Background and aims
The Bromley home treatment team (HTT) in the Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust takes referrals from other services and self-referrals to provide community alternatives to admission to hospitals. The HTT provides 24/7 care and can see 1,200 patients a year.
The outcome measurement system was developed by the Bromley HTT in partnership with service users and is a ‘state-of-the-art’ technology system which allows professionals to see real time severity of a patient’s mental health, allows monitoring of changes in severity, and uses this information to aid clinical decision making.
Solution
The outcome measurement system was designed so that crisis resolution and home treatment teams were able to identify if they were effective, and if so, how they were effective. This strategy puts patients' views back into practice.
The system uses three outcome measures: a clinical scale (the ‘CORE 10’) that people complete, describing their mental state or how they are feeling; a social scale (the ‘CANSAS’) that measures factors such as employment, relationships, education, childcare, finances; and a patient feedback form on satisfaction with care.
Patients complete these scales using electronic tablets on commencing and finishing care with the team, which enables information to be collected ‘on the go’.
'The teams success is due to, not the number of patients seen, but to a constant open and inquisitve culture of actively seeking feedback and learning from their service users each day.'
Dr Derek Tracey, Consultant Psychiatrist and Associate Clinical Director at Oxleas NHS Foundation.
Outcomes and benefits
Outcomes of the outcome measurement system were:
- Clinicians were able to plan medical reviews and plan transfers to community services
- Clinicians were able to identify changes in patient health over time
- Clinicians were able to see live information which led to the delivery of better care
- Service users say they have improved mood and are able to get back into employment
Additional information
You can find out more about the Outcome Measurement System by accessing The Positive Practice Directory crisis care article or the on NHS case study page.
The aim of the ZSA Case Studies is to introduce users to a range of examples of new and innovative practice, with the broad aim of working to support people with their mental health, bring awareness to and help prevent incidence of suicide. Please seek further information by contacting the ZSA and appropriate professional input prior to making a decision over its use.
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Content last updated: 24/11/2022.