A pioneering and award-winning partnership between Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Trust and Citizens Advice is transforming care for adults and attracting the attention of key organisations who want to replicate it across the country.
The groundbreaking initiative addresses the root causes of mental health crisis by providing practical support and guidance to patients who experience problems with a range of issues like money, housing, employment and relationships. By tackling these challenges alongside specialist mental health care, the Trust has been able to prevent hospital readmissions, helping patients stabilise their lives and return home to their loved ones with confidence.
A recent evaluation to examine the initiative's effectiveness found that 96% of patients had identified social stressors, such as money, debt or housing were having an impact on their mental health, including 91% who needed support with money, reflecting well-known links between money and mental health. The evaluation went on to show that for every £1 the initiative spent, it delivered a return on investment of £14, generated through shorter inpatient stays, fewer readmissions, reduced medication, and better engagement with community services. This meant that for the 50 patients included in the study, it saved the NHS £244,850 in just nine months.
Darryl needed care at Melbury Lodge Hospital in Winchester, following a manic episode, and was supported by the Citizens Advice Case Workers. Talking about their support, Darryl said: “I had lost my life, I was living out of bags and lost all my documentation. The Citizens Advice worker came along and she helped me get a new bank card, get a new passport and also helped get me back into the community. She advised me on benefits such as Universal Credit and PIP and helped me with all the forms.”
Support from the Citizens Advice Case Workers extends post discharge, helping people get on their feet and move forward in the community, minimising the chances of readmission. Darryl adds: “When I got out of Melbury Lodge they introduced me to the council housing group to help with my housing. Without the service I would have struggled much longer and harder than I did.”
The success of the initiative has attracted attention from a number of national bodies. This week, colleagues, including national leads from Citizens Advice, NHS England, Money and Pensions Service, NHS Confederation and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, came together to hear more about the initiative's success and discuss ways it could be scaled up and rolled out to other areas.
Jon Pritchard, Associate Director of Population & Health Equity for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare was instrumental in setting up the project. Jon said: “We are astonished at the impact the initiative has had on our patients and staff and believe that others could benefit from replicating it. It was great to share our work and data with colleagues from other organisations, and talk about how we could move this project into new spaces so that others can benefit.”
Sue Campbell, CEO of Citizens Advice Winchester District, who developed the model in partnership with Jon, added: “The potential to spread this partnership is phenomenal and we’re developing plans to ensure that’s a reality, we want to see it in as many places as possible. It was great to see so many of our colleagues from across the health, social care and welfare landscape, all eager to see how they could help support the work.”
The project has also had positive effects on NHS Staff. In the same report, 100% of staff said the initiative had a positive impact on the ward, with 78% saying they felt less stressed at work because of the support the patients were receiving.
The project has been steadily gaining recognition, winning the NHS Parliamentary Award for Excellence in Mental Health Care in the Southeast and shortlisted for the national award. It has also been championed by Winchester MP Danny Chambers who has called the work ‘game changing’, saying: “This research from Melbury Lodge and Winchester Citizens Advice is a game-changer. At a time when the public finances are under pressure, successful projects like this should be celebrated across the whole country. I'll be championing this local project in parliament and asking the government to consider the great opportunity this could be if rolled out country-wide. It would mean better results for patients and a better use of public money.”