10.3    In answer to a question from the Chair on whether the initiative was designed to produce savings, members were told that this was the case, although given the considerable pressures on the service this would probably equate to avoiding an overspend rather than making actual savings. There is no intention to reduce community care budgets, but rather to manage them more efficiently so the maximum number of people can benefit from the resources available.

10.4    Members thanked Dr Ford and Ms Simmons and  agreed to receive a progress report in 6 months time.