Mental health specialists working with patients across Ealing have helped reduce A&E visits by more than 20% through a new integrated healthcare project led by West London NHS Trust.
The initiative brings together clinical psychologists, therapists and physical health teams supporting people living with long-term conditions including chronic pain, diabetes, respiratory illness and heart failure.
Figures from the project showed patients receiving both mental and physical healthcare needed fewer visits to A&E over a year, while emergency hospital admissions fell by nearly 30%. Patients who were admitted also spent less time in hospital.
The programme forms part of the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan for England, which aims to provide earlier mental health support within community healthcare services.
One patient to benefit was 75-year-old Simon Elmes, from Ealing, who was referred to a specialist heart failure psychologist after showing signs of emotional distress during cardiology appointments following heart surgery.
Mr Elmes was later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder linked to a previous cardiac arrest and received Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy.
Joel Sheridan, Principal Clinical Psychologist at West London NHS Trust, said: “It was wonderful to see how much Simon benefited from psychological therapy, both in reducing his PTSD symptoms and in helping him cope with the significant responsibilities he carries as a carer.”
Dr Lindsay Ip, who leads the project, said the findings demonstrated “how powerful integrated psychological care can be”
