SIM shortlisted for four HSJ Value in Healthcare awards

A pioneering project integrating mental health care and policing on the Isle of Wight is receiving further national recognition.

 The Serenity Integrated Mentoring (SIM) project run by Hampshire Constabulary and the Isle of Wight NHS Trust, and supported by Wessex Academic Health Science Network (AHSN), is nominated in FOUR categories for this year’s Health Service Journal (HSJ) Value in Healthcare Awards.

SIM - which previously won a Royally-endorsed national health award, and is one of this year’s NHS England National Innovation Accelator Fellows – is shortlisted across the following categories:

• Clinical Support Services
  
• Managing Long Term Conditions
  
• Mental Health
• Workforce Efficiency
  

SIM is recognised as being effective at bringing together policing and healthcare skills to achieve a positive difference to the lives of mental health patients and their families.

Sergeant Paul Jennings said:  “It’s fantastic that the process and progress of this project is receiving further national recognition from an industry publication as respected as the Health Service Journal (HSJ).

“The originality and ingenuity of SIM was commended several times last year, which has provided a strong platform for discussions on how the SIM model can evolve and expand to other parts of the country.

“All of us involved in SIM hope these nominations can focus more people’s attention on how a different way of thinking can enable the police and NHS to enhance their expertise in collaboration. It’s a combined approach that provides a breakthrough to resolving some of the most complex behaviour and consequences linked with mental health.”

Vicki Haworth, from Isle of Wight NHS Trust, and the Mental Health Innovations Lead and Clinical Lead for SIM, said: "We are so proud to have jointly developed this new model of care with Hampshire Constabulary, which provides a jointly commissioned police officer to work in and alongside our mental health practitioners and teams.

"This is a really good example of the ‘My Life a Full Life’ approach to services.  We have seen dramatic reductions in admissions to our acute psychiatric wards and Emergency Department, in police call outs and ambulance deployments. Most importantly we have had really good feedback from our service users involved in the SIM programme and from their families."

The SIM project team will now prepare to make three presentations to the awards panel at the end of March and beginning of April. The awards ceremony itself takes place on May 24. You can view the full shortlist here.

For more information about the SIM project, please visit the project's pages for an overview. You can also watch a video below, and follow @SIMIntensive on twitter.

Serenity Integrated Mentoring: Supporting and preventing high intensity mental health crisis from Wessex AHSN Limited on Vimeo.