Contact with staff on wards

Quality statement

People in hospital for mental health care have daily one-to-one contact with mental healthcare professionals known to the service user and regularly see other members of the multidisciplinary mental healthcare team.

Quality measure

Structure

a) Evidence of local arrangements to ensure that service users in hospital can see a mental healthcare professional known to the service user on a one-to-one basis every day for at least 1 hour.

b) Evidence of local arrangements to ensure that service users in hospital can see their consultant on a one-to-one basis at least once a week for at least 20 minutes.

c) Evidence of local arrangements to ensure that service users in hospital are given an opportunity to meet a specialist mental health pharmacist.

Process

a) Proportion of service users in hospital who saw a mental healthcare professional known to the service user on a one-to-one basis every day for at least 1 hour.

Numerator - the number of people in the denominator who saw a mental healthcare professional known to the service user on a one-to-one basis every day for at least 1 hour.

Denominator - the number of service users in hospital.

b) Proportion of service users in hospital who saw their consultant on a one-to-one basis at least once a week for at least 20 minutes.

Numerator - the number of people in the denominator who saw their consultant on a one-to-one basis at least once a week for at least 20 minutes.

Denominator - the number of service users in hospital.

c) Proportion of service users in hospital who saw a specialist mental health pharmacist.

Numerator - the number of people in the denominator who saw a specialist mental health pharmacist.

Denominator - the number of service users in hospital.

Outcome

a) Evidence from experience surveys and feedback that service users in hospital see a mental healthcare professional known to the service user on a one-to-one basis every day for at least 1 hour.

b) Evidence from experience surveys and feedback that people in hospital see their consultant on a one-to-one basis at least once a week for at least 20 minutes.

c) Evidence from experience surveys and feedback that people in hospital know they can meet a specialist mental health pharmacist.

Description of what the quality statement means for each audience

Service providers ensure systems are in place for service users in hospital to have daily one-to-one contact with mental healthcare professionals known to the service user and regularly see other members of the multidisciplinary mental healthcare team.

Mental healthcare professionals ensure service users in hospital can have daily one-to-one contact with mental healthcare professionals known to the service user and regularly see other members of the multidisciplinary mental healthcare team.

Commissioners ensure they commission services that provide service users in hospital for mental health treatment and care with daily one-to-one contact with mental healthcare professionals known to the service user and the opportunity to see other members of the multidisciplinary mental healthcare team.

People in hospital for mental health care have daily one-to-one contact with mental healthcare professionals known to them and regularly see other members of the multidisciplinary mental healthcare team.

Source clinical guideline references

Service user experience in adult mental health (NICE clinical guidance 136) recommendation 1.6.6.

Data source

Structure

a) to c) Local data collection.

Process

a) to c) Local data collection.

Outcome

a) and b) Local data collection. Providers may be able to use questions contained within the national patient surveys available from NHS Surveys. Questions on time to discuss conditions and treatments are contained within

• NHS mental health inpatient survey (Q16 and 20)
• NHS community mental health survey (Q8).

c) Local data collection.

Definitions

One-to-one meetings should not be undertaken as part of the multidisciplinary ward meetings which are for the clinical administration of the ward.

Recommendation 1.6.6 states:

Offer service users in hospital:

• daily one-to-one sessions lasting at least 1 hour with a healthcare professional known to the service user
• regular (at least weekly) one-to-one sessions lasting at least 20 minutes with their consultant
• an opportunity to meet with a specialist mental health pharmacist to discuss medication choices and any associated risks and benefits.

Daily one-to-one sessions with healthcare professionals known to the service user need not be one session that lasts an hour. The hour contact could be made up of shorter sessions and spread throughout the day.