Reducing the Length of Time Psychiatric Patients Who Are Assessed as Requiring an Adult Mental Health Inpatient Bed Spend in the Emergency Department; a Systemic Quality Improvement Journey

This paper discusses change ideas that front line staff working within Adult Mental Health Services have tested to reduce the length of time that psychiatric patients are waiting in Emergency Departments to access the most appropriate care and support. In this process staff were acknowledged and recognised as subject experts in their field and given autonomy to test their own ideas that may lead to better patient outcomes and improved experience. Quality Improvement tools and methodologies were used to help staff to understand the complexities of the system that they work within and to measure the impact of their change ideas. This work provides some useful insights and learning that would benefit the wider system where sustained pressures exist due to reduced bed capacity and flow, leading to protracted waits for psychiatric patients in Emergency Departments.