Innovative presentation of data to improve service user safety, reduce suicides and inform clinical caseload management

There is a significant problem around reduced life expectancy among people with the most severe mental health problems, and there is a correlation with undiagnosed or untreated long-term physical health conditions.

In North East Lincolnshire, over 200 people per 10,000 are hospitalised for intentional self-harm each year, and 11 per 10,000 people commit suicide.

This project aims to reduce the number of suicides and improve patient safety by using an innovative presentation of data that will allow clinical staff to identify patients at risk.

The project is being run by NAViGO CIC, a not-for-profit social enterprise that provides mental health treatment and care to people in North East Lincolnshire.

Clinical staff in mental health services will receive a data dashboard containing safety indicators – this information is taken from currently disparate local and national data sources. The data will be transformed into meaningful information that can be used to improve patient outcomes.

The dashboard will help clinical staff to manage large caseloads. It will display previously identified suicide/premature mortality risk factors alongside national and local data. It will save time for staff and, by including physical health information, will encourage collaboration between secondary care, primary care and mental health care.

The dashboard will mean that information is only collected once from patients, and can be shared with other health care professionals.

Baseline measurement and re-measurement will be taken with the same patient cohort at six and 12 months. This will include patient safety scores, outcomes, number of serious incidents, friends and family survey scores and patient contact time.

Contact details

For further information about the project, please email Laura Forster, Performance Analyst, NAViGO CIC.