Next Steps
The Open Mental Health Next Steps service is intended to ‘bridge the gap’ between inpatient care and community support to facilitate more timely and effective discharges by providing enhanced support for people as they continue their recovery in the community. It is estimated that on any given day at least 10–20% of all mental health beds are occupied by people who are ready to leave hospital but do not have an agreed discharge package of support to do so. This equates to approximately 1–2 million bed days each year and means people who urgently need admission to beds are sometimes unable to access them.
What Next Steps aims to do
Next Steps aids transition from hospital by removing any barriers such as housing, suicide risk or where there may be worry that someone will be re admitted if short term support is not there.
- It helps individuals to spot possible relapse signs
- Establish recovery goals
- Signpost who to contact where to go in a crisis
- Support with managing budgeting and benefits handling personal budgets
- Make opportunities for educational, work-related and social activities
- Work alongside clinical details of treatment and support plan
- Support group work including health promotion and information Help to secure and maintain housing.
Who will provide Next Steps support
Alongside community navigators, individuals will receive support from volunteers with lived experience of being admitted to mental health hospital and have harnessed their experiences to empower themselves and their clients.
Our skilled volunteers will provide an opportunity for:
- Social support
- Self-help, including early warning signs and coping strategies
- Independent living skills and goals setting.
Volunteers will accompany community navigators to meetings with individuals while on a ward and post leaving hospital to build up a trusting relationship. All of our volunteers are trained through WATCH CIC and supported to get the most from their volunteer experience with Next Steps.
After clients come to a close with goal focused Community Navigator support our volunteers can offer up to 12 additional support sessions independently so that the client has a tapered level of service support. Lived experiences of those that have been in similar situations as the clients is at the core of Next Steps and provides a level of empathy and hope that compliments the clients transition from what is often a traumatic time.
When and how Next Steps will offer support
While in hospital
Next Steps clinics run once a week and aim to provide a route of entry to specialist support from Citizens Advice. They also offer signposting services to other community support and Open Mental Health Services, and have positive links with education providers in the area and the Recovery College who can make introductions to what is available, both while In hospital and after.
While in hospital – Introduction to the Community Navigator and Volunteers
In hospital a meeting will be arranged to introduce the community navigators and volunteers. They can provide support with links to education and work, help to secure a safe place to live and provide some emotional support to build connections and relationships if wanted. Community navigators can work alongside those in hospital and then after they leave for up to 3 months, dependent on the goals they are working with towards. Volunteers can continue this for a longer time if both agree.
While in hospital – When a date has been decided for moving on
A review will take place to look at any barriers to leaving hospital that have been worked on and see what we have been able to do and if there is anything else that needs to happen before transitioning back to the community. This will be done with the community navigator and volunteer.
48 hours before leaving the hospital
The assigned community navigator will ensure everything is on track to the individual to leave hospital.
24 hours before leaving hospital
Individuals will be offered a support call/ video call with their community navigator and volunteer to see how they are and to schedule a first face to face meeting after leaving hospital. 24hrs, 48 hours and 72 hours post discharge individuals are offered three face to face support or a video/phone.
Roughly 3 months after leaving hospital
After three months of support has been completed with the community navigator, continued support will be offered by the volunteer. Introductions to other services can also be arranged during this time if needed.
Ongoing
Volunteers may offer up to 12 goal focused sessions if this works for both the client and volunteer.
If you need support with your mental health please get in touch with us. Call Mindline Somerset on 01823 276892 or
freephone 0800 138 1692 or email support@openmentalhealth.org.uk