Physical and Mental Health Integration in Hillingdon

A large number of our elderly population receive care from both physical health and mental health teams.

In Hillingdon CNWL teams are working on ensuring our pathways are as integrated as possible, so that patients receive joined up care.

When we use the term pathways it refers to the patient journey from one service to another. When they become integrated, different specialists work together to support the patient in more than one area e.g. physical health and mental health.

In Urgent Community Response we have specifically:

• Been developing and implementing direct pathway between Urgent Community Response and our Older Adult Mental Health teams to support integrated physical / mental health crisis pathway
• Improving pathways between our community inpatient ward - Hawthorne Intermediate Care Unit (HICU) and our older adults mental health ward - Oak Tree ward, including making use of multidisciplinary meetings and ward rounds to support sharing and developing of knowledge and skill in both directions
• Development of a pilot Advice and Support pathway between primary care and Older Adults Mental Health services to promote improved physical and mental health care pathways and integration
• A broader piece of work developing opportunities to share knowledge and skills between older adult mental health services and community health services and teams in Hillingdon to improve integrated physical and mental health care in the borough.