Mental health admissions to medical wards: 65% increase in a decade for young people

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Mental health admissions to acute medical wards rose 65% for young people in England (2012-2022), with eating disorder admissions up 515% and anxiety admissions doubling in 10 years. Self-harm admissions accounted for more than half of the total. Adolescent girls by far the biggest group affected.

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Thinking outside the box: alternatives to standard inpatient mental health care

Red arrow stands out from the others and changes direction to go out of order. Thinking outside the box. New strategies and solutions. Atypical, leadership qualities. Denial of conformism.

Amber Jarvis summarises a new typology of alternatives to standard inpatient care produced by the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Mental Health, which suggests there are multiple alternatives to ‘traditional’ inpatient mental health care, which planners and commissioners should consider.

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Evidence-based safe staffing levels on mental health wards: there’s no such thing

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The relationship between staffing and incidents of violence and aggression on wards is complex. Today Emily Wood reminds us that there is an urgent need for high quality evidence to inform guidelines and practice.

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A deep dive into trauma-informed care in crisis, emergency and residential mental health settings

Deep sea diving

Magda Skowronska summarises a scoping review that finds significant evidence gaps around the implementation of trauma-informed care in emergency care, crisis teams, crisis houses and acute day hospitals.

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The enforced use of cameras in patients’ bedrooms may not reduce the incidence of self-harm

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John Baker looks at a recent study of the Oxevision system, which claims that their ‘vision-based patient monitoring’ reduces self-harm on acute mental health wards.

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Opening ward doors doesn’t make staff any more coercive

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John Baker summarises a new Norwegian trial published last week, which compares an open-door policy to treatment-as-usual in urban psychiatric inpatient wards.

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Peer support does not reduce hospital readmissions: the final word?

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Danielle Lamb reviews a recent large randomised controlled trial on peer support for discharge from inpatient mental health care versus care as usual in England (the ENRICH study).

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Hidden from the world: Out of area hospital placements for people diagnosed with personality disorder #NoOOA

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Andy Bell summarises a new BIGSPD report on out-of-area placements for people with a personality disorder published today, which confirms that discriminatory treatment of people diagnosed with personality disorders is costly both to the people concerned and their families and to the health and care system.

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Inpatient care: identifying factors that influence the length of stay

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In her debut blog, Sophia Pillai looks at a recent retrospective case-cohort study on patient and service-level factors affecting the length of inpatient stay in an acute mental health service.

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Acute day hospitals: an option for mental health crisis care?

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Dieneke Hubbeling looks at a recent qualitative study of acute day units for mental health crises, which explores the experiences of service users and staff.

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