A mixed-methods evaluation into transformed community mental health services

How we worked with the client?

With demonstrable experience modelling patient flow in complex healthcare systems, Unity Insights were chosen to fulfil this mixed-methods evaluation in transforming community mental health services. Demand for mental health services is ever increasing, as demonstrated within the Darzi review, and thus novel approaches to delivering these services, and lowering the barriers to entry is required.

To fulfil the comprehensive real-world evaluation, Unity Insights utilised their quantitative skills to provide cost-benefit analyses of the new community mental health services, system dynamic modelling to estimate the previous unmet need now being addressed through transformed services, and health inequalities impact analysis to ensure that services users within the Core20PLUS parameters had equitable access to the transformed services.

Significant volumes of qualitative feedback was sourced through focus groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted with implementation leads, service leads, and partners from the voluntary, community and social enterprises.

These aspects culminated in a final report detailing the impacts of the transformed community mental health services, and provided further recommendations for future regions embarking on transforming services.

What were the impacts of this evaluation?

Services involved in the transformation provided extensive patient referral and appointment data; alongside admissions and readmissions data from high-intensity services. By combining datasets, Unity Insights were able to provide insight into the cost-benefit returns realised through the implementation of transformed services.

The detailed referral and appointment data allowed for the generation of sankey charts showing the services that provided the front-door to mental health care pre-transformation and post-transformation, and provided visual insight into the services that service users were referred to for further care.

Additionally, such data was input into a system dynamics model; a form of stock and flow modelling, enabling Unity Insights to evidence the bottlenecks for service users within community care, and to estimate the previous unmet need now being met as a result of the transformed services.

Demonstrated previous unmet need now being addressed through system modelling

Quantified healthcare costs and savings, and social benefits

Demonstrated the impact of accessing services for services users with the Core20PLUS parameters

What value did this evaluation add?

Unity Insights’ evaluation provided robust recommendations and insightful visuals that have been circulated to other regions tackling service transformation. We were commended for our economic work, system modelling, and novel visuals to demonstrate patient flow, and have been recommended to system partners should further independent evaluations be required.