Following a competitive application process where a diverse panel from NHS Confederation and NHS England’s Mental Health Independent Support Team (MHIST) and Urgent and Emergency Care (UEC) Team assessed over 50 applications, Bedfordshire Mental Health Services have been accepted onto a new programme.
The Mental Health and Acute Care Interface Improvement Collaborative Programme will bring together healthcare organisations from across the country. Its aim will be to take 12 teams through an improvement methodology-based programme of six learning sessions and three webinars. Expertise will be shared nationally, while tackling challenges to improve patient experiences and outcomes in acute emergency department hospital settings.
Colleagues put forward a project seeking to improve patients’ experience of care while avoiding unnecessary admissions to EDs – freeing up valuable time and money for the NHS.
The project team comprises colleagues from across the Trust and Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, including service users and carers. Mental health charities Samaritans and Mind Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes (BLMK) will also be involved.
NHS Confederation is a membership body representing organisations that commission NHS services, whilst NHS England’s UEC Team develops best practices to ensure patients receive the best care, in the right place.
The programme will kick off with an introductory session on 14 May 2025, providing an overview of work to come. Following this, various learning sessions will be held up to April 2026 to explore:
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Challenges currently faced and understanding the problem
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Measurements and idea scoping
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Human factors and behavioural change
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Improvement ideas
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Testing and sustainability
Webinars will be held in June and October 2025 and March 2026 to better understand health inequalities and ways to lead through change. Finally, a launch event will be held on 29 April 2026.
Commenting on the region’s successful bid, ELFT’s Clinical Director for Bedfordshire and Luton, Elena Baker-Glenn, said: “I am delighted to be joining this nationwide programme. I would like to thank all partners and colleagues for supporting with our application, as well as the judging panel for accepting our application.
“This programme will play a crucial role in supporting our communities across Bedfordshire and Luton, and I look forward to working with the team to put plans into action.”