Written by: Neill McAnaspie, Chief Innovation Officer at IMS MAXIMS

Whilst national policies such as The NHS Long Term Plan and the NHS Mental Health Implementation Plan highlight the importance of ensuring parity of esteem for mental health, and outline a vision for improving services nationally, the reality on the ground is that many individuals experiencing mental health issues still face barriers to accessing timely and appropriate care.

The digitisation of mental health services has been identified as a key strategy for achieving the goals outlined in wider policy, but progress in this area still lags behind that of physical health providers. This discrepancy calls for an urgent and concerted effort from mental health providers to bring themselves in line with their counterparts. As a manufacturer and provider of configurable electronic health records, IMS MAXIMS is positioned to play a pivotal role in supporting the NHS in its efforts to improve mental health care provision.

Mental health is a critical aspect of overall well-being, and individuals with mental health problems are at a higher risk of also developing physical health problems. However, the current state of mental health care in the NHS is far from ideal, with long waiting times and a lack of access to evidence-based treatments (such as CBT) being major issues. This is particularly concerning when it comes to vulnerable populations, such as children, older adults, and women during the perinatal period. As the model of national healthcare provision shifts to an integrated care systems approach with mental healthcare increasingly provided in the community, it is essential for healthcare information to be readily shared across the full range of inpatient, outpatient, and community settings on offer.

Understanding the challenges

Unfortunately, the NHS has had to face significant pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to strive forward to meet the expectations outlined in the NHS Mental Health Implementation Plan, which include the expectation that all mental health providers will be fully digitised by 2024, reach an appropriate level of digital maturity and that they are integrated with other parts of the health and care system.

This includes the ability to offer digital options for accessing care (including online referrals and signposting to crisis services), support digital clinical monitoring, implement tools to support clinical decision-making (including identification of need, assessment, detection of risk (e.g. crisis) and treatment selection) and offering a range of self-management apps, digital consultations and digitally-enabled models of therapy to support access to a range of services such as psychological therapies, first episode psychosis services, eating disorder services, community mental health teams and child and adolescent services.

The role of IMS MAXIMS?

One of the key ways in which we can support the NHS in addressing these challenges is by providing fit-for-purpose EHR systems that meet the needs of our customers and facilitate the integration of mental and physical health care across multiple clinical and social care settings. With our collaboration, healthcare providers can configure their systems so that the workforce can easily access and share a patient's complete medical history, including any mental health diagnoses, treatments, and progress. This enables a more holistic approach to care and can help to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of mental health services.

As an EHR provider, we are committed to helping the NHS meet these expectations and improve the quality of mental health care. Our approach and solutions have the potential to improve the efficiency and productivity of mental health services and enhance population health management.

By providing tailored EHR systems that help co-ordinate and facilitate integrated multi-disciplinary care and by enabling providers to improve the accuracy and quality of mental health data, we can help to reduce waiting times, track patient progress and outcomes more effectively along the relevant care pathways and ensure that patients receive the most appropriate care.

On the frontlines our solutions can help to streamline clinical workflows and enhance the process of accessing care by providing healthcare providers with a complete view of a patient's medical history and treatment plan and help healthcare staff make appropriate adjustments to treatment plans to ensure that patients receive the most appropriate care.

Health providers can then evidence the expansion and transformation of mental health services and focus on improving the timeliness of access to care, the effectiveness of interventions, and further optimise care quality and outcomes. We are committed to supporting the NHS in its efforts to improve and address the challenges mental health services face and help them provide the high-quality care that individuals and communities seeking mental health support deserve.

If you would like to speak with us about anything written in this article, please get in touch with us, or arrange to meet us at Digital Health Rewired 2023, 14-15 March at the Business Design Centre, London. contact@imsmaxims.com