Additional Information: A meeting with Mental Health Service Users - Healthcare Safety Investigatio

Further to the email below regarding the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch, Helen Collins has asked us to send some further information to clarify the purpose of their investigation, and this is below:

The Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) is a recently formed organisation charged with conducting National investigations into themes relating to patients who have been harmed while receiving care in the NHS in England. The HSIB investigation will not replace local hospital or healthcare provider investigations. Instead they will compliment them.

You can find out more about them on the website: www.hsib.org.uk. They would encourage you to look at the website and find out more about their role before you make contact.

One of their investigations is looking at the provision of care to adults with mental health problems who present in crisis at the emergency department.

They are currently trying to understand if the emergency department is an appropriately safe place for patients experiencing a mental health crisis and would truly value the opinion of people who have gone through this experience.

They are also mindful that this will have been a difficult time and would not wish anyone to be at all anxious about meeting them and have stressed the importance that they need to be at an appropriate point in their recovery and well-being.

Finally, it is important to note that when they have concluded their investigation they will publish a report. It will be anonymous, so they may refer to a person’s experience but will definitely not identify them or the healthcare provider’.

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Email:

May I introduce myself. My name is Helen Collins and I work for the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch. I was given your contact by Nanu Chumber Stanley from Surrey County Council as someone who may be able to help me.

For your information, the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch is an ‘arms-length’ NHS organisation set up in April 2017, and aims to make National recommendations on commonly occurring safety incidents. You can find out more about the branch via the following web-address:

www.hsib.org.uk

I am working on an investigation with my colleague - Paul Davis (who is the Lead Investigator) looking at mental health provision in emergency departments – particularly for those who have attempted suicide.

We are keen to talk to individuals who may have attempted suicide in the past and were treated at the emergency department.

Nanu suggested that you may be able to help either direct us to some individuals who would be willing to share their experiences, or perhaps attend one of your meetings which I believe you Chair.

You may wish to find out more about this investigation before you reply, and you can do so by reading our ‘interim bulletin’ via the following web-address: www.hsib.org.uk/investigations-cases/provision-mental-health-services-emergency-departments/

I look forward to hearing from you, and please do not hesitate to contact me by phone if you wish to discuss this in more detail.

Kind regards,

Helen

Helen Collins

National Safety Investigator

Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch

A1 GO30

Cody Technology Park

Farnborough

Hampshire

GU14 0LX

Mobile: 07522215870

eMail: helen.collins@hsib.org.uk