Following the introduction of new guidance relating to rehabilitation services by NHS England earlier this year, Elysium has been taking steps to ensure its services reflect the changes.
The ‘commissioner guidance for adult mental health rehabilitation inpatient services’ supports the planning and commissioning of local mental health rehab services for inpatients as part of a whole pathway, to meet the identified need of local populations.
The new guidance sets out that ‘all means all’ – services will be commissioned so that everyone who presents with a mental health rehabilitation need requiring an inpatient service should be able to access this locally, when they need it and in a way that is responsive to their needs.
Around 25% of the services provided by Elysium offer rehabilitation and throughout this year, since the introduction of the guidance, the organisation has been making plans and taking action to ensure its provisions, and how they provide support, reflect the changes.
Dr Quazi Haque, Chief Medical Officer and Executive Operations Director at Elysium, said: “This new guidance introduced by NHS England looks to reform, and indeed, transform, rehabilitation care. It is a reflection that the people who need these services come with diverse and sometimes very complex needs and that the services commissioned to support them need to be of the highest possible quality and meet those needs.
“We have been working very hard with our care services to make sure our care models are absolutely right, and meet the new standards and specifications.
“Good care is involving patients and making sure our services are part of the whole patient pathway. Our services are ensuring that they are connected with their local communities, employment, housing and community care.”
Elysium is also rolling out a programme of trauma-aware training to all colleagues working in rehabilitation services, with ambitious targets.
Dr Haque said: “We want to make sure we have a strong trauma network across our organisation. Our ambition by the end of January 2025, is to make sure all of our teams working across our services have trauma skills and foundational training – and we’re well on the way with that.
“This is an on-going process and I thank everyone – patients, families, commissioners and teams – for their support and being part of this important work.”