Agenda item

Prosper Mafu, Managing Director, Islington Division, summarised the performance as detailed in the report which provided an update on the North London Mental Health Partnership (NLMHP) and overview on performance over the last 12 months.

The following main points were noted in the discussion:

• The Committee noted the updates on the Partnership’s operational and quality performance against national and local standards as outlined in the report.
• The Committee was informed that the progress towards the new Trust, to be called the North London NHS Foundation Trust, continued and the formal application had been submitted to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care for final approval, which was expected to be signed off very soon.
• The key areas that the service was focusing on for improvement was on the number of women accessing the perinatal mental health service, with the target of a 10% increase by March 2025.
• In terms of update on borough partnership key programme update, it was noted that the mental health teams had adopted a new care planning approach called DIALOG+ which would co-produce a personalised care and support plan with service users and their carers.
• Mr Mafu provided an update on the St Pancras Transformation Programme and highlighted that a new NHS mental health inpatient building, The Highgate East, opened in March 2024. This new building was situated next to the Whittington Hospital. It was also noted that the Mental Health Crisis Assessment Service (MHCAS) opened in a new location at Highgate West. This was a 24/7 emergency mental health care across North London which offered an alternative to A&E for those in a mental health crisis.
• Following a question on talking therapies, it was noted that to achieve enhanced consistency of service delivery across the Partnership, all Talking Therapies services were being overseen by a single Managing Director. An Operations Manager was also recruited to support the approach and lead the transformational change required to deliver on the new access and outcomes requirements.
• A member stated that data from a representative at Whittington Hospital suggested that in Islington, around 56% of people with dementia had passed away at home, compared to 70% in the rest of England, meaning many spent their last days in hospital. The member raised concerns about this figure and asked whether suitability of housing was a contributing factor. In response, officers advised that they did not have any data to support this statement and would need to look further to collate data on this matter.
• In response to a follow up question, the Committee noted that the Memory Service worked in partnership with Age UK to provide support for carers of dementia patients.
• In terms of targets for talking therapies, it was noted that the target for recovery rate was 50% and this was a target set nationally.
• Following a question on Islington Clozapine and Depot Clinic, it was noted that during treatment, Clozapine would not be one of the first line anti-psychotic medication the doctors would consider and would only be used if patients become resistant to other medication or treatments. It was also noted that there was safety precautions attached to Clozapine so patients would be required to attend the clinic regularly for physical health checks and blood monitoring to ensure that there was no negative reaction to the medication.
• In response to a question regarding parity of esteem and ensuring mental health services had equal value to physical health care, it was noted that a lot of work had been done to ensure access to mental health services. There were a number of services available including access through GP Federations, Depot clinics, Whittington Hospital and other services within North London Mental Health Partnership.
• In response to a follow up question regarding funding issues, the Committee was informed that there had been additional investment in mental health services in the last 3 years which enabled the service to recruit additional staff. However, recruitment remained a challenge due to employee turnover rates.
• Following a question on people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups opening up about mental health, it was noted that this remained to be an ongoing issue and work had been done with system partners to engage with Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic populations in supporting them to access mental health services.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.