opening address

Mike Firn

Opening address

Forum activities 08/09 Revised Objectives 09/10AGMRegional Activity and voting for regional repsChair, Secretary and Treasurer

Closing date 31st July 2009

Why?Of the 250 teams in England few currently

stand out compared to the first flush of innovative teams ten years ago. Indeed many of the early adopter teams have waned, and the first wave of motivated, innovative staff drawn into fresh challenges or beyond clinical practice. There remains richness (and variation) but little gets national and international exposure through team identified research, publications or reputation.

Benefits to Demonstration sites

Reputation and recognition for services and Trusts involved in the scheme

Each team to have a page in the demonstration site area of the NFAO web site with their contact details.

The award of a plaquea £500 award to the team in each of the 2

years to be put towards hosting visits from other AO teams

Demonstration site status valid for 2 years

Financial Incentives to improve adherence to medication

NFAO as a resource –web site

NFAO as a resource - advice

“A senior colleague has told me that community mental health teams are to be reviewed in our trust and that it is no longer DH policy to have specialist AO teams. In other words, …. AO type care could be delivered from CMHTs.”

Post-NSF mental health policyThe 10-year national service framework (NSF)

for mental health, launched in 1999, comes to an end this year. The NSF is widely agreed to have dramatically improved care and treatment in community-based services in particular. (Job done?)

New Horizons will be the next 10-years strategy moving focus ‘upstream’ to investment in health promotion, healthy communities, families and individuals.

Lead by Health Minister Phil Hope and Louis Appleby, National Director for Mental Health. Consultation document out in July

Where does AO fit into this?NFAO will provide a formal response to the

consultation.New Horizons drafts have a section on AO

describing the work of AO teams positively:- recovery focused, innovative services use appropriate evidence based approaches reach socially excluded individuals and

communities.

Where does AO fit into this?Mentions AO role in Supervised

Community TreatmentSystematic approaches and

interventions for dual diagnosis Links with primary care to ensure

physical health problems and risks are regularly addressed.

Recognises AO role in improving employment and housing outcomes

The next 10 year DH strategy will not throw out the baby with the bathwater.

ConclusionShort terms local decisions (commissioners

and Local Execs) to balance the books remain the single most significant threat to comprehensive specialist AOT provision.

Comprehensive Spending Review and recession

AO and indeed CMHTs will be reviewed (and rightly so in some cases)

Proactive stepsManage your reputation ( e.g. your bed use

and responsiveness to referrals) Demonstrate how you use your resources-

‘hard’ and ‘soft’ outcomes including service user carer experience

Work to delivery of NICE schizophrenia guidance 2009

Ron Coleman