Improving health and reducing costs
As an outcomes-focussed organisation that promotes social inclusion, Rethink Mental Illness is committed to intervening early and avoiding unnecessary admissions.
We can help you identify opportunities to save money and improve the patient experience, and we can also help you take advantage of the opportunities in key service areas.
Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Teams have been shown to yield significant savings. Over six months, the costs per person have been found to be just under £2,200 lower for those with access to CRHT than those without (full details in our Fair Treatment Now report).
Providing alternatives to admission such as our Crisis Houses can also save money. A comparison of standard acute in-patient mental health care and alternatives found that alternatives are significantly cheaper – on average £3,832 per admission compared to £9,850 – and more cost-effective - £2,939 cheaper per unit of HoNOS (Health of the Nation Outcome Scales) improvement.
Intervening early to prevent patients’ mental health problems reaching crisis point is also key. In 2008, the King’s Fund found that immediate savings of up to £9 million could be made if early intervention services were provided to 60% of new cases of schizophrenia (full details in our Fair Treatment Now report).
For more common mental health problems, the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme aims to improve services for people suffering from conditions such as mild to moderate depression and anxiety.
Rethink Mental Illness is the leading voluntary sector provider of IAPT services, with experience of working in partnership with GPs and Trusts to adapt the IAPT model to local systems and needs.
Please get in touch with us to discuss how we can help improve health and reduce costs in your area - call 0300 5000 927 or email commissioning@rethink.org
