Mental Health Joint Response Vehicle service wins Collaboration Award
The Mental Health Joint Response Vehicle (MHJRV) service – a partnership between Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) and Pennie Care NHS foundation trusts and Greater Manchester Police (GMP) – has been crowned the winner of the Collaboration Award at the Greater Manchester Health and Care Champion Awards 2023.
Organised by the NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care (NHS GM), with support from the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester Health and Care Champion Awards celebrate and showcase the talent, reach and social value of all individuals and teams, waged or unwaged, who work in the health or care sector in Greater Manchester.
The Collaboration Award recognises where multiple teams, organisations or agencies have come together to make a powerful impact through their work and was presented at a ceremony hosted by TV presenter and Manchester-born, Michelle Ackerley, at the National Football Museum in Manchester on 13 July 2023.
The MHJRV service is dramatically improving support for people experiencing a mental health crisis, while saving around £2M in professional’s time.
With a team in each borough, the MHJRV service involves a practitioner and police officer jointly attending mental health crisis calls to provide urgent triage and the right support, with A&E or a 136-suite considered as the last option for care. This is vital for people’s recovery, ensuring a positive experience and maintaining dignity and liberty.
In 2022, over 2,600 people across Greater Manchester were supported. Staff reported 1,260 A&E avoidances and 1,014 section 136 avoidances.
The most frequent outcomes were handing over the patients’ care to an appropriate team (509), providing mental health advice and support (504), or signposting to a helpline (380).
The cost per 136-suite admission, across partners, is around £2,030. Based on the 1,014 reported avoidances, the efficiency savings (in professionals’ time) are £2,058,430.
Of the 57 patients interviewed, 79.6% felt the service helped, 90.7% felt they were treated with dignity and respect; and 83.3% felt they received personalised care. They rated 8.3 out of 10 for service excellence.
We would like to say a huge thank you to all our amazing mental health practitioners and partners who work tirelessly to make this such a brilliant service for our communities. We couldn’t have won the award without you.