Keele-led research informs new policy briefing on early psychosis care
Research led by a Keele University professor has played a key role in the development of a new policy briefing on early intervention in psychosis care.
The policy briefing, published by Centre for Mental Health, outlines recommendations for the care of people in Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) services and calls for these recommendations to be included in the Modern Service Framework for Severe Mental Illness (SMI).
Keele's Professor Carolyn Chew-Graham led qualitative research as part of the wider EXTEND study, which found that supporting people through the transition to community mental health teams or general practice at the end of their time using EIP services is crucial to help people to move on successfully and continue in their recovery.
EXTEND was led by Dr Ryan Williams at Imperial College London to look at the care offered by Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) services, and found that those offering the full range of recommended interventions provide a better experience for people experiencing psychosis for the first time.
Dr Williams also found that having access to a broad range of support produces better outcomes for people in the longer term, but people from racialised communities have worse outcomes from EIP services, reflecting deeply entrenched racial inequities in both society and the NHS.
The findings have now been used to create a policy briefing published by Centre for Mental Health, which calls on the Government to set out clear priorities on the support offered by EIP services.
The briefing recommends that the Modern Service Framework for Severe Mental Illness, which the Government is currently developing, should set out clear expectations that EIP services must offer the full range of interventions recommended by clinical guidelines, including talking therapy, employment support, and family and carer support.
The briefing also says that the Government must also ensure that the Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework is sustained to help improve outcomes for racialised communities from EIP and other mental health services.
Professor Carolyn Chew-Graham, Professor of General Practice Research at Keele University, who led the qualitative research which informed the briefing, said: “We interviewed service users and carers who described the very helpful support they received whilst under EIP services, which stopped on discharge, particularly to primary care. Our Lived Experience Group emphasised that further work is needed to smooth this transition.”
Andy Bell, chief executive at Centre for Mental Health, added: “Early Intervention in Psychosis is a vital part of the mental health system. It provides support at a crucial time in a person’s life. The research produced by EXTEND is a reminder that EIP must be high quality to meet people’s needs effectively. And like all mental health services, EIP must address racism and racial inequity to offer the best possible support to everyone who needs it.”
